Nova Peris makes emotional maiden speech in Parliament

The Sydney Morning Herald, Michael Gordon, Dan Harrison, November 2013

Senator Nova Peris delivers her maiden speech in the Senate. Photo:
Alex Ellinghausen

She is one of Australia's most decorated indigenous athletes, yet Nova Peris says she would give up the medals and accolades ''in a heartbeat'' to see Aboriginal Australians free, healthy and participating fully in all this country - their country - has to offer.

Peris (below) also says her sporting achievements are ''virtually meaningless'' when compared with the triumph over adversity of both her mother Joan and grandmother Nora. Australia's first indigenous female to be elected to the Federal Parliament told their stories in an emotional maiden speech in the Senate on Wednesday, her face painted with ochre from an ancient site in the Northern Territory.

Wearing a dress of gold silk fabric, Peris urged her fellow MPs to become champions of the push for recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution.

She also vowed to expose those ''totally unscrupulous people'' who try to use the misery of some indigenous people to promote their own agendas. With her mother and other family members watching from the public gallery, Senator Peris told how Nora Peris, a proud Giga woman, was torn from her mother's arms and lived on the mission of Moola Bulla in the east Kimberley.

''When the Second World War hit, the kids were released from the mission and for two years she walked and lived off the harsh Eastern Kimberley land,'' she said.

It was there she met Johnny Peris, a Yawuru man. They had 10 children, four of whom were taken away and sent to Garden Point Mission on the Tiwi Islands.

''One of the four children who was taken and is here today is my mother, Joan Peris. She lived on the mission for eight years, she worked every day and never received a cent in pay.''

Senator Peris described herself as a fierce advocate for Aboriginal people being taught to read and write English, but added: ''Of course, we should never be forced to renounce our culture … ''

Senator Peris was overcome with emotion several times during the address, but struggled the most when she paid tribute to former prime minister Julia Gillard, who lost some support in the party when she used a ''captain's pick'' to secure Peris a winnable spot on Labor's NT Senate ticket.

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SBY Focus of Australia Spy Attempt: Report

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Martin Parry,November 18, 2013

Australian spy agencies attempted to listen in to the phone calls of Indonesian
 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and also targeted his wife and senior ministers,
 reports said on Nov. 18, 2013, in revelations described as ‘shocking’. (AFP Photo/Torsten
Blackwood)

Sydney. Australian spy agencies attempted to listen to the phone calls of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and targeted his wife and senior ministers, reports said Monday, drawing a demand for answers from Jakarta.

Secret documents leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden, obtained by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and The Guardian newspaper, name the president and nine of his inner circle as targets of the surveillance.

The embarrassing details emerged with bilateral ties between the strategic allies already strained over previous spying allegations and how to deal with asylum seekers heading for Australia via Indonesia.

The documents show that Australia’s electronic intelligence agency, the Defense Signals Directorate, tracked Yudhoyono’s activity on his mobile phone for 15 days in August 2009, when Labor’s Kevin Rudd was prime minister. It reportedly intercepted at least one call.

A list of targets also included his wife Ani, Vice President Boediono who was in Australia last week, former vice president Jusuf Kalla, the foreign affairs spokesman, the security minister and the information minister, the reports said.

Yudhoyono’s office demanded an explanation from Canberra.

“The Australian government urgently needs to clarify on this news to avoid further damage,” spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told AFP in a text message.

“The damage has been done,” he added.

The ABC said one of the documents was titled “3G impact and update” and appeared to chart attempts by Australian intelligence to keep pace with the rollout of 3G technology in Indonesia and across Southeast Asia.

A number of intercept options were listed and a recommendation was made to choose one of them and to apply it to a target — in this case the Indonesian leadership, the broadcaster said.

The latest release of Snowden documents comes just weeks after reports claimed Canberra’s overseas diplomatic posts, including in Jakarta, were involved in a vast US-led surveillance network, which sparked an angry reaction from Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

This was followed by The Guardian reporting earlier this month that Australia and the United States mounted a joint surveillance operation on close neighbor Indonesia during 2007 UN climate talks in Bali.

