Zimbabwe: no food for a day (Avaaz)

Dear friends,

When Africa's heads of state meet this Sunday, they will be greeted by a
crowd of hunger strikers, calling for justice and democracy in Zimbabwe.

Desmond Tutu, Graça Machel, and hundreds of others have joined the campaign
and pledged solidarity with the Zimbabwean people-most of whom are now
struggling to survive on a meal a day or less. Their powerful demonstration
of commitment has seized the media's attention, pressuring leaders to refuse
Mugabe in his attempts to cling to power.

The world's support is needed now. Kumi Naidoo, a South African activist in
his eighth day of a 21-day hunger strike, has recorded a video appeal for
Avaaz members worldwide to join the protest by pledging to fast this Sunday,
when he will speak to the African Union summit about Zimbabwe's crisis. If
thousands of us fast, our actions will give power to his words. Click here
to see the video and join the fast:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/fast_for_zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's crisis-cholera, hyperinflation, hunger, and Mugabe's
brutality-keeps worsening. But as the stakes rise, the movement for change
is growing stronger and bolder. The European Union just tightened sanctions
targeting Mugabe's regime. Hunger strikers in Southern Africa, trying to
deliver a petition to leaders Monday, were blasted by riot police shooting
rubber bullets. And Tuesday morning, after all-night talks, Mugabe's latest
attempt retain control collapsed as the opposition refused to join a false
"unity" government that would leave Mugabe's party in power, political
prisoners in jail, and Zimbabweans' urgent needs unmet.

The next five days are critical: as Africa's leaders choose their next
moves, we must demonstrate that the world stands strong with Zimbabwe's
fairly-elected Movement for Democratic Change, and that Mugabe's reign must
end. When the African Union leaders sit down this Sunday in Ethiopia, their
decisions will be shaped by the political conditions that we help create.

Time and again, we have rallied. More than 400,000 of us have signed
petitions, sending virtual "red cards" to Mugabe that were waved by labor
activists in a march this fall. We flew an airplane over the United Nations
headquarters to urge Mbeki to support democracy in Zimbabwe. And this
Christmas, we sent radio ads to tell the people of Zimbabwe they were not
forgotten.

Now, through a concrete act of self-sacrifice, we can take our efforts a
level higher. Our solidarity fast will strengthen the moral force of
Zimbabwean and South African activists who are demanding change. Click here
to join the fast:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/fast_for_zimbabwe

One day, democracy will be restored to Zimbabwe--the refugees will return
home, the fields will burst with food, the hospitals and clinics will be
full of medicine and healing. And all of us will know that in answering the
call of a suffering but defiant people, we played a part in their victory.

With hope,

Ben, Alice, Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Luis, Paula, Paul, Milena, Brett,
Pascal, Veronique, and the entire Avaaz.org team

SOURCES

The Save Zimbabwe Now campaign is coordinating the hunger strike:
http://www.savezimbabwenow.com

"Save Zimbabwe activists begin hunger strike" - The Times, 1/25/09
http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=924433

"A Growing Chorus In S. Africa Urges Action on Mugabe" - Washington Post,
1/25/09
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/25/AR2009012501896.html
"Police fire rubber bullets to break protest at SADC meeting" - ZimOnline,
1/26/09 http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=4158

"Special Report: Crisis in Zimbabwe" - The Times, last update 27 Jan 2009
http://www.thetimes.co.za/specialreports/Zimbabwe/Default.aspx?id=363615

MDC denies Zimbabwe deal claims - BBC - Jan 27, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7852978.stm

Fwd by
John Willemsens,
Advayavada Foundation.
<http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/index.htm>

Advayavada Study Plan - week 5

Friends,

This week's ASP subject are again the Fourth Noble Truth: the Noble
Eightfold Path, and the Fourth Sign of Being: Progress.

The Noble Eightfold Path, when it is interpreted dynamically as an ongoing,
autonomous, non-prescriptive, investigative and creative
process of progressive insight reflecting in human terms overall existence
advancing over time, as Advayavada Buddhism does, is (1) that of
our very best (samyak, samma) comprehension or insight followed by (2) our
very best resolution or determination, (3) our very best enunciation or
definition of our purpose or intention, (4) our very best disposition or
frame of mind, (5) our very best implementation or realization of our
purpose, (6) our very best effort or commitment, (7) our very best
observation, reflection or evaluation and self-correction, and (8) our very
best meditation or concentration towards an increasingly real experience of
samadhi, which brings us to (1) a yet better comprehension or insight, and
so forth.

