Guantanamo: Ouch !

Obama’s Failure to Close Guantánamo by January Deadline Is Disastrous

Friday 20 November 2009

by: Andy Worthington, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

(Image: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t; Adapted: Darren Hester, rpmaxwell, Will Montague)

President Obama’s admission in China that he will miss his self-imposed deadline for the closure of Guantánamo is disastrous for the majority of the 215 men still held in the detention facility, and for those who hoped, ten months ago, that the president would move swiftly to close this bitter icon of the Bush administration’s lawless detention and interrogation policies in the “war on terror.”

Despite announcing the closure of Guantánamo on his second day in office as part of a number of executive orders rolling back the Bush administration’s executive overreach, Obama then failed to follow up with a detailed plan. He missed the opportunity to bring a number of wrongly imprisoned men to the US mainland (the Uighurs, Muslims from China whose release into the US had been ordered by a district court judge), and allowing Republican fearmongers to seize the initiative, mobilizing lawmakers (including some in Obama’s own party) to pass legislation preventing any cleared prisoner from being released into the United States….

More:  Obama’s Failure to Close Guantánamo by January Deadline Is Disastrous

 

 

——-

——-

 

Murder at Guantanamo? The Strange Death of Mohammad Saleh al Hanashi

Friday 20 November 2009

by: Jeffrey Kaye, t r u t h o u t | Report

(Image: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t; Adapted: daliborlev, Ninja M.)

With recent news reports centering on Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement that some Guantanamo detainees would be prosecuted in federal court and revamped, albeit flawed military commissions, important stories from previous months related to the prison facility continue to sink ever deeper into the swamp of our collective amnesia.

One example is the death that occurred at Guantanamo last June of Yemeni prisoner Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh al Hanashi. Al Hanashi’s death was reported as an “apparent suicide,” and about four weeks later, Mike Melia of The Associated Press reported that Yemeni officials claimed Al Hanashi died of “asphyxiation.” The article vaguely notes that self-strangulation may have been the cause of death.

While self-strangulation is rare, it is possible. However, news reports point out that the prisoner was kept under 24/7 observation (possibly on video) in the Guantanamo prison psychiatric ward. Furthermore, psychiatric patients on this ward are said to be sedated. How could this “suicide” happen? The death is being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), which doesn’t inspire trust, as recent revelations have shown it to be capable of some extremely bad behavior on some of its investigations….

 

More:  Murder at Guantanamo? The Strange Death of Mohammad Saleh al Hanashi

 

 

——-

——-

 

21,000 Bows

Hyung Jin Nim’s
21,000 Bows

http://vimeo.com/6705025
by iUnificationist.org

——-

Inherit the True Love of God

In Victory, Illumination, and Peace  {VIP}

“Happy Day Every Day” ~ “One Family Under God”

http://hyungjinmoon.iunificationist.org

——-

also…

Declaring Father Moon as the Messiah

——-

See full size image and the video sermon at:   www.hyungjinmoon.iunificationist.org     Hyung Jin Address to the Members ——- Hyung Jin Moon International President, Unification Church Sunday, September 4, 2009 ——- Brothers and sisters, it’s a pleasure to see you here in Washington. Actually I never planned to be in the States for all this time. I was actually supposed to be in Korea now. We have a lot of work to do. The temple is coming up very soon. But we were in Las Vegas at the Pal Jeong Shik ceremony, and Father all of a sudden one morning said, “You’re not going back to Korea, not on Monday.” I said, “Father, I have to get back to Korea on Monday. I have a lot of work to do.” He said, “You’re not going back, Son. You’re first going around America; you’re going to visit some cities and then you can go back.” I said, “Father, I have some things.” He said, “You go now.” I said, “Yes, Daddy!”  Read the story »

 

Photography of Mr. Seo You-Min

My favorite Seo You-Min

Korean History Teacher at CheongShim International Academy

Social Conscience / YouTube ——- GarageBand.Com  / Great Music Playlists Instrumentals to study by Instrumental Study Music .. Tell Me Something Good Classical, world, jazz ai.. Keep the Jazz coming Wake Up Power Instrumenta..