In an interview with the ABC on Sunday, before the latest revelations, Vice President Boediono played down suggestions of a rift with Australia, shrugging off the disputes as normal neighborly problems.

“It’s normal for next-door neighbors to have problems,” he said. “I think Australians and Indonesians are quite committed to the long-term interests of both countries.”

But he admitted to public concern in Indonesia over the espionage allegations.

“And therefore we should find some joint ways to allay public concern,” he said.

Alexander Downer, the foreign minister under John Howard’s conservative government, said the revelations were damaging to Australia.

”It’s a shocking situation in which Australia will pay a big price,” he told Sky News, while Greens leader Christine Milne said it showed the “extent to which this country has slipped down the US path of universal surveillance.”

“The question here is what is the justification for trying to spy on the phone calls of the president or his wife? Is it national security, in which case are we saying we think our closest neighbor’s president is a security risk to Australia?” she asked.

Former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Snowden was given asylum in Russia in August, to the fury of the United States where he is wanted on espionage charges following disclosures that have provoked international uproar and strained ties with allies.

He is also behind revelations of American spying in Germany, including the tapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone.

Agence France-Presse

The Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Nadjib Riphat Kesoema is seen leaving

 for Jakarta at the airport in Canberra, Australia, on Nov. 19, 2013. (EPA

 Photo/Daniel Munoz)

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The ‘Royal Concierge’ secret program logo showing a penguin wearing a crown.

The black and white penguin might be mocking luxury hotels’ staff uniform.

Religious Conflict Is Normal, Religious Affairs Minister Says

Jakarta Globe, Carlos Paath, November 16, 2013

Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali at the graduation ceremony of a
 Christian high School in Manado, North Sulawesi on September 13. (AFP Photo/
Fiqman Suanandar)

Bandung. Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said on Friday that religious tolerance in Indonesia is among the best in the world, despite some issues he said still needed to be addressed.

“Conflict is normal, as long as it’s not [provoked],” he said at a gathering of religious leaders in Bandung, West Java on Friday evening. “Why? As long as God created humans with anger, then the potential of conflict arising is still there.”

“But remember,” he said, “God gives us anger, but God also guides our anger. In Islam, patient people are loved by God.”

In addition to theologizing, he called on Indonesian religious leaders to be mindful of the possibility of of being provoked by irresponsible parties who wished to harm the country’s religious harmony.

“We have to be cautious about this,” he said. “Why do we have to be harmonious? Because we are [made up of] various ethnicities, cultures and religions. Selfishness sometimes does arise. Do not let pluralism become a weakness.”

Earlier this week, Shiite Muslims in West Java were forced to move a ceremony to commemorate the Ashura holiday from Kana Palace in Bandung to a small school building, causing the loss of thousand of dollars and forcing the group to deny thousands of worshipers entry to the event. The local government, led by the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party’s (PKS) Ahmad Heryawan, have been accused of systematically siding with intolerant groups against religious minorities.

West Java Police initially claimed that the group did not provide sufficient documents to get a permit for the event. Permit disputes had frequently come up in past instanced of religious minorities being barred from worship in the province.

Suryadharma is currently embroiled in a highly-public Rp 1.05 trillion ($90 million) libel lawsuit against a celebrity tabloid that accused him of concealing a third marriage to model and House of Representatives member Okky Asokawati.

In September, he came under widespread criticism after accepting an honorary degree from Thailand’s Princess of Naradhiwas University for his efforts to promote tolerance.

“I cannot believe the Thai government would allow one of its universities to honor him for religious tolerance in Indonesia when we know as a minister instead of promoting religious tolerance he has often made counterproductive statements that have triggered religious violence,” Haris Azhar, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) told the Jakarta Globe at the time.

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"THE RECALIBRATION OF BELIEF"– Aug 18, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

Pakistani Ban Of Malala Book In Dispute

Radio Free Europe, November 2013

Malala Yousufzai's book, "I Am Malala," is seen on sale in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD -- An official representing some 10,000 private schools in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province is distancing his association from efforts to ban a book by teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai.

