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July 30 FDI: Israeli Rabbinical Council Finds Chinese Regime Liable for Falun Gong DeathsCalls participation in the Olympic Games "an indirect danger to world peace"
29 Jul 2008
NEW YORK--In an unprecedented decision, a special Israeli rabbinical council ruled last week that the Chinese regime has been responsible for the killing of Falun Gong practitioners.
"On the basis of the accumulation of the various testimonies and indirect evidence, the International Court of the Nascent Sanhedrin, came to the conclusion that there were unnumbered cases of killing of innocent Falun Gong practitioners [by agents of the Chinese government], perhaps also out of consideration of material benefits derived from organ harvesting," said the court in a decision dated July 15, 2008.
"If the human rights issues are not addressed before the Olympic Games begin, we consider participation in them by athletes and by spectators and political leaders to be an indirect danger to world peace," it further stated.
The ruling was issued in response to a request filed by Israeli Falun Gong practitioners in July 2007. The Sanhedrin, an ancient council of sages re-established by several rabbis in Israel in 2004 as a source of Jewish jurisprudence, comprises 71 scholars of Jewish law and is headed by Rabbi Adin Steinzaltz. Its International Court, a subcommittee addressing international issues, put out the present opinion as a form of religious guidance and on the basis of Jewish law.
The court issued the decision after examining testimony and evidence brought before it by human rights experts, including the U.S.-based Human Rights Law Foundation (HRLF) and David Kilgour, former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific and coauthor of an independent investigation entitled "Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China." Also appearing before the council were several Chinese victims of rights abuses, including the widow of a man tortured to death in Chinese custody after being abducted for practicing Falun Gong.
"As a Jewish child growing up in the wake of the Holocaust, I made a vow to myself at the very young age of 13, that if it ever happened again, I would do all I could to put a stop to it," says attorney Terri Marsh. "Now as a human rights lawyer and legal participant in this case, I thank the Sanhedrin for finding the courage and wisdom to expose and condemn the crimes perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party against members of the Falun Gong faith in China."
Political Pressure and Olympic Implications
According to the rabbinical body, the Chinese government refused to appear before it, but did submit written and digital materials to refute the complaints. It also reportedly applied political pressure on the court to drop the case, but as a body independent of the Israeli government, the council did not heed the request.
To ensure the fairness of the proceedings without the Chinese government's formal participation, the court followed a tradition of Jewish jurisprudence and acted "not only as an objective Judge but at the same time as attorney for the side which is absent," thereby subjecting witnesses to cross-examination.
Having found the Chinese government responsible for the deaths of Falun Gong adherents, the court demanded that the Chinese government "assure the minimum of liberties as indicated by the seven Noahide commandments," that it implement a Chinese law passed in May 2007 meant to end organ harvesting without consent, and that it allow a coalition of international organizations to enter China and freely investigate the Chinese government's compliance with the above mentioned commandments, considered to be the "Human Rights Charter according to the Torah."
Lastly, it stated that "if the human rights issues are not settled before the opening of the Olympics, participation in these Games may be understood to indicate indifference to human rights violations in China, and support for suppression," rendering such participation "an indirect danger to world peace."
The full translation from Hebrew of the Sanhedrin's decision is available here: http://media.faluninfo.net/media/doc/2008/07/FINAL_DECISION_RE_FG_-_PRC.pdf July 28 New Zealand: Ethnic Maori Tribes Support Falun Gong(Clearwisdom.net) Amato Akarana, an elder of the Nga Puhi Maori people, signed the "Global One Million Signature Campaign" petition on behalf of the Maori Tribal Union. Initiated by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, the petition urges the world to take actions to end the persecution of Falun Gong before the Beijing Olympics.
