Private sector help keep the peace in Bacolod City

NEGORS OCCIDENTAL, Feb. 27 (PIA6) - - Members of the Bacolod City Peace and Order Council from the private sector were cited during the regular Peace and Order Council meeting for their contribution to the city.
Bacolod City Mayor and City Peace and Order Council chair Monico Puentevella thanked the support of the private sector in helping maintain peace and order in the city.

“A lot has changed in the traffic system in the streets because of the assistance of the private sector and I hope more will join and assist us,” Puentevella told the members of the council.
Puentevella also urged the city enforcers and inspectors to exercise maximum tolerance and proper conduct of the laws and ordinances while they are trying to maintain decorum in the streets of Bacolod.
Some weeks ago, a Task Force was created to maintain order in the sidewalks of the city particularly in the public markets to ease out traffic by getting rid of illegal vendors in the streets.
Puentevella disclosed that after the visit of the APEC ocular team February 19-20, they were impressed by the security and safety in the city.

“The team was impressed of the private sector participation and the food.  I owe that to the people who helped the APEC committee and the police force who were there all the way,” Puentevella said.

According to the mayor, two big hotels are expected to rise in the city and they are going to change the landscape of Bacolod and by October this year, one of the biggest convention centers in West Visayas will open.
“Having said that, we have to make sure the peace and order council is always on top of the situation because security that includes hospitals and health facilities the number one criteria for tourism especially for APEC,” Puentevella added.
Aside from security, food, according to the chief executive, is also what sets Bacolod apart from the rest.  It has the most delectable yet affordable food.

 “We cannot afford any peace and order problem.  We are now on the roll with the events, gatherings and conventions that Bacolod is hosting,” Puentevella added.
“Bacolod may not have Senators from here, but we have the private sectors that are helping in our traffic and tourism.  We have the private sector that has the potential to drive the city to greater heights when utilized.  They are hungry to work when given the opportunity,” Puentevella said.*(JCM/EAD-PIA6 Negros Occidental)

<Reference>
http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1031393485176

Report: Obama to take more active role in peace talks

"Now is a very timely opportunity for him [Obama] to get involved," U.S. official tells The New York Times • Obama to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to accept U.S. framework proposal.

Daniel Siryoti, Israel Hayom Staff and News Agencies

U.S. President Barack Obama plans to take a more active role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, quoting Obama administration officials.

Obama will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White House and will push him to agree to the framework deal currently being drafted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the report said. Obama will also likely meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas later in March. U.S. officials told the newspaper that the goal is to reach a framework deal by the end of April.

"Now is a very timely opportunity for him to get involved," a senior U.S. official said of Obama.

Once a framework deal is agreed upon, the peace negotiations could be extended, with the target being a final peace agreement by the end of 2014.

"The president wouldn't want to run any risk that it was the lack of his involvement that would make the difference between success and failure," a senior U.S. official said.

Obama administration officials told The Times that the framework deal will cover all the major final-status issues. Both sides will be able to express reservations about the deal "as they don't vitiate the framework," an official said.

Kerry said on Wednesday of his ongoing efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, "I wouldn't be pursuing it if I didn't think it was worthwhile. I hope we are not wasting our time."

"I hope very much that we are able to get both parties to do what is necessary to enter the most critical stage of this, which is the final phase, the final status negotiation ... around a framework which is clear and defined," Kerry said.

Palestinian Authority officials are angry about a proposal Kerry made to Abbas last week that the Beit Hanina neighborhood, rather than all of east Jerusalem, would become the capital of a Palestinian state.

Abbas confidants told the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds that Abbas was outraged by the American proposal, calling it "crazy."

The report said Kerry's framework proposal includes Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, the Israeli annexation of 10 settlement blocs with the Palestinians receiving uninhabited land in exchange, and exclusion of the Jordan Valley from a Palestinian state. According to the report, Abbas told Kerry that if the American proposal stays as it is, the Palestinians would withdraw from the peace negotiations.

Meanwhile, Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour warned on Wednesday that the application of Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem would represent a "blatant violation of the peace treaty" between the two countries.

"In the accord, Jordan was given custodianship of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, thus any attempt to challenge this position should be seen as a violation of the peace agreement," Ensour said.

Ensour's statement was prompted by a Knesset debate earlier this week on the issue of sovereignty on the Temple Mount.

<Reference>

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=15797

Promoting unity: Abdul Sattar Edhi leads peace walk in the city

Abdul Sattar Edhi accompanied by two volunteers during his walk for peace in Karachi on Wednesday

KARACHI: In hopes for a peaceful and violence-free city, social activist and philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi along with a number of children and staff members from his shelter home held a peace walk early Wednesday morning.

The participants, led by Edhi whose wheelchair was being pushed by a staff member, walked from the Edhi Foundation’s head office in Mithadar to Numaish Chowrangi. After reaching the Quaid’s mausoleum, the participants walked back to Bolton market.

Edhi who spoke to the media on the occasion, said that he had come out on the streets to promote his cause for a peaceful Karachi. “Not only Karachi, but the entire country is burning because of terrorism and violence. When people leave their homes for work, they don’t even know if they’ll be able to come back alive,” said the activist at the rally which started at 9am and went on for an hour.

He blamed corruption and nonpayment of taxes for the destitute state of society, in which the poor were getting poorer. “On top of financial woes, the ongoing killings, kidnappings and bombings have further deteriorated the lives of the citizens in the city.”

Spokesperson for the Edhi Foundation, Anwar Kazmi, said that despite being over 85 years of age and having dialysis three times a week, Edhi had come out for the rally for peace and solidarity.