Earlier, news agencies quoted the chiefs of two other private-school associations -- the All-Pakistan Private Schools Federation and the All-Pakistan Private Schools Management Association -- as saying they wanted to ban the book, "I Am Malala," because of its anti-Islamic and anti-Pakistani content.

But Aqeel Razaq, the head of the All Private Schools Executive Association in the northwestern province, told RFE/RL that no such ban was being enforced and that his organization had never discussed the issue.

"We can only ban books that are related to our curriculum. This book was never considered to be included into our curriculum," Razaq said.

"This is a general book and will not be affected by our ban. If students want to read books on their own, it is their choice. They can read anything."

Razaq said that Malala's book had been criticized on television talk shows and in newspaper columns but that this did not affect their views about Malala.

"At this point, we do not have an official policy of whether to encourage or discourage our children from reading the book," he said.

"We know Malala Yousafzai for her struggle for girls' education. Whether her book is controversial or not is a separate issue," Razaq added. "But Malala Yousafzai is a great name and has turned into the pride of Pakistan."

Attacked By Conservatives

Pakistan is rife with conspiracy theories about Malala. Some private-school officials and conservative commentators have alleged that she is being promoted by the West for its own interests.

They say her book does not show appropriate respect for the Prophet Muhammad because it fails to use the abbreviation PBUH -- "peace be upon him" -- as is customary in Pakistan.

ALSO READ: A Look At The Family Behind Malala

In addition, they also accuse her of praising "The Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie, who is accused of blasphemy by Islamist extremists.

Malala's supporters point out that Malala only said in the book that while her father viewed "The Satanic Verses" as offensive to Islam, "he believes strongly in the freedom of speech." The book quotes Ziauddin Yousafzai as telling fellow Muslims, "First, let's read the book and why not respond with our own book?"

Some conservative commentators are also offended by the book's description of the plight of minorities in Pakistan and by criticism of the country's powerful army.

Malala was seriously injured when she was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012. She earned global fame and received many awards after recovering from her injuries and was considered a top candidate for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.

WATCH: Malala Yousafzai's thoughts on her life before and after the attack, based on an extensive interview with RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal:

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SBY to Release ‘Personal’ Book on Presidential Experiences

Jakarta Globe, November 11, 2013

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is set to launch a new book on his
personal experiences as president. (EPA Photo/Bagus Indahono).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced on Twitter that he plans in December to release a book recounting his experiences as Indonesia’s leader over the past nine years as a personal “answer” to his critics and detractors.

“In early December, I will compile a story full of surprises into a book. I wrote it myself, including the title ‘Selalu Ada Pilihan [‘There Will Always be Choices’],” he tweeted on Sunday night.

Reportedly fond of sharing stories, Yudhoyono said the book will include personal anecdotes, tales of surprise, as well as personal lessons

He also said that his book was “like batik,” because it connects many ideas into one cohesive whole.

“Like batik, the book contains many dots that were gathered [at different times]: in my free time, at dawn, when I was going to sleep and in the middle of my air travels,” he said on Twitter.

Yudhoyono dedicated his book to Indonesia’s future presidents and hoped that it would help them face the challenges and tests of leadership.

“My book is my answer to issues, critics, insults and even libel that I experienced during my more-than-nine years in office,” he said.

“He wrote it by himself,” the president’s spokesman told the Jakarta Globe on Monday. “It’s about his own experience as president, and it also contains personal views.”

He said that he expected the book will provide a detailed glimpse into the president’s daily activities and thoughts.

“With this book, the public can feel directly what the president experienced during his terms,” he said.

Julian added that this will be Yudhoyono’s first book about his personal experiences, but not his first published endeavor. The president has written works including “Transforming Indonesia: Selected International Speeches,” “Indonesia on the Move,” “Indonesia Unggul” (“Indonesia Excels”), and a poem anthology entitled “Taman Kehidupan” (“The Garden of Life”).