Mr. Akarana said, "We request the Chinese Communist Party to immediately stop the practice of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. Our tribal union will support Falun Gong for good. We feel sad for the victims of the persecution." click to enlarge July 26 Quartet in F Major -RavelHere is the 1st Part of 4 of the composition on YouTube:
Movements:
(Wikipedia)
Maurice Ravel completed his Quartet in F major in early April of 1903 at the age of 28. Dedicated to his friend and teacher Gabriel Fauré, the work was introduced in Paris by the Heymann Quartet on March 5, 1904. The quartet follows a strict four movement classical structure: Moderato très doux begins as a sonata form allegro, the following Assez vif-Très rythmé functions as the quartet's scherzo, while Très lent acts as a contrasting foil. The last movement, Vif et agité, reintroduces themes from the earlier passages and ends with a striking finale. The Quartet in F major was Ravel's final submission to the Prix de Rome and the Conservatoire de Paris. The composition was rejected by both institutions soon after its premier on March 5, 1904. The quartet received mixed reviews from the Parisian press and local academia. Gabriel Fauré, to whom the work is dedicated, described the last movement as “stunted, badly balanced, in fact a failure.” Ravel himself commented on the work, “My Quartet in F major responds to a desire for musical construction, which undoubtedly is inadequately realized but which emerges much more clearly than in my preceding compositions.” As a result of major criticism and rejection, a frustrated Ravel left the Conservatoire in 1905 following what was later called the Ravel Affair. Ravel's loss during the 1904 Prix de Rome and rejection from the Conservatoire de Paris catapulted his career forward: a sympathetic public rallied behind his compositions and musical style. Claude Debussy wrote Ravel in 1905, “In the name of the Gods of music and in my own, do not touch a single note you have written in your Quartet.” Ravel's string Quartet in F major stands as one of the most widely performed chamber music works in the classical repertoire, representing Ravel's early genius and rise from obscurity.
Ravel at the piano, accompanied by Canadian singer Éva Gauthier, during his American tour, March 7, 1928. At far right is George Gershwin. July 25 Toronto, Canada: Rally Marks Nine Years of PersecutionBy Ye Linghui (Clearwisdom.net) On July 16, 2008, the Toronto Falun Dafa Association held a press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate calling on the Canadian government to condemn the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong. The conference also called for an end to the persecution before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Practitioners in front of the Chinese Consulate call for an end to the persecution
Practitioner Zhang Zhaojin of the Toronto Falun Dafa Association said, "In China since January 1, 2008, 8100 Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested by the CCP and 130 were tortured to death."
He said, "On July 20, 1999, the CCP initiated the brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners across the world maintain their steadfast belief in 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance', explain the facts, and call for an end to the persecution. Falun Gong has spread to over 80 countries. Before the Beijing Olympics, the CCP is escalating the persecution of Falun Gong. The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) initiated the Millions of Signatures Global Campaign, and has already collected more than one million signatures, including 150,000 from Canada, calling for an end to the persecution." July 23 Tortures Used by Daqing City Police On Falun Gong Practitioners(Clearwisdom.net) Practitioners detained in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, have suffered many tortures since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime started persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners in 1999. The Clearwisdom website has reported the following tortures (see http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/12/18/92246.html for definitions): Tying the Ropes, Freezing, Slave Labor, Electric Shocking, Stirring a Wooden Stick inside the Mouth, Tiger Bench, Pouring Freezing Cold Water over the Practitioners, Scalding with Boiling Water, Rubbing the Skin, Squat with the Eyes Open, Hanging up by a Rope, Stabbing with Needles, Riding on an Iron Stick, Sleep Deprivation, Turning the Head Urgently, Sitting on an Iron Tube, Cruelly Beating with the Heel of a Shoe, Beating the Shins, Sitting Still Torture, Suffocating with a Blanket, Flying an Airplane, Dead Person's Bed, Being Confined in a Solitary Compartment, Handcuffing, Ankle Shackles, Taping the Mouth, Covering the Head with a Plastic Bag, Sitting on a Stick, Hanging onto Metal Bed by Hands Cuffed from Behind, Speech Deprivation, Cigarette Burns, Strolling in the Garden, Propping up the Stick, Force-feeding Nerve Damaging Drugs, Sitting on a Basin, etc. Here another form of torture is exposed: Administering Essence of Mustard Oil.
