By IOAN GRILLO/MEXICO CITY

Who Is Killing Mexico's Musicians?

Monday, Dec. 24, 2007 By IOAN GRILLO/MEXICO CITY

The casket of singer Sergio Gomez is carried to the burial site at West Ridge Park Cemetery in Avon, Ind., on Dec. 12, 2007. Gomez was allegedly kidnapped, tortured and strangled by members of a Mexican gang after a performance in Morelia, Mexico.
The casket of singer Sergio Gomez is carried to the burial site at West Ridge Park Cemetery in Avon, Ind., on Dec. 12, 2007. Gomez was allegedly murdered by members of a drug gang.

Since the 1990s, popular Mexican singers have been increasingly crooning about Kalashnikovs and cocaine alongside their traditional ballads of hard work and lost love. Take "Contraband in the Border" by Valentin Elizalde, one of the thousands of drug ballads or narco corridos that are played in cantinas and parties from the mountains of Mexico to the immigrant ghettos of Los Angeles. "There was a big shoot-out/With 14 bullet-filled bodies/And the American government,/took away the marijuana" go the lyrics, as tubas and accordions drone out the melody to the rhythm of a German polka. In November 2006, gunmen ambushed and killed Elizalde and took out his manager and driver while injuring his cousin outside a cockfighting ring in the border city of Reynosa.
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Elizalde's murder is not an isolated incident. Singers have not just been chanting about the bloody drug violence ravaging their country; they have also been among its most prominent victims. At least 13 musicians have been killed — gunned down, burned or suffocated to death — since June 2006. The violence gained international attention earlier this month when three entertainers were killed in a week: a male singer was kidnapped, throttled and dumped on a road; a trumpeter was found with a bag on his head; and a female singer was shot dead in her hospital bed. (She was being treated for bullet wounds from an earlier shooting.)

The Mexican public was particularly shocked by the slaying of singer Sergio Gomez, who founded his band K Paz de la Sierra while he was an immigrant in Chicago. He had scored a recent hit with Pero Te Vas a Repentir, or "But You Will Have Regrets," a love song so catchy that half the country was humming it. Gomez was abducted after a concert in his native Michoacan state, beaten and burned and then strangled with a plastic cord.

Thousands mourned him at sprawling wakes in Michoacan, Mexico City and Chicago, where he was finally laid to rest. "Being a fan of Gomez, this news really makes me sad," Mexico City Police Chief Joel Ortega said during the wake here. "These things shouldn't happen in our country. Whatever the causes were, it is very sad. He was an extraordinary vocalist."

Investigators have yet to solve any of the 13 musician killings. Nor have they revealed any suspects, although they have said that drug gangs could be responsible. The same murkiness clouds most of the 2,500 slayings in Mexico this year that have been tallied by the leading Mexican newspapers in what they call "execution-meters." Those killings involve ambushes or abductions and appear to bear to marks of organized crime.

The federal government has held back from giving any hard numbers on drug-related murders. However, President Felipe Calderon insists he is winning the war against the trafficking cartels by making record cocaine seizures, extraditing kingpins to the United States and putting soldiers on the streets of the worst-hit towns and cities.

The slain entertainers all played related styles of music. Hailing from ranches and small towns in northern Mexico, the genre (which includes Banda, Nortena, Grupero and Durangense) combines Mexican folk melodies with the marching band ryhthms of German immigrants. The music has now evolved to include electric guitars and keyboards and is as popular in big Mexican and U.S. cities as it is in the countryside.

The musicians of these styles grew up in communities rife with drug traffickers, who often pay the entertainers to play at their parties and to write songs about them. The singers perform the drug ballads along with their love songs: the narco corridos have been among the biggest-selling records in the country.

The managers, fellow musicians and loved ones of the slain entertainers have been mum about pointing the finger at any suspects or motives. Some have said they fear for their own safety. Elijah Wald, author of a recent book on narco corridos, argues that entertainers are not being specifically targeted. They are just in the same circles as many drug traffickers and are caught up in the jealousies and arguments that afflict everyone in that world. "If you were to drop a bomb on a random party of drug traffickers you would always get a few musicians," Wald says. "Singers also attract the attention of people's wives and girlfriends, which could be enough to get them killed. The rising gangsters gain their reputation by proving how much they are cold-blooded psychos."

The real=life bloodshed has not damaged the posthumous popularity of the entertainers. Sales of Elizalde and Gomez records have rocketed since their deaths. This month, they were both nominated for 2008 Latin Grammys, which will be awarded in February.

Birth

"My meditation of him shall be sweet."—Psalm 104:34.

Peace

George Clooney, Don Cheadle Honored By Nobel Laureates

THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2007 02:50 PM EST

By Karen Salkin

Photo by: Bauer-Griffin; Jeff Snyder / FilmMagicGeorge Clooney, Don Cheadle Honored By Nobel Laureates | Don Cheadle, George Clooney
George Clooney and Don Cheadle accepted the Peace Summit Award Thursday for their work bringing attention to the atrocities in the Darfur Region of the Sudan.

"Don and I are here today to speak for those voices that can't be heard over the sound of the violence. We're here to plead for help," Clooney said during a news conference in Rome where the ceremony was held.

The two actors received the award for their efforts to bring peace to the war-torn area of Africa. The 8th World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates – a group that includes former President Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former Soviet President Michael Gorbachev – presented the award.

Referencing his father, newsman Nick Clooney, the actor said, "I'm the son of a journalist. And I understand that freedom of speech doesn't give you the right to run into a crowded theater and yell FIRE. Unless of course there is one. There is a fire!"

The Michael Clayton star, who was nominated for a Golden Globe Thursday, asked for "the United States to appoint a full time high level envoy, not just a part time professor, to engage all parties in aggressive peace talks," and called for “the rest of the world leaders to make this a priority."

He ended his speech by lauding the Laureates, who bestowed the honor on him. "You all here in this room have taught us so much. You've taught us that none of this comes easy… Taught us that Peace, like war, must be waged. And you taught us to walk into a room where someone might give you an award and spend the entire time asking for help. On behalf of the scores of people waging peace in Darfur… I can't tell you what an honor it is to be here. And thank you."

Play With Violence

US Prosecutor Unveils List of 10 Games to Avoid This Christmas
Lest your child get lost in a sea of unrelenting violence.
by Martin Robinson, IGN UK

UK, December 5, 2007 - The week's fear-monger comes in the shape of US Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who has just published her list of ten games for parents to boycott over Christmas. Providing some wonderfully succinct summaries of the accused games' content, the list highlights the titles most likely to turn younger gamers to a life of crime.

Speaking to the Detroit News about the extreme content of some of today's biggest selling games and franchises, Worthy said, "There is no way that anyone can convince me that the horribleness and gruesomeness of the crimes that we've been seeing is not somehow a result, at least in part, of the violent video game culture."

With her ability to cut the essence of these games, Worthy may well find herself a career writing the backs of future games boxes. The list, complete with comments, is as follows:

1. Grand Theft Auto
"Allows to players to act out crimes and rewards players for doing so."

2. Manhunt
"Revolves around the making of a snuff film."

3. Scarface
"Involves buying and selling drugs and killing hundreds of people."

4. 50 Cent: Bulletproof
"Rapper 50 cent is involved in a web of corruption, double crosses and shady deals that lead him on a bloody path through New York's drug underworld."