 

Charles Stepney

The Man, His Story

——-  Charles Stepney in the LA while working w/EW&F——-

His name was Charles Stepney!

http://www.charlesstepney.org/the_man.html

——-

Charles Stepney is amongst the most influential creators, producers and arrangers in all of modern American Music.

Stepney’s associations form a veritable Who’s Who of music. Stepney has written, arranged, produced and performed vast and varied assortments of music for Blues, Jazz and Soul greats Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Etta James, Ramsey Lewis, Buddy Guy, the Dells, Eddie Harris, Minnie Riperton, Phil Upchurch, Rotary Connection, Terry Callier, the Emotions, Deniece Williams and Earth, Wind and Fire.

Devout students of music are so enamored with his contribution that they regularly mention Charles Stepney with the likes of Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles as being considered amongst the great musical innovators of the last half-century.

Yet, in spite of his myriad of accomplishments, Charles Stepney remained a reserved, humble but proud, lifelong resident of Chicago’s South Side.

——-

Charles is the One — by Paris DJ

www.parisdjs.com/index.php/post/loik-charles-…

Charles Stepney is still a rather obscure name, even though he’s one of the major contributors to black music’s evolution in the 60’s and 70’s. And yet if you search on the Net you can only find 2 fuzzy photographs of the Man. That’s why we thought we could, with this podcast, lay a first stone for the pyramid he rightfully deserves, the monument which us, real Soul lovers, ought to built for him.

Vibraphonist, then arranger and one genius of a producer: The Dells, Muddy Waters, Rotary Connection, Earth Wind & Fire, Deniece Williams, he is the one who discovered the angelic Minnie Ripperton and the soulful Terry Callier when he was producer for the cult chicagoan label Cadet.

Stepney is all about the orchestrations and arrangements, with their completely unique psychedelic flamboyance. Check here his version of ‘Dear Prudence’ (the Beatles) by Ramsey Lewis or the brilliant ‘Black Gold’ from Phil Upchurch. You’ll get what I’m talking about.
Thus let’s make a star of him on the same level as Axelrod and other worshipped producers from the 70’s. May the name and work of Charles Stepney spread itself on the webs out there and give inspiration to all cos Ain’t No Doubt About It:

Charles is the one!!

——-

Interrupted Greatness: The Charles Stepney Story

To Whom It May Concern:

I have been working on building a comprehensive website in honor of my father for some time. I am quite enthused always to hear about others who respect his art as much as we do.He was a hard worker. Please visit soon. I’d love to have a joint link with you or even create some podcasts together.

Charlene Stepney-Wright

Charlene Stepney

Charles with Daughters Eibur and Charlene (in white)

& cousins Ora, Sarah and Ruby.

——-

2:08–Charles Stepney unreleased segue

——-

More YouTube:     Some of the Music of Charles Stepney

——-

——-

Charles Stepney Discography at Discogs

Charles Stepney. Profile: Composer, arranger and producer, born 1931, died 17 May 1976 in Chicago, Illinois.

——-

——-

 

Charles Stepney and the Schillinger System

… the Emotions, Deniece Williams and Earth, Wind and Fire.

——-

Schillinger System – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Schillinger System of Musical Composition, named after Joseph Schillinger, is a method of musical composition based on mathematical processes.

——-

 

 

 

As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen

Foreword to autobiography of

Sun Myung Moon

March 1, 2009
Chung Pyung, South Korea

 

 

A steady spring rain fell last night, ending a winter drought. It was so nice to have had the rain, that I spent all this morning walking about in the garden. The ground had that fragrant aroma of moist earth I had missed all through the winter, and the weeping willow and cherry trees were showing signs of new spring buds. I felt I could hear the popping sounds of new life sprouting here and there around the garden. Before I knew it, my wife, who had followed me out, was picking young mugwort shoots that had managed to poke their heads up through the dry lawn. The night’s rain had turned the whole world into a fragrant spring garden.