Essence of mustard oil is harmful to humans and can produce a very sharp taste and smell. After the victim is forced to ingest mustard oil, no trace of torture is visible. But, internally, he is badly injured. The symptoms include difficulty breathing, choking, chest pain, chest discomfort, coughing, and inability to swallow. The guards often fabricate stories of hunger strikes or suicide attempts when the victim is unable to eat after the torture. The guards normally interrogate a practitioner during the day. After all the threats and manipulations fail, they tell the practitioner, "Let's see how we are going to fix you." They leave one or two people to watch the practitioner, depriving him of sleeping and not allowing him to close his eyes. At midnight, they return and restrain the practitioner in a special metal chair. The practitioner is handcuffed behind his back. His feet are tied by the ankles. He cannot move any part of his body. Three or four guards act simultaneously, grabbing the practitioner's hair, pushing his head backward, and quickly covering his mouth and nose with a mask saturated with mustard oil. Immediately, the victim's nose runs and his eyes water, his breathing becomes difficult, and he feels that he is going to suffocate. The guards then cover the victim's head with a plastic bag coated inside with mustard oil and seal it. They do not open the bag until the victim has passed out. They then open the bag to revive the victim only to repeat the process over and over. Another method they employ is to continually apply the oil around the victim's eyes and nose. Yet another form of the torture is to continually pour spicy pepper oil or mustard oil on the mask that covers the victim's mouth and nose. The guards take pleasure in the suffering of their victims. They even carry the mustard oil soaked masks in their pockets so they can use them at any time against detained practitioners. If the victim does not acquiesce after that, they use syringes to force mustard oil directly into the victim's mouth and nose. The victim faints. They pour cold water on the victim to revive him and repeat the torture again. They try to force practitioners give up their belief during the extreme and intense pain. The torture may last from several hours to ten or twenty hours. The police continue applying the mustard oil/water mixture. In the meantime, they burn the victim with cigarettes, beat the victim's head, and use abusive language. They put headphones on the victim that play loud noise. Or, they have a person who continually talks to the victim, threatening him and telling him lies. According to the incomplete reports from the Clearwisdom website, over 20 practitioners have been tortured like this. One of them was a young practitioner, Ms. Jiang Pai, who was tortured to death. She was tortured in multiple locations, including the Domestic Security Section of Daqing City Police Department, the Daqing City Detention Center, the Daqing City Railway Station Police Station, the Longgang Criminal Section, the Honggang District Babaishang Police Department, the Daqing City Third Detention Center, and the Daqing City Development Zone Police Department. July 22 Ireland: Definition of A NationSF to tell Sarkozy there can be no repeat voteSinn Féin says it will tell French President Nicolas Sarkozy, at a scheduled meeting in Dublin on Monday, that there can be no question of the Lisbon treaty being put to a vote again in Ireland. Sinn Féin Lisbon campaign director Padraig MacLochlainn said today he plans to tell Mr Sarkozy that a new treaty negotiation is the only way forward. Mr MacLochlainn said: “Subtle threats of a two speed Europe or Ireland’s isolation within the union are also nonsense. The Lisbon treaty is finished and cannot proceed with out the ratification of all member states.” In an interview in The Irish Times today, Mr Sarkozy has said he is coming to Ireland to "listen and understand”. "I need to understand the message that the Irish wanted to convey in voting No to a treaty signed by the representatives of the 27 member states," he said. But the French premier has made it clear that he believes Ireland will have to vote again on the treaty which No campaigners say disregards the expressed wishes of the Irish people and is contrary to the rules of the European Union. Arrangements for a meeting between Mr Sarkozy and prominent pro- and anti-Lisbon Treaty campaigners were thrown into confusion yesterday when the Labour Party leader, Eamon Gilmore, said he would not attend and the Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, decided to reserve his position. Both party leaders were angered by the plan for an hour-long meeting at the French embassy, at which they would be accorded the same status as unelected anti-Lisbon campaigners. © 2008 irishtimes.com July 21 Kyodo News: China Asks Japan for Information on Falun Gong Ahead of OlympicsText of report in English by Japan's largest news agency, Kyodo
July 17, 2008
(Clearwisdom.net) Beijing, July 17 Kyodo - Chinese public security authorities have asked Japan to provide information on Japan-based members of the Falun Gong (Editor's Note: Falun Gong is not a membership organization), a spiritual group banned in China, ahead of the Beijing Olympics, sources close to Japan-China ties said Thursday.
