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Alfonso de Baena (Villatobas, 1539 - Illes Canàries, 1570) va ser un beat jesuïta espanyol, màrtir catòlic.

Biografia
Va néixer a Villatobas (actual província de Toledo), el 1539. Segons els últims esbrinaments era descendent de moriscs o cristians nous. Va ingressar a la Companyia de Jesús, el 1566. Abans de ser jesuïta, va exercir l'ofici d'orfebre; per la qual cosa posteriorment, va realitzar diversos objectes sagrats per a les missions del Brasil. El 1569 va concloure el noviciat i sent de molt madura virtut, va professar com a germà coadjutor.

En aquest mateix any va ser portat a Portugal pel provincial de Brasil, P. Inácio de Azevedo per anar de missioner juntament amb 70 joves jesuïtes d'Espanya i Portugal. Després d'una llarga preparació espiritual, va sortir des de Lisboa el 5 de juny de 1570 en tres naus rumb a Brasil. Des de l'Illa de Madeira, una nau va haver de dirigir-se cap a les Illes Canàries per portar una càrrega que transportava; hi viatja Azevedo amb 39 jesuïtes i pressentint la proximitat de corsaris calvinistes, va demanar voluntaris davant un possible martiri; quatre van abandonar l'expedició, en el seu lloc es van oferir voluntaris altres, de les restants naus, un d'ells va ser Alfonso de Baena.

Arribant a l'Illa de la Palma a Canàries, van fer escala al lloc de Tazacorte, uns dies després en continuar la seva ruta cap al port de Santa Cruz de la Palma, enfront de la punta de Fuencaliente la nau va ser atacada per corsaris hugonots calvinistes, molt ben armats sota el comandament del pirata francès Jacques de Sores. Azevedo, en veure'ls, amb una imatge de la Verge entre les seves mans, va encoratjar al seu jove grup de missioners; tots desitjaven oferir les seves vides per Crist. Després d'ensenyorir-se de la nau els 40 jesuïtes van ser violentament martiritzats de diverses maneres, eren vuit espanyols i 32 portuguesos. Alfonso de Baena, mentre atenia als ferits i animava als soldats de la seva nau, va ser brutalment apunyalat i encara viu llançat al mar. Tenia treinta anys. Era el 15 de juliol de 1570, i en el mateix dia santa Teresa de Jesús va tenir la gràcia de veure'ls coronats de Glòria en el cel.

Els 40 Màrtirs del Brasil o Màrtirs de Tazacorte, van ser reconeguts com a màrtirs per la fe, pels papes Gregori XV (1623) i Benet XIV (1742). Pius IX el va beatificar l'11 de maig de 1854. El 1999 el cabildo insular de la Palma i altres institucions, van organitzar un homenatge en memòria d'aquests màrtirs, submergint 40 creus de formigó al fons del mar al lloc del martiri.

A Villatobas se celebra la festa d'Alfonso de Baena cada 15 de juliol des de 1982. Un carrer de la població porta el seu nom des de 1993. El 2003 el cardenal D. Antonio Cañizares va beneir una nova imatge, tallada en fusta per l'escultor toledà César Ortega Herrera. La banda de tambors i cornetes de la localitat porta el seu nom.

Bibliografia
  [De molt madura virtut. Vida del Beat Alfonso de Baena, màrtir jesuïta nascut a Villatobas (1539-1570)].

Beats castellanomanxecs
Religiosos castellanomanxecs
Beatificats jesuïtes
Persones de la província de Toledo
Jesuïtes espanyols


Curious about why we are offering a queer and trans yoga class? The following post was written by Jessica, a long time member of the qsy community as a work trade, and also as a consultant around starting the queer and trans class. Here she explains her perspective on why having a gathering place for queer and trans folks in a yoga studio feels valuable and important. This post was originally published on Jessica's blog, and has been reposted with her permission. Have a read!


This Request for Expression of Interest is for a Firm Selection. As part of the Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC), infoDev is seeking a qualified firm with presence in the Caribbean region to support the team in organizing the delivery of a "Business Incubation Clinic" in the region.
As part of the Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC), infoDev is seeking a qualified firm with presence in the Caribbean region to support the team in organizing the delivery of a "Business Incubation Clinic" in the region.
The assignment will mainly entail the organization of business enabling awareness raising workshops and Business Incubation Management (BIM) training sessions and facilitating the participation of a few selected practitioners from the Caribbean region to relevant international events and/or study tours (selected by infoDev) to foster peer-to-peer learning.
Ahead of the training sessions, the firm will be required to adapt to the Caribbean context (i.e. addressing specific skill gaps) the existing BIM needs assessment survey to enable the trainees to fill in the survey and capture their needs. The outcomes of the needs assessment survey captured by the selected from will inform the trainers to adapt the training content so the delivery of the training program addresses the critical needs and gaps of the trainees.
Similarly, the firm will be required to adapt to the Caribbean context (i.e. addressing specific skill gaps) the existing BIM post training evaluation survey to enable the trainees to fill in the survey and capture their feedback, including their level of satisfaction and the outcomes from the delivery of the training immediately after the delivery of the training as well as several months afterwards. The outcomes of the post training evaluation survey captured by the selected firm will inform the coaches to adapt the content and delivery approach of follow up capacity building activities including peer-to-peer technical assistance and online workshops.
The firm will also be required to capture the outcomes of the delivery of the business incubation clinic in a comprehensive report that will inform infoDev, the donor and more broadly the development community on the specific skills and competences gaps of practitioners in the region and the impact of the business incubation clinic activities in addressing these gaps and improving the capacity of local practitioners.
host the online workshops involving peers from other parts of the world.
1. Interested consultants should provide information showing that they are qualified in the field of the assignment.
2. Interested consultants should provide information on the technical and managerial capabilities of the firm.
3. Interested consultants should provide information on their core business and years in business.
4. Interested consultants should provide information on the qualifications of key staff that will work on this assignment specifically.
5. Interested consultants should provide information on their experience with event/meeting organization and project management of activities implemented in emerging markets.
system: https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html and use Selection Number #1141879.