5. 300: The Video Game
"Invites game room gladiators to slice their way through the Persian army."

6. The Godfather
"Opens with a 'child's version' of the player witnessing the murder of his father."

7. Killer-7
"Experienced adult gamers call this the most violent and twisted game ever played."

8. Resident Evil 4
"Shoot outs involving massive crowds of enemies in large open areas. A typical play-through can result in the killing of up to 900 enemies."

9. God of War
"A sea of unrelenting violence"

10. Hitman: Blood Money
"Self-proclaimed 'most violent' game of a series. This game glamorizes killing."

Observe Your Mind As You Are

We tend to think that our feelings are separate from ourselves when we mentally observe them as an outside observer, such as with negative feelings, we either dwell on them or try to chase them away, considering these thoughts as an enemy force. Billions of dollars are spent each year in prescription drugs to presumably alleviate these thoughts and feelings. Yet in reality, our feelings are us. We are both the observer of our mind and the visitor inside, who feels and thinks. When we are able to recognize that we are one with our thoughts and feelings we can find our original Buddha nature and inner peace.

Death for Insult?

By MOHAMED OSMAN, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 2 minutes ago

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad."
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In response to the demonstration, teacher Gillian Gibbons was moved from the women's prison near Khartoum to a secret location for her safety, her lawyer said.

The protesters streamed out of mosques after Friday sermons, as pickup trucks with loudspeakers blared messages against Gibbons, who was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in prison and deportation. She avoided the more serious punishment of 40 lashes.

They massed in central Martyrs Square outside the presidential palace, where hundreds of riot police were deployed. They did not try to stop the rally, which lasted about an hour.

"Shame, shame on the U.K.," protesters chanted.

They called for Gibbons' execution, saying, "No tolerance: Execution," and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad."

Gibbons' chief lawyer, Kamal al-Gizouli, said she was moved from the prison for her safety for the final nine days of her sentence.

"They moved this lady from the prison department to put her in other hands and in other places to cover her and wait until she completes her imprisonment period," he said, adding that she was in good health.

"They want, by hook or by crook, to complete these nine days without any difficulties, which would have an impact on their foreign relationship," he said.

Several hundred protesters, not openly carrying weapons, marched from the square to Unity High School, about a mile away, where Gibbons worked. They chanted slogans outside the school, which is closed and under heavy security, then headed toward the nearby British Embassy. They were stopped by security forces two blocks away from the embassy.

The protest arose despite vows by Sudanese security officials the day before, during Gibbons' trial, that threatened demonstrations after Friday prayers would not take place. Some of the protesters carried green banners with the name of the Society for Support of the Prophet Muhammad, a previously unknown group.

Many protesters carried clubs, knives and axes — but not automatic weapons, which some have brandished at past government-condoned demonstrations. That suggested Friday's rally was not organized by the government.

A Muslim cleric at Khartoum's main Martyrs Mosque denounced Gibbons during one sermon, saying she intentionally insulted Islam. He did not call for protests, however.

"Imprisoning this lady does not satisfy the thirst of Muslims in Sudan. But we welcome imprisonment and expulsion," the cleric, Abdul-Jalil Nazeer al-Karouri, a well-known hard-liner, told worshippers.

"This an arrogant woman who came to our country, cashing her salary in dollars, teaching our children hatred of our Prophet Muhammad," he said.

Britain, meanwhile, pursued diplomatic moves to free Gibbons. Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke with a member of her family to convey his regret, his spokeswoman said.

"He set out his concern and the fact that we were doing all we could to secure her release," spokeswoman Emily Hands told reporters.

Most Britons expressed shock at the verdict by a court in Khartoum, alongside hope it would not raise tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims in Britain.

"One of the good things is the U.K. Muslims who've condemned the charge as completely out of proportion," said Paul Wishart, 37, a student in London.

"In the past, people have been a bit upset when different atrocities have happened and there hasn't been much voice in the U.K. Islamic population, whereas with this, they've quickly condemned it."

Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, accused the Sudanese authorities of "gross overreaction."

"This case should have required only simple common sense to resolve. It is unfortunate that the Sudanese authorities were found wanting in this most basic of qualities," he said.

The Muslim Public Affairs Committee, a political advocacy group, said the prosecution was "abominable and defies common sense."

The Federation of Student Islamic Societies, which represents 90,000 Muslim students in Britain and Ireland, called on Sudan's government to free Gibbons, saying she had not meant to cause offense.

"We are deeply concerned that the verdict to jail a schoolteacher due to what's likely to be an innocent mistake is gravely disproportionate," said the group's president, Ali Alhadithi.

The Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim youth organization, said Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir should pardon the teacher.

"The Ramadhan Foundation is disappointed and horrified by the conviction of Gillian Gibbons in Sudan," said spokesman Mohammed Shafiq.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans, said Gibbons' prosecution and conviction was "an absurdly disproportionate response to what is at worst a cultural faux pas."

Foreign Secretary David Miliband summoned the Sudanese ambassador late Thursday to express Britain's disappointment with the verdict. The Foreign Office said Britain would continue diplomatic efforts to achieve "a swift resolution" to the crisis.

Gibbons was arrested Sunday after another staff member at the school complained that she had allowed her 7-year-old students to name a teddy bear Muhammad. Giving the name of the Muslim prophet to an animal or a toy could be considered insulting.

The case put Sudan's government in an embarrassing position — facing the anger of Britain on one side and potential trouble from powerful Islamic hard-liners on the other. Many saw the 15-day sentence as an attempt to appease both sides.

In The Times, columnist Bronwen Maddox said the verdict was "something of a fudge ... designed to give a nod to British reproof but also to appease the street."

Britain's response — applying diplomatic pressure while extolling ties with Sudan and affirming respect for Islam — had produced mixed results, British commentators concluded.

In an editorial, The Daily Telegraph said Miliband "has tiptoed around the case, avoiding a threat to cut aid and asserting that respect for Islam runs deep in Britain. Given that much of the government's financial support goes to the wretched refugees in Darfur and neighboring Chad, Mr. Miliband's caution is understandable."

Now, however, the newspaper said, Britain should recall its ambassador in Khartoum and impose sanctions on the Sudanese regime.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless, David Stringer and Kate Schuman in London contributed to this report.

UN Facing Embarrassment

Sudan: Govt Obstacles Threaten Darfur Peacekeeping Mission, Say UN Officials

UN News Service (New York)

27 November 2007
Posted to the web 28 November 2007

New York

The full and rapid deployment of the hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is in jeopardy because of a series of objections and obstacles raised by the Sudanese Government and the lack of offers for crucial force units, senior United Nations officials warned the Security Council today.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno told an open debate on the war-torn region of western Sudan that with five weeks remaining before UNAMID is due to accept the transfer of authority from the existing AU peace operation, critical gaps in mobility capabilities remain.

The mission is short of one heavy and one medium transport unit, three military utility aviation units and one light helicopter unit, while an earlier pledge for one reconnaissance company has been withdrawn, he said.

"If no appropriate offers for these missing units are identified by early 2008, it may become necessary to revert to the Council to consider options to mitigate the lack of air mobility. This may require an increase in troops. But more troops will not 'replace' military aviation and they would also require more logistic support, more land, more water, and would likely not appear in Darfur until late 2008. Another sub-optimal last-resort measure would be to 'borrow' these capabilities from other missions."

