MANNAM Peace News : Bird hunters 'emptying Afghan skies' and Suncheon Bay (2)

Suncheon Bay Ecological Park is a protected natural area near Suncheon, South Korea. It is effectively a bay between Yeosu peninsula and Goheung peninsula. It is located 8 km (5.0 mi) from the center of Suncheon, and has 21.6 km2 (8.3 sq mi) of mudflats and 5.4 km2 (2.1 sq mi) of reed beds.
From the junction of the Dong stream and Isa stream to the front of the mudflat in Suncheon bay, it has the widest reed bed in Korea. In autumn, reed blossoms, red turkeis, and white migratory birds make the area a popular attraction.

Suncheon Bay is the treasure house of having the various many species.
It is very important to be studied. Because of little pollution sources, It has the developed salt swampy land. It abounds in fresh marine products, multifarious invertebrate animal and sea plant.
The extensive reedbeds is the wintering site and the habitat for the national rare birds which are a hooded crane, a sea gull, a white stoke, a blackfaced spoonbill and a white heron etc.
Suncheon bay is known to be the area which rare birds inhabit and especially the unique habitat of a hooded crane.

Convention-Swamp is the most productive life supporting ecosystem. The protection of it is very important in biological, hydraulical, and economic reasons. Even so, in many parts of the earth, swamps are damaged due to irrigation, reclamation, pollution and such. To stop the damage to swamps, international conference and technological conference were held in sequence sponsored by International Waterfowl Research Bureau in 1960. As the result of conferences, a conference was joined in Ramsar, Iran on February 2, 1971. The established form of Ramsar Convention is Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. Korea joined this convention on July 28, 1997 as the 101st. Young Swamp of Daeam Mountain in Inje-gun, Gangwon-do and Upo Swamp in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam are registered as Ramsar Swamps.
Suncheon Bay started to gain attention as the fact that waterfowls enlisted in Ramsar Convention became known. Especially it satisfies 'various kinds of birds requiring different types of habitat inhabiting' part of Ramsar Conventions. It makes Suncheon Bay a very proper candidate to become a Ramsar Swamp. Suncheon bay was designated as a swamp preserving area of Korea in December, 2003, and it joined 'international network for protection of crane in northeastern Asia' in 2004. Northeastern Crane Network was organized as a protection strategy of Asian and Pacific passage birds at the 6th Ramsar Convention conference in 1996. Also, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Korea will request registering of Suncheon Bay as Ramsar Swamp in August or September this year. If it becomes a Ramsar Swamp, the natural environment of Suncheon Bay, the treasure house of ecosystem, will be better preserved.

via Wikipedia

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I am not judging Environment Afghanistan in this way but saying South Korea used to be one of countries who didn't have a chance to give attention to birds and environment since this country had to go over many situations.

But have a look how this country has grew up, and the hit spot saying "we can give a care to others" is Suncheon Bay(I personally think it this way but pretty much sure others would agree with me!).
South Korea has Suncheon Bay which is my favorite place among many beatiful spots in my home country.
If you have an idea to come and visit Korea, you should swing by Suncheon Bay(It's not enough to swing by though! lol).
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Do I love my home country?
 Yes as you can see.
Because it has Suncheon Bay?
 Partly.
 And Plus, MANNAM Volunteer Association's head office is located in South Korea too :)

MANNAM Peace News : Bird hunters 'emptying Afghan skies' and Suncheon Bay (1)

Bird hunters 'emptying Afghan skies'
By Bilal Sarwary, BBC News, Parwan and Kapisa provinces

Untold numbers of migratory birds are being caught and killed every year in Afghanistan, helping drive species like the Siberian Crane to the verge of extinction. Hunters say other bird populations are also declining rapidly, raising fears among environmentalists.

Noar Agha loads small stones into the leather pouch attached to his homemade sling shot. "This is like a big transit airport for birds," he says, pointing to a lush valley ringed by snowy Hindu Kush peaks in Parwan province, about 160km (100 miles) from Kabul.

Syed Khel district's wheat fields and orchards offer a perfect resting point for migratory birds.

"Thousands of White-naped Cranes, flamingos, ducks, falcons and sparrows migrate from India and Pakistan when summer temperatures begin to rise there. They make a stopover here before taking off for Russia. That's when we make a move," Mr Agha says.

About a dozen of his grandchildren nod in appreciation. Then a boy perched on a tree top waves a piece of cloth and Mr Agha orders everyone to scatter. Soon a huge flock of sparrows descends on the valley.