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King Square, Barry
(Redirected from King's Square, Barry)
Barry Town Hall at King Square.
King Square is a town square in central Barry, Wales located at a central shopping point of Holton Road.
The square was originally known as Town Hall Square after the Town Hall was opened in 1908. In June 1910 it was proposed it was renamed King Edward Square after Edward VII, but as the proclamation ceremony of George V's ascent to the throne had been held there the previous month, it was renamed simply, as King Square.[1]
The square underwent much renovation in the early 2000s. Today, it houses the Barry Council Office and Library, Art Central Gallery and several bus stops.
The square hosts a Christmas tree every year, though it is sometime the vistim of practical jokes.[2] In December 2014 it was the location of what was described as the "best Christmas lights switch-on" in Wales, when a 10-minute animated show was projected onto the facade of the Town Hall.[3]
^ "BARRY TOWN HALL & LIBRARY". Tom Clementt's History of Barry. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28.
^ Harris, Sharon (17 November 2017). "Barry's King Square Christmas Tree is removed after its condition fails to impress". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
^ Pike, Chris (1 December 2014). "Did Barry just put on Wales' best Christmas lights switch-on?". Wales Online.
Coordinates: 51°24′23″N 3°16′00″W / 51.4065°N 3.2667°W / 51.4065; -3.2667
Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
Barry Island
Buttrills
Cadoxton
Colcot
Cold Knap
Cwm Talwg
Gibbonsdown
Great Brynhill
Jenner Park
Merthyr Dyfan
Nant Talwg
Pencoedtre
Barry Castle
Barry Community Hospital
Barry Memorial Hall
Barry Council Office and Library
Barry Dock Offices
Butlin's Barry Island (Demolished by 2005)
Egerton Grey Country House Hotel
Jackson's Bay
Porthkerry Park
Porthkerry Viaduct
Welsh Hawking Centre
Barry College
Barry Comprehensive School
Bro Radio
Bryn Hafren Comprehensive School
Ysgol Gyfun Bro Morgannwg
Cadoxton River
Sully Island
Atlantic Trading Estate
Barry Docks
Barry Island Pleasure Park
Barry Waterfront
Barry Tourist Railway
Barry railway station
Barry Docks railway station
Barry Island railway station
Cadoxton railway station
Barry Town United Football Club
Barry Rugby Club
Jenner Park Stadium
Barry Town Council
See also Category:People from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
See also: Template:Vale of Glamorgan for wider county topics
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=King_Square,_Barry&oldid=917591733"
Squares in Wales
This page was last edited on 24 September 2019, at 14:57 (UTC).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Iraq: Stoning of Western Dressed Girls
Posted on March 28, 2012 by particularkev
The following article reports on the stoning of many girls in Iraq for dressing in western clothes. Over 90 girls have been stoned to death in a month in this disgraceful display of Islamic extremism.
http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15746.html
Posted in Iraq, Islam, news	| Tagged article, clothes, death, disgraceful, display, dress, dressed, dressing, extremism, girls, human rights, Iraq, Islam, Islamic, Muslim, muslims, stoned, stoning, western | Leave a comment
Evangelist Arrested in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Elsewhere on island off East Africa, Christians prohibited from worshipping at university.
NAIROBI, Kenya, August 19 (CDN) — Christian university students on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, a predominantly Muslim area off the coast of East Africa, have been denied the right to worship, while on another part of the isle a Christian leader has been jailed.
Sources said evangelist Peter Masanja, a resident of Zanzibar's southeastern town of Paje, was arrested by security agents sometime in early August. Earlier this year Masanja, a member of the Pentecostal Church in Zanzibar, would invite Christians to his house, as he had made part of his land available for church activities. Area Muslims interpreted it as plans to establish another church there, the sources said.
The rumor angered local residents, and they vowed to prohibit any Christian activities, the sources said.
"It was only after her husband failed to return home that Masanja's wife knew that there was something amiss," said a source who requested anonymity. "After several days of searching, reports reached the wife that Masanja had been arrested and imprisoned in Kilimani cell."
Pastors from Tanzania's Zanzibar Island sought to meet with prison authorities about Masanja's arrest, but officials informed them that the person in charge of the prison was away on official business, said Bishop Obeid Fabian, chairman of an association of congregations known as the Fraternal Churches.
"We are asking for prayers for him and his family, that he would be released," Fabian said.
At Zanzibar University, a private school in Tunguu 18 kilometers (12 miles) from Zanzibar Town, Islamic administrators have denied Christian students freedom of worship while retaining that constitutional right for Muslims, said Samson Zuberi, Christian Union students coordinator.
Three Christian Union student leaders have protested to school officials and threatened to go to court over the discrimination, he said. Although freedom of worship among Christians has long been restricted at the university, the decision to ban it completely caused an outcry. The vice-chancellor's office on Dec. 28, 2009 issued the order forbidding Christian students from conducting their affairs and meetings on the school campus.
Numbering about 100 at a university with more than 2,500 students, the Christian students say they have felt the administration increasingly discriminating against them. There are two mosques at the university, which is sponsored by an Islamic charity, Dar el Uman Charitable Association, registered in Geneva, Switzerland, according to the school's Web site.
In an April 12 circular, university Dean of Students Mavua H. Mussa warned those defying worship regulations to seek other learning institutions, saying that the ban on religious activities in lecture theaters, halls of residence or anywhere else on campus was absolute.
Students said the ban violates sections 19(1) and 20(1) of the Zanzibar Constitution of 1984, which provide for freedom of association, including religious groups, free of government control. Articles 19(1) (2) and 20(1) of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania of 1977 provide for the same freedom, they said.
Fabian told Compass by telephone that the students will seek counsel from Christian students at universities in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, Tanzania.
"We have advised that before they take the case to court, the three Christian Union leaders should travel to get counsel from their fellow students at the universities of Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, especially the Christian law students, to get the correct interpretation of the Tanzanian constitution on the right of worship," Fabian said.
He added that the students – Zuberi, regional Christian Union Student Chairman Ronald R. Urassa and Christian Union Student Secretary Neema Alex Langalli – need to raise US$800 each for the travel.
Similarly, the dress code at the university has caused tensions, sources said, as officials have threatened to expel female Christian students if they do not wear a veil and headscarf, or the Buibui and Hijab. University regulations state that, "For a female dressing, the clothes must cover from head to an ankle."
Some of the lecturers have put female Christian students out of class if they do not wear the required Islamic dress, sources said.
They also noted that during the current Islamic month of Ramadan, a period of fasting by day, life for Christian students becomes difficult as university regulations forbid them to cook for themselves, and all cafeterias on or near university campuses are closed. The location of the school makes it difficult for Christian students to find meals outside the university cafeteria.
Even if they remain off campus, the conditions and practices of landlords discriminate against Christians, the sources said.
In predominately Sunni Muslim Zanzibar, churches face numerous challenges. There are restrictions on getting land to build churches, open preaching is outlawed and there is limited time on national television to air Christian programs. In government schools, only Islamic Religious knowledge is taught, not Christian Religious Education.
Zanzibar is the informal designation for the island of Unguja in the Indian Ocean. The Zanzibar archipelago united with Tanganyika to form the present day Tanzania in 1964.
Muslim traders from the Persian Gulf had settled in the region early in the 10th century after monsoon winds propelled them through the Gulf of Aden and Somalia. The 1964 merger left island Muslims uneasy about Christianity, seeing it as a means by which mainland Tanzania might dominate them, and tensions have persisted.
Posted in Aden, Christianity, Islam, Somalia, Switzerland, Tanzania	| Tagged 10th, 1964, 1977, 1984, 2009, Africa, ankle, archipelago, area, arrested, association, ban, bishop, Buibui, build, cafetarias, cell, century, chairman, charity, Christian, Christian Union, Christianity, Christians, churches, closed, code, conditions, congregations, constitution, cook, cover, Dar el Uman Charitable Association, Dean of Students, discriminate, Discrimination, Dodoma, dominate, dress, dressing, East Africa, education, evangelist, expel, female, form, Fraternal Churches, Geneva, government, Gulf of Aden, head, headscarf, hijab, Indian Ocean, Islam, island, Kilimani, land, landlords, lecturers, mainland, Mavua H. Mussa, merger, monsoon, Muslim, muslims, national, Neema Alex Langalli, Obeid Fabian, open, outlawed, Paje, Pentecostal Church in Zanzibar, Persecution, Persian Gulf, Peter Masanja, practices, preaching, predominantly, private, prohibited, region, regional, registered, religious, restrictions, Ronald R. Urassa, Samson Zuberi, school, schools, secretary, section 19 (1), section 20 (1), settled, Somalia, southeastern, students, Sunni, Switzerland, Tanganyika, Tanzania, Tanzanian, television, tensions, town, traders, Tunguu, uneasy, Unguja, United, United Republic of Tanzania, University, veil, vice-chancellor, violates, wear, winds, worshipping, Zanzibar, Zanzibar Town, Zanzibar University, Zuberi | Leave a comment
Buddhist Bhutan Proposes 'Anti-Conversion' Law
Posted on August 10, 2010 by particularkev
Already suppressed Christians say bill is designed to control growth.
THIMPHU, Bhutan, July 21 (CDN) — Christians in this Himalayan nation who are still longing to openly practice their faith were disheartened this month when the government proposed the kind of "anti-conversion" law that other nations have used as a pretext for falsely accusing Christians of "coercion."
The amendment bill would punish "proselytizing" that "uses coercion or other forms of inducement" – vaguely enough worded, Christians fear, that vigilantes could use it to jail them for following the commands of Christ to feed, clothe and otherwise care for the poor.
"Now, under section 463 [of the Penal Code of Bhutan], a defendant shall be guilty of the offense of proselytization if the defendant uses coercion or other forms of inducement to cause the conversion of a person from one religion or faith to another," reported the government-run Kuensel newspaper on July 9.
"There was always a virtual anti-conversion law in place, but now it is on paper too," said a senior pastor from Thimphu on condition of anonymity. "Seemingly it is aimed at controlling the growth of Christianity."
