File photo of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai with US President Barack Obama
Kabul: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has stood firm on his demand that the US and Pakistan re-start the peace process with the Taliban for a post-2014 troop deal to be signed. The President was responding to a warning from US President Barack Obama that he was planning for a possible 'Zero-Option' which will have no American troops in Afghanistan after all coalition combat personnel are withdrawn by the end of the year.
The President's Office in Kabul told NDTV that Hamid Karzai spoke to Barack Obama for 45 minutes in a phone conversation. This is the first time the two leaders have spoken since June 25, 2013 and President Karzai stalled a post 2014 troop deal in November. Eight months ago they communicated in a secure video teleconference (SVTC pronounced sih'-vitz'). Karzai Palace to NDTV
The Palace played down President Obama's 'Zero-Option' warning saying it was a warm and friendly conversation. But, the Afghan President's Office said Hamid Karzai told his counterpart that though he supported the troop deal, peace and security was vital. President Karzai told Obama, "We want the peace process with the Taliban to be launched before the signing of the BSA (Bilateral Security Agreement)." That agreement would allow between 3-15,000 foreign troops to stay on in nine bases after the withdrawal of all combat personnel at the end of 2014. President Karzai also told President Obama that if the US and Pakistan didn't re-start reconciliation with the Taliban before the Presidential polls on April 5 - then the signing of the BSA would be left to the next Head of State. President Obama has for the first time told President Karzai the 'Zero-option' is on the table, but he also left the door open for the signing of the deal this year. Obama briefed on Taliban talks
President Karzai's Office also told NDTV, the US President had been briefed about Afghan talks with the Taliban. The Palace told NDTV that was progressing well on two tracks - with the Quetta Shura (Council) and with former Taliban Finance Minister Aga Jan Motassim in Dubai. But, President Karzai also reiterated his belief that America and Pakistan can and should facilitate the peace process for the smooth signing of the troop deal before April this year.
Karzai plays hardball In another significant development, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey arrived in Kabul hours after the phone conversation between the two leaders. But, with President Karzai adamant on his main condition that the peace process be re-started, it's unlikely that he will be able to prevail on President Karzai to make any compromise unless the US does what he is absolutely firm on. He had even in December told NDTV in his Palace in Kabul, 'Allies should not be waging psychological war against each other. If you are friends and allies, you should be treated as friends or allies. They need not attack us psychologically. They need not weaken our resolve. They need not portray us in such a manner that we are in such terrible need that if that they are not here, We are neither a nation, nor a country, nor a history, nor a culture nor a future. That's not right. We will be here whether the US is here or not. That's where we are. This is our country. But of course we may be in more trouble we may be poorer in certain ways. But Afghanistan can continue and will survive as it has for 1000s of years.' http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/start-peace-process-with-taliban-for-troop-deal-hamid-karzai-tells-barack-obama-488349
ORLANDO, Fla. —Thousands of Venezuelans across the country and in Central Florida gathered Saturday to rally for peace.
Their native country is in turmoil. Loved ones are in danger. And they say they need the world's help.
In Orlando they rallied at Blue Jacket Park, demanding an end to violence in their country.
At least eight people have been killed and more than 100 injured in Venezuela in the last two weeks.
Protests have erupted in gunfire in Venezuela as groups try to overthrow the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro.
"The entire country is outside and is trying to have a conversation, a peaceful conversation with the government and we just want the government to listen," one Orlando demonstrator said.
Orlando has a growing population of Venezuelan immigrants. Many of them say the Venezuelan government isn't taking care of its people.
Food supplies are low, inflation is growing and the murder rate is rising.
Last month, former pageant queen and University of Central Florida graduate Monica Spear was killed in Venezuela.
Maduro has refused to step down, blaming the recent protest violence on his political rivals.
"I have a message for Mr. Nicolas Maduro," a demonstrator in Orlando said Saturday. "(We) will take you down."