“We all believe that the situation in the city can improve if everyone is treated equally and there are no differences and divisions among people,” he said, adding that Edhi’s philosophy was to live and let others live. “It is unfortunate that people today are divided into sects and ethnicities which are causing these problems and leading the city to violence.”

Kristina Fosse ’13: Living Her Dream in the Peace Corps

Kristina Fosse and her host sister from her summer training

Since 1961 when President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps, 254 graduates of Gustavus Adolphus College have served in the preeminent international service organization of the United States. Helping to continue that tradition of Gusties volunteering abroad to tackle the most pressing needs of people around the world is Kristina Fosse ’13.

Fosse is serving her 27-month commitment in China where she is teaching English as a foreign language at a political science and law university in Lanzhou. She teaches about 250 students a semester in courses such as Spoken English, Writing English, and Western Culture.

“The cultural experience, language learning, and volunteerism components of being a Peace Corps volunteer are what motivated me to join,” Fosse said. “At Gustavus I volunteered as an English Language Learners volunteer where I predominately worked with Somali women in the St. Peter community. I love the unexpected joys volunteering brings. It is something that I will continue to do throughout my life.”

Fosse is in the classroom teaching between 12-16 hours per week and is also responsible for developing the curriculum for each class she teaches as well as informal and formal assessments. Fosse is also responsible for creating opportunities for her students to practice their English outside of the classroom.

“During my office hours, I have anywhere from five to 15 students come to my apartment and we talk about different topics for about an hour,” Fosse said. “It is a great time for them to practice their English outside of the classroom in a more relaxed environment. Sometimes instead of discussing in English, we discuss in Chinese, which allows me to practice my Chinese language skills and creates more solidarity between my students and I.”

One of Fosse’s Oral English classes around Thanksgiving time.

Fosse also has two secondary projects that she is currently working on that benefit her students. The first is an English library project that the previous Peace Corps volunteer at Fosse’s site started. The library currently has about 200 books in English that students can checkout. Fosse’s goal is to work with her current students to create a sustainable, student-led English library. Fosse’s other secondary project is a women’s group she has started for her sophomore students.

“The purpose of the group is to provide a safe environment for all of us to discuss what it means to be a woman in today’s world,” Fosse said. “More importantly, it is a chance for my students to discuss what it means to be a Chinese woman in today’s world. We will do some team building activities as well as leadership and self-confidence boosting activities.”

At Gustavus, Fosse earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology. In an interesting twist, Fosse’s faculty advisor, professor Patric Giesler, served in the Peace Corps in Brazil. Fosse first had Giesler as a professor during the spring semester of her freshman year for a course called Anthropology of Religion. Fosse felt challenged by Giesler and also felt rewarded by how much she learned in the course.

Fosse standing atop a mountain near her university

“I took as many courses as I could with Patric, and each course was more difficult than the last. He knew how to push me to dive deeper into what we were studying. I knew I wanted to study anthropology before I even entered college, but I didn’t really know why until I was sitting in Patric’s classes,” Fosse said. “The fact that he served in the Peace Corps was another reason why he served as such an important mentor to me. I was able to talk with him about my interest in joining the Peace Corps and later he was able to help me as I started the application process.”

Fosse said that along with her academic experience in the Sociology and Anthropology Department, she also views her time as a student employee in the College’s Center for Servant Leadership (CSL) as a crucial part of her four-year Gustavus journey. Fosse said that employees within the CSL, such as Jill VanOsdol and Kristen Walpole were important mentors who helped her explore her academic and career interests.

“Working in the Center for Servant Leadership was the best part of my time at Gustavus. I loved going to work every day,” Fosse said. “I enjoyed helping those who came into the office however I could. Working there also had the benefit of knowing what the center has to offer. Without working in the CSL and being so close with Jill and Kristen, I would not be serving as  Peace Corps volunteer here in China.”

As a Gustie serving in the Peace Corps, Fosse knows she is following in the footsteps of many alumni who have made a difference somewhere in the world by making the same 27-month commitment. Fosse said that it is no accident that so many Gusties have chosen to serve in the Peace Corps in the past.

“Gustavus does a great job at opening people’s eyes when looking out into the world. You learn how to see things in not one, but many perspectives,” Fosse said. “Gustavus’ curriculum challenges you to think in new ways. There is also a strong emphasis on service-learning at Gustavus. The Peace Corps is just that: a service-learning experience where you look at the world in new perspectives. My time and experiences at Gustavus helped me make this dream of mine come true.”

Fosse on the steps of Old Main

While Fosse is in China to serve others, she has become quite aware of the fact that her 27-month experience will benefit her greatly in the future, particularly when it comes to global awareness.

“Being able to learn about my students’ lives has been a highlight of my service. When my students and I get together, our conversations often focus on cultural differences and why they exist,” Fosse said. “A lot of that centers around family life and what growing up is like in the United States versus China. Learning about my students’ lives has become really important for me because it will help me better understand Chinese culture.”

February 23 through March 1 is designated as Peace Corps Week, which celebrates President Kennedy’s establishment of the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961. During this annual event, the Peace Corps community celebrates all the ways that Peace Corps makes a difference at home and abroad and renews its commitment to service.

<Reference>
http://news.blog.gustavus.edu/2014/02/24/kristina-fosse-13-living-her-dream-in-the-peace-corps/

Frédéric Passy

Frédéric Passy (May 20, 1822 – June 12, 1912) was a French economist and a joint winner (together with Henry Dunant) of the first Nobel Peace Prize awarded in 1901.