Kuenlay Tshering, a member of Bhutan's Parliament and the chairperson of its Legislative Council, told Compass that the new section is consonant with Article 7(4) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, which states, "A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement."
He said that the National Council had proposed that offenses under the proposal be classified as misdemeanors, punishable by one to less than three years in prison.
Tshering said that the amendment bill "may be passed during the next session of Parliament, after the National Assembly deliberates on it in the winter session."
Asked if he was aware that similar "anti-conversion" laws in neighboring India had been misused to harass Christians through vague terms of "inducement," he said he was not.
Authorities usually act on complaints by local residents against Christian workers, so frivolous complaints can lead to their arrest, said another pastor who requested anonymity.
Of the 683,407 people in Bhutan, over 75 percent are Buddhist, mainly from the west and the east. Hindus, mostly ethnic Nepalese from southern Bhutan, are estimated to be around 22 percent of the population.
There are around 6,000 Christians, mostly ethnic Nepalese, but there is neither a church building nor a registered Christian institution. The Bible, however, has been translated into the national language, Dzongkha, as well as into Nepali.
The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but the government has not officially recognized the presence of Christians, whose practice of faith remains confined to their homes.
The Drukpa Kagyue school of Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion, with Hinduism dominant in the south, according to Bhutan's official website, which adds, "Some residues of Bon, animism and shamanism still exist in some pockets of the country," but makes no mention of Christianity.
Still, since Bhutan became a democracy in 2008 after its first-ever elections – following more than 100 years of absolute monarchy – people have increasingly exercised their freedom, including religious choice.
'Why More Religions?'
Home and Culture Minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji told Compass that Bhutan's government had "no problems" with Christianity or any other faith.
"But Bhutan is a small country, with a little more than 600,000 people, and a majority of them are Buddhist," Dorji said. "We have Hindus, also mainly in southern parts. So why do we need more religions?"
Buddhism is closely linked with political and social life in Bhutan. Dorji's office sits in a gigantic monastery in Thimphu known as Tashichho Dzong. Buddhism unites and brings people together, Dorji said, explaining that the social life of a village revolves around its dzong (monastery).
Dorji said India's multi-religious society had led to tensions and bloodshed.
"India can survive riots and unrest," he said, "but Bhutan may not, because it is a small country between two giants [India and China]."
With leaders who have been proud that they have not allowed it to be colonized, Bhutan historically has been keenly concerned about its survival. Bhutan's people see their distinct culture, rather than the military, as having protected the country's sovereignty. And it is no coincidence that Dorji's portfolio includes both internal security and preservation of culture.
The constitution, adopted in July 2008, also requires the state to protect Bhutan's cultural heritage and declares that Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan.
A government official who requested anonymity said that, as Tibet went to China and Sikkim became a state in India, "now which of the two countries will get Bhutan?"
This concern is prevalent among the Bhutanese, he added.
Sikkim, now a state in India's northeast, was a Buddhist kingdom with indigenous Bhotia and Lepcha people groups as its subjects. But Hindus from Nepal migrated to Sikkim for work and gradually outnumbered the local Buddhists. In 1975, a referendum was held to decide if Sikkim, then India's protectorate, should become an official state of the country. Since over 75 percent of the people in Sikkim were Nepalese – who knew that democracy would mean majority-rule – they voted for its incorporation
into India.
Bhutan and India's other smaller neighbors saw it as brazen annexation. And it is believed that Sikkim's "annexation" made Bhutan wary of the influence of India.
In the 1980s, Bhutan's king began a one-nation-one-people campaign to protect its sovereignty and cultural integrity, which was discriminatory to the ethnic Nepalese, who protested. Their non-compliance, however, resulted in a harsh crackdown by authorities, leading to the expulsion or voluntary migration of over 100,000 ethnic Nepalese, many of whom were Christians, to the Nepal side of the border in Jhapa in the early 1990s.
"Bhutan did not want to become another Sikkim," said a local resident, explaining why the government did not tolerate the protests.
Bhutan is also rigorous in implementing its laws related to the use of the national language, the national dress code and the uniform architectural standards throughout the country to strengthen its cultural integrity. Bhutanese men are required to wear the gho, a knee-length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt, when they go to work or attend a public function. Women have to wear the kira, an ankle-length dress clipped at one shoulder and tied at the waist. Non-compliance can lead to fine
and imprisonment.
One hopeful pastor said he expects the government to officially acknowledge the existence of Christianity in Bhutan in the near future.
"Religious freedom will be good for both Christians and the government," he said. "If Christians are not officially acknowledged, who will the government go to if it wants to implement an executive decision related to religious communities?"
Explaining the reason for his hope, he recalled an incident in the Punakha area in January, when a house under construction was demolished after rumors that it was used as a church.
"The house owner, a Christian, went to his majesty [King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck] and told him he was not constructing a church but would have worship with other believers on Sundays," the pastor said. "The king allowed him to build the house."
He also said that a delegation of Christians met with Prime Minister Lyonchen Jigmey Thinley in May 2009, who reassured them that there would be more freedom soon.
Christianity is gradually growing, but through word-of-mouth – testimonies of those who have received healing from sickness – and not public preaching, he said, adding that Christians needed to understand and be patient with the government, "which cannot and should not make changes or give freedom overnight."
Christians' Skulls, Bones Used for Buddhist Ritual
The ambiguity in Bhutan over the status of Christians has brought with it a new difficulty: A national daily recently reported that at least eight graves of Christians had been exhumed and the skulls and thigh bones extracted for a Buddhist ritual.
Although the report marked the first time the practice had made the news, Christian leaders said more than 100 graves have been dug up as the trade in human bones has been going on for more than five years.
A local resident of the Lamperi area, near Thimphu, identified as Namgay, told the Bhutan Observer that he found eight graves in a "secret forest graveyard" that had been exhumed by hunters of craniums and thigh bone.
"We saw skulls without craniums and a hand sticking out of a grave," he was quoted as saying in the daily on May 27.
A human skull garners between 5,000 ngultrum (US$105) and 10,000 ngultrum (US$211) in Bhutan, with men's skulls considered more valuable. The skull of a man affected by leprosy is not considered ideal for purification. Rather, such skulls are considered best for rituals to subdue evil spirits.
In a visit to the graveyard, the Bhutan Observer found at least eight graves freshly dug up. "Hand gloves, khaddar [a coarse homespun cotton cloth], a currency note, a wooden cross, and a wooden hammer lay scattered all over," it reported.
The daily said the graveyard apparently belonged to the Christian community in Thimphu and nearby areas.
"Christians in the country say that there should be an official recognition that there are Christians in the country, and other things like burial rights will naturally follow," the report noted.
A local pastor told Compass that since Christians did not have a burial ground, they buried their dead in forests.
"More than 100 bodies have been dug up, even though we have changed several locations for burial," he said. "I wonder how the traders in human bones discover these locations. Where do we go now?"
Some local residents reportedly believe that a Christian grave brings bad luck.
Damcho Wangchu, a resident of Thinleygang area, told the daily that the area surrounding the graveyard was holy. He attributed all misfortune in the area – including storms, the death of three students and of four others – to the Christian cemetery.
"We never experienced such misfortunes in our gewog [cluster of villages] before," he said.
The daily explained that the tradition of use of human skulls and thigh bones in Buddhist rituals was as old as Tantric Buddhism itself. "Thoepai Dagpa is a generic name for the text that illustrates the use and study of quality of skulls," it reported.
Tantric Buddhism, widespread in Bhutan, involves rituals as a substitute or alternative for the earlier abstract meditations.
An editorial in the same newspaper noted, "Our hunt for the criminal will probably lead us from the unplanned graveyard to the sacred altar."
Posted in Bhutan, Buddhism, China, Christianity, Hinduism, India, Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet	| Tagged 1975, 2008, 2009, absolute, abstract, accusing, acknowledge, act, adopted, affected, aimed, allowed, altar, alternative, ambiguity, amendment, animism, ankle-length, annexation, anonymity, another, anti-conversion, architectural, area, arrest, article 7(4), attend, attributed, authorities, bad, believe, believed, believers, belong, belt, Bhotia, Bhutan, Bhutan Observor, Bhutanese, Bible, bill, bloodshed, Bon, bones, border, brazen, brighter, brings, brought, Brukpa Kagyue, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhists, build, building, burial, campaign, cannot, care, cause, cemetery, Chairperson, changes, China, choice, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, citizen, classified, clipped, closely, cloth, clothe, coars, coercion, coincidence, colonized, commands, communities, community, compelled, complaints, concerned, condition, confined, conscience, considered, consonant, constitution, Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, constructing, construction, control, controlling, conversion, cotton, countries, country, crackdown, craniums, cross, cultural, culture, currency, daily, Damcho Wangchu, dead, decide, decision, declares, defendant, delegation, democracy, demolished, designed, difficulty, discover, discriminatory, disheartened, distinct, dominat, dress, dress code, dug, dzong, Dzongkha, earlier, editorial, elections, ethnic, evil, executive, exercised, exhumed, exist, expects, explaining, expulsion, extracted, faith, falsely, fear, feed, fine, first-ever, following, forest, forms, freedom, freedom of religion, freshly, frivolous, function, future, garners, generic, Gho, giants, gigantic, gloves, good, government, government-run, gradually, graves, graveyard, groups, growing, growth, guarantees, guilty, hammer, hand, harass, harsh, healing, held, heritage, Himalayan, Hindu, Hinduism, Hindus, historically, Holy, Home