Three U.S. diplomats were recently kicked out of Venezuela, accused of stirring up of violent protests.
President Barack Obama called the accusations false and demanded the Venezuelan government restore the peace.
At last, it comes to a close. It seems like only yesterday that I was cheered for my team with some of my friends and enjoyed the opening ceremony. Since then a total of 298 medals have been placed around the necks of athletes from 26 nations, and now it’s time for "imagine" the message of olympics .
Even if we have different races, languages, and different cultures, we can become one when we unite with the spirit of friendship and through playing sports.
The olympic is closed, during the days, I watched all programs in this season as well,
and I will never forget the program of Yuna Kim when she took
the ice to perform to John Lennon's single Imagine.
Although she couldn't won the gold medal this time,
but she didn't leave the place and showed the most beautiful performance
for every figure fans who were waiting for her.
The main theme of the program is 'peace'.
Take a look at Yuna Kim on the ice at the figure skating Gala.
She will be missed in the future skating championships.
Let's take a look the original imagine of John Lennon,
with lyrics about the world peace.
If you can imagine a world of peace
If you can imagine the possibility then it can be true.
IPB was founded under the name Permanent International Peace Bureau
The International Peace Bureau is dedicated to the vision of a World Without War. Our current main programme centres on Sustainable Disarmament for Sustainable Development and we campaign mainly on the reduction of military expenditure. We believe that by reducing funding for the military sector, significant amounts of money would be available for social projects domestically or abroad and lead to the fulfilling of real human needs and general development. At the same time, we support different disarmament campaigns and provide them with knowledge about the economic dimensions of weapons and conflicts.
Our 300 member organisations in 70 countries, together with individual members from a global network, bring together expertise and campaigning experience in a common cause. We try to link different experts and campaigns working on similar issues in order to create strong civil society movements.
IPB has had Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council since the 1970s. We also have associate status with the Department of Public Information.
IPB plays a central role in the Geneva-based Special NGO Committee for Disarmament, which is a sub-committee of CONGO, the Conference of NGO in Consultative Status with ECOSOC. We are in close touch with our sister group in New York, the NGO Committee for Disarmament, Inc. and and follow various disarmament negotiations, within or outside the UN.
We are a Nobel Peace Laureate (1910); over the years, 13 of our officers have been recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Read more about us in the IPB brochure, available in English, French, German, and Spanish.
Although many sick children have been greatly helped with medical marijuana, 4-year-old Sylvie Haas does not have access to it in kentucky. Her mother is fighting to save her daughter and make this medicine legal.
"Kentucky's Senate Bill 43, the Cannabis Compassion Act, sponsored by Senator Perry Clark, is being considered in the 2014 legislative session. There is also a companion House Bill, HB350. You can influence legislation by calling Kentucky's Legislative Message Line at 800 372-7181. Ask your senators and representatives to co-sponsor SB43 and HB350. Call soon and call often!"