No matter how much commotion may be in the world, when the calendar turns to March, spring is on its way. The older I become, the more it means to me, that in nature spring follows winter and brings it flowers in full bloom. What am I, that God in each season, allows flowers to bloom and the snow fall, so that I might know the joy of being alive? Love wells up from the deepest recesses of my heart, and I am overcome with emotion. I am moved to tears to think that everything of real value has been given to me freely. In my life I have circled the globe many times over in my efforts to bring about a world of peace, and yet it is here in this garden in spring, that I am able to taste real peace. Peace, too, was given to us by God, but we lost it somewhere and now we spend our lives looking for it in all the wrong places.

To bring a world of peace, I have spent my live going to the most lonely and secluded places. I met mothers in Africa who could only watch helplessly as their children died of hunger, and I met fathers in South America who lived by a river full of fish but couldn’t feed their children because they didn’t know how to fish. All I did was giving them a small amount of food, but they granted me their love in return. Intoxicated with the power of love, I cultivated virgin forests and planted seeds. I cut down trees to build a school, and I caught fish to feed hungry children. I was happy even as mosquitoes bit me all over as I fished all through the night. Even when my feet were sinking knee-deep into mud, I was happy because I could see the shadows of loneliness disappear from the faces of my neighbors.

Seeking the shortest path to a world of peace, I devoted myself to inspiring change in the political process and to changing people’s ways of thinking. I met President Gorbachev of the Soviet Union as part of my effort to bring reconciliation between communism and democracy, and I met President Kim Il Sung of North Korea for a serious discussion on how to bring peace to the Korean peninsula. I went to a United States in moral decline and played the role of a fireman responding to a call in an effort to reawaken its Puritan spirit. I dedicated myself to solving various conflicts in the world. For the sake of reconciliation between Muslims and Jews, I did not hesitate to go to Palestine at a time when terror was rampant. I have gathered thousands of Jews, Muslims and Christians together in forums for reconciliation. And I have organized peace marches. But conflict continues….

—-

More: Foreword to “As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen”

—-

Global Citizen of Peace – part 1

Global Citizen of Peace – part 2

Autobiography Sun Myung Moon – A Peace-loving

——-

 

Creating One Family Under God

Ambassadors for Peace from the Richmond area participated in the Autobiography Debut Banquet of UPF founder, Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

By George Russell

The release of As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen was celebrated at the Sheraton National Hotel, in Arlington, Virginia, on October 1st. An audience of over 1500 leaders: religious, political, academic and others, gathered for the ocassion. After becoming a bestseller in Korea, Rev. Moon’s homeland, his book is now ready to be launched in America, in English.

Rev. Moon is now ninety years old and has recently celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. Their marriage has produced fourteen children, and of late, 43 grandchildren. In his book, he recounts the cherished moments of his youth and his calling by God to fulfill the greatest task ever; the completion of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. He recalls how as a child, he learnt about peace:

“I would often fall asleep in the hills after playing there….My father would come and hoist me on his back and carry me home. That feeling I had as he carried me down the hill – feeling completely secure and able to let my heart be completely at ease-that was peace. This is how I learnt about peace, while being carried on my father’s back.”

After being treated to a sumptuous banquet, the audience heard congratulatory remarks by several speakers and watched a video of his globe-spanning activities for world peace. He later gave a keynote speech titled: “Establishing the world of peace centered on the True Parents.”

Speaking on the Ambassadors for Peace, he said;  “They (AFPs) and the ‘Parent UN’ must stand on the frontline of the efforts to completely eliminate the walls and fortifications that currently divide and bind the earth. They will work to reinstate harmony and peace between the nations.”

*In our next meeting, we will be taking a deeper look into the views of the world’s religions on “God” (known by many other names). The unifying an elevated perspective of UPF will be presented.

DO NOT MISS OUR NEXT MEETING.