and Culture Minister, homes, homespun, hope, hopeful, house, human, hunt, hunters, ideal, identified, illustrates, implementing, imprisonment, incident, includes, including, incorporation, increasingly, India, indigenous, inducement, influence, Institution, integrity, internal, involves, jail, Jhapa, keenly, khaddar, kind, king, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Kingdom, kira, knee-length, Kuenlay Tshering, Kuensel, Lamperi, language, law, laws, lay, lead, leaders, leading, Legislative Council, Lepcha, leprosy, life, linked, local, locations, longing, luck, Lyonchen Jigmey Thinley, Lyonpo Minjur Dorji, Mahayana Buddhism, majesty, majority, majority-rule, means, meditations, member, men, mention, met, migrated, migration, military, misdemeanors, misfortune, misued, monarchy, monastry, multi-religious, name, Namgay, nation, national, national assembly, National Council, near, nearby, need, neighboring, neighbors, Nepal, Nepalese, Nepali, new, news, newspaper, next, ngultrum, non-compliance, northeast, note, noted, offense, offenses, office, official, officially, old, one-nation-one-people, openly, otherwise, outnumbered, overnight, owner, paper, Parliament, parts, passed, Pastor, patient, Penal Code of Bhutan, people, Persecution, person, place, pockets, political, poor, portfolio, practice, preaching, presence, preservation, pretext, prevalent, Prime Minister, prison, problems, proposal, proposed, proposes, proselytization, proselytizing, protected, protectorate, proud, public, Punakha, punish, punishable, purification, quality, quoted, reason, reassured, recalled, recognition, recognized, referendum, registered, related, religion, religions, religious, reported, requested, required, requires, resident, residents, residues, resulted, revolves, right, rights, rigorous, riots, ritual, robe, rumors, sacred, saying, scattered, school, secret, section, section 463, security, senior, session, shall, shamanism, shoulder, sickness, side, Sikkim, similar, skulls, small, smaller, social, Society, south, southern, sovereignty, spirits, spiritual, standards, state, status, sticking, storms, strengthen, students, study, subdue, subjects, substitute, Sundays, suppressed, survival, survive, Tantric Buddhism, Tashichho Dzong, tensions, terms, testimonies, text, thigh, Thimphu, Thineygang, Thoepai Dagpa, thought, throughout, Tibet, tied, together, tolerate, trade, traders, tradition, translated, understand, uniform, unites, unplanned, unrest, use, used, uses, vague, vaguely, valuable, vigilantes, village, virtual, visit, voluntary, voted, waist, wary, wear, Website, widespread, winter, women, wonder, wooden, word-of-mouth, worded, work, workers, worship | Leave a comment
Despite Democracy, Christians in Bhutan Remain Underground
Posted on January 26, 2010 by particularkev
Open practice of faith could lead to more persecution, they fear.
THIMPHU, Bhutan, January 25 (CDN) — In this distant and isolated nation in the eastern Himalayas, known as the "Land of the Thunder Dragon," almost everything looks uniformly Buddhist.
Most men and women in the landlocked country between India and China wear their national dress, and all the buildings – with their sloping walls, trefoil-shaped windows and pitched roofs – look alike, as if they were Buddhist monasteries.
There are no visible signs of Christians' tiny presence, but they do exist. Christians, whose only official identity falls in the "others" category in the census, are estimated to range in number between 3,000 and 6,000. And they live out their Christian lives underground – no church buildings, Christian cemeteries or Christian bookstores are yet allowed.
Of Bhutan's more than 670,000 people, 75 percent of them practice Buddhism, according to the 2005 census. Around 22 percent are Hindu, mostly of Nepali origin.
An absolute monarchy for over 100 years, Bhutan became a democratic, constitutional monarchy in March 2008, as per the wish of the former King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who served from 1972 to 2006. It has been nearly two years since democracy arrived in Druk Yul, as the country is known in its national language, Dzongkha. But little has changed for Christians.
If there is anything open about Christianity, it is the acknowledgement of Christians' presence in the national press, which was born after the advent of democracy.
"A journalist telephoned and asked me if I was converting local people," said a middle-aged pastor clad in Gho, the men's national uniform, a knee-length gown woven with colorful wool. "I wondered how she got my phone number. Maybe a Christian friend of mine passed it on."
The pastor requested anonymity – the same request that high government officials made, no matter how trivial the matters they divulged.
The pastor said he told the journalist he did not pay people to convert. "People choose to become Christians out of their own free will," he said. "I am working within the constitution of the country."
Still a Monarchy
Asked why the church remained underground in spite of a provision for religious freedom in the new constitution, the pastor replied, "Virtually, Bhutan is still a monarchy. The time is yet to come when we have the assurance of protection."
His wife, wearing the ankle-length woollen skirt or Kira that is the national dress for women, smiled at what was perhaps a naïve question – the power of the monarchy is beyond question. By law all Bhutanese citizens wear the national dress in schools and certain public, government and religious places. Non-compliance can result in fines or imprisonment.
Asked what would happen if authorities found out about their underground church, the pastor said that before 2008 they would have been arrested because Christianity was banned.
"Even now, there will be serious repercussions," he said. "What exactly will happen, I do not know. But no Christian worker will take the risk to find it out the hard way."
To construct any building, Bhutanese citizens require a licence from the government.
"As far as the governance is concerned, the Royal Government of Bhutan is very caring," he said. "We get free education and free medicine and hospitalization, and there is a sense of security because the crime rate is very low. But asking for a licence for a church is beyond our imagination as of now."
The present king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (selected in 2006 but not crowned until 2008) rules absolutely, said local Buddhists, though not with any regret.
"It's democracy, but still not a democracy," said a civil government employee requesting anonymity. "It's the king who makes all important decisions."
Asked about the Christian presence, he said Christianity grew even at a time when it was banned. "There are many secret Christians. They meet in secret locations for prayer."
The clean-shaven, medium-built 31-year-old king, an avid soccer fan who studied at Phillips Academy and Wheaton College in Massachusetts in the United States and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, is seen as a progressive person but conservative in matters of religion and culture.
According to the new constitution, the king is the head of state, though the parliament has the power to impeach him by a two-thirds majority vote – a provision not likely to be used anytime in the future, according to popular sentiment.
Suggesting that Christian fears are warranted, a pastor from Pheuntsholing town near the India border explained that memories of a period of severe crackdown on underground churches were still fresh in the minds of local Christians.
"I was picked up from a house where I was conducting Sunday worship in Tsirang district in September 1995 and put in a prison," said the pastor. "I was asked to leave the district with immediate effect, and I had to move to another location."
His voice trembling as he spoke by telephone, he said, "Once the government discovers that you are a Christian, nothing will be free for you."
The pastor said that although there are no violent attacks on Christians, they do face discrimination by the government and society.
According to the government-run weekly Kuensel of Nov. 4, 1992, the National Assembly banned Christianity in 1969 and in 1979. The edicts against Christians were said to have passed due to reports of conversions to Christianity in south Bhutan, inhabited mostly by people of Nepali origin.
In the early 1990s the government of Bhutan began a massive crackdown on Christians, mainly in southern parts, and intensified it towards the end of the decade.
The authorities identified Christians in government or business and took their signatures on a form pledging compliance with rules and regulations governing practice of religion. There were several reports, though unconfirmed, of violence against Christians by police and village heads during the period.
In April 2001, international media reported on persecution of Christians in Bhutan when police stormed churches on Palm Sunday to register Christians, many of who were detained and threatened.
Almost a decade later, the legal standing of the Christian minority under the new constitution remains unclear.
Ambiguous Laws
In May 2009, the national daily Bhutan Times quoted Interior Minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji as saying, "It was absolutely okay if people were born Christian … The constitution supports them. But it is unlawful to convert. If we get proof of proselytization in the country, we shall definitely take action."
The newspaper noted that there are no official churches in Bhutan. "And most of the Sunday masses and gatherings are held in the homes of pastors and converts," noted the daily, which occasionally criticizes government policies, though mildly and without taking aim at any particular official.
The new Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, drafted in 2005 and officially adopted in 2008, gives religious freedom to all the citizens of the country but also contains a virtual "anti-conversion law" as found in neighboring India.
The exotic, official website of the constitution – which displays the national emblem of two dragons and a lotus surmounted by a jewel symbolizing harmony between secular and religious powers and sovereignty of the nation – states that all Bhutanese citizens "shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion" in Article 7.
But Article 7 adds: "No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement."
What the terms "coercion" and "inducement" mean is not clear. Whether "proselytization," which the home minister recently suggested was illegal, means propagation of Christianity or conversion by "coercion or inducement," is also left unclear.
The Supreme Court of Bhutan, whose judge appointments have yet to be completed and are not yet functional, is likely to have the prerogative to interpret the constitution.
What is unambiguous, however, is that the government of Bhutan will continue to preserve the uniform culture of the country, which, it maintains, is based on Buddhist values. Article 3 of the constitution says that "Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan, which promotes among others the principles and values of peace, non-violence, compassion and tolerance," and "it is the responsibility of religious institutions and personalities to promote the spiritual heritage of the country while also ensuring that religion remains separate from politics in Bhutan."
Article 4 mandates the government to "endeavour to preserve, protect and promote the cultural heritage of the country," adding that "parliament may enact such legislation as may be necessary to advance the cause of the cultural enrichment of Bhutanese society."