Conservationists Work With Fishermen to Save the Reefs

In Malang, coral repopulation is key, Dyah Ayu Pitaloka writes

Jakarta Globe, Dyah Ayu Pitaloka, November 10, 2013

Sahabat Alam has teamed up with local fishing communities to help repopulate
coral reefs. (JG Photo/Dyah Ayu Pitaloka)

A group of volunteers, some still in their teens, walked up to the shoreline of Kondang Merak beach in Malang district, East Java.

Slowly they rolled up their jeans as small waves pounded their feet. They were each carrying pieces of coral that had been carefully attached to prefabricated wire mesh bearing the volunteers’ names.

The volunteers “donated between Rp 10,000 and Rp 50,000 ($0.88 to $4.40) each for this coral reef repopulation effort. Though there are also those who cannot afford to donate money but are able to give their time and power to plant coral reefs,” Andi Syaifudin said.

Andi is the chairman of Sahabat Alam (Nature’s Friend), which focuses on coral reef, mangrove and sea-turtle conservation around Kondang Merak beach.

The 5-square-kilometer area, located 62 kilometers south of Malang city, was once famous for being one of the most beautiful snorkeling and diving spots off the southern coast of Java.

“We fell in love with Kondang Merak because of its beautiful coral reefs and pristine white sands,” he said.

But since early 2000 the use of fish bombs and cyanide by local fishermen has contributed to the destruction of 80 percent of the local coral population.

With the reefs destroyed, residents in the area have lost their livelihoods, not only from dwindling fish populations but also from the declining number of divers visiting Kondang Merak’s five diving spots.

“Around five to 10 years ago we were able to get 50 kilograms of lobster each time we sailed out to sea,” local fisherman Edi said, adding that he could earn between Rp 400,000 to Rp 750,000 per kilogram.

“Now we consider ourselves lucky to get just 5 kilograms [of lobster],” he said.

Sahabat Alam has been teaching local fishing communities about the importance of coral reefs and how using fish bombs and cyanide in fishing poses a huge threat to their livelihoods.

“Lobsters like to hide in coral reefs and now the reefs have been destroyed,” said Edi, who joined Sahabat Alam’s coral repopulation drive. “Slowly we are realizing that we need to catch lobsters using techniques that will not harm the coral, by diving or using nets.”

The Malang district’s Maritime and Fisheries office noted that there are nine areas in Malang with critically damaged coral reef systems, including Kondang Merak. In these areas, coral reefs will disappear unless something is done.

Coral reefs not only provide a vital food source for the fish but also stop erosion and tidal waves.

At 10 more sites in Malang, coral reefs are considered fairly damaged, which means the reefs will be able to repopulate without human intervention if the damaging activities stop.

Wahyu Hidayat, local head of the Marine and Fisheries Agency, said the government has the necessary funding to repopulate the coral reefs but needs help from groups like Sahabat Alam for human resources and expertise.

“Any community willing to do real work will get our support,” he said.

Zainul Arifin, a Sahabat Alam member, said it is important to engage the local fishing community in conservation efforts.

Coral grows between 2 to 3 centimeters a month and needs to spend at least six months in nursery grounds before it can be planted in open water and survive on its own. During that period, they need constant care to keep sand and mold from getting into their pores and inhibiting their growth. That, Zainal said, is where the fishermen come in.

“A huge percentage of our donors’ money goes to the fishermen for this monitoring process. Without the involvement of the local fishing community it will be all for nothing,” he said.

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Erasmus’ Documentary Festival Aims to Open Eyes to Social Issues

Jakarta Globe, Tunggul Wirajuda, November 10, 2013

Screen shot from ‘Orang Gila Juga Manusia’ (‘The Mentally Ill Are People Too’),
which is scheduled to be shown at the Erasmusindo Film Festival. (Photo courtesy
of Erasmusindo Film Festival)

Few film genres rival documentaries for their frank, first-hand view of the world around them. Unencumbered by scripts or contrived plots, documentaries are also renowned for their warts and all portrayal of the human condition. However, public awareness of documentaries still pales compared to feature films, a situation that the Erasmus Huis Cultural Center set out to change through the Erasmusindocs Film Festival, which was previously known as the Golden Lens Film Festival.