Born in Paris to Felix Passy, a veteran of Waterloo. Passy's uncle was Hippolyte Passy, a cabinet minister for both Louis Philippe and Louis Napoleon. Passy studied law and practised for a short time before accepting a position as an accountant in the State Council (Conseil de Droit) 1846-1849. However, under his uncle's influence he gave up this post and returned to the university to study economics. True to his republican principles, he withdrew from politics after the coup d'état of Napoleon III and refused to be reconciled to the Second Empire; he was therefore ineligible for any government post. He became a professional economist in 1857, and in 1860 he began to teach political economy both in Paris and in the provinces.

His reputation was established through his Mélanges économiques (1857) essays and a lecture series given at the University of Montpellier and published as the Leçons d'économie politique. He was an advocate of free trade and adherent to the ideas of Richard Cobden. In 1877 he became a member of the French Académie des sciences morales et politiques, a component of the Institut de France; and he was a commander of the Legion of Honor. He was president of the Society of Political Economy for 70 years.
Passy directly engaged in political questions, advocating educational reform and intervening to prevent war between France and Prussia over Luxembourg. In 1868, he helped found the Ligue internationale et permanente de la paix (International and Permanent League of Peace) to avert possible future conflicts and became its permanent secretary. When the organization dissolved during the Franco-Prussian War, Passy helped restructure it as the Société française des amis de la paix, which in 1889 became the Société d'arbitrage entre les Nations.

In 1881, he won election to the Chamber of Deputies, where he advocated foreign policy changes and labor reform, including legislation on industrial accidents. He won reelection in 1886 but lost in 1889. He also supported a system of international conflict arbitration, which was inspired by Randal Cremer's resolution that established arbitration between the United States and England. In 1888, his efforts led to a meeting between British Parliamentary members and French deputies to discuss the concept of organized arbitration. The following year, the Inter-Parliamentary Union was established with Passy as one of its presidents. He was a member of the International Bureau of Peace at Bern, Switzerland.

Passy's writings and speeches advocating peace were widely recognized. In 1909, he published Pour la paix, a work which chronicled the establishment of the various peace and arbitration organizations with which he was associated. From 1881 to 1902, he was professor of political economy in several colleges.
He died on June 12, 1912. A short obituary was published in the New York Times the next day.

Soccsksargen youths unite for peace

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Jan 29 (PIA)---- The International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) led half a thousand youths from different places of Soccsksargen in a “world peace walk” at the Oval Plaza here to show and campaign for peace among their peers in the region.

The IPYG that visited the city over the weekend is an international coalition of some 128 organizations in 53 countries worldwide.

IPYG partners with Mindanao State University (MSU)-GenSan in the latter’s effort to promote lasting peace in Mindanao.

The visit was not only to initiate the peace walk on January 24 with peers but also to lead an interfaith dialogue which was separately held at the Greenleaf Hotel. A day before that, it also held a press conference at the Graduate School, MSU AVR.  

According to Jacob Cheng, IPYG regional coordinator, the string of events was dedicated especially to the youth because “their hearts are great and it is important that their mindset is for peace.”

He also said that same “peace walk has already been conducted in different places in Asia, South Africa, Europe and Central America and now, reaching parts in Mindanao.”

He also described the interfaith dialogue, which was attended by religious and political leaders as fruitful.
Cheng said participants expressed oneness, cooperation, and agreement to propagate and sustain peace in Soccsksargen and the entire island of Mindanao.

The IPYG exists to work on the establishment of a platform to uphold world peace through various endeavors such as the conduct of world peace walk project, among others.

In keeping with the motif of peace, the Young Educator’s Summit was also integrated and conducted on Saturday (Jan 25) with a theme: “Yes to Education, Yes to Convergence.”

Event organizers have pegged the number of participants to this gathering held at Lagao Gymnasium to reach 3,200.

It said attendees were mostly comprised of education students and young professional teachers from different colleges and universities in the region.

The one day summit was designed to provide understanding on the role of education in attaining peace, developing educational plans, programs and projects and activities in Soccsksargen and in fostering cooperation and establishing linkages among all education students and young educators in the area.

Kenjave Parlero, president of MSU’s College of Education Students Organization, expressed appreciation for the IPYG’s visit saying “they are not just here to instill knowledge but also they want the youth to understand what peace is all about.” (CT Apelacio/Lipsy Grace Carayo, PIA-12 General Santos City)

<Reference> http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1671390898493

Flame Goes Out In Sochi, Torch Passes To Pyeongchang

Fireworks explode over Olympic Park during the closing ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.

The torch has officially been passed. The 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, are over with all the drama in the competition and not over safety and security during the 17 days of the events, as many had feared.

Outdoor fireworks rattled Sochi's Fisht Stadium as the Olympic flame was set to be extinguished Sunday. Winners and losers in the international competition now will have to look east to South Korea to test their Olympic mettle in the contest for medals four years from now, in 2018

NPR's Tamara Keith tweeted from the stadium at 12:50 p.m. ET: "Official handoff to South Korea, host of the 2018 Winter Olympics has now happened. It will be colder there, for sure."

As the closing ceremony began, waves were projected on the bottom of the stadium as costumed dancers undulated like schools of fish through the stadium.

In a reference to the now-famous hang-fire when the last Olympic ring failed to ignite in the opening ceremony two weeks ago, Tamara says:

"Russia has a sense of humor. Glowing silver people form Olympic Rings with sad snowflake unopened. Then open it to laughter and applause."

The Associated Press called it "a moment of self-deprecating humor."

"A group of 700 dancers formed the five Olympic rings but, but delayed forming the fifth ring in a humorous nod to a pyrotechnic glitch during the opening ceremony. The crowd roared when the dancers spread apart to form the fully-shaped ring."