According to Article 8, it is a fundamental duty of all citizens to "preserve, protect and respect the culture and heritage of the nation."
"Apart from religious restrictions, we are happy to be in Bhutan," said a pastor from Thimphu. "Look at the unrest India, China and Nepal have from time to time. We are happy and thankful to God for this nation."
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Gaza 'islamization' continues, schoolgirls told 'cover up'
Gaza took another step towards strict Islamic law this week with the imposition of new dress codes on schoolgirls. Girls and young women returning to school on Sunday were told that they must wear jilbab, traditional Islamic sleeved robes, and cover their hair, or they would not be allowed to return to class, reports Dan Wooding, founder of ASSIST Ministries.
This was revealed in a story by Maayana Miskin and posted on the website.
"Posters hung in Gaza City schools announced that all girls would be required to wear navy blue jilbab, a white headscarf, and white or black shoes. Dozens of students reported being sent home after appearing in school in jeans," said Miskin.
"In addition, public high school classes have been separated, with boys and girls learning in different buildings."
The story went on to say that according to some Gaza residents, the new rules are being enforced on members the region's small Christian minority as well, despite the fact that Christians are generally considered exempt from following Islamic law. However, the laws have not been enforced within private Christian schools.
Hamas officials denied Monday that they were connected to the new school dress codes. The decision to enforce strict standards of dress was made at the local level, by individual principals, Hamas claimed.
Most girls and their families were in favor of the new dress codes, they added.
"Reports of a new school dress code caused anger in Judea and Samaria, where Palestinian Authority loyalists accused Hamas of violating the PA charter, which forbids the enforcement of a public dress code," wrote Miskin.
"Earlier this month, a Gaza judge ordered that all female lawyers cover their hair in court. The decision caused a wave of protest from lawyers and human rights groups in Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Hamas distanced itself from that decision as well, saying the matter was a private issue for the courts to deal with.
"Several weeks ago, Hamas was accused of enforcing an informal dress code on women living in Gaza, and of allowing local militias to enforce strict standards of modest dress and behavior."
Posted in Christianity, Islam, Israel, Jews	| Tagged accused, allowed, allowing, anger, announced, appearing, behavior, black, blue, boys, buildings, caused, charter, Christian, Christianity, Christians, claimed, class, classes, connected, considered, continues, court, cover, decision, denied, different, distanced, dress, dress codes, enforce, enforced, enforcement, exempt, families, favor, female, following, forbids, Gaza, Gaza City, generally, girls, groups, hair, Hamas, headscarf, high school, home, human rights, imposition, individual, informal, Islam, Islamic, Islamization, issue, jeans, jilbab, Judea, judge, law, lawyers, learning, level, living, local, loyalists, matter, members, militias, minority, modest, Muslim, muslims, navy, new, officials, PA, Palestinian Authority, Persecution, posters, principals, private, protest, public, required, residents, return, returning, revealed, robes, rules, Samaria, school, schoolgirls, separated, Sharia, shoes, sleeved, small, standards, step, strict, students, traditional, violating, wave, wear, white, women, young | Leave a comment
Johnny Hunt expresses urgency about Great Commission
Encouraged by attendance exceeding 8,600 registered messengers on the first day of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 23 — twice as many as he expected — SBC President Johnny Hunt said there is a "sense of urgency" among the brethren, reports Baptist Press.
Hunt attributed much of the interest at this year's meeting to his Great Commission Resurgence initiative. In a news conference following his re-election to a second term, he also addressed questions ranging from his opinion of controversial Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll to his view of Calvinism among Southern Baptists.
"I feel there's a lot of energy in the halls," said Hunt, pastor of Atlanta-area First Baptist Church in Woodstock. "Everybody's talking the same talk: 'We need this Great Commission Resurgence.'
"We are saying times have been desperate," Hunt added. "Now I really do sense fellow Southern Baptists are saying we need to get serious."
Asked about Driscoll, Hunt responded: "I don't know him, never met him. A lot of young men like to follow his blogs and podcasts. It's just been interesting."
Referring to motions from the floor placing Driscoll and the network he founded, Acts 29, in a bad light, Hunt said, "[T]he entire premise of being a Baptist is sort of thrown under the bus when you start telling someone who they can or cannot fellowship with." He said it is a matter that it should be left to the conscience and the priesthood of the believer.
About church methodology, Hunt said the SBC is a "great family fellowship" using varied methodologies which provide a healthy balance.
Hunt said it might be that some of the perceived tension across generations of Southern Baptists is rooted in several things, including methodology, dress and music.
Encouraged by what he said is the turnout of younger Southern Baptists, Hunt said, "[I]f we can move beyond our perceptions" and begin to "listen to heart of some of these young leaders," Southern Baptists might be encouraged "to catch their passion."
Hunt relayed his experience at a recent International Mission Board appointment service in Denver where 101 mostly young missionaries were sent out, with the "majority going to extremely hard and dangerous places."
"With that type of commitment to Jesus Christ that they're willing, many of them, to write their will before they leave with the understanding some of them will probably never return, I have a very difficult time spending my time talking about their jeans, whether hair is spiked or colored" or their musical tastes, Hunt said.
By building relationships with younger leaders, "if we see some areas of concern, at least we have earned the right to speak into them."
On the continuing banter between Calvinists and those critical of the doctrine that attempts to describe God's work in salvation, Hunt said the debate has raged for more than 400 years and is part of Baptist history.
"We have wonderful men and women on both sides. I think the Baptist tent is large enough for both," he said.
Asked by a reporter if an invitation was made for President Barack Obama to address the SBC, Hunt said he knew of no such invitation.
But Hunt, the first known Native American SBC president, said, "I feel like we will have a resolution to really honor our president, especially in the context of being the first African American to be elected. We have much to celebrate in that."
Hunt said he had ample opportunity to invite Republicans to speak, "but we felt that would send a wrong signal because we wanted to send prayer support to the new president and we are mandated to pray for our president."
Speaking to proposed federal hate crimes legislation that some say could infringe on biblical preaching, Hunt said he was not overly worried as long as pastors "stay in the context of preaching biblical truth. And if the day comes that we would be imprisoned for the proclamation of the Gospel becoming that much of an offense, we would join about two-thirds of the rest of the planet.
"God forbid that I would travel to the Middle East to encourage those already in hostile settings while at same time being afraid to proclaim the message that I encourage," Hunt said.
Returning to the Great Commission Resurgence, Hunt answered a question regarding media access to the meetings of the proposed GCR task force. He said media presence would be "counterproductive because we want people to be at liberty to share their heart."
It could be "embarrassing where we're just seeking wisdom," Hunt added, "but we would love to have any and all of you at the meetings and as soon as it is over we'd be delighted to share what we came to by way of context."
Hunt said he has "no desire whatsoever to touch the structure of the SBC and the truth is, I couldn't if I wanted to. It would violate policy." Hunt said perhaps more clarity in his early statements about the GCR document could have helped ease fears of drastic change.
Even if the GCR task force were rejected, traction already has been gained by efficiency studies at the Georgia and Florida conventions and at the Southern Baptist mission boards, Hunt said.
In responding to the first question asked at the news conference, Hunt predicted if the GCR were to pass that evening, he likely would name the members of the task force June 24 and it would include several seminary professors, a college president, an associational director of missions, pastors of churches of varied sizes spanning the country and ethnically diverse members.
"I don't have all the names so I'd probably miss some," Hunt said. "But I'd be quick to say it will be a very fair committee."
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COLOMBIA: CHURCH LEADERS UNDER FIRE
Posted on November 5, 2008 by particularkev
One pastor missing, three others reported killed in past month.
COCHABAMBA, Bolivia, November 4 – Christians in Colombia are anxious to learn the fate of pastor William Reyes, missing since Sept. 25, even as three other pastors have gone missing.
Reyes, a minister of the Light and Truth Inter-American Church and member of the Fraternity of Evangelical Pastors of Maicao (FRAMEN, Fraternidad de Ministros Evangélicos de Maicao), left a meeting in Valledupar, Cesar, at 10 a.m. that morning heading home to Maicao, La Guajira. He never arrived.
Family members and fellow ministers fear that Reyes may have been murdered by illegal armed groups operating in northern Colombia. Since March of this year, FRAMEN has received repeated threats from both the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and right-wing paramilitary units.
Abduction is another possibility. Often criminals hold their victims for weeks or months before contacting family members to demand ransom, a tactic designed to maximize the anxiety of the victim's loved ones before proceeding with ransom negotiations.
In the past month, three other Christian pastors were reportedly killed in separate incidents across the country. According to Pedro Acosta of the Peace Commission of the Evangelical Council of Colombia (CEDECOL, Consejo Evangélico de Colombia), two ministers died in the northern Caribbean region and a third in Buenaventura on the Pacific coast.
At press time, members of the Peace Commission's Documentation and Advocacy team, which monitors cases of political violence and human rights abuse, were traveling in those areas to verify the identities of the victims and circumstances of the killings.
Demand for Action
On Oct. 4, churches organized a public demonstration to protest the disappearance of Reyes. Thousands of marchers filled the streets of Maicao to demand his immediate return to his family. The FRAMEN-sponsored rally featured hymns, sermons and an address from Reyes's wife, Idia.
Idia Reyes continues to work as secretary of FRAMEN while awaiting news of her husband. The couple has three children, William, 19, Luz Mery, 16, and Estefania, 9.
CEDECOL and Justapaz, a Mennonite Church-based organization that assists violence victims, launched a letter-writing campaign to draw international attention to the case and request government action to help locate Reyes.