By following the Noble Eightfold Path thus you get in tune with wondrous
overall existence advancing over time; sorrow, doubt and
remorse immediately start disappearing; and your life soon gathers new
impetus.

The purpose of the ASP is that we study and discuss the meaning and
implications of the weekly subject in the context of whatever we ourselves
are presently doing or are concerned with, or about, such as our health,
relationships, work, study, our place in society, etc.

Tip: Write down this week's subject ('path and progress') in your pocket
diary!

John Willemsens,
Advayavada Foundation.
<http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/index.htm>

Don Quixote attacks the windmills (BPS)

Just added at the Bureau of Public Secrets website:

DON QUIXOTE ATTACKS THE WINDMILLS
http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/don-quixote.htm

Miguel de Cervantes's "Don Quixote" is one of the most wonderful books in
the world. A middle-aged country gentleman, brain addled by reading too many
chivalric adventure stories, adopts the trappings of a medieval knight and
sets out to rescue damsels in distress and otherwise right any wrongs he may
come across. He convinces a naive but commonsensical neighboring peasant,
Sancho Panza, to accompany him as his squire. Their conversations as they
travel along are even more entertaining than their predictably amusing
adventures. The novel may have started out as a mere satire of the already
largely outmoded genre of chivalric romance, but Don Quixote and Sancho soon
took on a life of their own and became two of the best-loved characters in
world literature.

The new webpage presents the famous adventure of the windmills in the
original Spanish along with four modern English translations.

The BPS website also includes Kenneth Rexroth's superb essay on the book
http://www.bopsecrets.org/rexroth/cr/6.htm#Quixote

"Many people, not all of them Spanish, are on record as believing that 'Don
Quixote' is the greatest prose fiction ever produced in the Western world.
Certainly it is one of the few books a genuinely international critic would
dare to group with 'The Dream of the Red Chamber' or 'The Tale of Genji' or
'The Mahabharata'. It epitomizes the spiritual world of European man at
mid-career as 'The Odyssey' and 'The Iliad' do at his beginnings and as 'The
Brothers Karamazov' does in his decline. . . . Don Quixote starts on his
quest with his head full of phantasm. What he finds is his own identity, but
he finds it in communion with others. He discovers what Don Quixote is
really like by discovering that other people are like himself and that he is
like them. The mystery that is slowly unveiled in the course of his
complicated adventures is the mystery of the facts of life. . . . Possibly
all great fictions deal with self-realization, with the integration of the
personality. This is, in a special way, the subject of 'Don Quixote'. Even
more than in the wise reveries of Montaigne, Cervantes in this golden book
gives us the purest expression of humanism -- not just its message, but its
special wisdom that can be found only in adventure in the manifold,
inexhaustibly eventful ways of men." (Rexroth)

BUREAU OF PUBLIC SECRETS
P.O. Box 1044, Berkeley CA 94701, USA
http://www.bopsecrets.org

"Making petrified conditions dance by singing them their own tune."

Fwd by
John Willemsens,
Advayavada Foundation.
<http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/index.htm>

Not for the lazy and indifferent (Beliefnet)

Subhuti said: "If I understand correctly, one who wishes to reach perfect
wisdom should study the way things are in the world and should practice the
perfections fully and in depth but should not believe them to be ultimately
real, nor should he make concepts and doctrines out of them."

The Buddha replied: "Just so, Subhuti. The one who contemplates existence in
this way knows the nature of the conditioned and of the unconditioned and
makes himself an expert in pointing out the truth to others, both with words
and without words."

Subhuti asked: "But is this just for the wise and the intelligent?"

"No, indeed," replied the Buddha. "This is open to all, even to the dull
witted and to those who can't pay attention. The door is open to anyone who
wants to tread this path -- but not to the person who is lazy and
indifferent."