NPR's Vicki Walton says the performance involves 120 cast members, "including 10 brides suspended from clouds and 41 stilt walkers and jumpers."

With Russian President Vladimir Putin in attendance, the Olympic flag was raised and the Russian flag was carried in by some of the most successful Olympiads to the strains of the host country's national anthem, sung by a massive children's choir.

"Tonight the Olympic flame will be extinguished, bringing the games to a close, but the memories and friendships made at Sochi 2014 will live on," literature distributed to journalists for the closing ceremony reads.

The final medal ceremony, for the men's 50 cross-country, skiing event, was appropriately a gold for Russia and was greeted with the familiar "Russ-eee-ahh" chants from the crowd.

Peace rally against Venezuelan government held in Union Square

Venezuelan nationals gather in Union Square on Saturday to protest violence in their homeland.

Venezuelan nationals, many with relatives still in the torn nation, packed Union Square for a Saturday solidarity rally against their homeland’s government.

Hundreds of protesters sang the Venezuelan national anthem and waved the nation’s yellow, blue and red flag while calling for calm as tensions escalated in their homeland.

“Students, moms and kids, regular families, are being shot and abducted from the streets,” said Angelica Guvernez, a semifinalist for Miss Venezuela 1998.

“More than 135 people are missing. Hundreds of people are missing. I have an obligation as a Venezuelan to let the world know what’s going on.”

Rally and anti-rally activists clash during the Manhattan demonstration against government violence in Venezuela.

RELATED: VENEZUELA PROTEST LEADER SURRENDERS, 4TH PERSON DIES IN UNREST

One sign-waving protester delivered a more pointed message to the current administration: “Stop killing my cousins.”

The Manhattan rally stepped off as Venezuelans marched through the streets of Caracas in dueling demonstrations over the rule of President Nicolas Maduro.

At least nine people were killed and 100 injured last week when the government cracked down on the opposition. Maduro is under attack for the soaring crime, rising inflation and food shortages in the oil-rich nation.

Angelica Guvernez, a semifinalist for the 1998 Miss Venezuela competition, joins activists at the Union Square peace rally.

Martha Polanco, 28, said relatives in both the U.S. and in Venezuela were upset by the recent violence.

RELATED: VENEZUELANS FEAR VIOLENCE IN SATURDAY'S MASS PROTESTS

“We are kind of feeling hopeless,” she said. “It’s hard to fight when someone has all of the power and all of the guns. I know one guy who’s shot in the eye.”

She said relatives in South America were afraid to use their cell phones on the street for fear of getting robbed.

Native Venezuelan Annelise Von Bergen Granell said she was worried about returning home when her work visa expires in eight months.

“It’s hard to get basic things like toilet paper,” she said. “Venezuela is very violent. You really don’t know what’s going on. They’re trying to hide information.”

<Reference>
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/peace-rally-venezuelan-gov-held-union-square-article-1.1698835

Peace deal signed in Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine -- A peace deal was signed Friday between embattled Ukrainian  President Viktor Yanukovich and opposition leaders calling for early presidential elections later in the year, the formation of a coalition government and the ceding of some presidential powers to parliament.

The arrangement is aimed at defusing the worst political crisis in the history of post-Soviet Ukraine and stopping the spreading violence which in the last few days has claimed more than 100 lives and left hundreds injured in bloody clashes in Kiev and elsewhere across the country.

The agreement signed Friday afternoon provided for passage within 48 hours legislation restoring the constitution of 2004, thus delegating many of the current presidential powers to parliament and restoring what critics say has been a lost balance of power.

The most important part of the agreement, however, was devoted to early presidential elections, to be held no later than December.

The two sides also agreed that an objective investigation into the recent protester deaths would be conducted under monitoring by the opposition and the Council of Europe.

The agreement buried the idea of introducing a state of emergency in the country and compelled parliament to pass a new amnesty for protesters involved in the recent clashes.

The agreement bound the opposition to hand over to authorities all illegal weapons within 24 hours as soon as a special law to that effect is passed.

On behalf of the opposition, the agreement was signed by its leaders, Vitali Klitschko, Oleg Tyagnibok and Arseny Yatsenyuk.

The signing in the Presidential Administration building was witnessed by Polish and German foreign ministers and a high-ranking French diplomat

“In these tragic days when Ukraine suffered such heavy losses, when people died on both sides of the barricades, I consider it my duty in solemn memory of the slain to state that there is nothing more important than human life,” Yanukovich said in a statement published on his official website after the signing. “There are no such steps which we ought not to take together to restore peace in Ukraine.”

Ukraine's parliament later in the day endorsed the amnesty, and restored much of the 2004 constitution, turning the tables once again in favor of parliament.

In another concession to the opposition, parliament fired Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko, hated by protesters, whom he frequently referred to as extremists and who hold him responsible for numerous alleged crimes committed by the police against protesters.

To add insult to injury for Yanukovich, 17 lawmakers from his ruling party announced Friday that they were abandoning the party.

Some experts called Friday's events revolutionary but doubted that a majority of the protesters could be persuaded to accept the compromise.

“Yanukovich went to long lengths to preserve his position in power for some more time, but it is not a fact that he may politically survive til the new presidential election,” Volodymyr Fesenko, head of Penta Applied Political Research Center, a Kiev-based think tank, said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “Very many protesters, if not a majority, are demanding Yanukovich step down immediately. They are driven by vengeance and euphoria of victory and it will be very difficult to persuade them to accept that compromise.”