He said that despite sincere efforts by the UN to address Sudanese concerns about the composition of the force, which is supposed to be predominantly African, the Government is yet to approve units from Thailand, Nepal and Scandinavia.

The Government has also not facilitated the acquisition of land and flight operations rights for UN aircraft, impeding the ability of UNAMID to carry out its mandate, while some of its proposals for the status of forces agreement with the UN "would make it impossible for the mission to operate."

Mr. Guéhenno said that unless these sorts of problems are resolved, the international community - which agreed at the end of July to authorize the deployment of UNAMID to quell four years of fighting and suffering that has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced at least 2.2 million others - may soon face a hard choice.

"Do we move ahead with the deployment of a force that will not make a difference, that will not have the capability to defend itself, and that carries the risk of humiliation of the Security Council and the United Nations, and tragic failure for the people of Darfur?"

Speaking to reporters later, he said: "If there is a humiliation, it will reverberate beyond Darfur to the whole idea of UN peacekeeping," noting that during a recent trip to China many countries in that region made clear that they have an increased confidence in UN missions after problems in the 1990s in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

"If we had one major setback, that confidence could be shattered. And then all the other countries in which peacekeeping has made a huge difference - I think of Liberia, I think of Sierra Leone, I think of Haiti today - would be at risk of not having this option of a UN peacekeeping operation when needed because the credibility of peacekeeping would have been once again challenged.

"And so avoiding such a tragedy, making sure that in Darfur, we meet the expectations, even if we do not meet all the expectations, that we make a real difference, that is really vital for the United Nations, for UN peacekeeping and for the people of Darfur."

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Darfur Jan Eliasson told the Council that Darfur's many splintering rebel groups are showing signs they are prepared to coalesce around two or three common alliances, but also warned that these unification efforts remain fragile.

In addition, Mr. Eliasson said he and his AU counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim believe that both the rebels and the Government will need "reasonable time" to finalize their preparations for peace talks scheduled for next month.

"We should not risk the credibility of this process by rushing to convene the substantive talks if we do not have a critical mass of participants ready for them. At the same time, we must maintain the momentum through continuous engagement with the [rebel] movements and with the Government of Sudan and remind them of their commitments to the AU and UN and of their obligations to the people of Darfur."

Mr. Eliasson noted that the atmosphere around the peace process "is now less positive than it was last [northern] summer," when the Council authorized the deployment of UNAMID and successful pre-negotiation consultations were held in Arusha, Tanzania, with many of the rebel groups.

He told reporters that the situation on the ground, particularly inside the increasingly unstable camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), remained worrying, adding more people are now dying from inter-tribal clashes than from Government clashes with rebels.
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BLUH-DUH

Hair of the People

Follow Through

U.N.: Darfur peacekeeping mission may fail



* Story Highlights
* U.N. says joint peacekeeping force may be unprepared to take over in Darfur
* Mission depends on Sudan quickly accepting units from outside Africa
* Force also requires contributing countries to offer critical equipment
* More than 200,000 people have died in Darfur since fighting broke out in 2003


UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- A joint peacekeeping force will not be prepared to take over in Darfur by the start of 2008 unless Sudan quickly accepts units from outside Africa and contributing countries offer critical equipment, a top U.N. official warned Wednesday.
art.african.union.afp.gi.jpg

Soldiers of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) Force Protection direct traffic in southern Darfur in 2007.

Jean-Marie Guehenno said the world could face a grim choice: either delay the takeover or start the deployment with an ill-equipped force that may not be able to protect its own peacekeepers, let alone civilians.

The United Nations has already been wrangling with Sudan over the U.N.-African Union mission for over a year while the conflict in Darfur has raged. More than 200,000 people have died since fighting broke out in 2003, and the peace process suffered a setback last month when key rebels boycotted talks in Libya.

Guehenno, the U.N. undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations, expressed frustration with Sudan for resisting critical contributions from Thailand, Nepal and Nordic countries. But he also criticized U.N. member countries for failing to offer helicopters and other equipment.

"If those issues are not addressed very shortly, it means the mission in 2008 will not be able to make the difference that the world wants to it to make and that it may become a failure," Guehenno told reporters after briefing the Security Council.

The 26,000-member force still needs 18 transport helicopter and 6 support light helicopters crucial for sending reinforcements swiftly in emergencies, he said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in constant talks with defense ministers around the world, but has yet to receive concrete offers, Guehenno said.

"I think it tells a sad story on the commitment for Darfur, frankly," he said.

He acknowledged that Sudan's reluctance to accept contributions from outside Africa may be deterring governments from pledging help.

The joint force is to takeover from a beleaguered 7,000-member African Union mission. But Sudan has yet to approve a list of contributing countries despite concessions to its demands that the force be predominantly African.

Diplomats said the Security Council would soon reconvene to discuss what to do about the problem, but offered no indications about possible steps.

10 Best Food You Aren't Eating

Check em Out

Confrontation

Oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord, yeah!

Well, it's not easy,
It's not easy
Speak the truth, come on, speak. Eh, now!
It ever cause it what it will:
He who hide the wrong he did
Surely did the wrong thing still.

Yet in the studio of -
Studio of time and experience
Here we experience the good and bad;
What we have, and what we had -
This session (session),
Not just another version (version).
Oh Lord, give me a session (session),
Not another version (version)!
There's so much stumbling blocks right in-in our way:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday;
There's so much wanting, so much to gain, so much I've done.

Too much little mix-up, in the mix-up, yes!
Too much little mixed up!
Too much of this mix up - mix up!

I was born in the country, right on top of the hill
I still remain, I know I still, I will-a,
But through your f...in' respect and through your false pride
Someone wanna take Jah - Jah - Jah children for a ride!
Shut up! Open the gate, and let the saints through.

Please make it a session (session);
Not another version (version);
Ooh, please make it a session (session);
Not another version (version)!

Hey, you been talkin' all your mouth full of lies,
Everyone's tumbling and, Lord, they criticize.
But through the eyes of the fool the deaf is wise,
And through the eyes of the wise, the fool his size.

Sayin, too much mix up - mix up!
Too much mix up - mix up!

I wanna clear the wheel once and for all;
I wanna clear my wheels, I don't care who fall!
I gotta clear my wheels once and for all;
Clear my wheels, I don't care who fall - fall:
(Too much mix-up - mix-up!)
---
/Guitar solo/
---
Hey! Mr. Music, why don't you wanna play?
Don't you know today is a bright holiday? (holiday)
Some people waiting for the message that you bring,
They're listening to every word that you'll sing.

Singing: (too much mix-up - mix-up -
(Too much little mix up!)
Would you groove along now
(Too much mix up - mix up), yeah!
Yes, would you groove along now
(Too much little mix-up!)
They just can't stop you know
(Too much mix-up - mix-up)! /fadeout/

You Know What Time It Is

Natty O's

First Game in New Stadium Will be Against O's

November 13, 2007 - 1:57pm

WASHINGTON - It will be a local affair when the Nationals cut the ribbon on their new stadium next year in Southeast D.C.

The Nats will play the Orioles in an exhibition game Saturday, March 29 of 2008.