"We are grateful for the outpouring of prayer and support from churches in Canada, the United States, Sweden and the United Kingdom," stated an Oct. 26 open letter from Janna Hunter Bowman of Justapaz and Michael Joseph of CEDECOL's Peace Commission. "Human rights violations of church people and of the civilian population at large are ongoing in Colombia. Last year the Justapaz Peace Commission program registered the murder of four pastors and 22 additional homicides of lay leaders and church members."
Some of those killings may have been carried out by members of the Colombian Armed Forces, according to evidence emerging in recent weeks. Prosecutors and human rights groups have released evidence that some military units abduct and murder civilians, dress their bodies in combat fatigues and catalogue them as insurgents killed in battle.
According to an Oct. 29 report in The New York Times, soldiers commit the macabre murders for the two-fold purpose of "social cleansing" – the extrajudicial elimination of criminals, drug users and gang members – and to gain promotions and bonuses.
The scandal prompted President Alvaro Uribe to announce on Wednesday (Oct. 29) that he had dismissed more than two dozen soldiers and officers, among them three generals, implicated in the murders.
Justapaz has documented the murder of at least one evangelical Christian at the hands of Colombian soldiers. José Ulises Martínez served in a counterinsurgency unit until two years ago, but left the army "because what he had to do was not coherent with his religious convictions," according to his brother, pastor Reinel Martínez.
Martínez was working at a steady job and serving as a leader of young adults in the Christian Crusade Church in Cúcuta on Oct. 29, 2007, when two acquaintances still on active duty convinced him to go with them to Bogotá to request a pension payment from the army. He called his girlfriend the following day to say he had arrived safely in the capital.
That was the last she or his family heard from him.
Two weeks later, Martínez's parents reported his disappearance to the prosecutor's office in Cúcuta. The ensuing investigation revealed that on Oct. 1, 2007, armed forces officers had presented photographs of Martinez's body dressed in camouflage and identified as a guerrilla killed in combat. Later the family learned that Martínez was killed in Gaula, a combat zone 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of Bogotá.
Such atrocities threaten to mar the reputation of Colombia's Armed Forces just as the military is making remarkable gains against the FARC and other insurgent groups. Strategic attacks against guerrilla bases eliminated key members of the FARC high command in 2008. A daring July 2 rescue of one-time presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other high-profile FARC hostages was greeted with jubilation around the world.
Yet in Colombia's confused and convoluted civil war, Christians are still targeted for their role in softening the resolve of both insurgent and paramilitary fighters.
"I believe preventative security measures must be taken in order to protect victims from this scourge that affects the church," Acosta said in reference to the ongoing threats to Colombian Christians. "In comparison to information from earlier [years], the cases of violations have increased."
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PAKISTAN: TALIBAN BOMBS CATHOLIC GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL
Posted on October 18, 2008 by particularkev
Blast claims no victims but reflects radical Islam's tightened grip.
ISTANBUL, October 14 (Compass Direct News) – Taliban militants bombed a Catholic-run girls' school in Pakistan's war-torn Swat Valley as part of a larger effort to subvert women's status in society through Islamic law, locals say.
On Wednesday (Oct. 8) the Islamic terrorist group bombed the Convent Girls' School in Sangota, run by the Presentation Sisters, a Catholic religious order that has opened girls' schools around the world. Militants have threatened the school frequently for offering education to females.
No one was injured in the attack. The school had closed a few months earlier due to deteriorating security in Swat, a source told Compass. Students and faculty left in July following threats.
"The Taliban said, 'We have asked you so many times to close down the school but you are not listening. We are going to set it on fire,'" said Yousef Benjamin, a Lahore-based peace activist.
Militants had already attacked or blown up and forced the closure of many girls' schools in Swat, said Cecil Chaudhry, executive secretary of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance. They told the nuns they would destroy their school if it weren't closed. Following the bombing the militants ransacked the school's adjoining convent.
The high school enrolled approximately 1,000 female students, nearly 95 percent of them Muslim.
The Santoga school has faced threats from Islamic extremists before. It closed its doors in September 2007 after received a threatening letter from extremists that demanded all teachers and female students wear the burqa. The letter claimed the faculty was working to convert Muslim students to Christianity.
The Taliban has not singled out the school for its Christian ties but instead wants to clamp down on all girls' schools, which they believe encourage female participation in society, government officials claim.
In the last two years it has indiscriminately targeted more than 150 public and private girls' schools in northwest Pakistan.
"For them it doesn't matter if it's a Christian school, government school or a private school," Benjamin said. "Last week I was in [the northern city of] Peshawer and the Taliban told women to not even go to the market."
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1994 to 2001. They severely curtailed women's rights, barring females from education, employment or traveling outside of their homes without a male relative.
"A few years ago the Taliban government in Afghanistan did not even allow women to be seen outside their houses, and that's the version of Islam the Taliban promotes," Chaudhry said.
Located near the Afghanistan border, Swat has been a flash point between the country's security forces and Islamic militants. The area used to be a thriving tourist haven with hotels and a ski resort but came under complete control of Taliban militants in September 2007.
Government security forces cleared out the Taliban from the valley in recent months, but the area came under their control once again three weeks ago.
With their re-asserted control, the Taliban has forced all Swat residents to live according to their strict lifestyle guidelines, whether Muslim or Christian.
Men have grown beards and adopted Islamic dress. Women are required to wear burqas and sit in the back seat of their own vehicles. Advertisements cannot feature pictures of women.
"The Taliban wants to create a culture of terror, insecurity and they want to impose a self-created system of sharia [Islamic law] inspired by the system in Afghanistan," said Shabhaz Bhatti, a National Assembly member from the Punjab province and chairman of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance.
The 70 or so Christian families scattered in the valley occupy the lower class, working as laborers and street sweepers.
Since July 2007, militants and followers of Muslim cleric Maulana Fazlullah have pressured the tiny community of Christians to accept Islamic law.
Political Motives
Islamic militants have stepped up attacks across Pakistan in recent weeks. Last Thursday (Oct. 9) a suicide bomber injured eight people in an attack on an Islamabad police station. In September another suicide bomber killed 50 people at the Marriott Hotel.
Motivations for the surge in attacks could be political as well as religious. Pakistani forces have been cracking down on militants in the nation's tribal areas as the government has resolved to fight domestic terrorism.
The Pakistani military launched a three-week-long air strike operation in Afghanistan in August and killed more than 400 Taliban militants. Pakistan declared a cease-fire in September during Ramadan.
The militant attacks could also be in retaliation to recent U.S. bombings against Taliban targets within Pakistan, a source told Compass.
Inter-Services Intelligence Director Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha told Pakistan's parliament on Wednesday (Oct. 8) that the Taliban had gained complete control over certain districts of the country. The military has attempted to regain control in a bitter struggle that has claimed the lives of 1,368 troops since 2001, according to the Pakistani Daily Times.
While Christians are worried about their safety, they stress that the Taliban is a threat to all Pakistanis, regardless of religion.
They urged fellow Christians to pray for the surging violence within the country to ebb.
"We ask a special prayer for peace in our country and that the terrorist elements who believe in violence would not succeed in killing innocent people," Bhatti said. "Pray for Pakistani Christians – may God protect them and give them courage to remain strong in their faith and witness."
Posted in Afghanistan, Christianity, Islam, Pakistan, Roman Catholicism, Taliban, USA, War, War on Terror	| Tagged ;province, accept, activist, adopted, advertisements, Afghanistan, air strike, All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, allow, areas, assembly, attack, attacked, attempted, barring, based, beards, believe, bitter, blast, blown, bomb, bombed, bomber, bombing, bombs, border, burqa, burqas, cease-fire, Cecil Chaudhry, chairman, Christian, Christianity, Christians, claim, claims, class, cleric, close, closed, closure, community, complete, control, convent, Convent Girls' School, convert, country, courage, cracking, create, culture, curtailed, declared, demanded, destroy, deteriorating, districts, domestic, dress, education, effort, elements, emplyment, encourage, enrolled, executive, extremists, faced, faculty, faith, families, feature, fellow, females, fight, fire, flash, followers, forced, forces, frequently, gained, girls, God, government, grip, group, guidelines, haven, high school, homes, hotels, houses, impose, injured, innocent, insecurity, inspired, Inter-Services Intelligence Director, Islam, Islamabad, Islamic, killed, labourers, Lahore, larger, launched, law, letter, lifestyle, listening, locals, lower, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, male, market, Marriott Hotel, Maulana Fazlullah, member, men, militants, military, motivations, motives, Muslim, muslims, national, nuns, occupy, officials, opened, operation, order, Pakistan, Pakistani, Pakistani Daily Times, Parliament, participation, peace, Peshawer, pictures, point, police, political, pray, prayer, Presentation Sisters, pressured, private, promotes, protect, public, Punjab, radical, Ramadan, ransacked, recent, reflects, relative, religion, religious, residents, resolved, resort, retaliation, rights, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, ruled, safety, Sangota, scattered, school, secretary, security, severely, Shabhaz Bhatti, Sharia, ski, Society, source, special, station, status, street, stress, strict, strong, struggle, students, subvert, suicide, surge, Swat Valley, sweepers, system, Taliban, targeted, teachers, terror, terrorism, terrorist, threatened, threats, thriving, tightened, tiny, torn, tourist, traveling, tribal, troops, U.S. targets, urged, valley, vehicles, version, victims, violence, War, wear, witness, women, working, world, worried, Yousef Benjamin | Leave a comment