“The Erasmusindocs Film Festival will feature 28 Indonesian and 29 foreign films. The Indonesian entries will be classified in three categories: the university category for university student filmmakers, high-school category for filmmakers still in high school, and the open category for professional filmmakers and the general public” Erasmusindocs Film Festival director Patar Simatupangsaid.

“The documentaries come from all parts of Indonesia and reflect the country’s diversity accordingly,” Patar added. The films, he said, cover aspects of Indonesian life, which feature films or news reels do not cover.

These include films like “Ksatria Sembrani” (Steel Knight) by high-school student Hestin Febriani, “Orang Gila Juga Manusia” (The Mentally Ill Are People Too) by Budiyanto, and “Aku Ingin Berhijab” (I Want to Wear The Hijab) by Wahyudi.

The films highlight the changes that Indonesia is undergoing. “Ksatria Sembrani” chronicles a group of children’s efforts to keep in touch with their roots through a traditional pastime, while “Orang Gila Juga Manusia” raises an important health care issue, seen through the eyes of two mentally ill people. On the other hand, “Aku Ingin Berhijab” takes on the choice between one’s religious beliefs and their secular allegiance to the state. Foreign entrants like “Trashed” and “Chasing Ice” cover global warming, while “The Doors: When You’re Strange” takes a new look at band The Doors and their legendary frontman, the late Jim Morrison.

Patar added that “Trashed,” narrated by acclaimed British actor Jeremy Irons, will open the festival on Tuesday. Another foreign entrant, a behind-the-scenes look at showbiz called “20 Feet From Stardom” will wrap up the festival on Nov. 16.

For Erasmus Huis director Ton van Zeeland, the films convey Erasmusindocs’s message: the important role that documentaries play in Indonesia.

“Documentaries are now more important than ever to Indonesia, as the country is a budding democracy. This form of filmmaking opens the eyes of the [Indonesian] elite and public about conditions in various parts of the country in a critical, accessible medium” he said.

“The festival reflects our commitment to support Indonesian filmmakers. This includes developmental training in five Indonesian cities, among them Yogyakarta, Ambon and Jayapura, and discussions on the films at various universities in Jakarta,” van Zeeland said, adding that Indonesia has long been a subject of films, as film inventors Auguste and Louis Lumieres were among the first to shoot documentaries in the country.

Indonesian filmmaker Hafiz Rancakale agreed. “Dutch filmmakers, among them Johan van de Kooken and his documentary ‘Beras Ambon’ [Ambon Rice], were among the first to shed light on life in colonial Indonesia or the then Dutch East Indies. Indonesian filmmakers owe a debt of gratitude to them in technical aspects, as well as starting off a chronicle of Indonesian history through film,” he explained. “Since then, documentaries have portrayed shifts in Indonesian history, starting off with government propaganda films from the 1950s to the 1970s, to being used by NGOs to highlight the plight of marginalized people throughout Indonesia from the 1980s until today.”

Hafiz highlighted the sorry state of documentaries in Indonesia. “Documentaries in Indonesia are only seen in art film or documentary festivals [like Erasmusindocs] and the Yogyakarta Film Festival, as they are deemed less profitable than feature films due to their ‘heavy’ content,” he said. “This is a sad contrast with Indonesia’s role in the history of documentaries. I hope that Erasmusindocs will play a major role in turning this around.”

On his part, van Zeeland hopes that Erasmusindocs will be a turning point for Indonesian documentaries, as well as the country’s filmmaking sector as a whole. “I’m happy to say that the quality of Indonesian films at Erasmusindocs continues to improve, though they still have a long way to go in catching up to their foreign counterparts,” he said.

“I’m certain that the festival, and the resulting public demand for documentaries they bring, will bolster the founding of an independent Indonesian film house. I hope that the film house will be independent of foreign institutions like the Goethe Institut, Institut Francais d’Indonesie and even Erasmus itself.”