No single tickets will be sold for the exhibition game.

The free tickets for that game will be distributed to season ticketholders, construction workers who built the stadium in Southeast and D.C. children.

The first regular season game will either be the following Friday, April 4, 2008 or Monday, April 7, 2008. Major League Baseball has not yet decided.

(Copyright 2007 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

She Keeps On Passing Me By

For twenty seven years
I’ve always sought the Way.
Well, this morning we passed
Like strangers on the road.

- Kokuin (10th century)

Sausage Stampede

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Explosive Savings

TOKYO (AFP) - Greying Japan has a new weapon to scare people into saving for their retirement -- an exploding piggy bank.

The "Savings Bomb," which goes on sale in Japan next week, "explodes" and scatters coins if users fail to save for a long time, toy manufacturer TOMY Co Ltd said Thursday.

The battery-powered toy -- designed as a cartoon-style, ball-shaped black bomb with a skull and crossbones logo -- lights up, makes a noise, shakes violently and scatters coins if it is not topped up for a long time.

"Users must pick up and collect the scattered coins and reflect on their laziness," the Japanese company said.

Japan has the world's oldest population and one of the lowest birthrates, raising fears of a future demographic crisis with a smaller pool of workers financially supporting a growing number of elderly.

Blood Diamond

Côte d'Ivoire: Diamonds From Country Need Cleaning

Inter Press Service (Johannesburg)

8 November 2007
Posted to the web 9 November 2007

David Cronin
Brussels

A new initiative for preventing diamonds from financing conflict in the Cote d'Ivoire has been agreed at an international conference in Brussels.

Since 2005 export of rough diamonds from Cote d'Ivoire has been banned by the United Nations due to violation of a ceasefire agreement between the Abidjan government and the New Forces guerrillas, which control the north of the country.

The embargo does not appear to have prevented Ivorian diamonds from entering Europe.

Last month it was reported that Belgian judicial authorities had confiscated 14 million euros (21 million dollars) worth of illegal diamonds of Ivorian origin. This was despite a screening system introduced by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre to block 'conflict diamonds' - gemstones sold to fund a war effort. Antwerp and London are Europe's two largest centres for trading diamonds.

The Cote d'Ivoire was one of the major topics of discussion at the annual conference of the Kimberley Process - a grouping of 73 countries - in Brussels Nov. 5-8.

The Kimberley Process was launched in South Africa in 2000, when a number of governments met to examine how trade in illicit diamonds could be halted. Most observers feel that it has brought tangible benefits, especially through introduction of an international scheme for certifying the origin of diamonds in 2003.

Participants agreed that there should be a new effort to improve controls on rough diamonds from Cote d'Ivoire, with particular attention paid to its neighbouring countries. This follows concerns raised by the UN Security Council about involvement of Malian smuggling rings in shipping Ivorian diamonds abroad.

In November 2006, the Kimberley Process agreed with Ghana that a number of measures should be taken, following indications that Ivorian diamonds could have been transported through this West African country.

Karel Kovanada, the European Union official currently chairing the Kimberley Process, said that the modalities of this approach will have to be worked out by experts but that it will probably imply greater use of on-the-spot checks. Ghana's exports already go through "extraordinary controls", he told IPS.

But hampering Ivorian shipments that go via its other neighbours may prove trickier. Unlike Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso have not yet joined the Kimberley Process. According to Kovanda, however, they have indicated their willingness to cooperate with it.

"The borders of Cote d'Ivoire are porous," said Ian Smillie, research coordinator with Partnership Africa Canada, an independent group that works to build sustainable human development in Africa. "The borders of its neighbours are also porous. Diamonds don't stop in Burkina Faso, if that is where they are going. They all reach world markets in Europe, the U.S., Japan and India."

During the 1990s, diamonds were a significant factor in the civil wars that devastated Angola, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Nearly 4 billion dollars worth of diamonds are believed to have passed through the hands of the Angolan rebel group UNITA in the 1992-98 period.

Smillie said that the proportion of conflict diamonds in the overall diamond trade may have fallen from 15 percent to less than 1 percent. "The Kimberley Process and other efforts helped to end this trade," he said.

Although the Process is based on voluntary regulation, countries which do not belong to it may not sell diamonds to countries that do. And countries where controls are deemed lax may be suspended from the Process. This happened in the case of Congo-Brazzaville. After providing an explanation on why there was a gulf between rough diamond exports from the central African country and its actual capacity for production, it was re-admitted this week.

Smillie urged that laws be introduced to ensure that countries carry out audits and checks on diamonds. "Industry has asked for tougher government controls on industry," he noted. "This is unusual. I can't think of many industries that would ask for tougher controls. But it is all voluntary. What I would like to see in the months and years ahead is that more governments adopt these and make them compulsory within their own jurisdictions."

Eli Izhakoff, chief executive with the World Diamond Council in New York, said it is "unprecedented" for an industry to seek the kind of controls that he favours over gemstone trading centres.

"Our policy is one conflict diamond is one diamond too much," he told IPS. "We are doing everything in our power, together with NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and governments, to make sure the right controls are in place. We have done a lot but of course there is more to be done."

But Charmian Gooch, director of Global Witness, the organisation which exposed the role of diamonds in Angola's civil war, is not convinced that industry is being sufficiently vigilant.

Gooch said that one of the problems with the certification scheme introduced in 2003 is that it is not accompanied by an "oversight and verification mechanism", and does not provide for independent analysis of data.

"This resulted in a voluntary system of self-regulation parallel to the Kimberley Process because governments refused to take proper responsibility for the oversight of their own industries," she said.

"Independent monitoring neither takes place nor is required to verify industry compliance with such measures. This self-regulation will remain inadequate as long as it is not backed up by independent monitoring and government oversight. The diamond industry has failed to live up to its promise to create an auditable tracking system to ensure that diamonds are conflict-free."

Five Loafs and Two Fish

Damian Marley Lyrics

"Damian Marley One Loaf Of Bread (something For You) lyrics"

Yeah!! Christ feed the multitude wid only one loaf a bread [x2]

Christ feed the multitude wid only one loaf a bread! Poor people
There is something for you dont let the pressures of the system
Get upon ya head, Poor people there is something for you

Mankind cares not for his sisters anymore, still there is something for you
Writen in the the book of life we shall live forever more,
There will be something for...

Rasta works a manifest an it a blossom an a bloom,
Nature always run it course the tide is rising wit the moon,
It only take a spark to put a fyah to da fume,
What is hidden in the dark shall be revealed so very soon,
Tell Pharoah free the prisoners from the dungeon an the doom,
Tell di youths fi natty-dread an babylon put dem inna platoon,
Di trials an di perils deepa dan di blue lagoon,
Dem nuh wan fi nuh dem history yuh nuh see say dem a goon

Christ fed the multitude wid only one loaf a bread! Poor people
There is something for you dont let the pressures of the system
Get upon ya head, Poor people there is something for you
Mankind cares not for his sisters anymore, still there is something for you!
Each an every time yuh see we forward offa tour, there will be something for...