text:
И́горь Алекса́ндрович Василе́вский () — советский и российский архитектор. Специалист по объектам санаторно-курортного назначения. Заслуженный архитектор России. Лауреат Государственной премии ЧССР.

Биография
Родился в семье маршала Александра Василевского. В 1959 году окончил Московский архитектурный институт. Его преподавателями были такие архитекторы, как Михаил Парусников, Степан Сатунц, Борис Бархин, Геннадий Мовчан и другие.

В студенчестве начал работать над курортными объектами. Дипломной работой Василевского стал большой курортный комплекс в Лазаревском, на Черноморском побережье. Однако карьера его началась с «Военпроекта». Там Василевский занимался московскими и загородными объектами, такими как резиденция первых лиц государства в Завидово.

В 1966 году перешёл работать в «ЦНИИЭП лечебно-курортных зданий».

В 1977 стал главным архитектором «Курортпроекта».

Живёт и работает в Москве.

Проекты и постройки
 Дом охотника «Шалаш», деревянная гостиница, в пос. Завидово (1960);
 Санаторий на 680 мест «Вороново» в Московской области. (Реконструкция усадьбы XVIII в., двухуровневый партер, включающий медицинский корпус);
 Международный пансионат «Дружба» в Ялте;
 Санаторий на 400 мест в Джермуке, Армения;
 Пансионат «Юность» в Московской области;
 Проект туристического комплекса на 500 мест в Ялте (Мисхор);
 Питьевая галерея на 5 тыс. посещений в Ессентуках;
 Ледовый дворец Олимпиады-2002 в Адлере;
 Пансионат на 300 мест в Отрадном;
 Концепция лечебно-оздоровительного комплекса «Победа» в Сочи;
 Реконструкция пятиэтажного жилого дома в Москве;
 Вантовый «Мост-факел» с рестораном на опорах в Салехарде;
 Центр всесезонных видов спорта «Московские Альпы» в Москве;
 Туристический комплекс на Куршской косе, Калининградская область.

Примечания

Ссылки
 Архитектор Игорь Александрович Василевский отмечает 85-летие

Литература

Выпускники МАРХИ
Заслуженные архитекторы Российской Федерации
Лауреаты Государственной премии Чехословакии

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I'm sure there's a deeper reason why 13 is an unlucky number, but around here I get a daily reminder of its tricky little curse. Now in Round 2, I have my second 13-yr-old daughter. She's lovely- a good kid with good grades, a good heart, and she stays out of trouble. She plays sports and has a nice set of friends. What could I possibly complain about?
Hormones. They're like these little sticks of dynamite that have snuck their way into my little girl and just explode out of nowhere. Most are addressed, "To Mom", and are labeled random mood swings. I can be having what I think is a regular conversation with her and Boom! She's pissed, or she's crying, or she's off to her room leaving me standing there shell-shocked.
Athletic games are the worst. We're talking about a sea of seventh graders trying to maneuver as school teammates and still be friends, some for the first time ever. The cryfest drama that was taking place after a loss was ridiculous. One evening, I gently pulled a tearful Becca to the side of a hallway and said some quick words amounting to more or less "You did great, the crying drama is too much, save it for later, I love you, blah, blah, blah..". And that 30 second display of public parenting ruined her life.
So the next time I had to talk to her at a game, I made sure there were no kids, no adults, no coaches, nada, around. And guess what? She got home that night (crying) and was mad at me. I had somehow still embarrassed her by the simple act of talking to her away from her friends because then they thought she was in trouble and it was all my fault and once again I had ruined her life.
At one point of brilliant parenting, I thought it might be beneficial to mention the pre-period, early-teen, emotional basket case display and call it out, thinking maybe she will rationally look at her behavior and snap out of it. Nope. She will double down that dynamite with zero fucks given. She hates her teachers, her sisters, her brother, herself, her clothes, her friends all in the same day. I'm just waiting for the scream, "I hate you, Mom!", like I got from her older sister.
But oh, the hidden gifts of sobriety, right? This time around I can handle it. I know it's not personal, and when her remorseful, regular self walks back into the room and says quietly, "I love you, Mom", we stare at each other. Then we smile, then we giggle a little. Not because I condone bad behavior, but because she's learning. I am, too. When my first daughter went through this stage, I was struggling to stay sober. I took so much personally, and I did so many things wrong. Forgiveness is a gift we get to give not just to others, but also to ourselves. And like I've learned before, this "dynamite" stage will pass.
Is There Time For All of This?
Follow my blog via Email and I won't bombard you with email!
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Mom and I love our music festivals!
Classic family photo. All mine.


Master of Arts, Political Science, University of Alberta 1999. Currently in the After-Degree Program in Education (Secondary) at The Kings University. Lecturer in Political Science and Sociology.
My interests are focused within the context of travel and also to ethical issues and good citizenship in modern society. I have been travelling for most of my adult life and the more I travel the more these journeys pose deeply profound questions for me. Questions around the relationship between travelling and local culture – does my presence impact the local community and if it does, in what way? Do I have any responsibility in this impact and what might be my ethical response? Or, what if any changes do I experience in my own thinking as a result of travelling. How do I see myself and my own community? Does this happen to others? If it does what is the implication on both my own community as well as the community that was visited? Other questions revolve around consumption and affluence – understanding the relationship between travelling with one bag of material goods and coming home to an excess of material abundance. Is this a glaring disconnect between responsible and sustainable consumption and the current fixation with consumption in North America in general and Canada in particular. These are just a few questions and issues that I have researched and pondered on, along the way. Some answers are obvious … some require the intersection of ethics and faith….still others require the engagement in the politics and the economics of the community in question.
I am interested in the intersection of religion and culture. I understand literary forms as indicators of cultural values and norms, and as voices of spirituality. Much of my work is in literary, philosophical, and theological articulations of love. My specialization is in the work of T.S. Eliot and the modern period with its profound religious questioning—even to the point of espousing the death of God. I have spoken in, and continue to be interested in the field of esoteric studies, comparing the symbolic language in Emanuel Swedenborg and Hindu alchemy.
MPhil in Human Development 2008, PhD (Candidate) in Health & Social Sciences, Volda & Molde University College, Norway.
Research interests: Pilgrimages, Health-promoting activities, Transculturalism, Social interaction dynamics.
Since 1977 I have taken an interest in the aboriginal struggle to regain control of our lives, lands and resources. In pursuing this interest I obtained a Bachelor of General Studies degree at Brandon University in the 1980s, and worked in the urban aboriginal communities in the Lower Mainland and Victoria, BC. I have many questions about the community we have become in the last 30-40 years and that has led me to pursing a second Bachelor degree in Philosophy. As an older learner, my learning goals are in line with a life moving towards a reflective phase. Philosophy will give me tools to do the important work of thinking, writing and proposing ideas over the next 20-30 years.
In so many ways, I sense that our communities have become microcosms of the society we rejected in the 1970's; stories of Aboriginal chiefs and other leaders taking home pay that is disproportional to their work and sometimes at the expense of their people. Stories of the "Indian industry" and service delivery strategies that treat people as clients and not as people. There is a trend I fear that our communities are fast becoming white systems fronted by red faces.
I take encouragement that these dynamics are also signs of moving towards self-governance. I believe that we need to have a discussion of the cut-and-paste strategies that are used to develop programming and make decisions in the community. We need time to think and to think critically, to think long term with sustainability in mind and there is much work to do in the arena of ideas. To create organic aboriginal dynamics that are both contemporary and rooted in history and environment (tradition) requires that we start from scratch, to define and re-evaluate the role of Indigenous philosophy and spirituality and how these are in conversation with our western counterparts.
Research Question: Philosophical thought and wisdom contribute to well thought-out answers to questions that can be applied universally in many kinds of human situations. What is the role of indigenous thought in this process? What efforts are currently being made to explore and develop the conversation between Indigenous thought and other philosophical frameworks in the world? What is the long-term impact to the survival of indigenous cultures and peoples of an assumed under-represented indigenous philosophical voice in Canada?


