24th anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre

This file photo taken 24 years ago shows some of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese gathering around a 10-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty (center), called the Goddess of Democracy, in Tiananmen Square demanding democracy despite martial law in Beijing. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters were killed by China's military on June 3 and 4, 1989, as communist leaders ordered an end to six weeks of unprecedented democracy protests in the heart of the Chinese capital. (CATHERINE HENRIETTE/AFP/Getty Images)

Great photos of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests (but also of the horrible massacre that ended it)!

Censored in China: 'Today,' 'Tonight' and 'Big Yellow Duck' By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW The words’ today,’ ‘tonight’ and ‘big yellow duck’ are all banned on China’s popular Weibo, or microblog, as the state tries to ensure political calm on June 4, the 24th anniversary of the crushing of the 1989 democracy protests. some of my earlier posts on the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and democracy protests:  I write to you from a far-off country...: remembering Tiananmen... Jun 04, 2009 June 4, 1989 ...I was 21 and just coming into my own ...just moving out of my parents' home, just taking on my own ideas about politics, religion, war, life, love and everything... since I was young, every time I had uttered even ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ previously unseen photos of Tiananmen Square Massacre Jun 06, 2009 Previously unseen pictures obtained by the Guardian show how the violence centred on Tiananmen Square played out in surrounding areas... Posted by William Andersen at 4:58 AM · Email ThisBlogThis!Share to ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ meeting a former soldier that fired shoots in Tiananmen... Jun 04, 2009 meeting a former soldier that fired shoots in Tiananmen... ...very strange that I met this artist, Chen Guang, in the summer of 2007 at an art exhibit of the most shocking art that I've ever seen... I had a very difficult time with his art ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ I write to you from a far-off country...: China 22 years later... Jun 04, 2011 China's 22nd anniversary of Tiananmen Square | Video | Reuters.com. Twenty-two years after China's infamous Tiananmen Square crackdown, not much progress on political dissidents. http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ remembering "Tank Man"... - I write to you from a far-off country... Jun 06, 2009 Mike Licht said... Tank Man lives. New versions of this iconic image are all over the Web. Here, for example: http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/20th-anniversary-of-tiananmen-square/. June 5, 2009 at 4:57 PM ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ I write to you from a far-off country...: Ai Weiwei and the Artist's Role ... Apr 12, 2011 Ai Weiwei and the Artist's Role in China. Ai Weiwei in Tiananmen Square in 2009 (the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre). Ai Weiwei and the Artist's Role in China - Room for Debate ... 12 Apr 2011 . http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ I write to you from a far-off country...: More Deaths and Anti-Chinese ... Feb 10, 2012 -Tibet Post International. Hong Kong Residents to Hold Vigil Marking Tiananmen...‎ - Bloomberg. Tiananmen Square Anniversary: 22 Years Later - Huffington Post. Tiananmen legacy: Crush any hint of dissent‎ - Vancouver . http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ Any interest in a counter exhibit/lecture series to Milwaukee's May 21, 2011 Ai Weiwei in Tiananmen Square in 2009 on the 20th anniversary of the massacre. Dear friends, Have you seen Mary Louise Schumacher's article: Should the Milwaukee Art Museum protest Ai Weiwei's detention? - Art City ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ Chinese Artist Who Led Protest Has Been Jailed, His Wife Says Jul 09, 2010 In February, those artists joined forces with artists from another Beijing neighborhood to march down Chang'an Jie, a wide ceremonial avenue that runs past the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Chinese leaders are ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ I write to you from a far-off country...: artist against the state... Nov 28, 2009 But after 1989, and the silencing of protesters at Tiananmen Square, he had decided that “the world became different.” And so he returned to China in 1993, reckoning that one day he might face something like his father's fate. http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/

Recurring Demonstrations in Kuwait

Associated Press/Gustavo Ferrari - Islamist, nationalist and liberal opposition groups gather to protest the Kuwait government's amendment of the electoral law and support a boycott on the country's election on Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 in Kuwait City. More than 15,000 protesters rallied in the first government-authorized demonstration in Kuwait since a ban on political gatherings earlier this month. The election to be held Saturday, Dec. 1 is the fifth since mid-2006, and the second this year.(AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari) 

U.S. Embassy Kuwait

Kuwait City, Kuwait

December 13, 2012

                              

Subject:           Security Message for U.S. Citizens:  18-2012

Recurring Demonstrations in Kuwait

According to media reports, there are calls for a number of recurring demonstrations and marches throughout the month of December.  Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence.  An increased police and security presence may be expected during marches and demonstrations.   Please avoid areas where demonstrations occur or are planned and exercise caution if within the vicinity of any large gatherings.  Stay current with media coverage of local events, be aware of your surroundings, and practice personal security awareness at all times.  Please note that participation in demonstrations by non-citizens is against the law in Kuwait.