He and his grandchildren fire a volley of stones from their sling shots. As dozens of sparrows crash to the ground, three hunting dogs are let loose. They quickly retrieve the injured birds, including those that dropped far from sight.

Like Noar Agha, many Afghans hunt birds for meat. There is also a thriving trade in canaries and finches which are trapped, sold and smuggled to Iran, Pakistan and Gulf countries, where they are popular as house pets.

The head of Afghanistan's Environment Protection Agency, Mustafa Zahir, recently told a local TV news channel that nearly 5,000 birds are smuggled out of the country every year. That may be a conservative estimate. Many of these are falcons and Hubara Bustards - the latter widely prized as quarry by hunters in the Gulf.

With the Afghan economy in tatters, hunting and trading in birds offers a welcome source of income for many struggling Afghans. Markets selling birds of all shapes and sizes - dead or alive - are fairly common in remote areas like Syed Khel and Kohistan.

"This is how I make a living," says one hunter in a bird bazaar in Kohistan, pointing to a sack full of dead sparrows. "There is no work here. What else can I do?"

The sparrows in question are probably Spanish Sparrows, whose numbers are not thought to be at risk, Taej Mundkur of Wetlands International tells the BBC. But he adds: "The harvest could well extend to other species as well."

In truth, no one really knows.

In a country which has seen decades of war, the welfare of birds is low on the list of priorities. The Siberian Crane, once a regular visitor en route to India, has not been sighted in Afghanistan since 1999. It is now listed as globally critically endangered.

Other birds are also now less common, say Afghan hunters.

"My elders used to talk about cranes, flamingos, wild ducks and quails. These birds were very common in this part of the country. But now it is no longer so," says 27-year-old Mohammad Wahid.

That view is shared by Mohammad Agha, 70: "There are just too many hunters… so the birds have fled."

A few kilometres along the Panjshir river in Kohistan district, Haji Dost Mohammad has hunted ducks for half of his life and says every house in his village has a shotgun. Mr Mohammad, 40, starts his days early during the migrating season.

"Every day before sunrise, we put stuffed ducks in our village pond. When a flock of birds arrive, drakes are attracted to the pond. We wait as the drakes try to pair up with the stuffed ducks. Just when they are about to settle on the pond, we fire," he says.

Huge nets are used, too, to trap entire flocks of birds.

"They spread themselves across the gaps in the mountains carrying the ends of these nets. When a flock passes through the gap the ends are pulled, forcing hundreds of birds to fly straight into the nets," one village elder said.

In some places, large wooden bird boxes with paraffin lamps are hung on trees. The warmth draws the birds, which fall into the concealed trap.

Such methods can result in huge catches. I saw one hunter bagging up birds by the hundred for a local party. Two local shopkeepers caught at least 500 birds each in a single day to sell at market.

It is impossible to know how many birds are being killed in Afghanistan every year, but the kind of hunting I saw is going on right across the country - so the figure would appear to be in the hundreds of thousands every year, at least.

The authorities say they are aware of the situation, with one senior official in Parwan even calling it a "genocide of birds".

"But you have to understand that this is the way of life here. Hunting of birds has been going on for hundreds of years. Besides, many government officials are themselves hunters. Who will speak against them?"

The government banned the hunting of migratory birds five years ago in a presidential decree but the law is still to go through parliament - and the ban is barely enforced.

"We are also working with religious scholars and other influential members of society to start an awareness campaign on the ill effects of excessive hunting," Ghulam Mohammad Malikyar, deputy director-general of Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency, told the BBC.

Educating Afghans is one challenge. Another is the lack of reliable information - because of decades of instability, no comprehensive survey on bird numbers has ever been conducted.

Qais Agah of Save the Environment-Afghanistan said there had been "significant conservation efforts", but told the BBC a recent study had identified almost 150 endangered species of birds in Afghanistan, which is not a party to the Convention on Migratory Species.

Some birds may have changed their migration routes, which would explain the apparent drop in their numbers in Afghanistan. Or Afghans may be wiping them out.

Without proper scientific data, it is impossible to know. What is clear is that hunters say some birds are now seen more rarely, or not at all.

"Thirty years ago, I used to shoot 500-700 sparrows a day with my sling shot," says Haji Shakoor, 57, from Salang valley. "The sky used to be full of birds. But now it seems so empty."