Erasmusindocs Film Festival

Erasmus Huis

Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said, Kav. S-3,

Jakarta 12950

November 12 to 16

Film screenings from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Telephone: 021 524-1016

Fax: 021 5275987

Website: www.erasmusindocs.com www.erasmushuis.org

Email: INFO@erasmusindocs.com

US, Israel lose UNESCO voting rights: source

Google – AFP, 8 November 2013

The Palestinian and the UN flag wave together for the first time, with the Eiffel tower

 in the background, on December 13, 2011 above a UN agency, the UNESCO 

headquarters in Paris (AFP/File, Joel Saget)

Paris — The United States and Israel lost their UNESCO voting rights Friday after suspending funding to the organisation for its recognition of Palestine, a source from the UN agency told AFP.

Neither the United States nor Israel "presented the necessary documentation this morning to avoid losing their right to vote," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Both countries stopped paying their contributions to the global cultural agency after Palestine was made a UNESCO member in 2011, provoking a major financial crisis at the agency and putting hundreds of jobs in jeopardy.

Under UNESCO rules, the US and Israel had until Friday to pay their dues or automatically lose voting rights.

US contributions represented 22 percent of the agency's overall budget. With the US and Israel withdrawing their contributions UNESCO's budget fell from $653 million to $507 million (310 million euros).

The reduced budget means some 300 people at UNESCO are in danger of losing their jobs. In 2012 the UN agency employed 1,200 people at its headquarters in Paris and 900 around the world.

UNESCO's Director-General Irina Bokova, who was re-elected in October, raised $75 million in a bid to deal with the agency's financial crisis.

"The list of countries that will lose their voting rights will be announced probably tomorrow (Saturday) in a plenary session," the same UNESCO source said.

UNESCO/Emilien Urbano Left to right - Irina Bokova, UNESCO
 Director-General and Dr. Hao Ping, President of the 37th session
of UNESCO General Conference

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Australia denies rift with Indonesia

Googel – AFP, 6 November 2013

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop addresses the press during the 68th

United Nations General Assembly, in New York, September 25, 2013 (AFP/File,

Emmanuel Dunand)

Sydney — Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has denied a rift with strategic ally Indonesia over spying allegations as she left Wednesday for the Bali Democracy Forum.

Canberra's relationship with Jakarta is under pressure after reports last week that Australia's overseas diplomatic posts were involved in a vast US-led surveillance network.

The problems were compounded by a report on Sunday citing a document from US whistleblower Edward Snowden showing that Australia and the United States mounted a joint surveillance operation on Indonesia during 2007 UN climate talks in Bali.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa

 addresses the 68th United Nations General

 Assembly at UN headquarters in New York,

 September 27, 2013 (Pool/AFP/File, Eduardo

Munoz)

An angry Jakarta on Monday said it would co-sponsor a draft resolution at the UN General Assembly highlighting concern at US-led data snooping while threatening to review its bilateral cooperation with Australia.

Despite this, Bishop denied relations were frayed.

"I don't accept that there has been a rift," she told ABC television late Tuesday.

"I'm looking forward to having a very productive conversation with Dr Natalegawa and other Indonesian ministers."

Bishop added that she had a "very fruitful" discussion with visiting Indonesian ministers on Tuesday about the mutual benefit of working together on issues such as combating terrorism and people-smuggling.

"The bilateral cooperation that exists between our two countries in areas such as people-smuggling and counter-terrorism is of mutual benefit, of mutual advantage to both countries, and that will continue to be the case," she said.

But Labor opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said it was clear the relationship was in trouble after some "serious mis-steps" since the new conservative government led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott was elected in September.

"The relationship with Indonesia was handed to the incoming Australian government in very good working order," she said, adding that former foreign minister Bob Carr had a "very close rapport" with Natalegawa.

"And now we have an Australian foreign minister having to fly to Indonesia to explain herself and apologise."

Plibersek pointed to the government's lack of consultation with Jakarta over asylum-seeker policy, a lock-out of Indonesian journalists at an Abbott press conference and its failure to adequately explain the spying claims.

Indonesian elections are expected in the coming months, but Bishop refused to speculate on whether the polls were influencing Jakarta's recent rhetoric.