Demonstrations may be announced or spontaneous.  They may begin in specific neighborhoods, and then spill over to other areas. 

The Embassy will continue to provide updates as to location and time of demonstrations as information becomes available.  Please continue to monitor the Embassy’s website for the latest available information.  For the latest demonstration notice, please click here.

As of December 12, 2012, recent nighttime demonstrations have taken place in the following areas and may continue there:

·         Ahmadi

·         Al Reqa

·         Al Sabahiya

·         Fahaheel

·         Mangaf

·         Sabah Al Nasser

·         Jahra 

A separate call for afternoon marches every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday in the following neighborhoods has been made:

·         Taima

·         Sulaibiya

·         Ahmadi

U.S. citizens traveling and residing abroad should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at the following website: https://step.state.gov. U.S. citizens without internet access may enroll directly at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at their destination.  By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency.

Updated information on travel and security may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).   For further information, please consult the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website athttp://travel.state.gov where the Worldwide Caution and Country Specific Information can be found.  In addition, the Embassy encourages U.S. citizens to review "A Safe Trip Abroad," which includes valuable security information for those traveling or living in foreign countries.  You can also follow the Bureau of Consular Affairs on Twitter and on Facebook and download our free Smart Traveler App available through iTunes and the Android market to have travel information at your fingertips.

The U.S. Embassy is located at Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa Street, Block 6, Plot 14, Bayan, Kuwait.  If you are a U.S. citizen in need of emergency assistance in Kuwait, you may reach the U.S. Embassy by calling +965-2259-1001 and requesting the duty officer. 

This message may be accessed on the Embassy website, http://kuwait.usembassy.gov.

Please note that the Consular Section is closed for U.S. and most local holidays.  The current holiday schedule for 2012 is posted on http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/holidays.html.

Please join Solidarity with Tibet

Please join us as we stand in Solidarity with Tibet on the occasion of Human Rights Day, on 10 December 2012. Everyone around the world can attend this virtual event, so invite your friends. https://www.facebook.com/events/539586492737526/

The situation in Tibet is worsening daily under the oppressive grip of the government of the People’s Republic of China. It is time to stand in solidarity with

 Tibetans and their struggle for human rights. www.solidaritywithtibet.org

How to attend the virtual event on 10 December 2012:

(1) Update your profile picture on Facebook to the "Solidarity with Tibet 10 DEC 2012" image, which you can find below.

(2) Post a status on Facebook containing the words “Solidarity with Tibet” and set the location of your status to Lhasa, Tibet: Potala Palace, Lhasa.

(3) Join our Thunderclap! We have partnered with Thunderclap, so that our message will be heard loud and clear around the world on 10 December 2012 (Human Rights Day). Please support our Thunderclap with your Facebook and/or Twitter account(s), and we will all share a synchronized message of #SolidarityWithTibet on 10 Dec. Help us reach our goal of 500 supporters by signing up now at https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/758-stand-in-solidarity-with-tibet.

Breaking: Burning Tibetan calls for independence, Two self-immolations in a day...

Two new self-immolations today, December 8, 2012 :
The second is a monk Kunchok Phelgye, who self-immolated in Ngaba at arrond 3-4 PM local time asking to allow

 the retourn of HH Dalai Lama to Tibet.
གཞན་དེ་རིང་བོད་ནང་གི་དུས་ཚོད་༤ཡས་མུས་སུ་རྔ་བ་རྐིརཏི་དགོན་པའི་གྲྭ་འཕེལ་རྒྱས་ལགས་ཡང་རང་མེར་མཆོད་ཀྱི་གནས་བྱུང་འདུག

Breaking: Burning Tibetan calls for independence, Two self-immolations in a day...