Conservationists hope that doesn't mean more birds go the way of the Siberian Crane.

BBC News

Continue to the following post

MANNAM Peace News : What MANNAM and the world want to achieve for Syria

G8 backs urgent Syria peace talks in Geneva

G8 leaders meeting in Northern Ireland have backed calls for Syrian peace talks to be held in Geneva "as soon as possible".

After adopting a statement, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the leaders had managed "to overcome fundamental differences".

But no timetable for the Geneva talks was given.

The statement does not mention what role Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could play in the future.

Russia is backing President Assad, while the US and its European allies are supporting the rebels.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin insisted that each of the Syrian sides at the Geneva talks should be able to select their own delegations, sidestepping questions about whether this could leave open a role for Mr Assad.

The communique is largely a reaffirmation of what was said at the Geneva Conference in June 2012, reports the BBC's Jonathan Marcus at the summit in Enniskillen.

Sending signal
The G8 leaders agreed the joint statement on Syria after lengthy discussions at the end their two-day summit.

The seven-point document says that any future transitional government should be "formed by mutual consent".

It stresses that the leaders are united in wanting a negotiated and peaceful end to the conflict that will produce a government "under a top leadership that inspires public confidence."

However, both Russia and the West could interpret such phrasing as their diplomatic success at the summit, correspondents say.

The Kremlin refused to support any statement making Mr Assad's removal from power an explicit goal.

But speaking to reporters after the summit, President Putin said he did not feel "isolated" in Enniskillen despite clashing with other leaders.

At the same time, Mr Cameron pledged at a separate news conference "to learn the lessons from Iraq" by making sure key institutions of the state are maintained through any transition.

The prime minister said it was important to send a signal to the Syrian people that there would be a functioning state once Mr Assad was gone.

This could be seen as encouragement to the Assad supporters perhaps to begin thinking about a future without him, says our correspondent.

The joint statement also condemns "any use of chemical weapons in Syria" and urges both Damascus and the rebels at the Geneva conference "to commit to destroying and expelling from Syria all organisations and individuals affiliated to al-Qaeda and any other non-state actors linked to terrorism".

On the humanitarian front, the G8 leaders agreed to provide nearly $1.5bn (£960m) in new funds to help people affected by the raging conflict.

More than 4.25 million people have been displaced since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011.

More than 90,000 people have been killed, according to UN estimates.

In Enniskillen, the leaders also signed a declaration committing themselves to "fight the scourge of tax evasion" and promote free trade.

Vladimir Putin: Russia and US to draft Syria peace plan

Russia and the US will be responsible for drafting the "underlying principles" of a settlement to help end the Syrian crisis, the Russian president has confirmed.

Speaking at the end of the two-day summit in Northern Ireland, Vladimir Putin said some G8 members had agreed with the Russian position, that there was no proof that the ruling Assad regime had used chemical weapons, but that there were cases of opposition forces being caught with them.


The Russian president said that all evidence would be presented to the UN Security Council with Russia, as a permanent member, "actively assessing the situation".

via BBC News

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How sad it is!
How miserable what's been happening to the people, especially kids in Syria!
You have no known person in Syria?
Still I and you live in the same world.
Do you and do I think this such civil war in Syria is none of our business?
You know the answer if you have heart as human-being.

Why don't we make time to have peace talk?
Why don't we find some group which consider peace as the most valuable and the necessary in the world?
You know I am saying MANNAM International Association led by a peace leader, Man Hee Lee :)
We actualize Peace in our real lives! 

Come and join us!

MANNAM International Association

MANNAM : Word has peace and touches people's heart : J. Donald Walters

You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously.  
You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.

J. Donald Walters 

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When Light meets Light, there is Victory
Have you heard of it?
very familiar sound? :)

This is a main slogan of MANNAM Volunteer Association.
MANNAM Volunteer Association considers people who have willingness to help others regardless of Nationalities, Religion, Sex, Ages.. as light which is so necessary.
A person who is light meets another person who is so, there will be a victory beyond darkness.
It's what Man Hee Lee, such a peace advocate said.