PLEASE JOIN US at the Sino American Cafe,
8701 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, VA — At: 2:00 p.m.
Tel: 804-200-9159 for any further details

Click Here: See UPF Videos (Bottom of Page)

 

Geoffrey Canada EdM ‘75

Harvard Shines a Spotlight on Public Service

Geoffrey Canada EdM ‘75 will be the award recipient and speaker at the Phillips Brooks House Association’s 2009 Robert Coles “Call of Service” Lecture and Award this Friday.
Read More >

About Geoffrey Canada

In his 20-plus years with Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc., Geoffrey Canada has become nationally recognized for his pioneering work helping children and families in Harlem and as a passionate advocate for education reform.

Since 1990, Mr. Canada has been the President and Chief Executive Officer for Harlem Children’s Zone, which The New York Times Magazine called “one of the most ambitious social experiments of our time.” In October 2005, Mr. Canada was named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News and World Report.

• NEW FEATURE: Frequently Asked Questions - answered on video by Geoffrey Canada, click here.

In 1997, the agency launched the Harlem Children’s Zone Project, which targets a specific geographic area in Central Harlem with a comprehensive range of services. The Zone Project today covers 100 blocks and aims to serve over 10,000 children by 2011.

The New York Times Magazine said the Zone Project “combines educational, social and medical services. It starts at birth and follows children to college. It meshes those services into an interlocking web, and then it drops that web over an entire neighborhood….The objective is to create a safety net woven so tightly that children in the neighborhood just can’t slip through.” …

More on Geoffrey Canada …

 

ShelterBox — Home for 10 People

The idea behind the ShelterBox

We have provided emergency shelter in more than 80 disasters in over 50 countries

——-

——-

CNN Heroes

Watch Henderson reveal the items in a typical ShelterBox »

——-

Home for 10 people … in a portable box – CNN.com

Watch how ShelterBox helps victims of disasters around the world » … Watch Henderson tell the story of a mother and her baby in a ShelterBox » …
www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/09/…/heroes.henderson/

——-

HELSTON, England (CNN) — A huge cyclone struck Myanmar in May 2008. It was the largest recorded disaster in that country, killing more than 130,000 people and leaving millions homeless.

Since 2001, Tom Henderson’s organization, ShelterBox, has supplied aid to more than 600,000 people.

1 of 2

——-

“We were one of the first aid agencies into the country, delivering our ShelterBoxes,” says Tom Henderson, whose relief package and organization of the same name has aided more than 600,000 victims of disasters of all scales worldwide since 2001.

Designed to help an extended family survive for a minimum of six months, the lightweight, weatherproof box contains items such as a 10-person tent, blankets, basic tools, water-purification tablets and containers, a multi-fuel or wood-burning stove, mosquito nets and other items tailored to the particular region in crisis.

The “ShelterBox is designed to be small enough so two people can carry it — but it has to be large enough to get equipment in for 10 people,” Henderson explains.

“It’s a simple package of aid delivered to the most needy people in the shortest amount of time.”

The ex-Royal Navy search-and-rescue diver says the idea behind the ShelterBox came to him “literally in a heartbeat” while watching the news in 1999. Henderson was struck by the footage he saw of relief workers dropping food on the ground to victims of a disaster.

“I decided there and then that I would try to make a difference in a more sensible and dignified way,” he recalls. “I went to my study and I got a piece of paper out, and I wrote down ’shelter,’ ‘warm,’ ‘comfort,’ and ‘dignity.’ And that’s where it started.”

Don’t Miss

• In Depth: CNN Heroes
• Get involved: ShelterBox

Though Henderson says people thought he was crazy, he searched around the world for the products he knew would work. In 2000, he brought his idea to the local Helston-Lizard Rotary Club, where members adopted the cause. In January 2001, the first 143 ShelterBoxes were flown to earthquake-ravaged Gujarat, India. Since then, the ShelterBox organization has responded to more than 70 disasters in 46 countries.

“If people have lost everything why should they lose their dignity as well?” asks Henderson. “So we were very keen, as well as delivering aid, to give people back their dignity, put them back in control.” Watch how ShelterBox helps victims of disasters around the world »

The secret of its success is two-fold, explains Henderson. ShelterBox is nonpolitical, accepting no funding from government agencies, and is a worldwide network with communication hubs near every potential disaster site via Rotary International. This allows ShelterBox to respond within 72 hours of a disaster anywhere in the world, subject to customs and local political barriers.

