FIGHT 4 RELIEF

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Obama's Nobel Prize

Nobel Spotlights Need for Obama to Act on Rights

Stand up for Persecuted Human Rights Activists; Shut Guantanamo
October 9, 2009

(New York) - The award of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama should encourage him to apply his stated principles to both foreign and domestic human rights policy, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Nobel committee awarded the prize for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” and Obama said he would accept it “as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.” Human Rights Watch said Obama should now act decisively to end abuses in US counterterrorism policy, promote accountability for serious human rights crimes wherever they occur, and push for the protection of human rights defenders worldwide.

“As a Nobel laureate, President Obama has a special responsibility to speak up for activists jailed and persecuted for promoting human rights,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “The president will honor his Nobel Prize when he puts a meaningful end to the debacle at Guantanamo, by trying or releasing all of the prisoners held there.”

Human Rights Watch said Obama should use his status and celebrity to protect human rights activists under threat or marginalized, including Nobel laureates Aung San Suu Kyi, the Dalai Lama, and Shirin Ebadi, and other reported candidates for the prize such as the Chinese dissidents Hu Jia, Liu Xiaobo, Gao Zhisheng and Chen Guangcheng, the Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour, and the Russian human rights group Memorial.

Obama, who said the prize “must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity,” spoke of “the young woman who marches silently in the streets on behalf of her right to be heard even in the face of beatings and bullets; for the leader imprisoned in her own home because she refuses to abandon her commitment to democracy.” The latter was a reference to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese leader who has been jailed or under house arrest for almost two decades.

However, Human Rights Watch said Obama - who was recently unwilling to meet the Dalai Lama - should push for a vigorous public discussion of Tibet during his Beijing visit in November.

Obama should also institute real reforms on counterterrorism issues, Human Rights Watch said. The president signaled his clear intention to repudiate the Bush administration’s abusive legacy on his second full day in office by announcing the shutdown of CIA “black sites” and the planned closure of the military prison at Guantanamo. But he later backtracked significantly from his promise of reform by resurrecting the failed system of military commissions and suggesting that his administration would continue to hold some prisoners in preventive detention.

Human Rights Watch said Obama should end the practice of arbitrary detention by abolishing Guantanamo. Simply moving the prisoners from Cuba to the United States, as his administration has signaled it may do, will not solve the problem, but rather give it a new name.

US counterterrorism abuses had been a boon to terrorist recruiters and a key irritant in relations between the United States and the Muslim world, Human Rights Watch said. By eliminating these abuses - and bringing to justice those responsible for such abuses - Obama’s reforms would lessen the likelihood of future conflict.

The Obama administration has strongly defended the principles of international justice as applied to Congo, Kenya, and Sudan, but changed its position when the UN Goldstone report urged investigation of Israel and Hamas for possible war crimes. Human Rights Watch urged Obama to apply those principles to all parties, regardless of whether they are US allies or not.

“Justice is a critical component for lasting peace, because impunity for perpetrators of serious crimes fuels further violence,” Roth said. “President Obama should use his leadership to press for justice for all victims of human rights abuses, wherever they live.”

Statement by BAYAN-USA

October 10, 2009

Nobel laureate Obama should show commitment to peace by recalling US troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Mindanao — Bayan

The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today called on Nobel Peace Prize laureate US president Barack Obama to show a genuine commitment to peace by pulling out US troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Mindanao.

Obama was given the Nobel Peace Prize in a stunning decision brought about by his earlier calls for reduction of nuclear arms and moves to ease tensions in the Middle East.

“Having tens of thousands of US troops engaged in wars and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan is quite antithetical to the peace prize. Having hundreds of troops engaged in covert combat operations in the Philippines, in the name of the “war on terror” also goes against the principles of peace,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

“The continued deployment of US forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, Mindanao, and even Japan and South Korea shows that the US is waging and perpetually preparing for war. It is this policy of military hegemony which has caused conflict and tension in many regions in the world,” Reyes added.

Reyes said that while Obama said he will depart from the Bush regime’s policy of unilateralism, it remains to be seen if there will be major policy shifts in Iraq and Afghanistan. There have been calls to increase US troop deployment in Afghanistan by 40,000 based on recommendations of the US military commanders there.

“A president who is supposed to stand for peace should not be the one most interested in waging war in all four corners of the globe.  The global network of US military bases must be shut down. The US must end its presence in Iraq and Afghanistan and cease its incursions into Pakistan. The US should pull out its Special Forces operatives in Zamboanga and Sulu. The US war machine should be decommissioned if the world is to see peace,” Reyes said.