MANNAM Peace : Peace Park Morokulien

+ Do you remember my previous post about DMZ world peace park in South Korea? I will add more of this :)  DMZ wolrd peace park in S Korea

In German
Morokulien ist der Name eines sechs Hektar großen Geländes beiderseits 
der Staatsgrenze von Schweden und Norwegen, etwa 111 Kilometer östlich von Oslo und 427 Kilometer westlich von Stockholm gelegen. Das Gelände gehört auf der einen Seite zu der norwegischen Gemeinde Eidskog in der Provinz (Fylke) Hedmark und auf der anderen Seite zu der schwedischen Gemeinde Eda in der Provinz (Län) Värmland. 1914 wurde hier anlässlich des 100-jährigen Friedens zwischen beiden Ländern ein Granitmonument errichtet, was deren Einheit und Freundschaft versinnbildlicht. Seitdem wird dieses kleine „neutrale Land“ auch als Platz des Friedens bezeichnet. In Morokulien befinden sich unter anderem Campingplätze, ein Informationszentrum, eine Amateurfunkstation, eine Freilichtbühne, eine Kapelle (Glockenturm in Norwegen – der Rest des Gebäudes in Schweden) sowie weitere Kuriositäten wie z. B. ein Postamt, das Briefmarken beider Länder verkauft und sie auch in beiden abstempelt. Jedes Jahr im Sommer finden hier ein Gottesdienst und weitere Feierlichkeiten statt.

Der Begriff Morokulien ist ein 1959 kreiertes Svorsk-Kofferwort und leitet sich von dem norwegischen Wort moro und dem schwedischen Wort kul ab, welche beide „Spaß“ bedeuten.

Morokulien ist weder ein selbständiger Zwergstaat noch eine Mikronation. Er unterliegt schwedischen und norwegischen Gesetzen. Die dortigen Aktivitäten werden von Friedensvereinigungen beider Länder organisiert.

Morokulien zählt zu den Peace Parks, da es einen Park darstellt, der über Landesgrenzen hinweg reicht.

In English

Morokulia is the name of six acres of grounds on both sides of the state border of Sweden and Norway , about 111 kilometers east of Oslo and 427 kilometers west of Stockholm located. The site is on the one side to the Norwegian community Eidskog in the province ( Fylke ) Hedmark and on the other side to the Swedish municipality of Eda in the province ( countries ) Värmland . 1914 here was the occasion of 100 years of peace between the two countries granite monument erected, which symbolizes their unity and friendship. Since then, this small is " neutral country "also known as a place of peace. In Morokulia are among other campsites, an information center, an amateur radio station , an open air theater, a chapel ( bell tower in Norway - the rest of the building in Sweden) and other curiosities such as a post office, the stamps sold in both countries, and they also abstempelt both. Each summer, here are a worship place and other celebrations.

The term Morokulia is a 1959 kreiertes Svorsk - portmanteau word and is derived from the Norwegian word moro and the Swedish word kul from, which both mean "fun".

Morokulia is neither an independent mini-state or a micro-nation . It is subject to Swedish and Norwegian laws . The activities are organized by local peace organizations of both countries.

Morokulia one of the Peace Park , as it is a park that stretches across national borders

In Korean
Morokulia은 여섯의 이름 에이커 의 상태 국경의 양쪽에 지상의 스웨덴 과 노르웨이 의 약 111 킬로미터 동쪽, 오슬로 와 427km 서쪽 스톡홀름 있습니다. 이 사이트는 노르웨이 사회의 한면에 Eidskog 지방 (에서 Fylke ) 마르크 와 스웨덴의 지방 자치에 다른 쪽 에다 지방 ( 국가 ) 베름 란드 . 여기에 1914 년 두 나라 사이에 평화의 100 년 즈음이었다 화강암 기념물 들의 화합과 우정을 상징 건립. 그 이후,이 작은 " 중립 평화의 장소로 알려진 나라 ". Morokulia의 다른 야영장, 정보 센터, 중입니다 아마추어 라디오 방송국 , 노천 극장, 예배당 ( 벨 타워 와 같은 우체국 등 다른 호기심, - 스웨덴에있는 건물의 나머지 노르웨이) 우표 그들은 또한 두 나라에서 판매, 그리고 모두 abstempelt. 매년 여름 여기입니다 예배 장소 및 기타 행사.
용어 Morokulia는 1959 kreiertes입니다 Svorsk - 합성어 단어 와에서 파생됩니다 노르웨이어 단어 모로 와 스웨덴어 단어 KUL 모두 "재미"를 의미에서.
Morokulia가 아닌, 독립적 인 미니 상태 또는 마이크로 민족 . 그것은 스웨덴어 노르웨이어 될 법 . 활동은 양국의 지역 평화 단체로 구성되어 있습니다.