“If the leaders of the opposition fail to make protesters go home now, the continuing standoff may once again turn violent and fraught with dire consequences from loss of more lives to the split of the country,” Fesenko concluded, explaining the aggressive compliance of the parliament by the fact that the agreement spared the lawmakers early elections, allowing them to keep their jobs until 2017, when their term expires.

As reduced forces of riot police continued to protect key government buildings while no longer blocking streets and squares, the protesters, who appeared unimpressed by Yanukovich's statement, continued to fortify their new barricades on Grushevsky Street and around Independence Square in central Kiev.

“Yanukovich's word is worth nothing to us,” said Alexander Chekmaz, a 38-year-old lawyer from the city of Mykolayev, dressed in a camouflage suit and military helmet and holding a club while manning an opposition checkpoint on Grushevsky Street. “Yanukovich has deceived many times before, so we will only believe him when he steps down.”

The mood at the opposition camp in Independence Square later in the day was even less jubilant as thousands of people paid respects to the victims of recent violence, many shot by snipers on Wednesday.

The caskets of slain protesters were solemnly brought into the square one after another. People prayed and sang the national anthem. Many cried and some needed medical assistance.

“How can we let this butcher continue to run the country even for a while more,” said Olga Boiko, a 33-year-old accountant from Chernovtsy. “Yanukovich should answer for all these deaths.

<Reference>
http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-ukraine-peace-deal-20140221,0,6038557.story#axzz2u2KrkuEG

South Koreans Pay Respects to Graceful Yuna Kim

Adelina Sotnikova shakes hands with Yuna Kim, as third-placed Carolina Kostner looks on. 

After a sleepless night, many South Koreans are thinking of Yuna Kim.

The 2010 Olympic champion looked in a good position to win gold again in Sochi. Expectations for this most popular South Korean skater were sky high as she went into the free skating competition in first place on Thursday.

Kim delivered a seemingly flawless performance. But her score of 144.19 wasn’t enough to see off the surprise challenge of 17-year-old Russian skater Adelina Sotnikova, who scored 149.95 points Thursday. Sotnikova’s total of 223.59 secured her the gold medal

. Kim scored 219.11 and had to settle for silver.

“A gold medal wasn’t really important to me and being able to perform in the Olympics is meaningful enough. I made no mistake today and I am satisfied. I did everything I could,” Kim told reporters after the result.

She didn’t forget to thank Korean fans. “People must have not slept well to watch the game so late at night. I didn’t win but I am so happy that I could be able to show you everything I could do. Thank you all.”

Yuna Kim with the South Korean flag, Thursday.

Kim had already announced she would retire from competitive skating after Sochi.

On major Korean portal sites, including Naver and Daum, as well as Facebook and Twitter, the top trending phrase on Friday morning was #연아야고마워, or “Thank you Yuna.” Initiated by her fans, the online movement is meant to show the 23-year-old skater gratitude for her perseverance, humble attitude and the way she embodies the Olympic spirit.

Some frustrated observers said her performance was under-marked. One online petition is calling for the International Skating Union to investigate the judging decisions. It says it has picked up more than 300,000 signatures.

Many people also criticized the judging on social networks such as Twitter. “I know it is not about football but Kim Yuna had her gold stolen by Russia,” a tweet by Korea Football News said.

Yuna Kim, Adelina Sotnikova and Carolina Kostner.

Most people, however, tried to accept the result as gracefully as Kim did.

“I was very touched to see her standing on the podium with grace. For a very long time, Yuna has been fighting not against other skaters but against herself. And that only matters for her. That is truly wonderful,” Twitter user @cafeniemand wrote.

Kim was the first South Korean to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics outside short-track and speed skating. She also won three Grand Prix and two World Championships during her career.

After winning Olympic gold in Vancouver in 2010, she served as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador and played an important role in winning Pyeongchang’s bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics. There was speculation she would retire after 2010, but she continued on the road to Sochi.

A second gold medal proved just beyond her grasp, but Kim will remain close to the hearts of South Koreans and figure skating fans around the world for a long time yet.

<Reference>
http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/02/21/south-koreans-pay-respects-to-graceful-yuna-kim/

Olympic Figure Skating: South Korea's Kim Leads After Short Program

Yuna Kim of South Korea leads the figure-skating competition. Associated Press

Sochi, Russia

The two-skater showdown never materialized, but the variety show at the Iceberg Skating Palace more than made up for it.

Heading into the women's figure-skating competition here, Yuna Kim of South Korea and Mao Asada of Japan were top contenders with a score to settle: In 2010, Kim took gold and Asada won silver even though Asada was the one who peeled off three triple axels in Vancouver.

Kim stands in first place after skating what looked like an effortless program of pure elegance on Wednesday night. But Asada, who has been struggling with her triple axel, failed to land the difficult jump. By hitting the ice, her program lost point value, and she stands in 16th out of 30 skaters.

That wasn't the only plot twist. The 15-year-old Russian favorite Julia Lipnitskaya unraveled on the ice, opening the door for her teammate, the largely unheralded Adelina Sotnikova. With a bold program set to a "Carmen" suite, Sotnikova brought a clean triple-triple combination and an electricity that was rare at this competition. Sotnikova now stands in second, with Lipnitskaya fifth.

Italy's Carolina Kostner skated an expressive program, also packed with triples, to "Ave Maria." That put her in third.

South Korea's Yuna Kim performs in the Women's Figure Skating Short Program at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the Sochi Winter Olympics on February 19, 2014

If American skaters stay on point—and get lucky with mistakes by the leaders—they could get to a podium. Gracie Gold is in fourth place, followed by Ashley Wagner in sixth and Polina Edmunds in seventh.