Abraham Lincoln Listeni (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional and political crisis. In so doing he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the national government and modernized the economy. Reared in a poor family on the western frontier, Lincoln was a self-educated lawyer in Illinois, a Whig Party leader, state legislator during the 1830s, and a one-term member of the Congress during the 1840s. He promoted rapid modernization of the economy through banks, canals, railroads and tariffs to encourage the building of factories; he opposed the war with Mexico in 1846. After a series of highly publicized debates in 1858 during which he opposed the expansion of slavery, Lincoln lost the U.S. Senate race to his archrival, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln, a moderate from a swing state, secured the Republican Party presidential nomination in 1860. With almost no support in the South, Lincoln swept the North and was elected president in 1860. His election prompted seven southern slave states to form the Confederacy. No compromise or reconciliation was found regarding slavery. When the North enthusiastically rallied behind the national flag after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, Lincoln concentrated on the military and political dimensions of the war effort. His goal was to reunite the nation. He suspended habeas corpus, arresting and temporarily detaining thousands of suspected secessionists in the border states without trial. Lincoln averted British intervention by defusing the Trent affair in late 1861. His numerous complex moves toward ending slavery centered on the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, using the Army to protect escaped slaves, encouraging the border states to outlaw slavery, and helping push through Congress the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which permanently outlawed slavery. Lincoln closely supervised the war effort, especially the selection of top generals, including commanding general Ulysses S. Grant. He made the major decisions on Union war strategy, Lincoln's Navy set up a naval blockade that shut down the South's normal trade, helped take control of Kentucky and Tennessee, and gained control of the Southern river system using gunboats. He tried repeatedly to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond. Each time a general failed, Lincoln substituted another until finally Grant succeeded in 1865. An exceptionally astute politician deeply involved with power issues in each state, Lincoln reached out to "War Democrats" (who supported the North against the South), and managed his own re-election in the 1864 presidential election. As the leader of the moderate faction of the Republican party, confronted Radical Republicans who demanded harsher treatment of the South, War Democrats who called for more compromise, Copperheads who despised him, and irreconcilable secessionists who plotted his death. Politically, Lincoln fought back with patronage, by pitting his opponents against each other, and by appealing to the American people with his powers of oratory.[4] His Gettysburg Address of 1863 became an iconic statement of America's dedication to the principles of nationalism, republicanism, equal rights, liberty, and democracy. Lincoln held a moderate view of Reconstruction, seeking to reunite the nation speedily through a policy of generous reconciliation in the face of lingering and bitter divisiveness. Six days after the surrender of Confederate commanding general Robert E. Lee, Lincoln was assassinated by a confederate sympathizer. Lincoln has been consistently ranked both by scholars and the public as one of the greatest U.S. presidents.
1860 election and secession
On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States, beating Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats, and John Bell of the new Constitutional Union Party. He was the first president from the Republican Party. His victory was entirely due to the strength of his support in the North and West; no ballots were cast for him in 10 of the 15 Southern slave states, and he won only two of 996 counties in all the Southern states. Lincoln received 1,866,452 votes, Douglas 1,376,957 votes, Breckinridge 849,781 votes, and Bell 588,789 votes. Turnout was 82.2 percent, with Lincoln winning the free Northern states, as well as California and Oregon. Douglas won Missouri, and split New Jersey with Lincoln. Bell won Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and Breckinridge won the rest of the South. Although Lincoln won only a plurality of the popular vote, his victory in the electoral college was decisive: Lincoln had 180 and his opponents added together had only 123. There were fusion tickets in which all of Lincoln's opponents combined to support the same slate of Electors in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, but even if the anti-Lincoln vote had been combined in every state, Lincoln still would have won a majority in the Electoral College.
January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968
was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.
He was born Michael King, but his father changed his name in honor of German reformer Martin Luther. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. With the SCLC, King led an unsuccessful struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia, in 1962, and organized nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama, that attracted national attention following television news coverage of the brutal police response. King also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. J. Edgar Hoover considered him a radical and made him an object of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's COINTELPRO for the rest of his life. FBI agents investigated him for possible communist ties, recorded his extramarital liaisons and reported on them to government officials, and on one occasion, mailed King a threatening anonymous letter which he interpreted as an attempt to make him commit suicide.
On October 14, 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. In 1965, he and the SCLC helped to organize the Selma to Montgomery marches and the following year, he took the movement north to Chicago to work on segregated housing. In the final years of his life, King expanded his focus to include poverty and the Vietnam War, alienating many of his liberal allies with a 1967 speech titled "Beyond Vietnam". In 1968 King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People's Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee. His death was followed by riots in many U.S. cities. Allegations that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of killing King, had been framed or acted in concert with government agents persisted for decades after the shooting. The jury of a 1999 civil trial found Loyd Jowers to be complicit in a conspiracy against King.
King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a holiday in numerous cities and states beginning in 1971, and as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986. Hundreds of streets and a county in the U.S. have been renamed in his honor. A memorial statue on the National Mall was opened to the public in 2011.