Jah gave Moses 10 commandments upon two tables of stone,
Led Israel out of Egypt an den promise them a home,
Samson slew the Philisteens wid a donkey jaw bone,
An david slew goliath wid a two two wey crome,
Blessed be da man wey walketh not inna de war zone,
Blessed be di man wey hair natty nappy an grown, blessed be di herbs
Wey keep we higher, nappy an stone, Fyah fi a man wey se'dung inna
Babylon throne, curious woman go a dance an lef dem pickney dem alone,
Cannot tek care off ya'self de gidian ready nuh roam,
Population unda pressure still dem have more man a clown,
An always tell dat which has been lost has not been found.

Christ fed the multitude wid only one loaf a bread! Poor people
There is something for you dont let the pressures of the system
Get upon ya head, Poor people there is something for you
Mankind cares not for his sisters anymore, still there is something for you!
Written in the book of life we shall live forever more..still there is something.. (Aye)

Christ feed the multitude wid only one loaf a bread [x3]

I think therefore I am

Courtesy of the Daily Buddha Blog

Thanks Jim...

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him. - Buddha

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become. - Buddha

All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else. - Buddha

An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea. - Buddha

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. - Buddha

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. - Buddha

Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little. - Buddha

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done. - Buddha

It is better to travel well than to arrive. - Buddha

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. - Buddha

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. - Buddha

Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. - Buddha

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. - Buddha

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. - Buddha

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Buddha

You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger. - Buddha

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it. - Buddha

Frank Lucas and Nicky Barnes

Lords of Dopetown

Frank Lucas and Nicky Barnes once ruled the drug trade in Harlem. They came out of retirement to talk business.

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• By Mark Jacobson
• Published Oct 25, 2007

Nicky Barnes, left, and Frank Lucas (Photo: From left, Tyrone Dukes/The New York Times/Redux; PR Newsfoto/BET Networks/Newscom)

During the Harlem heroin plague of the seventies, few dealers were bigger than Frank Lucas and Leroy “Nicky” Barnes. Both made millions selling dope, lived the wide-brimmed-hat high life, enabled the addiction of whole neighborhoods, and, eventually, got caught. Both were locked up and later cooperated with authorities—some might call it snitching. Now, with Lucas confined to a wheelchair and Barnes in some Witness Protection Program locale, each is the subject of a current film. Barnes reports on his life and times in the flava-full documentary Mr. Untouchable. Lucas hit the ultimate Hollywood jackpot, getting Denzel Washington, no less, to play him in American Gangster (reviewed this week in “The Culture Pages”).

SEE ALSO:
Mark Jacobson's 2000 Profile of Frank Lucas

And so, three decades after their heyday, these former street titans are still generating commerce. This makes sense, as both insist they were businessmen, first and foremost. The trick for an ambitious black man in the seventies dope game was to minimize the sway of the Italian distributors who had controlled the Harlem scene for decades. Using sheer volume as an edge, Barnes cut increasingly favorable deals with his Mafia partners. He had the biggest clientele—hundreds of thousands of repeat (and repeat) buyers. It was a captive market, and he was their low-cost retailer. Lucas, more of a boutique operator, managed to bypass the Italians altogether by establishing the grisly but exceedingly lucrative “cadaver connection”—a direct line from Asia’s “Golden Triangle” poppy growers straight to 116th Street, smuggling heroin inside the coffins of American soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.

When the possibility emerged that these two old-school street rivals might be willing to engage in what could only be called a historic conversation—they haven’t spoken in 30 years—it was easy to envision yelling, phone slamming, and maybe even a death threat or two. Lucas, as I knew well (from writing in this magazine the original piece upon which American Gangster is based), could go off at any moment. And Barnes, who likes to quote Moby-Dick and King Lear, mocks Lucas’s “country boy” lack of education and perceived lack of finesse in Mr. Untouchable. When it came down to it, however, the two old drug-kingpins-in-winter revealed a familiarity that bordered on a kind of love. Or at least respect for a fellow tycoon.

NICKY BARNES: Hey, hey, what’s up, playa?

FRANK LUCAS: Hey, Nick.

NB: I heard you’re in a wheelchair. What’s going on?

FL: Broke a leg, Nick. Two places.

NB: Damn.

FL: So what’s with you, man?

NB: Chilling, dude.

MARK JACOBSON: You two guys talking is something of an occasion. Ever think you’d be in the history books?

NB: I don’t know about history—

FL: Hey, Nick! I told everybody and their momma you’ll be hooking up with me in Harlem in the next two years.

NB: You won’t see me in Harlem … I gave up 109 federal felony offenses ’cause I had powder in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Too many people would be gunning for me in New York.

FL: Come on, Nick, you don’t give a damn about them little kamikazes out in the street. I been knowing you for fortysomething years.

MJ: Do you remember when you guys first met?

FL: When was it, Nick? The night you come outta jail. Was that 1970, ’69, ’68?

NB: Yeah, ’70. We met through Jimmy Terrell. Remember Jimmy Terrell? Remember Goldfinger?

FL: ’Course I remember the Goldfinger.

NB: We were in Smalls, drinking. You remember this dude Prat that had that habitual stool right next to—

FL: Yeah, Prat! He didn’t live long after that, did he?

NB: Somebody knocked him over. He owed somebody some money or something.

FL: Right. He was going at somebody’s woman…

MJ: You guys have been described as being competitors. Is that true?

FL: Well, Nick wasn’t gonna catch me—I was paying $4,000 a key. Nick, you was probably paying $65,000 or $70,000, weren’t you?

NB: During that time I was paying $35,000.

FL: And I was paying $4,000. So there was no fight then.¹

MJ: Which one of you guys had the best dope?

FL: Mark, here you go! Stirring shit up. Man, I had the best dope in the world. I had 98 to 100 percent pure.

NB: Frank had a nice package, no doubt. I had to get a pen and a pad and mediate my stuff. But when you took the mix out, my thing was close to his. Close enough for somebody not to wait on one when they could get the other. Frank, you were mostly on 116th Street, right?

FL: Yeah.

NB: Well, I had powder in all five boroughs. Not just uptown.

FL: You were big, Nick, all over.

Next: "Nick is a good dude who should be glorified, not me."

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Guilty Pleasure

Aid Will Continue

Chad won't impede aid groups despite arrests

• Story Highlights
• Chad had arrested six French nationals on kidnapping charges
  
• "Zoe's Ark" tried to fly 103 kids to Europe, saying the kids were Darfur orphans
  
• France, Chad doubt children were Darfur orphans
  
• Chad said other humanitarian efforts would continue unimpeded
  

N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) -- Chad assured humanitarian groups Wednesday that it would not hinder their efforts along the border with Darfur because of charges that a French group kidnapped children whom it falsely labeled orphans from the conflict.

Chad Justice Minister Albert Padacke, right, holds the youngest of the 103 children who were to go to France.

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Seventeen Europeans have been detained since Thursday after authorities thwarted an attempt by a group calling itself Zoe's Ark to fly the African children to Europe, where the group said it intended to place them with host families.

Six French citizens were charged with kidnapping, raising concerns that the government could restrict the work of humanitarian organizations.

Chad said humanitarian efforts would continue unimpeded.

"Anyone not implicated in this affair ... and who work in other humanitarian assistance organizations, need not concern themselves with, nor be concerned by, those who would substitute themselves for justice to fill their empty accounts," said a statement attributed to Communications Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor and read on national radio Wednesday.