Gold may be harder to come by. If the previous figure skating competitions of these Games are any indication, Kim has a good shot at holding on. In the men's, pairs, ice dancing and team events, the athletes leading after the short program went on to win the gold after the free skate.

There have been, however, radical shifts in the standings after gold. Most dramatically, men's figure skater Denis Ten shot from ninth after the short program to third after the free skate to take the bronze home for Kazakhstan.

Kim could also yet let this lead slip. At 74.92 points, she is only a hair ahead of Sotnikova with and Kostner. The free-skate competition begins at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday (NBC Sports Network).

<Reference>

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304914204579393283531580964?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304914204579393283531580964.html

U.S. moves to revive stalled Afghan peace talks - officials

Image Caption:

Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a news conference in Kabul (reuters tickers)

KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is taking steps it hopes could lead to a resumption of peace talks to end the Afghan conflict, including reviving a proposed swap of Taliban detainees held at Guantanamo Bay in return for a U.S. prisoner of war.

According to Western officials familiar with the matter, President Barack Obama's senior aides in late December resolved to renew attempts to arrange the prisoner exchange with the goal of jump-starting negotiations stalled since last June.

The hope is that the exchange could open the door to more substantive peace talks on Afghanistan's future.

Reuters has learned that, to further the initiative, U.S. officials also have held meetings with the government of Qatar, which has played a mediating role during several years of on-and-off peace efforts, officials said.

The White House last month sent out a team of officials, including the Pentagon's chief lawyer, Stephen Preston, to Doha to ensure that the Qatari government remained willing to host the Taliban detainees who might be sent there from Guantanamo Bay, the officials said.

Government officials in Qatar reaffirmed that they would support the transfer under the same conditions as envisioned in previous discussions, the sources said. U.S. conditions in the past have included preventing the Taliban members from travelling outside of Qatar.

Under the plan, Taliban-linked militants would return U.S. Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was stationed in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan when he disappeared under unclear circumstances on June 30, 2009, about two months after arriving in the country.

In another step toward restarting a peace process, Qatar provided U.S. officials a video showing Bergdahl, which it obtained from the Taliban, to confirm he remained alive despite his more than four years in captivity.

News of the video, which U.S. officials said showed Bergdahl appearing to be in "declining health" but not gravely ill, surfaced last month, but the footage has not been made public. U.S. officials said they believed the video was filmed late last year.

The Daily Beast website reported last week that the U.S. government had sought the video as proof Bergdahl was still alive. The site also said that a possible exchange of prisoners was part of a U.S.-backed effort to reach an agreement with the Taliban.

U.S. officials believe Bergdahl, the only known U.S. soldier to remain missing in the war in Afghanistan, is being held in northwest Pakistan by Taliban-linked militants. Several officials said they believe the militants holding Bergdahl are under strict instructions not to harm him because of the possibility of a prisoner trade.

"Clearly if negotiations with the Taliban do resume at some point then we will want to talk with them about the safe return of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. He has been gone far too long, and we continue to call for and work towards his safe and immediate release," said White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden.

The White House declined comment on the recent U.S. discussions with Qatar and the video of Bergdahl.

While the United States has signaled that it is interested in resuming discussions, the Taliban have not yet responded, officials said.

In a statement distributed by the U.S. military, Bergdahl's family responded to the renewed diplomatic efforts to secure the soldier's freedom: "We welcome this development and we applaud the unity of purpose and resolve at the White House and the other U.S. government agencies involved. ... We are cautiously optimistic these discussions will lead to the safe return of our son after more than four and a half years in captivity."

NEW CIVIL WAR PROSPECT

U.S. attempts to arrange peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government have collapsed at least twice in the past. It is far from clear that the Western-backed Afghan government and the reclusive Islamist Taliban could reconcile their vastly different visions for the country's future.

The stakes appear higher now because Karzai is declining to sign a security agreement between Kabul and Washington that would permit foreign troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the end of 2014. That has raised the prospect of renewed civil war.

NATO officials have long said the Afghan conflict will ultimately be settled at the negotiating table rather than on the battlefield.

"We still maintain that," said a Western official in Kabul, speaking of the peace process generally. "For that to happen, you need the Taliban and the elected government, whoever it is, to sit down and talk to one another." The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

Previously, U.S. officials held numerous meetings with Tayeb Agha, a former secretary to Taliban leader Mullah Omar and still close to him. Renewed meetings with Agha would be a key next step.

A host of things could go wrong, as they have in the past.

Last summer, in what appeared to be a breakthrough, the Taliban announced it was opening an office in Doha to facilitate peace talks.

But hopes were dashed when the Taliban raised their flag and declared the office an outpost of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, a reference to the group's repressive rule from 1996 to 2001. Karzai's government was furious and called off its participation in planned talks in Qatar.

The renewed U.S. initiative does not appear to be linked to an attempt by the Afghan government to kindle its own peace process.

The possibility that the White House might send senior Taliban detainees to a third country under unclear custody circumstances has provoked a backlash from U.S. lawmakers in the past and could do so again.

The five prisoners include Mohammed Fazl, a former senior commander of the Taliban army held since early 2002. Not all are military figures: Khairullah Khairkhwa is a former Taliban regional governor who is seen by American officials as less dangerous than some others.

The Afghan government's decision last week to release 65 inmates that Washington insisted were dangerous Taliban militants angered U.S. military leaders and lawmakers. It could make it harder for the White House to argue for transferring much-higher-level Taliban figures out of U.S. custody.