The Japanese government has rejected the request, which included a list of the group's members, citing protection of information on individuals, according to the sources.
Chinese authorities see potential demonstrations by the Falun Gong as a major security threat during the Summer Games, along with possible separatist activities by Uighur nationalists from Xinjiang, a predominantly Muslim area of northwest China.
The Falun Gong, which criticizes China through peaceful demonstrations, is not an illegal organization in Japan.
Chinese authorities believe that Falun Gong members are the biggest threat among Japanese tourists, who will be able to visit China without visas during the Olympics.
China extends 15-day visa-free access for ordinary passport holders from Japan.
While Beijing had extended the same access for Singapore passport holders, it had temporarily halted the arrangement ahead of the Olympics.
China also allows short-term visa-free access for Brunei passport holders, but that country's population is small. Japan remains the only country from where a large number of tourists are expected to arrive in China without visas during the Olympics. July 20 Proven:Vegetarians Live LongerFrom Treehugger.com by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07.13.08
The battle has long been waged, and will certainly continue in spite of this study. Are humans designed/evolved to eat everything and at risk of malnutrition as vegetarians? Or is vegetarianism the healthy and ethical choice? The most impressive data arises from a study of 1904 vegetarians over 21 years by the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum). The study's shocking results: vegetarian men reduced their risk of early death by 50%! Women vegetarians benefit from a 30% reduction in mortality. Long-term Study of Vegetarians To the argument that it is not vegetarianism but a general interest in a healthier lifestyle which leads to such notable results, scientists reply with evidence that the majority of vegetarians do not cite health reasons for their lifestyle, but make their choice based on ethical commitment, environmental concerns or simply personal taste. Vegetarians and Malnutrition
July 19 The Griswold Family Can't Afford to Vacation This Summer
When Gas Was Cheap and So Were Laughs...Trailer for National Lampoon's Vacation: http://youtube.com/watch?v=lhEqGsVREe0&feature=related July 18 Washington D.C.: Falun Gong Practitioners Hold Rally, Call for End of the Persecution
By Minghui reporter Lu Zhenyan (Clearwisdom.net) On July 17, one thousand Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world held a rally at Upper Senate Park in Washington D.C., and called for an end of the persecution in China.
Falun Gong practitioners in yellow T-shirts held banners which read "Falun Dafa is good" "The world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" "End the persecution of Falun Gong" "Release all the jailed practitioners" and "Bring the murderers of persecution to justice."
At the rally, three U.S congressmen and several representatives from non-government organizations gave speeches. Two more congressmen sent the support letters condemning the brutal persecution. They pointed out that the persecution against Falun Gong is also the persecution against all the Chinese people. They condemned the assaults against Falun Gong in Flushing, New York, and suggested deporting the Chinese diplomats who are involved.
Click to enlarge
The persecution against Falun Gong started nine years ago. According to the Minghui/Clearwisdom website, 3164 Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted to death during the last nine years, and thousands of practitioners are jailed and being tortured in labor camps, detention centers and prisons in China. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Congresswoman from Florida, expressed in her speech that the 610 Office in China, which was set up for persecution of Falun Gong, is an organization like the Nazi Gestapo or KGB in the former Soviet Union. She said: "It is horrifying to treat peaceful people this way."
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen condemned the brutal persecution. She pointed out that regarding the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) broke their promise of improving the human rights situation in China. In fact, what the CCP has done is the opposite of their promise; the persecution against Falun Gong and other religious groups is worse now.