Kunchok Phelgye, a 24-year-old-monk from the Sumdo Monastery in Dzoege region of eastern Tibet passed away in his self-immolation protest today. The exile base 

of the Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala, in a release, said that Kunchok Phelgye set himself on fire in front of the main assembly hall of the Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery at around 5:20 pm (local time). “Kunchok Phelgye was enveloped in flames and his hands were joined in prayers as he raised slogans for the long life and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Kyabje Kirti Rinpoche, the exiled head of Kirti Monastery,” the release said citing sources in the region. “He also raised slogans calling for the return and reunification of Tibetans.” Kunchok Phelgye succumbed to his injuries at the site of his protest. Monks of the Monastery surrounded Kunchok Phelgye’s burning body and began to recite the prayer, “Losang Gyalwa Kungi Nyingje Ter…” (usually recited in Kirti Rinpoche’s honour). Later, Kunchok Phelgye’s body was carried to his quarters in the Monastery where hundreds of monks and local Tibetans continue to visit to offer their last respects and prayers.

85th self-immolation protest in Tibet - WORLD WAKE UP!

Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ 

ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པ་དྨེ་ཧཱུྃ

BREAKING: Kelsang Kyab set himself on fire today, November 27, 2012 at 7 PM in Kyangtsa township, Amdo Dzoge, Ngaba district.
་ཕྱི་ཚེས་༢༧་ད་ལྟ་རང་མདོ་སྨད་མཛོད་དགེ་ནས་བོད་་་་་་་མི་ཞིག་གིས་རང:་་་་་་་་་བསྲེཊ་བྱས་འདུག་ཟེར་བའི་འབྲེལ་ཡོད་ཁག་ནས་ངེས་བར་དུ་འབྲེལ་བ་གནང་རོགས།

Four Tibetans self-immolate as protest breaks out at school ...

www.telegraph.co.uk › ... › World News › Asia › Tibet

by Malcolm Moore - in 1,008 Google+ circles 8 hours ago – Tuesday 27 November 2012 ... China Congress: teenageTibetan monks self-immolate ... Seven Tibetan self-immolations hit China in a week ...

1. Four Tibetan students self-immolate in clash with Chinese police

   
   

   By Associated Press on November 27, 2012 ... Four more ethnicTibetans have self-immolated to protest Chinese rule and at least 20 were hospitalised after ...

Myanmar's Turn

101 East travels to Myanmar to witness the country's transformation through the eyes of ordinary people and asks whether the country will now emerge as Asia's newest democracy.  

Link to Video: Myanmar'sTurn

City of gold ... the temple-studded plains of Bagan. Photo: iStock
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/aglow-in-buddhas-embrace-20090604-bwl8.html#ixzz1rFHwVxCT

Police Pepper Spray UC Davis Students = Professor Demands Chancellor Resign!

Police pepper spraying and arresting students at UC Davis

www.youtube.com

Title says all. During peacefully Occupy Movement, police came in to tear down tents and proceeded to arrest students who stood in their way. Once students p...

UC Davis Professor Demands Chancellor Resign Over Pepper Spraying Of Students | The New Civil Rights

thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

A UC Davis Assistant Professor is demanding the resignation of the University’s Chancellor over Friday’s pepper spraying of students at an Occupy Wall Street protest

Frank Miller pissed off about Occupy Wall Street and Muslims!

I guess I did not realize that comic book artist Frank Miller what such a cranky, angry, Islamophobic hypocrite:

Frank Miller sure is pissed off about Occupy Wall Street
www.avclub.com

Comic book crank Frank Milller’s political philosophy has become as angry—and jagged, and messy—as his drawing style pretty much since 9/11,

Media derides the Wall Street protest at its peril...

Think Occupy Wall St. is a phase? You don't get it - CNN.com

www.cnn.com

Douglas Rushkoff: Media derides the Wall Street protest at its peril. The net-driven movement is a preview of a new sustainable disussion on disconnect in U.S.

Keith Olbermann Reads The Statement Released By The Wall Street Protesters - 2011-10-05

...for those who are still saying that the Wall Street Protesters don't have a clear message - HERE it is!

Keith Olbermann Reads The Statement Released By The Wall Street Protesters - 2011-10-05

www.youtube.com

Keith Olbermann Reads The Statement Released By The Wall Street Protesters - 2011-10-05

Identified: NYPD Officer Who Maced Pen of Peaceful Female Protesters

Identified: NYPD Officer Who Maced Pen of Peaceful Female Protesters
www.commondreams.org
A photographer has identified the cruel and cowardly NYPD Supervisor who point blank maced a penned in group of young women Saturday at the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Two Tibetan Monks Set Themselves on Fire in Protest

Lobsang Kalsang and Lobsang Konchok of Kirti Monastery are the 3rd and 4th monks to have self-immolated in the last six months, an act that Tibet had never seen before 2009.  The two young monks, both aged 18, called for religious freedom and said "free Tibet" before they set themselves on fire. 