He reiterated that the case would have no bearing on a European Union plan to deploy 3,000 peacekeepers to protect refugees in strife-torn regions of Chad and neighboring Central African Republic.

The French Foreign Ministry and others have cast doubt on the claims by the little-known group that the children are Darfur orphans, suggesting many are from Chad and their parents are still alive.

If convicted, the six French nationals face up to 20 years in Chadian prison with hard labor.

Three French journalists traveling with the Zoe's Ark members and a seven-member flight crew were charged with complicity in the alleged crime. A Belgian pilot is also under detention, but hasn't been charged.

French Justice Minister Rachida Dati said France and Chad had an agreement that would enable the French nationals to face trial at home, but added that Chad had not yet chosen to act on it.

More than 300,000 Darfur refugees are living in camps along the Sudanese border, having fled four years of conflict that has left more than 200,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced from their homes.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Tuesday criticized the French group and expressed hope that the case didn't discredit other nongovernmental organizations doing "remarkable work" in Chad and Darfur -- "and which now are suffering suspicion and violence."

Zoe's Ark was founded in 2005 by volunteer firefighter Eric Breteau.

According to its Web site, the group announced in April an operation for "evacuating orphans from Darfur."

The group launched an appeal for host families and funding.

Established French aid and adoption agencies raised questions about how the group could legally organize adoption of children from Darfur, and alerted French judicial authorities, according to French newspaper reports.

The French Foreign Ministry in August warned families to be careful about involvement in the group's operation.

Still, some 300 families reportedly signed up to adopt or foster children, and many were waiting at a French airport last week for the children when they heard members of the group had been arrested. The charity said its intentions were purely humanitarian. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Concept Car

In this artist rendering released by Toyota Motor Corp. ahead of Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to public in Chiba, east of Tokyo, on Oct. 27, 2007, a toylike "concept" car called Rin is shown. The green-and-beige model has a transparent floor, huge windows and doors that slide open like Japanese "shoji" screens so its interior appears to blend with its surroundings for what Toyota called a soothing ride. (AP Photo)

Natural State

To be able to be unhurried when hurried;
To be able not to slack off
When relaxed; to be able not to be
Frightened and at a loss for what to
Do when frightened and at a loss;
This is the learning that returns us
To our natural state and
Transforms our lives.

- Liu Wenmin (early 16th cent)

Killer Keller

Keller Williams to release new CD in December

Keller Williams has been called guitar’s mad-scientist, a one-man band for the new millennium, and dozens of other clever sobriquets dreamed up by fans and music journalists trying to get a handle on his uplifting and ever-shifting style of music. Though Keller’s music has evolved since he first started playing music over twenty years ago, some things have remained constant: Keller is a prolific artist, an exceptional guitarist, and an accomplished songwriter. Now, Keller’s twelfth album release looks back at a ground-breaking and already remarkable career. Aptly titled 12 , the album features one standout song from each of his previous eleven releases. Keller himself dubs this his album of “hitless greatest hits.” Added to the mix is one new, previously un-recorded song. While the Keller Williams adventure has only just begun, 12 is a fantastic celebration of a musical milestone.

Also this fall, Keller Williams and The WMD’S will tour the east coast. The WMD’S features Williams on guitar/vocals, Keith Moseley on bass (The String Cheese Incident), Gibb Droll on guitar (Marc Broussard), and Jeff Sipe on drums (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Trey Anastasio, Susan Tedeschi, Phil Lesh). The WMD’S debuted at select festival performances this past summer, including an epic and electrifying Bonnaroo show. Their November run of shows brings them to indoor venues for headlining shows.

T

Higashi Hongan Ji

So Far Away From Me

Not Far from Buddhahood

A university student while visiting Gasan asked him: "Have you ever read the Christian Bible?"

"No, read it to me," said Gasan.

The student opened the Bible and read from St. Matthew: "And why take ye thought for rainment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these... Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."

Gasan said: "Whoever uttered those words I consider an enlightened man."

The student continued reading: "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

Gasan remarked: "That is excellent. Whoever said that is not far from Buddhahood."

Congressional Gold Medal

Dalai Lama to Visit D.C. Next Week
Thousands of Buddhists Expected as Leader Is Honored

By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 10, 2007; B01

Thousands of Buddhists from around the world are expected in Washington next week, including some of the most senior teachers in Tibetan Buddhism as well as devotees arriving on all-night buses, to see the Dalai Lama receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States' highest civilian honor.

Advocates close to the exiled Tibetan spiritual and political leader say the award, which will be presented next Wednesday in the Capitol Rotunda, is the most significant tribute to the Dalai Lama since he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. President Bush will attend the ceremony, the first time a sitting U.S. president has met in public with the Dalai Lama, whom Chinese officials consider a secessionist agitator for his work to give Tibetans more autonomy.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a longtime advocate of the Dalai Lama's, will host the Rotunda ceremony.

The U.S House and Senate voted last year to give the Dalai Lama the medal, which describes him as "the unrivaled spiritual and cultural leader of the Tibetan people . . . recognized in the United States and throughout the world as a leading figure of moral and religious authority." The bill's sponsors included Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).

The Rotunda service, which will be held from 1 to 2 p.m., is private. But about 2:30 p.m. on the West Lawn, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to speak to what is expected to be a crowd of thousands as well as others around the world listening on a webcast. Tibetan-style performances, featuring about 200 singers and dancers, will start on the West Lawn at 11 a.m.

A week of events has been planned to celebrate the visit to Washington by the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist leaders. They include films and photo exhibits as well as an interfaith concert at Washington National Cathedral and chanting and music at the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church.

The Washington trip is part of a month-long tour of North American cities, but it is the only stop that doesn't include a "teaching," or spiritual talk. The Dalai Lama's speech at the Capitol will be more secular in nature, said Cate Saunders of the special envoy's office at the National Campaign for Tibet, which represents him in the United States.

He will arrive Monday from New York City and will stay until Oct. 19. The event next Wednesday is his only public appearance, Saunders said. He will also be feted Oct. 18 at a celebrity-filled gala hosted by Feinstein and her husband and attended by actor Richard Gere and filmmaker Martin Scorsese, among others.

The Dalai Lama comes to the United States regularly. He was last in Washington in 2005, when he addressed thousands of the world's top neuroscientists and encouraged them to work more closely with moral leaders.

About 10,000 Buddhists live in the Washington area, at least half of whom come from immigrant communities; the other half are converts who often are called American Buddhists. The Dalai Lama is considered a teacher to them all, although he comes from the Gelugpa sect, one of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Among those in the region's Tibetan community is the Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen, spiritual director of the Sakya Phuntsok Ling Center in Silver Spring. He said he and others will be driving to hear the Dalai Lama speak in New York City and Ithaca, N.Y., before coming to Washington. Busloads of Tibetans from Boston, New York, Minneapolis and Canada, among other places, are expected in Washington, he said.

"There is so much excitement in the Tibetan community," he said yesterday. "It's such an extraordinary thing."

Nansen Cuts the Cat in Two

Nansen Cuts the Cat in Two

Nansen saw the monks of the eastern and western halls fighting over a cat. He seized the cat and told the monks: `If any of you say a good word, you can save the cat.'

No one answered. So Nansen boldly cut the cat in two pieces.

That evening Joshu returned and Nansen told him about this. Joshu removed his sandals and, placing them on his head, walked out.