She pointed out that the CCP has even extended the persecution to New York, U.S.A. where Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, New York are being assaulted. She mentioned that in a phone conversation, Peng Keyu, the Chinese general counselor in New York, admitted that he directed the assaults in Flushing. She suggested that the U.S. government should deport Chinese diplomats who organize and direct assaults against American citizens in the U.S. July 16 Finland: Practitioners in Helsinki Raise Awareness about the PersecutionBy a Finnish practitioner (Clearwisdom.net) On July 5, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners from Helsinki made use of the weekend break to go to the railway station to share the beauty of Falun Gong with the people of Finland and at the same time to expose the ten-year brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Falun Gong practitioners raise awareness about Falun Gong at the railway station in Helsinki
People sign a petition in support of Falun Gong When the activity ended, practitioner Anja said, "Today nearly every person I talked to said that the CCP is just too evil. They all wanted to know more about Falun Gong and even thanked practitioners for coming to clarify the truth here. There were also some people who asked about where local practice sites were, expressing a wish to study and practice Falun Gong."
A practitioner named Sinikka added, "Soon after the activity concluded, a man came over to tell me that he had heard about Falun Gong from other people, and has also received our informational materials before. He told me he felt that the media should write more reports about Falun Gong."
Sinikka also said, "Another man told me, you should most certainly go see President Tarja Halonen. The president should speak about this matter (regarding the CCP persecuting Falun Gong). This is something the president has yet not done."
Throughout the day's activities, many people lined up to sign their names on the petition in support of Falun Gong. July 15 Collection Of Lonely Wordsperspicacity circuitous legerdemain
misanthropy culpability gibbet
rescinded precocity ephermerality
inculcated protracted billow
incongruity elocution mountebank
morose anachronism irrefutable
eremetical aphorism propitiate
unguents eponymous throng
vassal exigent phantasmagoria
capitulation peripatetic sundering
dauntless circumlocution hoary
conflate tort heremeneutics
calumniated pericopes putative
sbirri alembic obsequious
parried recreant pith
epigrammatic circumlocution penurious
multifarious tort acquiesced
bumptiously acrimonious modicum
taciturn vitiate efficacious
august recalcitrant adamantine
indubital
July 13 Earthquake Destroyed China's Largest Military Armory, Says Source
By Zhang Haishan
Epoch Times Staff
A high-level Chinese military source secretly disclosed last week that the recent earthquake in Sichuan Province caused a chain-reaction of explosions in the Sichuan mountain areas. The explosions destroyed Chinese army's largest armory, new weapon test bases and part of nuclear facilities including several nuclear warheads. This information is considered China's top military secret. After the earthquake, Chinese authorities had ignored the disaster victim's initial calls for help. Only after the first critical 72 hours had passed did the authorities allow international aid to be delivered to the disaster region. Military analysts believe that this delay occurred because Mianyang City of Sichuan Province is one of important areas for the Chinese military nuclear industries and also its largest armory. The Chinese regime did not want potential spies from the outside world in this very sensitive military area during a time when there may have been a nuclear accident. According to sources, a nuclear accident did happen. On June 27, the Chinese military disclosed that 2,700 chemical cleanup workers had been sent to earthquake disaster areas for nuclear chemical emergency rescue. After carefully analyzing seismic data, military experts in southeast Asia confirmed a non-geological shock had occurred at the earthquake epicenter. The energy released was equivalent to that of an underground nuclear explosion. China News Service (CNS) reported earlier that some Chinese experts had made a seismic analysis and suggested that a nuclear explosion might have occurred at the epicenter. At that time, it was said by official military sources that the readings were due to a huge explosion of a large-scale military armory in Sichuan. According to a CNS report on May 31, titled "Suspicious Epicenter of the Epicenter Was Found," on May 23, a medical team, consisting of paramedics from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) hospitals and psychologists from Beijing, found onsite a one- kilometer (0.62 mile) wide and two kilometers (1.24 mile) long valley on a hill close to the epicenter. The long ravine was found to have been covered with concrete debris 10-20 inches thick at its bottom as if large cement blocks were tossed