Morokulia 한 평화 공원 이 국경을 가로 질러 뻗어 공원으로

Morokulien Peace Park Facebook page
http://www.do9bc.com/

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Haha It's so fun posting!(I am enjoying posting this very much!)
People gather together for peace regardless of nationality, language...
Peace would lead people to communicate to achieve it and while people achieve Peace, people communicate to understand each other better.
Peace is the Alpha and Omega.

MANNAM Peace News : S. Korea's Incheon city named World Book Capital for 2015

S. Korea's Incheon city named 
     World Book Capital for 2015

via Incheon's municipal internet news : http://enews.incheon.go.kr

INCHEON, July 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's western port city of Incheon has been chosen to be the World Book Capital for 2015 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), city officials said Saturday.

Incheon, just west of Seoul, assumed the title after the Selection Committee composed of experts representing the book industry and the U.N. agency met earlier this week in Paris, France.


World Book Capital is a title bestowed by UNESCO to a city in recognition of the quality of its programs to promote books and reading and the dedication of all players in the book industry.
The designation runs from UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day (April 23) of one year until April 22 of the following year.

The success of World Book and Copyright Day, launched in 1996, encouraged UNESCO to develop the concept of World Book Capital City, selecting Madrid as the Capital for 2001. This was again a success, and so UNESCO's General Conference resolved to make the designation of a World Book Capital City an annual event.

UNESCO invited the International Publishers Association, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and the International Booksellers Federation to participate in the nomination process, to ensure the three major branches of the book industry can participate in the decision.
The nomination does not include any financial prize; it rather acknowledges the best programmes dedicated to books and reading.

Yonhap News Agency
Wikipedia_my favorite!

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Who read books nowdays since we have such brand-new high-tech electronic tools!
Isn't it way faster to collect hot news by such electronics?
Waaaaaayyyyyyy better and faster, don't you think so?

BUT I love the smell from books, turning over pages of books, making time for reading, having coffee for reading, putting some book I havent finished yet at my bedside...
More over I so like the idea I can communicate with many many writers from all over the world via reading what they wrote to understand them, the world and YOU.
Since I believe communication with better understanding each other leads world peace :)

So I am glad :)

MANNAM peace news : Run for Peace(2)

He's been running all his life, running for freedom, running for peace.


 A tour of Iran\'s leisure landscape A tour of Iran's leisure landscape
"I was much more comfortable," he said. 
"I was running and exercising every day. I also worked as a mechanic on the officers' cars once they realized I wasn't a threat."

Baluchi says running kept him sane during his imprisonment. Once released, he returned to the cycling team. Baluchi and his teammates traveled to Germany for competition.
"At that point, I never wanted to go back to Iran," Baluchi said.
He spent the next four years competing with the German cycling team. 
Baluchi was taken aback by the level of admiration and respect he received. He had little education, no income and would sleep wherever he could lay his head.
Once he was granted a German passport, he set out for other destinations. With only a backpack and his bicycle, he steered clear of transportation by car or train for fear of getting caught. 
He says he stopped frequently to help the homeless, despite his own very limited resources.

"While in Morocco I rode by this old man who had torn-up shoes tied onto his feet," Baluchi said. "I gave him my own shoes and the only $2 I had left. Anything that I had, besides my bike, I would give away."
On another African stop, Baluchi says he spent a day rebuilding the roof of a damaged school. 
He says he made friends everywhere he went, and they took care of him as well. 
A Portuguese family gave him $2,000, which he mailed to Iran for his family. And a Colombian dentist fixed his teeth for no charge.
His life on the road -- running in a security vest adorned with the American and Iranian flags -- took him from China to Panama, France and New Zealand -- 55 countries in all. 
Communicating the message of love and peace.
Eighty-five flat tires later, Baluchi arrived at the U.S. border in Monterrey, Mexico, asking for a visa to enter America.
 After waiting three months with no document, Baluchi says he got lost while riding his bike in the desert.
"I was 27 miles in Arizona and I had no idea," he said. 
"I was awakened one morning by a helicopter hovering over my tent. It was border patrol. When they told me I was actually in the U.S. I started crying."
It was a year after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, and a Middle Eastern man riding alone in the desert might raise suspicions.