Nansen said: `If you had been there, you could have saved the cat.'

Mumon's Comment: Why did Joshu put his sandals on his head? If anyone answers this question, he will understand exactly how Nansen enforced the edict. If not, he should watch his own head.

Had Joshu been there,
He would have enforced the edict oppositely.
Joshua snatches the sword
And Nansen begs for his life.

Go ahead Young!

Young named NL Comeback Player
First baseman takes advantage of second chance by Nats
By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

tickets for any Major League Baseball game
Dmitri Young hit .323 with 13 homers and 74 RBIs for the Nationals in '07. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON -- Nationals first baseman Dmitri Young is living proof of what a person can do if given a second chance. On Tuesday, Young was rewarded for taking advantage of his second chance by being named the 2007 National League Comeback Player of the Year.

The club beat reporters at MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, selected the winners for the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Devil Rays first baseman Carlos Pena was the American League winner.

Young, 33, was one of the most important players on the Nationals this past season, hitting .320 with 13 home runs and 74 RBIs.

Young also is the No. 1 reason the Nationals' clubhouse went from being one of the worst in team history to one of the best in the game. He is the leader and is always trying to give a young player a helping hand.

Young has come a long way. He thought his career was over after the 2006 season. He was released by the Tigers, was put on probation for domestic violence as well as being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. His plan was to drive his camper across the country and watch his siblings, including Devil Rays outfielder Delmon Young, play sports. But Delmon and his father, Larry, told Dmitri he had too much left in the tank to quit.

The Nationals were the only team interested in Young. He had a history with general manager Jim Bowden, as the two worked together when both were with the Reds from 1998-01.

Bowden wasn't convinced that Larry Broadway and Travis Lee would provide the consistency with the bat, so he invited Young to Spring Training. The Nationals told him there was a no-tolerance policy if Young had problems off the field again. They would release him the moment he got himself in trouble.

Now, Young is part of the Nationals' future after signing a two-year extension in July.

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its

Soon Come?

EL FASHER, Sudan (AP) -- A group of elder statesmen, including former President Carter and Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu, began a tour of Darfur on Tuesday to promote a political solution to the region's conflict.
art.darfur.ap.jpg

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, left, and Desmond Tutu, meet in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday.

The visit by the delegation of prominent international personalities comes at a crucial time -- with peace talks due to start in Libya and a U.N-African Union peacekeeping force to begin deploying later this month.

It also come days after a stunning attack in which rebels overran an African peacekeepers base in northern Darfur, killing 10 -- the deadliest assault on the force since it arrived in the region three years ago.

"We are not here on a sightseeing tour. We hope we can do something that will make a significant difference ... and bring peace," Tutu, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his fight against apartheid in South Africa, told reporters after the delegation arrived in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province.

The Nigerian ambassador to the African Union, Obioma Oparah, tried to dispel fears the weekend deaths of peacekeepers would discourage African governments from contributing troops to the joint force. Sudan has insisted that the bulk of the new force be African.

"No doubt about it, we are deeply saddened by the situation and we condemn the attack on the soldiers," said Oparah, whose country lost the greatest number of troops. But, he said, "We are determined to forge ahead. We are committed." Video Watch what the attack means to the peacekeeping process »

The delegation visiting Darfur -- called "the elders" -- is headed by Carter and Tutu and also includes billionaire Richard Branson; Graca Michel, wife of former South African Nelson Mandela; and several prominent former statesmen from Africa.
Don't Miss

Their visit is largely symbolic, aiming to influence all sides to make peace in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven out of their homes in four years of violence.
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The group met first with North Darfur governor, Youssouf Kabir, then headed to the compound of an aid camp located next to the sprawling Abu-Shok and Es-Sallam camps where 150,000 refugees who fled Darfur's violence are living.

Darfur is scene of the world's largest humanitarian effort, trying to feed those hit by the turmoil. The conflict pits the Sudanese military against ethnic African rebels who rose up against discrimination by the Arab-dominated government. To help put down the rebellion, Khartoum is accused of unleashing Arab janjaweed militias who have burned hundreds of ethnic African villages, killing and raping civilians.

Why not wait another month?

Darfur peace talks to resume in Libya

* Story Highlights
* U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, Sudan's Omar al-Bashir say talks to start October 27
* Ban pushing to get rebel groups to attend, but no word whether they will
* 200,000 people dead, 2.5 million uprooted after four years of war in Darfur
* Sudan vows to help deploy AU-U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur
* Next Article in World »

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KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said Thursday that new peace talks to end the four-year conflict in Darfur will start October 27 in Libya.
art.sudanUN.afp.gi.jpg

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, right, and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir enter a news conference Thursday.
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There was no immediate word from the Darfur rebels on whether they would attend the conference.

Most rebels have rejected a peace deal that one rebel faction signed with Khartoum last year, and Ban -- on his first visit to Sudan -- has been pressing to get the groups to the negotiating table.

A joint communique issued by Ban and al-Bashir after their second round of talks in Khartoum stressed the importance of reaching a political solution to the conflict that has left more than 200,000 people dead and 2.5 million uprooted from their homes.

Ban has pressed hard to get the splintered rebel groups back to the negotiating table. His joint announcement with al-Bashir signaled that a date and venue have been set -- but the real test will be whether rebel groups who in the past refused to join the peace process will attend the Libya talks.

The May 2006 peace deal signed by the Sudanese government and one rebel group in Abuja, Nigeria, has largely fallen apart and the continued violence has prompted the need for deploying U.N. peacekeepers.

Tripoli has in the past hosted several lower-level meetings to try to get the disparate rebel groups together, with no success. Ban, who is on a weeklong Africa tour, will fly to Libya on Saturday after a stop in Chad.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Tom Casey welcomed Thursday's announcement of a new round of talks in Libya. "As we have seen, Libya and other neighboring states have all moved to put all of our combined efforts behind the U.N. process. We want to see a united front on the part of the international community on how to move ahead," Casey said. "I think the Libyans have come on board to that approach."
Don't Miss

* U.N. head urges Sudanese to help end Darfur war
* U.N. to press for fast deployment of peacekeepers
* Citizenship for Darfur refugees in Israel

Darfur's bloodletting began in 2003, when ethnic African rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated central government, accusing it of discrimination. Khartoum is accused of retaliating by unleashing janjaweed militias, blamed for the worst atrocities against civilians. The government denies the accusations.

Ban and al-Bashir's joint note also expressed hope that the rebel groups will "cooperate fully ... to ensure that the negotiations are concluded as expeditiously as possible."

For its part, the Sudanese government pledged to "prepare for and participate constructively in renewed negotiations on Darfur" to be held under U.N. and African Union mediation, it said.

In the note, made available to The Associated Press, Sudan also pledged to work with the U.N. and AU to "facilitate the timely deployment" of a new 26,000-member joint AU-U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur.

The United Nations, in turn, pledged "to do its utmost ... to deploy the hybrid operation in a timely fashion in support of peace consolidation in Darfur."

At a news conference later, Ban and al-Bashir expressed concern at "continuing humanitarian suffering and insecurity in Darfur."

When Ban took the reins of the United Nations in January, he made Darfur a top priority and appointed former Swedish ambassador Jan Eliasson to join the AU efforts to get all rebel factions to the peace table.