Numerous accidents involving vehicles kept campus police busy during the fourth week in August.
On Aug. 19, student Dillon Juby reported he had returned to his truck and found a note stating it had been hit by a red Chevrolet pickup truck.
The note also gave the license plate number, and the name and telephone number of the person who had left it, according to a report filed by Officer Gordon Nelson.
Nelson got Juby's insurance information and took photos of the damage to his vehicle.
Nelson said campus police reviewed surveillance camera footage of that area. It confirmed the hit-and-run and also showed the truck striking another vehicle as well.
Nelson used the parking decal number to notify the driver.
On Aug. 22, Harris responded to a call from adjunct faculty member Heather White who reported her vehicle had been struck in a hit-and-run.
According to a report filed, White's Toyota Corolla had been hit sometime on Aug. 21 in parking lot D.
When White arrived at her car, she found the passenger side of the vehicle had damage on the front fender and front door.
Harris took photos of the damage but said he was unable to detect any transfer of paint from the car that hit White's and no surveillance was available to be reviewed.
On Aug. 20, Officer Tim Harris saw student Roralleen McKillip standing by a maroon Pontiac Aztec with the hood of her car open in parking lot A.
McKillip told Harris when she had got out of her vehicle, she noticed smoke coming from under the hood. She opened the hood and discovered a small engine fire.
McKillip was able to extinguish the fire herself with a bottle of water she had been drinking.
Harris notified the Oklahoma City Fire Department who responded to ensure the fire was extinguished.


text:
Building Innovations
Materialization
Inside Archello
Marcel Steinbach
3 Aug 2022 News
Located in Amsterdam's Zuidas financial district, the Valley designed by MVRDV is a 75,000sqm mixed-use project comprising residential, commercial and cultural institutes. The staggered stone terraces, balconies and bay windows, give a sense of... More
Located in Shizuoka city in Japan, House in Nishichiyoda designed by Seichii Yamada & Associates is a reflection of its surroundings, literally an... More
Recently completed in Mumbai, the One Green Mile project by MVRD and StudioPOD transforms a series of neglected spaces below the city's Senapati... More
Glasgow's Burrell Collection includes 9,000 works of fine and decorative arts spanning 600 years. Since 1983, the Collection has been housed in... More
Foster + Partners disclose the completion of a supertall skyscraper that will serve as the headquarters of the National Bank of Kuwait. Soaring 300 me... More
In close proximity to Dresden's Stallhof (Stable Yard) and Residenzschloss (former Royal Palace), Haus der Kathedral is a former chancery house... More
On the campus of York St John University (YSJ), this low-energy building by Tate + Co Architects is a multi-disciplinary concept housing the Universit... More
Located in the heart of Basel, the kHaus Cultural centre by Focketyn Del Rio Studio is an impeccable example of adaptive reuse and circular architectu... More
Culvert Guesthouse by Nendo explores Minimalism through Stacked Concrete Volumes
Set amidst Nagano Prefecture's forested Miyota Machi, Culvert Guesthouse by Nendo is a sublime example of architectural kitbashing. The stacked... More
Curving school complex by Joly & Loiret offers an inspiring range of interior and exterior learning spaces
In Villepreux, France, this new school by Joly & Loiret is thoughtfully inserted into the landscape. Gently curving in form, the complex offers a... More
How It's Made: The Exhibit
© 2022 Archello
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text:
var should = require('should');
var exec = require('..');

describe('exec(command)', function() {
  it('should be able to define the shell execution function', function(done) {
    function execute(command) {
      should(command).eql('killall everything');
      done();
    }

    exec('killall everything')
      .withShellExecute(execute);
  })

  it('should be able to handle successes', function(done) {
    exec('echo success')
      .then(function(value) {
        should(value).eql('success\n');
        done();
      });
  })

  it('should be able to handle failures', function(done) {
    exec('echo failure && false')
      .catch(function() {
        done();
      });
  })
})

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This interactive has been designed to expand access to the Panorama and to supplement both Spectacle in Motion exhibitions; The Original at Kilburn Mill and The Experience at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. While it will work on a phone or tablet it has been optimized for desktop viewing.
This collection of glass slides are camera originals from photographs taken by Frederick Sowle while on the schooner Clara L. Sparks in 1899. Many of the photographs are from Senegal, a rarely documented excursion at this time.
A crowd-sourced exhibition based on a Flickr group pool and a "Whaling History Symposium" presentation.
An exhibition that examines the influential legacy of the whaling industry on the opening of diplomatic relations and cultural exchange between Japan and Western nations.
From fly swatter to a symbol of royalty, the fan has witnessed dramatic changes in its historical timeline.
The photographic story of a world of comfort and leisure represented is a reflection of a particular time and place.


All eyes are on a court outside Atlanta today. The Justin Ross Harris hot-car death case is on the docket.
At the probable cause hearing a judge will determine whether there's enough evidence to support charges of murder and second-degree child cruelty against Justin Ross Harris. If prosecutors are successful in making their case to the judge, it will proceed to a grand jury, where the district attorney will seek an indictment.
Fewer than 10 witness are expected to be called, said Kim Isaza, a spokeswoman for the Cobb County district attorney. Police investigators are likely to take the stand, as well as possible character witnesses, all of whom will be subject to cross-examination.
Who is Justin Ross Harris?
Justin Harris told police that he reached no one on his phone after taking his lifeless son out of his vehicle June 18, Detective Phil Stoddard testified at Harris' probable cause hearing. But police determined he made three phone calls, including at least one that went through -- a six minute conversation to the child's day care center, Stoddard said.
Det. Stoddard said that investigators reviewed surveillance tape from June 18 outside Justin Ross Harris' job. The tape showed Justin Ross Harris going to his car after returning from lunch with friends. Harris can be seen tossing inside his car a Home Depot purchase Harris made while out to lunch.
Justin Ross Harris received a "group e-mail" from a teacher at his son's day care center at 1:30 p.m. on the day that his son died in his hot SUV, Cobb County police Detective Phil Stoddard testified at a probable cause hearing. Stoddard didn't say what the e-mail said.
Before exiting his vehicle in the parking lot of his workplace on the morning of June 18 with his son still inside, Justin Harris reached to retrieve a computer bag in the front passenger seat -- and his son's head, poking out from a car seat in the back, would have been visible, Detective Phil Stoddard testified at a probable cause hearing.
Stoddard: dad told mom at police department: he looked peaceful. "I dreaded how he'd look."
Harris' defense attorney is objecting to line of questioning about sexting.


My husband is an avid lover of music. When a singer he loves hits a particular note, the expressions on his face are priceless. I often wonder what it would feel like to be so enthralled by music.
As I heard about the One whose arms held me, and whose voice called out to me, it made me feel loved, protected and truly cherished. I certainly hope it encourages you too, today.
He will never let you go!


Whether you know him as "Sharkslayerr" or recognize him as the buff dude with the backwards baseball cap, Todd Breyfogle is a force to be reckoned with at the poker tables. He dropped by for a nice interview where we got to learn more about him, as well as some of the keys to his success at the felt over the years. Go on and have a read-through!


As engineering support to Swiftships Shipbuilders, LLC , DEC provided a complete conceptual design package for a 60 M Command and Control Boat for military applications. DEC provided all naval architecture calculations, marine engineering, equipment selection, general arrangements, mechanical and electrical systems development and conceptual drawings for the quad water-jet drive vessel. The vessel is all aluminum and powered by four MTU marine diesel engines to achieve a maximum speed of 25 knots.


Debesh Chattopadhyay associated himself with theatre since 1984. He worked in productions like Ballabhpurer Roopkatha (Play : Badal Sircar ), Raktakarabi ( Rabindranath Tagore ), Mareech Sambad ( Play : Arun Mukhopadhyay ), Griha Yuddha ( Buddhadev Dasgupta ) etc.
In 1992 he joined Ganakrishti and acted in the production 'Manyobor Bhool Korchen' based on Reginalt Rosse's 'Twelve Angry Men'.
Next group was Theatron. Two years at a strech he worked as a production assistant to Shri Salil Bandopadhay which enriched Debesh's thoughtshop.
In 1995, Debesh formed a group named Arindam and they the play 'Dwicharini' was premeired.