Please join Students for a Free Tibet in a protest today at the United Nations, Dag-Hammerskoljd Plaza, E 47th St. between 1st and 2nd. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/asia/two-tibetan-monks-set-themselves-on-fire-in-protest.html

Two Tibetan Monks Set Themselves on Fire in Protest

www.nytimes.com

Two young Tibetan monks set themselves on fire Monday at an embattled monastery in western China to protest Chinese policies in the area, according to a Tibet advocacy group.

See also:
China Bans Reincarnation Without Government Permission

Unbelievable protest footage. NYPD drag girl by her hair

Unbelievable protest footage. NYPD drag girl by her hair

www.youtube.com

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Change in the news for the September Equinox

Stars and planets are lining up for the change of seasons during the autumnal equinox this year - so many changes happening in the news too!  Wall Street protests, Palestine bid, and faster than the speed of light?

Autumnal Equinox 2011

news.nationalgeographic.com

The march of the seasons—winter, spring, summer, and fall—stems from the "clearly definable" position of the sun on the summer and winter solstices, according to Judith Young, a professor of astronomy at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

Particles Moved Faster Than Speed of Light?

news.nationalgeographic.com

If confirmed, the astonishing claim would upend a cardinal rule of physics established by Albert Einstein nearly a century ago. "Most theorists believe that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. So if this is true, it would rock the foundations of physics," said Stephen Parke, head of t...

 

Keith Olbermann, Michael Moore Criticize Media For Ignoring ...
Huffington Post
The Occupy Wall Street group has been camped out in a plaza a block from the ... Olbermann said that, for some reason, the protesters had been "Ignored by ...

Occupying Wall Street ...by Marc Adler

www.michaelmoore.com

For months, every time I passed the New York Stock Exchange, I wondered why people weren’t rioting in the streets. Do Americans not realize that Wall Street has completely hijacked our government and economy?

Abbas submits Palestine statehood bid, gets standing ovation at UN

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

RT 
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas got a standing ovation while addressing the UN General Assembly - shortly after submitting the bid for full statehood to ...

Emergency Message for U.S Citizens in Kuwait – Demonstration Notice 14-2011

Emergency Message for U.S Citizens – Demonstration Notice 14-2011
September 20, 2011
Please circulate the following message without additions or omissions immediately to all U.S.  citizens within your area of responsibility.

An anti-corruption demonstration is planned for the early evening hours at Determination Square on Wednesday, September 21 in downtown Kuwait City.  An increased police and security presence is expected in and around the capital.
There are also reports of possible demonstrations in support of Bidoon rights on Wednesday, September 21 in the cities of Jahra, Al-Sulaibyah and Al-Ahmadi.  An increased police and security presence is also expected in these areas.
Spontaneous and planned demonstrations take place in Kuwait from time to time in response to world events or local developments.  At times, even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence.  Do not let curiosity get the best of you; avoid the areas of demonstrations and exercise caution if within the vicinity of any large gatherings.  Please stay current with media coverage of local events, be aware of your surroundings, and practice personal security awareness at all times.
For the latest security information, U.S. citizens living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, as well as the Country Specific Information for Kuwait can be found.  Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). You can also download our free Smart Traveler App for travel information at your fingertips and follow us on  Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Facebook as well.
The U.S. Embassy is located at Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa Street, Block 6, Plot 14, Bayan, Kuwait.  If you are a U.S. citizen in need of emergency assistance in Kuwait, you may reach the U.S. Embassy by calling +965-2259-1001 and requesting the duty officer.
U.S. citizens living or traveling in Kuwait are encouraged to enroll in the Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security.  U.S. citizens without internet access may enroll directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.  By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.  For additional information, please refer to "A Safe Trip Abroad".
This message may be accessed on the Embassy website, http://kuwait.usembassy.gov
Please note that the Consular Section is closed for U.S. and most local holidays.  The current holiday schedule for 2011 is posted on http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/holidays.html

Bidun protests in Kuwait - from Mona Kareem

Interesting blog post below that perhaps sheds a little more light on the recent Emergency Message for U.S Citizens in Kuwait – Demonstration Notice that states, "Youth activist groups have called for a demonstration on Friday, September 16, 2011 in Kuwait City."

Mona Kareem: Bidun Protesters on Trials 

monakareem.blogspot.com