"I started speaking German, hoping they wouldn't know my nationality. Once the officer searched my tent and saw one of the newspaper headlines 'Iranian Runs Around the World for Peace,' he jumped back and put his hand on his gun."
Until my heart stops beating, I'll keep running for peace"


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What I've learnt is 'never give up'.
Since I have been into peace, I've met countless people who don't seem positive about achievement of world peace.
I know they've tried a lot(not everyone though) and a kind of failed to get what they longed for which is world peace.
But we are human being.
What does 'being' mean?
Its active, not like a spot(sometimes I love English by knowing how letters work together).

Let's be being!:)

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I am totally lost at this article in BBC news website.
Can anybody find this article's address to share such this cool story with many people?
That would be so great(at the same time that would prove how I can be silly .......only sometimes..).

MANNAM peace news : Run for Peace(1)

He's been running all his life, running for freedom, running for peace.

It started when he ran away from home at the age of eight. 
Later he ran away from his homeland, Iran, and spent seven years on a bicycle, pedaling 49,700 miles across 55 countries.

In 2002, he reached America. 
He now lives in a tent in Death Valley.
It's been nearly 10 years since Reza Baluchi escaped from Iran. 
He has run across the United States twice and around its perimeter once. 
He sets out on every journey with the same mission: to spread a message of world peace.

Baluchi plans to begin his next extended run in Israel and finish atop the highest peak on earth -- Mount Everest. 
His route will take him through the Middle East, including Iran. 
He'd be going home for the first time since escaping on his bike.

"I got tired of having no freedom," he said. 
"I would wear a t-shirt and they would stop me. I'd grow out my hair and they'd make me cut it. I traveled out of the country with the cycling team and never came back."

Baluchi grew up in the northern Iranian city of Rasht, the youngest of eight children including a brother permanently traumatized by his service in the Iran-Iraq war. 
His family barely made a living from their rice farm. 
He would run seven miles to school, and back home, every day.

Baluchi ran away from home after upsetting his mother and getting a beating. He fled on foot, running more than 300 miles to Isfahan where he stayed with his aunt and uncle and continued his schooling. 
Despite his young age, Baluchi helped support that family by working as a mechanic, running another 14 miles to work after class each day.

His athletic abilities didn't go unnoticed; he was recruited to join the national cycling team at 14. 
Baluchi cycled and won numerous competitions through his teen years.

He also fell away from Islam, the state-sponsored religion of Iran. 
He says he was a peaceful activist -- and got in trouble for associating with dissidents. 
At 19, he was arrested by a government militia known as the Basij for eating during Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims are expected to fast. 
Baluchi was wearing a Michael Jackson t-shirt and carrying "banned pre-revolutionary videotape" -- a romantic movie.

He says he spent the next 45 days imprisoned in a torture cell.
"Every day they tortured me," Baluchi said. 
"They broke my shoulder; I cried. 
They would hit me with a baton and burn me with skewers."

He says he was frequently beaten unconscious and, on some occasions, hung from a tree by his wrists.
"My hands had turned completely black from the dead blood; I thought I would have to cut them off. Every day I prayed that I die. Every day I would cry. I thought it would be better if they just killed me so I wouldn't have to suffer."
After questioning his family and investigating his intentions, Baluchi says the Basij deemed him essentially harmless. 
He was removed from the torture cell, and spent the next 18 months jailed under less threatening conditions.

MANNAM peace news : Mandela’s progress ‘remarkable’ as world celebrates his 95th birthday

South Africa: Mandela’s progress ‘remarkable’ as world celebrates his 95th birthday

Outside the hospital in Pretoria where the former president is being treated, 

well-wishers reached for balloons bearing his image.

via BBC news

The health of former president Nelson Mandela is “steadily improving”, while Barack Obama sends his family’s wishes for Madiba’s 95th birthday.
“Madiba remains in hospital in Pretoria, but his doctors have confirmed that his health is steadily improving,” spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement.

Mandela was admitted into a Pretoria hospital on June 8 with a recurrent lung infection.
Until now, his condition has been described as critical but stable.

Zuma said: “On behalf of government and all the people of South Africa, we wish Madiba a joyous 95th birthday … We are proud to call this international icon our own as South Africans and wish him good health.”
Zindzi Mandela said her father was making “remarkable” progress in hospital.
“He responds very well …  with his eyes, and he nods and sometimes he lifts his hand like to shake your hand,” she told Britain’s Sky News on Wednesday.
‘He continues to amaze us’ “There was a time that we were all extremely anxious and worried, and we were prepared for the worst,” said Zindzi. “But he continues to amaze us every day.”
“We thank all our people for supporting Madiba throughout the hospitalisation with undying love and compassion,” said President Jacob Zuma on Thursday.
“We also thank all for responding to the call to give Madiba the biggest birthday celebration ever this year.”