He added that the Nobel Peace Prize further raises expectations for Obama to fulfill his commitments in rectifying the errors of the Bush regime.

“Actions always speak louder than words. Now more than ever, the world will be watching the moves of the US president. Will he live up to his billing as a man of peace, or will he waste the goodwill given to him by the world by escalating US military intervention?” Reyes asked. ###

Sailing in the Rain

well, that’s new… cameo’s by mark and lacey not really necessary or that exciting… but it reminded me of this:

goodtimes.

Typhoon Ondoy Relief, San Diego

Hello friends and supporters of the Philippines,

On Saturday September 26th, Typhoon Ondoy struck the Philippines with the heaviest rainfall recorded followed by the worst flooding in 40 years.

BAYAN-Philippines’ “BALSA” (Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan, or “People’s Cooperation for the People”), is calling upon compatriots and sympathizers to gather financial donations for the victims of the Big Flood.

As of this writing, there are at least 100 dead or missing and 435,000 victims, who are homeless, injured or have lost all of their belongings. There are still as least 1 million people without electricity. Scenes are eerily similar to “Hurricane Katrina” and President Bush’s response in 2005 (or lack thereof).

President Arroyo’s lack of preparation and priority to acquire hundreds of big rubber boats (officials admitted they only had 13 rubber boats), amphibian vehicles, dump trucks, thousands of life vests and food/medicine kit for our compatriots who are trapped in rooftops has led to a humanitarian crisis.

We are making this appeal for financial support as the current administration is woefully unprepared and unable to help the hundreds of thousands of our compatriots and friends. BALSA will be coordinating efforts to distribute food, medicines, clothing and other basic necessities to help the people through this crisis. Because BALSA is firmly linked with the masses, aid will directly go towards the basic sectors of society – the workers, peasants and the urban poor who make up the majority of the victims (despite media attention that “the poor and rich are equally impacted”)

Relief Efforts continue for Victims of Typhoon Disaster.  BALSA drop-off locations in San Diego are up and Running!

Support “BALSA” Bayanihan Alay Sa Sambayanan = “Raft” People’s Cooperation for the People as we raise funds for victims of Typhoon disaster in the Philippines.  We are accepting money donations and BALSA drop-off locations in San Diego are up and running.

All donations will be going to those that have been most effected by typhoon disaster.  BALSA is integrated with the Filipino masses, ensuring all donations will be effectively used to help the urban poor, peasants, women and children, and other sectors of society.

In the coming days more drop-off locations will be announced.  Due to urgency we ask that people consider donating financially before donating drop-off material.

ONLINE DONATIONS via paypal can be made at:

http://www.bayanusa.org.

DROP-OFF LOCATIONS:

Cristy’s Bakery: 9178 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92126-4804
(858) 271-6135

Mira Mesa Senior Center: 8460 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92126-2311
(858) 578-7325

Fava Hall: 2926 Market St. San Diego, CA 92102 
(619) 234-1360

Kalusugan Community Services: 1419 E 8th St National City, CA 91950-2602
(619) 477-3392

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate email us:

anakbayansd@gmail.com

Or contact:

Eugene (916) 296-4848

Ivan (619) 370-1296

Happiness Can Add Several Years To Your Life

August 14th, 2008

Paris - (AFP) Keep humming “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. The 1980s New Age-inspired hit got it right. New research shows being happy can add several years to life.

“Happiness does not heal, but happiness protects against falling ill,” says Ruut Veenhoven of Rotterdam’s Erasmus University in a study to be published next month.

After reviewing 30 studies carried out worldwide over periods ranging from one to 60 years, the Dutch professor said the effects of happiness on longevity were “comparable to that of smoking or not”.

That special flair for feeling good, he said, could lengthen life by between 7.5 and 10 years.

The finding brings a vital new piece to a puzzle currently being assembled by researchers worldwide on just what makes us happy — and on the related question of why people blessed with material wealth in developed nations no longer seem satisfied with their lives.

Once the province of poets or philosophers, the notions of happiness and satisfaction have been taken on and dissected, quantified and analysed [sic] in the last few years by a growing number of highly serious and respected economists — some of whom dub the new field “hedonics”, or the study of what makes life pleasant, or otherwise.

“The idea that there is a state called happiness, and that we can dependably figure out what it feels like and how to measure it, is extremely subversive,” says Bill McKibben in his 2007 book “Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future”.