about randomly surrounding the immediate area. A team member said, "Where did those concrete blocks come from?" Since there were no large buildings nearby, everybody was curiously talking about it but could not find an answer. A local resident surnamed He talked about what had happened. He said many villagers were working in their fields at the time of the earthquake on May 12. The earth suddenly shook and shortly afterwards, a thunderous sound came out of the mountain. Immediately after the explosion, they then saw a huge hole form at the top of the mountain. Many things were pushed out of this hole like toothpaste being squeezed out. "Was it magma?" somebody asked. "No, those were concrete blocks," said He. "The eruption lasted about three minutes," he added. Earthquakes may sometimes result in a volcanic eruption, but no concrete eruption has ever been recorded, said an expert. Based on the CNS report, several experts have suggested the eruption could have been caused by a huge explosion beneath the mountain, which shattered the concrete cover of the underground facilities and pushed them to the surface. The thickness of the concrete blocks pushed to the surface seemed to match the cover layer used in China's underground military bases. The safety of nuclear facilities located near the earthquake epicenter was bound to attract international attention. Many countries are monitoring the area closely for radioactive fall-out. In a recent press conference, Air Force Major General Ma Jian, a military spokesperson said, "The nuclear facilities are safe." July 12 Those Were The Days (Opening Theme) - All In The Family TV ShowHere is the song on You Tube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=znrjbo9QRLk&feature=related
As heard on the show:
Boy the way Glen Miller played songs that made the hit parade. Guys like us we had it made, those were the days. And you knew who you were then, Girls were girls and men were men, Mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again. Didn’t need no welfare state, Everybody pulled his weight. Gee our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days. (Sung by Jean Stapleton and Carroll O'Connor)
Complete Lyrics by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse July 09 FDI News Release: Thousands of Falun Gong Adherents Arrested throughout China in Run Up to Olympics
07 Jul 2008
NEW YORK -- With one month to go before the Olympic Games' opening ceremony, Chinese security agencies continue to arrest Falun Gong adherents throughout China in large numbers. In Beijing alone, hundreds have been arrested and dozens sentenced to labor camps without trial.
In recent months, the Falun Dafa Information Center (FDI) has received regular reports from adherents and their families inside China of door-to-door searches and arrests. According to statistics compiled from these reports, there have been at least 8,037 arrests of Falun Gong adherents across 29 provinces, major cities and autonomous regions since December 2007.The largest monthly total of 1,819 known arrests occurred in June, followed by 1,799 known arrests in May.
In Beijing alone, there have been at least 208 arrests across all 18 of the municipality's districts and counties since December 2007. The majority of those arrested in Beijing are currently being held in detention centers in the city's various districts. However, 30 are known to have already been sentenced without trial to "re-education through labor" camps for up to 2.5 years. July 06 Falun Gong Persecutions from China - May 30, 2008 (43 Reports)
(Clearwisdom.net) Includes incidents of persecution that took place in 34 cities or counties in 12 provinces. In this report 7 practitioners were subjected to mistreatment during their detention, and at least 67 practitioners were illegally arrested.
July 04 Remembering Mr. Yu Zhou and His Wife, Ms. Xu Na
(Clearwisdom.net) I first met Mr. Yu Zhou and his wife, Ms. Xu Na, on a mild winter afternoon. Both wore simple but unique winter jackets, standing gracefully next to each other in complete accord.
Yu Zhou and Xu Na
Ms. Xu Na had just been released from the Beijing Women's Prison several months prior. She was thin, but her eyes were bright. I knew some of suffering she had gone through during her five years in prison, and I tried to inquire into some of her experiences without recalling too much of her suffering. Instead of talking about herself, she revealed how practitioner Dong Cui had been tortured to death at the prison. We talked about many things, from the wide dissemination of Dafa in China prior to 1999, to the persecution of many familiar practitioners after the evil regime's oppression began. Ms. Xu also spoke of practitioner Mr. Cao Dong and his wife, Yang Xiaojing, from Gansu Province, who was imprisoned for meeting with the vice president of the European Parliament. Ms. Xu said, "They gave me a lot of help in cultivation. After the persecution began, because we were constantly being detained, it became difficult to get together with them again."