Last week, former president Thabo Mbeki also suggested Mandela might be discharged from hospital soon.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama paid warm tribute to Mandela for his birthday.

Obama’s message came as admirers around the world prepared to honour the former South African president’s legacy with a wave of charitable acts.
Obama, who visited South Africa last month but was unable to see Mandela because of his illness, was fulsome in his praise of the former statesman.
“Our family was deeply moved by our visit to Madiba’s former cell on Robben Island during our recent trip to South Africa, and we will forever draw strength and inspiration from his extraordinary example of moral courage, kindness, and humility,” Obama said in a statement.

Mandela Day In 2009, July 18 was declared as Mandela Day to honour the former statesman, with people encouraged to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to nation-building and charity in recognition of his service towards securing democracy and restoring human dignity.
Obama called on people to honour the elderly leader by taking part in Nelson Mandela Day on Thursday, when admirers around the world will uphold his legacy with charitable acts.
Biker gangs will clean the streets, volunteers will paint schools and politicians will spend 67 minutes on worthy projects – all to mark Mandela’s 67 years of public service.

In Danville, Pretoria, Zuma himself will try to channel Mandela’s cross-community appeal by delivering government housing to poor whites.
Children in schools around the country will kick off the day by singing “Happy Birthday” to the former prisoner, who also marks 15th anniversary of his marriage to third wife Graça Machel.
The government will also host a ceremony for the symbolic handing over of Mandela’s new high-tech ID card, which will be received by Zindzi.
The event is laden with symbolism in a country where apartheid was enforced by pass books, which black citizens were forced to carry and which limited movement to certain areas at certain times.

‘Make the world a better place’ Global luminaries, pop stars and ordinary people around the world have joined South Africans in pledging support for Mandela on his birthday.
“I will also be giving my 67 minutes to make the world a better place, one small step at a time,” UK business magnate Richard Branson vowed in a recorded message.

In Manila, capital of the Philippines, 50 abandoned street children will get a television studio tour and see performances by local artists.
On Saturday, the Australian city of Melbourne will hold a concert featuring local and African artists, while a music festival later this year in Norway will promote equality in schools.

Negotiating the end to apartheid Born on July 18,1918, Mandela fought against minority rule in South Africa as a young lawyer and was convicted of treason in 1964.

He spent the next 27 years in jail.
It was in part through his willingness to forgive his white jailers that Mandela made his indelible mark on history.
After negotiating an end to apartheid, he became South Africa’s first black president, drawing a line under centuries of colonial and racist suppression.
He then led reconciliation in the deeply divided country.

Mandela’s peace-making spirit has won him worldwide respect.
“Never before in history was one human being so universally acknowledged in his lifetime as the embodiment of magnanimity and reconciliation as Nelson Mandela,” said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, himself a Nobel Peace laureate.
But the sunset of Mandela’s life has been somewhat eclipsed by bitter infighting among his relatives.

A row over his final resting place has seen three of his children’s graves dug up and their remains moved amid public brawling and legal action among his children and grandchildren. – Sapa, Reuters

Children waved South African flags at the Milton Mbekela school in the village of Qunu, Mr Mandela's boyhood home.

via BBC news

via:http://www.muslimnews.co.uk

+
The news was written in Muslimnews,
Photos taken are full of African people,
Korean girl is posting this to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 95 birthday.
How powerful a peace maker is?
How credible a peace leader can change the world?
How important to have a peace activist in the world?
Africa and more of Africa need him to have peace.
Then who can be the next candidate who can reach out the whole world with inner and outer PEACE?
The sole divided country, South Korea has a right to tell PEACE.
And this such country has the answer.

MANNAM : Word has peace and touches people's heart : Thich Nhat Hanh and peace advocate, Man Hee Lee

Everyday we do things, we are things that have to do with peace.
If we are aware of our life, our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh
via http://records.photodharma.net/

Thích Nhất Hạnh(born October 11, 1926) is a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. 
He lives in the Plum Village Monastery in the Dordogne region in the South of France, travelling internationally to give retreats and talks. 
He coined the term Engaged Buddhism in his book Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire. 
A long-term exile, he was given permission to make his first return trip to Vietnam in 2005.