According to ShelterBox, each box costs £490 in the United Kingdom and $1,000 in the United States, including all materials, packing, storage and distribution to recipients around the world. Donations from the British public and money raised from Rotary Clubs worldwide help fund the boxes. Watch Henderson reveal the items in a typical ShelterBox »

——-

92% of your donation goes directly to those in need

——-

Donate

———

——-

Latest Deployments

• Sumatra| — Earthquake — 2009|

• Samoa| – Tsunami — 2009|

International — ShelterBox’s HQ is in Cornwall in the UK.   There are 8 international affiliates.  You can link to their websites below:

• — You are here |   United Kingdom

• USA
• Australia
• Canada
• Germany
• France
• Switzerland
• New Zealand
• Denmark

5:58  Shelterbox Enterprise Challenge

——-

2:18 ShelterBox’s Tom Henderson Receives Beacon Fell…

——-

——-

——-

Also see another organization:

——-

——-

Series 2100 Emergency Family Shelter + Winterization Kit

——-

Important Update:

Worldwide Shelters recently delivered nearly 6,000 shelters to Sri Lanka to aid relief efforts and we have thousands more available now in our distribution centers in Dubai, China and the US available for immediate shipment. Contact us 24/7 with any questions or inquires.

Providing a Superior Product is Our Passion

The mission of Worldwide Shelters is based on the discovery that most shelters provided today are truly temporary and lack the structural integrity and materials to withstand the forces of nature over any extended period of time. Combine this with the fact that the majority of people housed in temporary shelters use them for an unforeseen duration and we have a recurring crisis. This is why all Worldwide Shelters’ products meet rigorous guidelines for structural integrity and external material durability.

A Crisis of Humanity

With approximately 640 million people globally without proper shelter due to poverty, human conflict and natural disaster, we are facing a crisis of epic proportion. The absence of this most basic human need causes millions of people and children to die every year from exposure and disease.

——-

——-

 

October 14th Blessing Prayer (English)

To hear True Father’s prayer at the Blessing,

translated INTO ENGLISH,

please click on:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Z1-3uGTGk

——-

——-

Lee Jin-man / AP

Couples from around the world participate in the mass wedding ceremony at a Sun Moon University in Asan, South Korea, on Wednesday.

——-

For more on the

October 14th Blessing / True Parenthood

http://homeostaticism.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/october-14th-blessing-true-parenthood/

 

Eco Solutions / Seawater Irrigation

Autumn ideas

From salt water irrigation to a meat-free diet, Eco Solutions’ October show took a closer look at the different ways being formulated to conserve the planet.

——-

A salty story 7:48

Dr. Carl Hodges shows Eco Solutions his method to make deserts bloom – using seawater.

• Salt of the Earth

——-

Frontline pioneer: Carl Hodges – CNN.com

Dr. Carl N. Hodges is turning the tide on sea-level rise and revolutionizing agriculture in the process.

——-

——-

Founder and chairman of The Seawater Foundation,  Carl Hodges at the Principal Voices Climate Change debate.

As the founder and chairman of The Seawater Foundation, Dr. Hodges is convinced that by following nature’s example, it is possible to prevent climate change induced sea-level rises. With a background in atmospheric physics and mathematics, Dr. Hodges has developed an integrated agricultural and aquacultural farm in Africa — with a second one in Mexico — which uses seawater to green the desert.

Rather than using seawater for desalination — which requires great energy consumption — Dr. Hodges proposes that seawater can be drawn inland to irrigate seawater-tolerant crops and plants, creating arable land, food and employment in areas once thought too dry to sustain life.

Dr. Hodges’ math shows that if seawater-irrigated agriculture developed at the same rate as traditional agriculture did from 1930 to 2003, sea-level rise could be stopped in less than 15 years. . . .

——-

• Show Pages – Eco Solutions – CNN.com

• Salt of the Earth
• Meat-free lives
• Green planet