Ban's visit in Sudan also focused on pressing the government for speedier deployment of a the new peacekeeping force for Darfur.

After visiting Darfur on Wednesday and seeing the plight of the Darfurians, Ban said he had even great resolve to try to bring peace to their land.

In Al Salaam, home to 46,000 Darfur refugees, Ban promised to step up efforts to end the protracted conflict and urged the world to be more sympathetic to the millions whose lives have been uprooted.

He brushed aside a brief disruption during his meeting Wednesday at a U.N. compound with representatives from three Darfur camps that heightened security fears, and a small protest by well-dressed women shouting against the upcoming deployment of U.N. troops there.

Ban said he understands the frustrations of the millions uprooted from their homes. "They really wanted to see some hope from me, from the United Nations, from the international community," he said.

There was speculation Wednesday that Ban's trip to a Darfur refugee camp would be called off because of security concerns. There was no violence during his brief visit to the Al Salaam camp, but U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said there were reports of some clashes afterward.

Most of the refugees who greeted Ban appeared to be supporters of Abdel Wahid Nur, who leads a major faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement group and is the key holdout in getting all rebel groups and the government back to the negotiating table.

At every opportunity, the U.N. chief stressed the importance of reaching a political settlement and deploying the AU-U.N. force quickly.

AU officials who talked with Ban said they told him the beleaguered AU force now in Darfur has fewer than 6,000 peacekeepers deployed in a region nearly the size of France -- down from its authorized strength of 7,000. AU officials said the groundwork for deploying the hybrid force is on schedule, but it is not expected to start arriving until early next year.

Genius

I had no idea this even happened while I was at the game last night:

RFK STADIUM
Robbery Suspect Shot in the Leg, Police Say

By Clarence Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 6, 2007; Page B03

A man suspected of robbing a vendor during the Nationals game at RFK Stadium apparently shot himself in the leg by mistake late last night as he tried to elude security guards, authorities said.

The incident began shortly before 10:30 p.m., in the final inning of the game against the Florida Marlins. Diane Groomes, commander of the 1st Police District, said a man robbed a vendor on the fifth floor of the stadium as the woman was closing the business for the night.

As fans looked on, security guards alerted by the vendor chased the man down the ramps of the stadium. But the man managed to escape the building before apparently climbing a fence to get into Lot 5, the players' parking area, Groomes said.

Guards caught up with the man there, Groomes said, and he had what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound in one of his legs. The injury was not thought to be life-threatening. He was transported to a hospital.

Groomes said the suspect, a 21-year-old from Baltimore, was a former employee of a food vendor at the stadium. The man's name was not released because he had not yet been charged.

Police recovered a semi-automatic pistol in the parking lot. The Nationals won the game, 6-4.

Do Not Know Thyself

Model Image

Brick Wall (1978), from the Oxydationen series." border="0" height="263" width="180"> Vera Lehndorff and Holger Trülzsch, Brick Wall (1978), from the "Oxydationen" series.

The fragmented personae of Veruschka.

by Robin Rice

Except in those brief Kafka-esque transitions between sleep and waking, from moment to moment we usually "know" who we are. But, as Vera Lehndorff, currently showing her work at the Arcadia University and Moore College galleries, says, "People are linked. We are not separate. We are more linked than we think."

One might suppose that Lehndorff's work would focus on her personal uniqueness. In a way it does -- through a kind of negation. She is a cult figure, the iconic 1960s model Veruschka. Veruschka's most celebrated appearance was in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blow-Up, which will be shown Fri., March 28, at 8 p.m. at Moore.

As an artist, Lehndorff has devoted over 30 years to exploratory deconstructions of her own identity. Her relationship to her surroundings is relentlessly questioned through a kind of fragmentation which sometimes requires her to merge into a physical context and on other occasions, to inhabit alternate personas. Her oeuvre suggests that identity itself is both ambiguous and quixotic.

"Oxydationen," images from a 1970 to 1986 collaboration with photographer Holger Trülzsch, will be on view at Arcadia's gallery for a few more days. It is an important complement to the video and digital print installations from 1988 to 2001 in Moore's Goldie Paley Gallery. The "Oxydationen" photographs record trompe l'oeil transformation of Lehndorff's body into a peeling brick wall or heavy wooden doorway. These illusions are so impressive that amazement tends to obscure analysis. Many were taken in an abandoned fish auction house in a suburb of Hamburg, Germany -- its aura of damp and decay a sort of metaphor for the human aging process.

A video documents photography sessions in progress. We see Lehndorff in body paint gingerly stalking toward her designated context, then meticulously orienting her limbs so that painted details integrate with the background. She tucks her head to match shadows and, at last, closes her eyes, surrendering to her disappearance into an object. In another sequence, a white flower-painted teapot separates itself from an identical version in a tea set and floats off screen, as Lehndorff walks away from a still life.

Mounted on dark steel, the prints are severe, solemn and still. In contrast to the grid-based architecture of the steel-backed pictures, a large triptych of Lehndorff painted to merge with piles of cloth in an Italian recycling plant compositionally mimics abstract expressionist painting.

Three bodies of work blend in the installation at Moore. Burning City is a microcosm of destruction, recording the cremation of a model city built by Lehndorff from fragments of brick. Displayed in digitized stills glued to gallery walls and projected onto two screens, the rolling, fluttering flames could be borrowed from any evening newscast.

For the film Buddha Bum, Lehndorff played several characters in an urban environment (Brooklyn): a sky-blue Buddha seated on a rooftop, a young woman drifting against the brilliant acid yellows and greens of a real Tibetan temple and two vagrants, painted to partially merge with the sooty, graffiti-tagged wall under the Manhattan Bridge. The "camouflage" of these bums is a metaphor for the abandoned, invisible members of our society. Micha Waschke's music, played on a variety of instruments, occasionally suggests a human voice.

The structure of the film hints at cycles of aging, joy, suffering, anger, death and, perhaps, renewal, but there is no real story as such. The villainy of a government which fails its citizens is depicted here but so are the smiles of children and the serene compassion of Buddha. "Buddha said that everybody is a Buddha. We all potentially have the same Buddha nature. He is part of the city" for Lehndorff.

Historic disasters from Pompeii to Hiroshima are evoked in black-and-white photographs, "Ash Self-portraits." Each centers on Lehndorff's ash-coated head, pure as a Brancusi muse, as she lies on the sidewalk wrapped in a shawl, unconscious or dead. At a recent exhibition of this work at P.S. 1 in Queens, many related it to the events of 9/11. But its 1998 message is not anchored in time. Lehndorff observes, "We destroy so many things. It's part of life: sometimes good; sometimes bad. I don't moralize."

Prism-like images of a translucent plastic tent used to shield the artist as she prepares for her work appear in both exhibitions. A mundane emblem of transformation, its billowing light-filled planes cloak the mysteries of art, technology and nature.

In order to effectively deploy her avatar Veruschka, Lehndorff's appearance must be simultaneously pleasing and adaptively neutral. In all her art, subtle intelligence guides her in projecting the essence that animates the required persona. Surely Lehndorff's acquaintance with the transformations wrought by time, commerce and every manifestation of fortune inform a perspective which is at once spiritual, profoundly political and almost painfully intimate.