<Reference>

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/U.S._moves_to_revive_stalled_Afghan_peace_talks_-_officials.html?cid=37989158

The peace sign

The internationally recognized symbol for peace (U+262E ☮ peace symbol in Unicode) was originally designed in 1958 for the British nuclear disarmament movement by Gerald Holtom. Holtom, an artist and designer, made it for a march from Trafalgar Square, London to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston in England, organised by the Direct Action Committee to take place in April and supported by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Holtom's design was adapted by Eric Austen (1922–1999) to ceramic lapel badges. The original design is in the Peace Museum in Bradford, England.

The symbol is a combination of the semaphore signals for the letters "N" and "D," standing for "nuclear disarmament". In semaphore the letter "N" is formed by a person holding two flags in an inverted "V," and the letter "D" is formed by holding one flag pointed straight up and the other pointed straight down. Superimposing these two signs forms the shape of the centre of the peace symbol. Holtom later wrote to Hugh Brock, editor of Peace News, explaining the genesis of his idea:

"I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya's peasant before the firing squad. I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle round it."

Ken Kolsbun, a correspondent of Holtom's, says that the designer came to regret the symbolism of despair, as he felt that peace was something to be celebrated and wanted the symbol to be inverted. Eric Austen is said to have "discovered that the 'gesture of despair' motif had long been associated with 'the death of man', and the circle with 'the unborn child',". Some time later, Peggy Duff, general secretary of CND between 1958 and 1967, repeated this interpretation in an interview with a US newspaper, saying that the inside of the symbol was a "runic symbol for death of man" and the circle the "symbol for the unborn child".

The symbol became the badge of CND and wearing it became a sign of support for the campaign urging British unilateral nuclear disarmament. An account of CND's early history described the image as "a visual adhesive to bind the [Aldermaston] March and later the whole Campaign together ... probably the most powerful, memorable and adaptable image ever designed for a secular cause."

Not patented or restricted, the symbol spread beyond CND and was adopted by the wider disarmament and anti-war movements. It became widely known in the United States in 1958 when Albert Bigelow, a pacifist protester, sailed a small boat fitted with the CND banner into the vicinity of a nuclear test. Buttons with the symbol were imported into the United States in 1960 by Philip Altbach, a freshman at the University of Chicago. Altbach had traveled to England to meet with British peace groups as a delegate from the Student Peace Union (SPU) and, on his return, he persuaded the SPU to adopt the symbol. Between 1960 and 1964, they sold thousands of the buttons on college campuses. By the end of the decade, the symbol had been adopted as a generic peace sign, crossing national and cultural boundaries in Europe and other regions.

In 1970, two US private companies tried to register the peace symbol as a trade mark: the Intercontinental Shoe Corporation of New York and Luv, Inc. of Miami. Commissioner of Patents William E. Schuyler Jr, said that the symbol "could not properly function as a trade mark subject to registration by the Patent Office".

Ken Kolsbun in his history of the peace symbol wrote that, "In an attempt to discredit the burgeoning anti-war movement, the John Birch Society published an attack on the peace symbol in its June 1970 issue of American Opinion", calling the symbol "a manifestation of a witch's foot or crow's foot", supposedly icons of the devil in the Middle Ages. A national Republican newsletter was reported to have "noted an ominous similarity to a symbol used by the Nazis in World War II".

Communicators urged to be part of spreading peace

XAVIER University's Development Communication (DevCom) launched its first Communicators Congress, Echo, highlighting talks about the various issues in Mindanao.

The launching was made last February 15, 2014 at SM Cinema 2. "It's the highlight before the kick-off of the DevCom Week next week," said Cesar Stefan Rago, project head of the event.

The Congress’ concept revolved on the peace issues, discrimination in religion, among others.

“We thought, why not create something like this [Congress] and talk about important issues on Mindanao. Through us [communicators], we can be the medium and watchdog in helping spread the peace in Mindanao,” Rago said.

It was attended by distinguished speakers like Samira A. Gutoc-Tomawis, a columnist, educator, blogger, consultant and an activist. She talked about Mindanao and how stories on Mindanao should get into the mainstream media.

In tabloids and the national broadsheets, “Mindanao only gets front page when it comes to Abu Sayaff issues and other war sieges,” she said. Mindanao gets reflected as a negative, chaotic place where one would think travel is not safe in any part of the island.

“There is more context than this [...] Dapat may in-depth writing and the going to the roots na stories that Mindanao is not those,” Gutoc-Tomawis said.

As a Muslim, she asked the audience to make a friend outside the Christian circle, inviting Muslim friends to be part of it.

She shares her struggles during her college days when her only option was to be strong amid the discrimination she got from the non-Muslim community.

Toward the end of her speech, she read a few lines on peace talks. That peace should not be focused only on the “five Ws and one H” referring to the writers who write only about a topic which is only a portion of the whole story; but also that “peace is for a change.”

“It is our time to make a change, go and make a blog, spread the word and let’s make peace happen,” she ended.

The second keynote speaker was Fr. Albert E. Alejo, the assistant to the president for social development of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a researcher, author and an advocate on peace in Mindanao.

Relatively, his topic was on the peace issues, religion discrimination, inequality and the like in the island. What he was more focused on was how the people from Mindanao fight for Mindanao if there is no “personal connection” between.

He asked questions on: “What is your connection with Mindanao?” And “Where is Mindanao in your plans?” since majority of the potential citizens in this country, who could have contributed more by staying, are all leaving for abroad.

To have a good check on the audience knowledge on the Philippines, Fr. Alejo had a quiz where questions ranged from the national fruit to the national ‘kamao’ which everybody in the room answered, “Manny Pacquiao” and laughed.