Mr. Yu Zhou listened intently during the conversation and made a comment now and then. He talked most about his father-in-law, Xu Na's father. The couple lived with Xu Na's parents, who always worried about her. Yu Zhou told his wife, "During the five years you were detained, your parents suffered terribly. It was hard for them." Xu Na said because she was very determined in her belief during those years, the prison warden and team leaders did not inform her family about her for a long time, just to torment them. Her father suffered as a result and worried that Xu Na might die. After her release from prison, officials from the Beijing Prison Management Bureau and from the 610 Office constantly harassed her family. They also urged collaborator Yao to call Ms. Xu, trying to get information from her. Xu Na's family was not allowed to live in peace.
Later we met again. We treasured the opportunity of practitioners getting together. Yu Zhou was most interested to discover how to effectively clarify the truth face to face in order to help more people understand the truth. He was active in distributing truth clarification materials in residential buildings. This also gave him opportunities for direct contact with more people. He always hoped to do better explaining the truth face to face. Dafa practitioners' hearts are made of gold. Men or women, young or old, no matter what their social positions are, they use the power Dafa gives them to save more people.
Ms. Xu Na is a renowned painter. During her imprisonment, a Taiwan businessman bought all of her paintings. Some of them were published as illustrations in books. Xu Na was eventually accepted as a graduate student in the Painting Department of the Central Arts College. Her professors and many people in the industry praised her artistic talent. She said, "It is Dafa that makes me physically and mentally pure and righteous. Dafa makes my artistic creations have more depth."
Yu Zhou, a musician, declared his outstanding admiration for the yearly Divine Performing Arts Spectacular and wished he could have the opportunity to be part of the sacred performance. "If there is a need for me to join, I can let go of anything for that." Sadly and regrettably, Yu Zhou did not get an opportunity to see the DVD of the Divine Performing Arts 2008 Spectacular. He was tortured to death by the Communist regime on the eve of the Chinese New Year. According to the report (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/3/19/95478.html), on January 26, 2008, police blocked Yu Zhou and Xu Na's vehicle on their way home, arrested them, and took them directly to the Tongzhou District Detention Center. On February 6, 2008, their family received notice to come quickly to visit Mr. Yu in the Qinghe Emergency Center. When his family got there Mr. Yu, age 42, was already dead, and his body was covered with a white sheet. An oxygen mask was still on his face, but his legs were icy cold. The detention center authorities refused to let his wife, Ms. Xu Na, attend his funeral.
This was such debilitating, sad news for Yu Zhou and Xu Na's parents, their relatives and friends, and Yu Zhou's fans. The regime had killed another kind person, a Dafa practitioner, who believed in the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance."
It was one of several well-planned operations to persecute Dafa practitioners under the pretext of ensuring "stability for the Olympics." Prior to Yu Zhou and Xu Na's arrest, she said certain people from the Beijing Prison Management Bureau and from the 610 Office had called her parents' house and then called her. They demanded to speak with her, but she refused. According to inside information from the Beijing Women's Prison, after the information about practitioner Dong Cui's torture death was published on the Internet, prison officials suspected Xu Na had leaked the information. Plainclothes agents had followed Xu Na several days prior to their arrests.
The kind and talented Yu Zhou is now dead. His wife, Xu Na, is still being held in Chongwen District Detention Center in Beijing. July 03 Washington Post: Survey Indicates that 92% of Americans Believe in GodAccording to a Washington Post report on June 24, 2008, a survey and study on Americans' religious beliefs shows that more than 90 percent of Americans - 92 percent, including one fifth of those who call themselves atheists, believe in God or a universal spirit, and more than half of Americans - 58 percent, pray at least once a day.
The survey was released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The survey reveals that nearly three fourths of Americans believe in the existence of heaven, where good people will be eternally rewarded. Almost 60 percent of Americans believe that bad people who have not repented their sins will go to hell after death to receive eternal punishment. The majority of people also believe that angels and demons are active in this world, and also believe that miracles constantly occur today as they did in the past. The research once again confirms a fact that America is a country with "deep and broad religiosity." There were even a few surprises. For instance, among those who describe themselves as atheists, Twenty-one percent "expressed a belief in God or a universal spirit," and among another group of people who describe themselves as agnostic, more than half "expressed a similar conviction." Most Americans "have a remarkably nonexclusive attitude toward other faiths." Seventy percent of religious believers believe that in addition to the religion they believe in, many other religions "can lead to eternal salvation." "And only about one-quarter of those surveyed believe there is only one way to interpret their religion's teachings." The survey was conducted in 2007, based on the interviews with 36,000 people who speak English and Spanish. The findings have been discussed in hundreds of media articles around the country in the last several days since the survey results were published. July 02 Eutelsat Has Not Formally Explained Why NTDTV Broadcasts to China Have Stopped
(Clearwisdom.net) The signal for New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), an independent Chinese media, went down in China on June 17 due to "technical difficulties" with the W5 satellite operated by Eutelsat Communications. Hong Kaili, the spokesperson for NTDTV, said on June 28 that Eutelsat has yet to give NTDTV any formal explanation.