"That's a matter for Indonesia to answer," she said.

The annual Bali Democracy Forum, established by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2008 to promote the development of democracy in the Asia-Pacific region, is being held from November 7-8.

Bishop will speak on the topic "Building and Strengthening Democratic Institutions".

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Amira Willighagen (Nos)

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"Common Questions from Non-Lightworkers" - Feb 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) 

"... Question Three: Is there life on other planets?

... I will tell you, as long as you stay in 3D, you'll still be getting in little metal cans and air suits and going to planets. As soon as you begin the quantum age, however, you will simply wish yourself there, because you will be entangled with everything and can go with intent. If you don't believe this now, you will later, for what I give you is true. It may be lifetimes and lifetimes from now, but the group that is before me is the group that is going to come back over and over. The difference is that you're done coming back in an old energy. This is a new energy..

When you come back, dear one, everything you know will be in your DNA and be on top [available]. You're not going to have to go through what you did before. As soon as you decide to look around and open the door [metaphor for free choice to awaken], everything you've learned this time around will be right there.

This is the attribute of what you would call "a child of new consciousness," which you have labeled with a color - indigo. The child remembers who they are. They are conceptual, and you believe they have to be taught from scratch! Hardly! They remember! Do you understand what is taking place? We told you this last time, but we want to review something with you: The animal on the prairie drops its calf and within hours, the calf is up, running with the herd. Did you know that the calf instantly knows who its enemies are, what water to drink that doesn't smell right, and what berries to eat that are not poison? Where did that come from? How did that infant animal know these things? The answer is that this information was biologically inherited. You call it instinct. But when you have a Human baby - nothing! It doesn't know anything but that it's hungry. It requires 20 years of teaching! Aren't you tired of that? Did you ever think about why the animals have so much knowledge to begin with and you have so little? Does that seem correct for the top of the evolutionary ladder? It's time for that to change.

You're starting to see it, even with the indigos. They come in knowing. That's why they're so impatient. You're trying to teach them things they already know instinctively. Just like the calf on the prairie, they come in knowing. Some of them try to teach you. That doesn't always go well. That was question three...."

"The Quantum Factor" – Apr 10, 2011 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Galaxies, Universe, Intelligent design, Benevolent design, Aliens, Nikola Tesla (Quantum energy), Inter-Planetary Travel, DNA, Genes, Stem Cells, Cells, Rejuvenation, Shift of Human Consciousness, Spontaneous Remission, Religion, Dictators, Africa, China, Nuclear Power, Sustainable Development, Animals, Global Unity.. etc.) - (Text Version)

"..... DNA - A Quantum Force 

Now we get to the core truth, don't we? So I will tell you. The ninety percent of DNA which is quantum, is filled with information, both esoteric and timeless. It is a quantum blueprint for everything you are and have been since you arrived on the planet the first time. DNA contains instruction sets for your life; everything from your full Akashic Record - every single lifetime you have had - to the benevolent creator's fingerprint within the seeds of creation itself. Every single talent you ever had is there, even if you don't have any of those today... the record is there. Every predisposition of weakness and strength are there. Biologically, every single instruction to every single stem cell is there. . ..."

"..... DNA is a Dynamic Molecule, not a static one.

Humanity is stuck in the 3D portion of their biological thinking. In your 3-D life, you simply accept the chemistry you're given. You act as though the three percent gene producing part is all there is. You believe it is a chemical protocol that is unchangeable and simply "you." You don't see it for the way it's designed. It's dynamic and always has been. It's not set, but will continue to simply repeat what it does unless there is another quantum influence on it.

Therefore you live with the 3 percent as though it were all there is, and since it just "came with your body" and seems to control everything, you never talk to it. Many of you come in with pre-dispositions based upon the karma which is put upon you from your past lives. You don't come in clean [without karmic energy]. Instead, you arrive with pre-dispositions, fears and phobias. Some are positive. Perhaps you come in as a prodigy continuing your last life... the 8-year-old who can paint like a master and do brushstrokes that take 30 years to develop. What does that tell you about what must be in the DNA?