As to the national food, everybody answered, “Lechon” with enthusiasm still. He asked if the food is edible by everyone – including the Muslims. He blames communicators, poster designers, writers, authors and other people who have contributed to major “invisible” conflict in Mindanao.

“Be careful and be fair [...] study and put substance,” he said.

He convinced the communicators in the room to “receive signals” from the people who call out for help as a picture of a kid donned with a “NO MORE WAR” shirt in the Zamboanga siege.

Fr. Alejo also made emphasis on why Christians have to “boast” and act as superiors in the country when in fact, they are a minority in Asia.

He asked the audience: I need you to check your language and message, and calculate possible miscommunication. You might be adding to the conflict instead of helping out.

He ended his speech with a video where war should end because lives are at cost when there is an outbreak and said, “Please communicate peace.”

The Congress was attended by different schools and universities such as Father Saturnino Urios University, Central Mindanao University, Bukidnon State University, La Salle University Ozamiz, XU, Mindanao University of Science and Technology, Cagayan de Oro College and Kong Hua School.

<Reference>

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2014/02/15/communicators-urged-be-part-spreading-peace-328602

Israeli Water, Mideast Peace?

Nuclear proliferation, religious militancy and income inequality are all major threats to Middle East stability. Sadly, a new one is brewing: water scarcity.

The human causes are clear: rapid population growth, antiquated infrastructure, the over-pumping of aquifers, inefficient crop practices and pollution from fertilizer and pesticides. Then there are the factors that climate change is accelerating, like evaporation of lakes and rivers and diminished rainfall.

One country in the region might have a solution to these water woes: Israel. It shares the same problems of climate and desertification as its neighbors, but it has mastered the management of water resources, such that it can endure periodic droughts while supporting a growing population. Its water management can not only be a model but can even reduce regional tensions.

Wasteful farming practices — in particular, flooding a field to irrigate it — are the biggest factor behind the regional water shortage. Starting in the 1960s, Israeli farmers abandoned this technique in favor of drip irrigation, which reduces the loss of water to evaporation, gets water to roots more efficiently and, critically, produces crop yields vastly greater than those with conventional irrigation. Israel also treats household sewage as a precious resource, reusing more than 80 percent of it for agriculture. In Iran and many Arab countries, sewage is dumped, which can threaten public health by contaminating wells and aquifers.

There is precedent for Israel’s helping its neighbors with water. Before 1979 —around the time it began to adopt technologies and policies that led to its current water abundance — Israel was Iran’s partner in developing its national water resources.

That cooperation began in 1962, after a severe earthquake in the Qazvin region of Iran killed more than 12,000 people. The earthquake collapsed a chain of wells that engineers had drilled in a qanat, or tunnel, style. Hundreds of thousands were at risk from lack of drinking water. Israel flew in teams of drillers. New water supplies were identified, and a series of artesian wells were drilled. The drilling was such a success that Israel’s water engineering company, today a private enterprise, was hired to identify and gain access to underground resources elsewhere in Iran.

Beginning in 1968, a desalination company owned by the Israeli government built dozens of plants in Iran. These are now aging, while Israel continues to innovate: On its Mediterranean coast, it recently opened an immense, energy-efficient desalination plant. More than half of Israel’s drinking water — purer, cleaner and less salty than natural sources — now comes from seawater.

Cooperation with Iran abruptly ended with the Islamic revolution. Indeed, the Israeli team of water experts was on one of the last direct flights from Iran to Israel in 1979.

Wars over water have been forecast as a coming threat worldwide, and the geopolitical risks can’t be discounted. Syria, ruined by civil war, and Iraq, still an epicenter of religious violence, will suffer even more, as Turkey accelerates its diversion of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to make up for its shortsighted over-pumping of once-massive Anatolian aquifers. Egypt, with 10 times Israel’s population but nearly 50 times the water available, uses water inefficiently, despite the age-old centrality of agriculture to its economy. Ethiopia, upriver to Sudan and Egypt, is asserting water rights to the Nile for its growing population, putting it in tension with Egypt. Yemen might be in the worst shape: Short of immediate, radical steps, it could be out of water in 15 years.

Because of geography and hydrology, the Palestinians’ water future is closely tied to Israel’s. In just the few years of Hamas control of Gaza, the water supply there has been polluted, and though no solution to its coming water crisis is likely without an Israeli role, Hamas has refused to cooperate with Israel.

The Palestinians in the West Bank already receive much of their water from Israel’s national water utility and, sovereignty and symbolism aside, neither a two-state solution nor a continuation of the status quo will change that. Given their proximity to Israel, the Palestinians are likely to be among the few Arab winners in the water race.

Israel’s self-sufficiency in water goes beyond irrigation, drilling, desalination and reclaimed water. It is also dependent on a sophisticated legal and regulatory structure, market mechanisms, robust public education, an obsession with fixing leaks and efforts to catch rainwater and reduce evaporation, among many other tools. Natural plant-breeding methods have raised crop yields with salty, high-mineral brackish water of the kind found, but mostly thought of as worthless, all over the Middle East. Israel has transformed water from a struggle with nature to an economic input: You can get all you want if you plan and pay for it.

No one should wish for a water crisis anywhere. But as water problems grow, one hopes that ideology will give way to pragmatism and may open a door to an Arab and Islamic outreach to Israel. A partnership that starts with engineers and extends to farmers could contribute to deal making, even reconciliation, among leaders. Rather than seeing Israel as a problem, Israel’s antagonists would be wise to see it as a solution.

<Reference>

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/opinion/israeli-water-mideast-peace.html?hp&rref=opinion