Ms. Hong said that NTDTV has already contacted Eutelsat. According to professionals in the field, Eutelsat has the ability to restore NTDTV broadcasts to Asia. Eutelsat stopped broadcasting NTDTV due to threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP promised to improve the human rights situation in China before the Olympics, Ms. Hong pointed out, but instead, people in China have less and less freedom. Recently the CCP directed the assaults against Falun Gong in Flushing, NY. Hong warned that Eutelsat will regret its collaboration with the CCP and that it is immoral to stop the broadcasts, which are welcomed by the Chinese people. She said that NTDTV is the only free Chinese TV that can be seen in China. But since June 17, NTDTV has received many phone calls and emails from China, complaining they could no longer get NTDTV. She said that the Chinese audience is eager to see the restoration of the program, so NTDTV contacted Eutelsat, asking when it would happen, but Eutelsat did not give NTDTV any formal explanation or even a clear answer.
"Eutelsat has the ability to restore the signal quickly," she stated. She guessed that Eutelsat was using "malfunctioning of the power supply" as an excuse to shut down the broadcasting of NTDTV seven weeks before the Beijing Olympics.
According to their investigation, she said, the reason is that Giuliano Berretta, the president of Eutelsat, tried to do business with the CCP, and the CCP exerts pressure on Eutelsat.
On June 16, Alcatel, the producer of Eutelsat's satellites, signed a one-billion-dollar contract with the CCP. A few hours later, the broadcasting of NTDTV in Asia was stopped.
In 2005, Eutelsat tried to cancel its broadcast contract with NTDTV. According to the International Federation of Journalists, the CCP asked Eutelsat to cancel the contract. In exchange, the CCP would sign a contract with Eutelsat for the right to broadcast the Olympics. The Wall Street Journal reported that Eutelsat tried to cancel the contract with NTDTV in 2005 for large profits from the CCP.
American and European politicians and people with a sense of justice strongly condemned Eutelsat and exerted so much pressure that Eutelsat renewed the contract with NTDTV in 2005.
Ms. Hong said that Eutelsat must obey certain rules and its own policies, which require equality, nondiscrimination, and respect for multiculturalism. From both a moral and a legal viewpoint, Eutelsat should restore the signal quickly. She said Eutelsat should support the freedom of information and not collaborate with the CCP, the biggest tyrant in the world.
NTDTV is also calling upon people with a sense of justice to help restore the broadcasting. July 01 Smiling Faces- Undisputed Truth (1971)Here is the video on YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV69WBvFGBA&NR=1
Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend
Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within (Can you dig it?)
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes They don't tell the truth Smiling faces, smiling faces Tell lies and I got proof The truth is in the eyes Cause the eyes don't lie, amen Remember a smile is just A frown turned upside down My friend let me tell you Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes They don't tell the truth, Smiling faces, smiling faces Tell lies and I got proof Beware, beware of the handshake That hides the snake I'm telling you beware Beware of the pat on the back It just might hold you back Jealousy (jealousy) Misery (misery) Envy (envy) I tell you, you can't see behind smiling faces Smiling faces sometimes they don't tell the truth Smiling faces, smiling faces Tell lies and I got proof Your enemy won't do you no harm Cause you'll know where he's coming from Don't let the handshake and the smile fool ya Take my advice I'm only try' to school ya Smiling faces sometimes they don't tell the truth Smiling faces, smiling faces Tell lies and I got proof |
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