Perhaps you come in as the composer, the pianist, the prodigy, the violinist, just waiting until your hands can go on the fingerboard or can reach up and fret the notes. Perhaps you come in knowing how to play the piano, just waiting for your hands to get big enough to do what you used to do... without any lessons. How do you explain that, dear ones? The answer is that all this is contained in the dynamic quantum instruction sets of your DNA... the part you never talk to it. .."

Kryon Q&A

Question: Dear Kryon, would you please tell me if Indigo Children and Star Children are the same? Can someone born in the 1960’s be an Indigo?

Answer: Dear Human, don’t get bogged within your linearity in these things. You wish to compartmentalize everything, and thereby feel more comfortable in your understanding. Know this: All children being born on the planet have strong potential to be of the Indigo consciousness. Within that group there are many parts and attributes. What you have called a “Star Child” is a type of Indigo. The same goes for the “Crystal Children.”

Years ago we identified a new breed of Human that was slowly being introduced to earth. Now they are so plentiful that many are beginning to notice and categorize them. Our admonition is NOT to, but we know that sometimes make you feel better to do so. Another name for these “Star Children” are the Interdimensional or even the Interplanetary, if you wish.

As far as the potential of those born before or during the 1960’s: The answer is yes, but with a qualification. The “pure” Indigo Children have really only been arriving slowly for the past 25 or 30 years, but there are many who have what we call an “Indigo overlay.” This is Human who fits the generalizations, but without some of the absolutes that are buried in what you call the DNA that really qualify this new Human experience.

— Kryon

"THE THREE WINDS" – Feb 23-24, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Humanity, Home - other side of the veil, Wind of Birth - Birth, Wind of Existence - Life, Wind of Transition - Death) - (Text version)

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Hundreds cheer as Nepal holds first gay beauty pageant

Google – AFP, 2 November 2013

Shirtless participants in neckties walk the stage during the Mr. Handsome 2013

pageant for gays in Kathmandu on November 2, 2013 (AFP, Prakash Mathema)

Kathmandu — Hundreds of gays, lesbians and transgenders on Saturday cheered on shirtless contestants competing for the title of "Mr. Handsome" in Nepal's first gay beauty pageant.

Eighteen men sporting cowboy hats, lilac satin ties and tight jeans drew wild applause as they strutted across the stage in a Kathmandu auditorium, grooving to the Black Eyed Peas pop anthem "Let's Get It Started".

Nepal's Mr. Handsome 2013 Bishwo Raj

Adhikari (C), first runner up Anup Shrestha (L), 

and second Runner up Rahul Shrestha pose

onstage during the beauty pageant for gays

in Kathmandu on November 2, 2013 (AFP,

Prahask Mathema)

The event, billed as the country's first all gay male talent and courage contest saw contestants competing for a host of titles, including "Mr. Friendly", "Mr. Personality" and "Mr. Red Ribbon" for running anti-HIV campaigns.

Biswo Raj Adhikari, a 24-year-old sociology student from Makwanpur district near the capital was crowned "Mr. Handsome" and said he was thrilled to win the title.

"My family and friends will be proud of me as I will be able to inspire other gays who hesitate to come out openly," he told AFP.

Parents and well-wishers of the contestants thronged the event organised by leading LGBT rights group, The Blue Diamond Society (BDS), cheering on participants as they answered questions about discrimination against sexual minorities.

The country's only openly gay lawmaker and BDS president, Sunil Babu Pant said: "This programme has encouraged gay men to reveal their hidden talents and will create more awareness about gender and sexuality".

"Although treatment of gays has improved in recent years, many are still not willing to come out openly," he told AFP.

He said he hoped the pageant would become an annual event. BDS held South Asia's first gay sports tournament in September 2012, attended by Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis.

Nepal is a conservative Hindu country which arguably has some of the most progressive policies on homosexuality in Asia. A landmark 2007 court ruling ordered the government to enact laws guaranteeing the rights of gays.

The country's new constitution, currently being drafted by lawmakers, is expected to define marriage as a union between two adults, regardless of gender, and to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.

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