-Prajnaparamita

Help Obama bring hope to Gaza (Avaaz)

Dear Avaaz friends,

Barack Obama has inspired hope the world over, but the road ahead is
difficult. After over 1400 killed and 5000 wounded in Gaza, Obama knows the
US must become a fair peace mediator in the Middle East. But that is almost
impossible while the US media remains strongly biased on this conflict. Only
4% of related US media stories even mention that Palestinians are under
military occupation, and less than 25% of Americans say they can sympathize
with both sides. Given this, even Obama will find it difficult to be fair.

We urgently need to meet this challenge as Obama makes historic choices on
Israel-Palestine. The winds of change are blowing through American media --
media experts tell us the best way to seize this opportunity is to fund a
small number of highly respected individuals to engage top journalists and
editors on this issue - providing facts, information and opportunities to
hear sensible voices for peace from both Palestinians and Israelis. $40,000
would be enough to hire a respected advocate; $15,000 will pay for an
opinion poll in Gaza and Israel that challenges prejudices and is released
to US media; $50,000 will build a "peace wall" in Gaza, Jerusalem and
Washington DC for citizens in each place to post messages to each other and
the media.

If each one of us who signed the petition gives just $2 (1.50 euro) each,
we'll raise $1 million -- enough to launch a highly effective effort. The
Obama presidency is an opportunity to end this festering conflict, but he
can't do it without us. It's time for all of us to get serious about this,
click below to get started:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/gaza_media_balance

If we raise more than needed, we can match this effort with compelling
public actions that convey sensible, ordinary voices for peace from both
Palestinians and Israelis to the US media. Far from taking sides, our effort
will show that a pro-peace voice is both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian,
because it advocates for lasting security and justice for both peoples.
Click above to see a more detailed funding proposal for this project.

For years a balanced perspective has been largely absent from US media.
Palestinian kids throwing rocks were seen as dangerous rioters, rather than
token resistance to an illegal and repressive military occupation. The
crushing nature of the Israeli occupation, the numbers of Palestinians
beaten or killed, the way that Palestinians live in a type of giant prison
with even the smallest movements or actions tightly controlled, are almost
never covered by US media. The same media however often create great empathy
among Americans for innocent Israeli victims of violence, telling their
personal stories in depth. See links below for a number of studies that have
showed the overwhelming bias of American media in this conflict. Until the
American media can tell both heart-rending sides of the story, no US
president will be able to broker a fair peace.

The opportunity is there. After the trauma of the Bush years there is a
fresh wind blowing through American democracy and media. A new emphasis on
responsible, tough journalism, and a genuine desire among media
professionals to be more balanced. On the other hand, a massive PR
infrastructure established by a few powerful organizations puts tens of
millions of dollars a year into conveying a pro-war perspective to US media.
This is tough competition, but our effort will have a much easier job -
we'll be pushing balance, not bias, helping journalists to do their job, not
shirk it. Obama has promised "fairness" in his approach to this region,
let's help make it politically possible for him to deliver. Click below:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/gaza_media_balance

With hope,

Ricken, Graziela, Alice, Luis, Paul, Brett, Milena, Paula, Pascal, Iain and
the whole Avaaz team.

PS: For more information about bias in the US media and on coverage of the
recent war in Gaza:

The Blame Game in Gaza - Erasing Israeli actions to fault only Hamas:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3667

Video - Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land:
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=eCL6WdnuNp4

Jon Stewart's critique of media bias on Gaza conflict:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=213380&title=Strip-Maul

International Law Seldom Newsworthy in Gaza War - Israeli justifications
often cited uncritically:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3672

For a recent US poll which shows the impact of the media bias:
http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/client/act_dsp_pdf.cfm?name=mr090114-2a.pdf&id=4236

Palestine Media Watch report on op-eds:
http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/mediocrity/displayCall.asp?essayID=336

Newsworthy and unnewsworthy deaths:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3057

Video - Media bias about the Israeli - Palestine conflict exposed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kiyyp9cZdY0&NR=1

Video - Biased media reports on the Israeli-Palestinian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOC1RReb6gc

If Americans Knew - A US project helping to convey alternative perspectives
to Americans:
www.ifamericansknew.org

PPS: Please click on this link for an award winning video made by Avaaz
which is the kind of material that we will use to encourage more balanced
understanding of the Middle East: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWyJJQbFago

Fwd by
John Willemsens,
Advayavada Foundation.
<http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/index.htm>

Front row at Obama inauguration (Avaaz)

Dear friends,

When Barack Obama was elected President, hundreds of thousands of us sent
messages to the global Avaaz Obama wall erected in Washington DC. This time
for the inauguration, Avaaz is creating a virtual wall with our first ever
online global community meeting. Click here to see the extraordinary
coverage we've achieved so far and join the discussion as we view Obama's
inauguration live on Tuesday January 20.