Nhất Hạnh has published more than 100 books, including more than 40 in English. 
Nhat Hanh is active in the peace movement, promoting non-violent solutions to conflict.

Man Hee Lee
via Stevens Lee's blog

Lee was born into a farming family in Gyeongbuk Cheongdo, on September 15, 1931, and claims to be the descendant of royalty from the Joseon Dynasty. His name was given to him by his grandfather, who had supposedly dreamt of a light emerging from the heavens before Lee was born. Lee was thus named "Man Hee (Hanja: 萬熙)", which means a complete and perfect light.


+
peace activist...
Peace leader..
Peace maker..
Peace advocate..

In the present age, who is the true PEACE ADVOCATE?

MANNAM peace news : Peace has been happening in DMZ, South Korea.

: Benchmarking German Berlin Mauerpark

via Donga News

South Korea government led by the president, Gun-Hye Park is in the process of benchmarking Berlin Mauerpark in Germany to build DMZ world peace park 
South Korea government officials referred "South Korea DMZ world peace park will be benchmarked by Berlin Mauerpark in Germany".
Berlin Mauerpark is the biggest peace park in Berlin is built in 300m from the Berlin Wall.

Mauerpark
via http://www.wasistlandschaft.de

Gi-ung Son, the president of South Korea DMZ society said Morokulien Peace Park is the first world peace park built in 1914 at the border between Norway and Sweden after the war between Norway and Sweden in 1910.

Morokulien peace park
via change on borders

Gun-hye Park has a special interest in Germany since this such country has faithful relationship with North Korea and she considers Angela Dorothea Merke, German Prime Minister as the closest international political personage.


+Some people might say "The day of absolute peace seems to be latter Lammas in the Korean Peninsula".
But well figure out what's going on here :)
I will post the 10th Cheorwon DMZ International Peace marathon in 8th, Sept in South Korea this year.
I will gladly join this marathon competition with full of heart for PEACE ;)
You can simply join me! 

MANNAM peace : Pray For Syria

Syria Conflict Kills Over 5,000 Children
              'Pray For Syria,' Says Girl Survivor

By Justin Sarachik 

The lives of more than 5,000 children may have been lost to the civil war in Syria, according to recent reports, and now Open Doors USA has brought to international attention the testimonies of two young girls living in fear in the country where violence and killings have become almost a part of daily life for the nation's most innocent victims.

"It's scary. We hear a lot of bad stories about what is happening around us. On the streets there are soldiers everywhere. We see smoke from fighting and hear bombings all the time," said 13-year-old Youmna, a Christian girl who lives in Damascus, Syria with her sister, 10-year-old Nashita, according to Open Doors USA.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that around 100,000 people have been killed in the civil war between government forces and rebels, and among those numbers are 5,000 children under the age of 16.

"One day I was going to school by bus when we heard a shooting nearby," said Youmna. "So we all dived down, hiding under our seats, waiting until the shooting was over. Another day when we were at school there was an airplane very close by, threatening to bomb our school. We all had to go into the basement and stay away from the glass."

"My classmates and I were all very scared. Kids around me were crying and shouting at the teachers because they were so afraid. Some called their fathers crying to them that they wanted to go home," Nashita added.
The United Nations office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict can verify the reports of children being killed. To make matters worse, the children are sometimes being used as props of the war, and often 10-year-old boys are being used as combatants or porters.

Syria

Since March 2011, Syria has been embroiled in civil war in the wake of uprisings (considered an extension of the Arab Spring, the mass movement of revolutions and protests in the Arab world) against Assad and the neo-Ba'athist government. An alternative government was formed by the opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Coalition, in March 2012. Representatives of this government were subsequently invited to take up Syria's seat at the Arab League. The opposition coalition has been recognised as the "sole representative of the Syrian people" by several nations including the United States, United Kingdom and France


+One day I was thinking about becoming an adult.
There might be some people who want to grow up quickly to become an adult, but it's not my case.
Sometimes I believe I would like to be in unmature level(you need to figure out what I am saying deeply though).
Somehow the word of adult gives me an image of greed, desperate, desert, rejection, isolation and all the kinds of things..How terrible!
It's not right to say a kid is perfect(Because it's not! obviously!).
But sometimes we need to think like how kids do as we are already adults(Some are probably not).

+What do you reckon? :)