"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state, sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
Famous As: American Political Scientist and Diplomat
Nationality: American
Born On: 07 August 1903 Famous 7th August Birthdays
Zodiac Sign: Leo Famous Leos
Born In: Detroit
Died On: 09 December 1971
Place Of Death: New York City
Father: Fred Bunch
Mother: Olive Johnson
Siblings: Grace
Spouse: Ruth Ethel Harris
Children: Joan, Jane, Ralph Bunche, Jr.
Education: University of California, Los Angeles, Howard University, Harvard University
Works & Achievements: Nobel Peace Prize (1950); Known For: Formation and Administration of the United Nations
Awards: 1949 - Spingarn Medal award
1951 - Silver Buffalo Award
American political scientist , diplomat.
More than 20 years, the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping was committed , the Arab-Israeli cease-fire was negotiated to winning recognition for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 .Majoring in political science and international relations at Harvard University and then Washington, D. C. Department of Political Science , Howard University, the newly appointed it was . Sponsored by the Foundation of the World Rosen French West Africa Rand togol mandated to look back , the colony was to study how the rule of Dahomey . Northwestern University and the London School of Economics and a Fellow of the activities at the University after some research was in order to continue to stay in Africa . 1938 Swedish sociologist Gunnar Myrdal study of race relations with the United States began in 1944, author of a monumental < America's challenges An American Dilemma> announced .
Army during World War II , the Department of State Bureau of body parts , captured in strategy . Meeting in San Francisco in 1945 , UN 's founding was involved in the planning basis for the 1947 UN Secretariat in New York City, was appointed director of the Trust Territory . Teurwi geube Lee Ralph Bunche also request the Secretary-General received a special committee for the resolution of the Palestinian dispute , joined in 1948, the highest in arbitration officer assassinated wonder bereunadoteu Volker became the successor job from February to May 1949 and successfully negotiated a truce elicited . Secretary-General in charge of Political Special 1957 Ralph Bunche right of the Secretary-General Dag Hammer oeldeu Hirsch assist with dispute resolution activities were peaceful use of nuclear energy for the UN program was promoted . 1956 Britain , France and Israel invaded the Suez Canal Zone and let a neutral group of 6,000 was sent in 1960 to the Congo peacekeeping organization let a crisis occurs, and in 1964 the conflict between Cyprus and Turkey have been caused directly when neutral troops were conducting . 1950 , over the civil rights movement in the 1960s that neglected and became widespread domestic criticism Bunch is a more direct voice in the apartheid government began to fill . Been in poor health in 1965 , despite the civil rights movement in Selma and Montgomery, attended meetings , 22 years of color served as director of the association's position improved .
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
PEACE THROUGH SPORT
Olympic Movement promotes peace worldwide
Furthering the peace cause today
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) actively
pursues the goals of
protecting the interests of the
athletes and sport in general, and contributing
to the search for peaceful and diplomatic solutions to the conflicts around the
world.
Through the International Olympic Truce Foundation, the IOC aims
to:
• Encourage political leaders to act in favour of
peace
• Organise conferences on sport and peace
• Mobilise young people
for the promotion of the Olympic ideals
• Develop initiatives with other
organisations specialising in the field of peace, including the United
Nations
• Develop educational and research programmes to promote the Olympic
Truce
And more generally:
• Create a window of opportunity for
dialogue and reconciliation, separate from any religious, economic or political
influence.
The dove, symbol of peace
The Olympic Truce is symbolised by the dove with the traditional Olympic
flame in the background. In a world that is plagued by wars and animosity, the
dove represents the IOC's goal to build a peaceful and better world through
sport.
“By throwing a bridge over continents, by standing above differences of race,
social regime or political system, [the Olympic Movement] can bring hope and
togetherness so often and so deeply torn apart,” says IOC President Jacques
Rogge, who chairs the Olympic Truce Foundation.