The speech event will occur from 11AM New York, 2PM Rio, 5PM Geneva, 12AM
(Wed) Hong Kong. Click below to see the hub page where we'll be able to make
comments, take polls, send Obama a message while we watch the speech on our
site, live and direct - the discussion has already begun:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/obama_inauguration/?cl=171502220&v=2704

This new president is a chance to put an end to years of failed US
Administration policy - and to celebrate the possibilities of hope. The
expectations for Obama are high and the pressures on him to stop short of
his campaign promises are powerful. But together our push for real change --
as well as inspiring words -- has only just begun. Catch other Avaaz members
online at our global meeting place as together we plan how to work with and
influence the new Obama government.

Some of us might be at work when Obama speaks, some at home in front of the
TV, but either way it will be inspiring to keep the computer open to the
Avaaz hub page and share this moment with Avaaz members around the world.
The Obama hub is already humming with ideas and comments -- we can join the
online conversation now by clicking below:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/obama_inauguration/?cl=171502220&v=2704

Movements are built on moments. And our movement for a better world has
something to celebrate with the election of Obama. He has promised to
reverse President Bush's policies on climate change and human rights, and
work closely with the global community to tackle poverty and injustice. None
of it will be possible without sustained global citizen engagement -- change
won't happen overnight, and it won't happen without great effort. But let's
share this moment together, and talk about how to engage and influence this
new and listening president.

Obama's inauguration is not just important as a symbol of hope -- it signals
the possibilities of a people-powered movement. Left to the bureaucracy of
government and the pressures of conservatives, many of our highest goals
risk failure. At AVAAZ.org, we can avoid the TV station's talking heads,
listen to the next President of the United States set out his statement of
intent and comment purposefully with fellow Avaaz members around the world:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/obama_inauguration/?cl=171502220&v=2704

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday,

Brett, Pascal, Paula, Ricken, Graziela, Paul, Iain, Alice, Luis, Milena,
Veronique, Ben and the entire Avaaz team.

PS: Tune in to avaaz.org for live event coverage commencing at 11am (EST) on
Tuesday 20th January [2PM Rio, 5PM Geneva, 12AM (Wed) Hong Kong] and check
in now to see the previews.

Fwd by
John Willemsens,
Advayavada Foundation.
<http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/index.htm>

Advayavada Study Plan - week 4

Friends,

In Advayavada Buddhism, the Noble Eightfold Path is interpreted dynamically
as an ongoing, autonomous, non-prescriptive, investigative and creative
process of progressive insight reflecting in human terms overall existence
advancing over time. By following the Noble Eightfold Path thus you get in
tune with wondrous overall existence advancing over time; sorrow, doubt and
remorse immediately start disappearing; and your life soon gathers new
impetus.

This week's preliminary ASP subject are again the second and the third noble
truths of Buddhism: the cause of suffering, which is craving, grasping,
clinging and attachment (= trishna), and the need and possibility of its
elimination (= nirodha).

The root cause of all ill in Buddhism is, in fact, ignorance (avidya), i.e.
ignorance of the true nature of reality, when the impermanence and
selflessness or finitude of all existents are not fully recognized and
understood, and it is this ignorance which in turn gives rise to craving
(trishna), the direct cause of existential distress. Man is prone to
suffering (duhkha) quite simply because he strives after and tries to hold
on to things and concepts which he believes to be permanent, but are not.

The purpose of the ASP is that we study and discuss the meaning and
implications of the weekly subject in the context of whatever we ourselves
are presently doing or are concerned with, or about, such as our health,
relationships, work, study, our place in society, etc.

Tip: Write down this week's subject (craving and its elimination) in your
pocket diary!

John Willemsens,
Advayavada Foundation.
<http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/index.htm>