“It allows economists to start thinking about life in richer terms, to stop asking ‘What did you buy?’ and to start asking ‘Is your life good?’.”

Growth in material wealth adds little to happiness once buying power hits 10,000 dollars a year per head, according to such research.

But happiness can be bolstered by friendship and human community, as well as larger social factors such as freedom, democracy, effective government institutions and rule of law.

In Veenhoven’s findings, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, a scientific publication founded in 2000, the strongest effect on longevity was found among a group of US nuns followed through their adult life — perhaps reflecting the feel-good factor from belonging to a close-knit stress-free community with a sense of purpose.

While the lyrics from the Grammy-award 1989 “Be Happy” hit were inspired by popular Indian guru Meher Baba, nowadays, in more than 100 countries, from Bhutan in the Himalayas to the US and Australia, economists are working to put “happiness” indicators (a new kind of quality-of-life index) into the measurement of growth.

Happiness itself, according to the specialists, is generally accepted as “the overall appreciation of one’s life as a whole”, in other words a state of mind best defined by the person questioned.

In his paper, Veenhoven first looked at statistics to see whether good cheer impacted on the sick, but concluded that while happiness had helped some cancer patients suffering from a relapse, in general “happiness does not appear to prolong the deathbed.”

Among healthy populations, on the contrary, happiness appeared to protect against falling ill, thus prolonging life.

Happy people were more inclined to watch their weight, were more perceptive of symptoms of illness, tended to be more moderate with smoking and drinking and generally lived healthier lives.

They were also more active, more open to the world, more self-confident, made better choices and built more social networks.

“For the time being we know that happiness fosters physical health, but not precisely how,” he wrote.

“Chronic unhappiness activates the fight-flight response, which is known to involve harmful effects in the long run such as higher blood pressure and a lower immune response.”

To improve good cheer, he said, there needed to be more research on the impact of residential conditions or on the long-term effects of school on happiness. And studies on job-satisfaction failed to address the question of life-satisfaction at work.

But these findings, he said, opened new vistas for public health.

Governments needed to educate people in the art of “living well”, helping to develop the ability to enjoy life, to make the best choices, to keep developing and to see a meaning in life.

“If we feel unhealthy we go to a medical general practitioner,” he said. “If we feel unhappy there is no such generalist. We have to guess.”

“Professional guidance for a happier life is unavailable as yet. This is a remarkable market failure, given the large number of people who feel they could be happier.”

Via Physorg.com

KALI

So back in the spring time I got a flyer tucked under the wiper of my car.  It was for this new [West Coast] Martial Arts Academy that’s just a 5 minute drive from my place.

“WE’RE HERE!

• HAWAIIAN KEMPO JUJITSU
• CARDIO KICKBOXING
• BLACK TIGER KUNG FU
• FILIPINO ESKRIMA”

“WORD?!”

I’ve been wanting to check it out, but I know it’s gonna cost some major bills.  So, I decided I’d wait ‘til I get a better job cuz you know this serving the people food (w/o tips) ain’t really the business.  I got a LOT of bills to pay.

Now I’m no expert on Kali or any other form of Martial Arts.  But I did a little research on the academy that’s new to the ‘hood and found a video on YouTube featuring their Eskrima/Arnis/Kali instructor.  (See now, learning the differences between these terms is already a lesson in itself)

After watching this and a couple of other videos, I think I need to add more padding to this body before I subject myself to this…!

…So, if you’ve been following America’s Best Dance Crew (or not)… you may have been hipped to the recent Martial Arts challenge.  Here is a clip of Southern Movement’s performance incorporating Kali:

The aspect of Filipino tradition becomes a question, a point of discussion, and reflection.  For those of you who already have issues with Tinikling let alone “Hip Hop Tinikling,” I can only imagine what you would feel after watching that. [And I can’t mention Hip Hop Tinikling without linking the best non-traditional Tinikling dance ever, as non-traditional as you may or may not think “traditional” Tinikling is]

Again, as a non-expert, it’s difficult to be critical about this piece.  I thought the performance was alright.  I think a different group, in a different situation could produce a better piece.  I appreciate a performance more if one were to incorporate any sort of traditional concept into something new and modern if I felt that they had a connection to and understand its roots.  For instance, in the video that’s linked above featuring a Tinikling performance to Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us,” this piece has a great message that is told through the song, the costumes, and the dance.

I’ve had my thrills of dancing in between sticks.  Hopefully soon I’ll be learning how to fight with sticks!!  Watch out now.