Skeena is story of discovery, death and determination

According to media Fauzia is a South Asian Canadian writer of fiction and poetry. Her English and Punjabi writings have been published in Canada, Pakistan, and on the Web. Print titles include novel ‘Skeena’ (Punjabi, Lahore 2007) and anthology ‘Aurat Durbar’ (English, Toronto 1995).She maintains sites and blogs on Punjabi literature and art, ‘honour-killings’, blasphemy laws, and the environment. A selection of her English and Punjabi poetry ‘Passion-Fruit/Tahnget-Phal’ is due to come out in 2011.Fauzia will read from the Punjabi edition of her novel ‘Skeena’. Randeep Purewall says 

Skeena is the story of one woman inhabiting four worlds.If, to borrow the words of Kishwar Naheed ‘Skeena is a novel on patriarchy that never uses this word’, it is also the story of an honour killing where not one drop of blood is shed. Instead, it takes the reader and one woman of a village, from the gradual Islamization of law and society in Pakistan to the social politics of post-911 Canada.It treats the familiar themes and experiences of a South Asian woman in Pakistan and Canada without conforming to or selling stereotypes to the public.It moves flowingly almost screenplay like reproducing vivid scenes, such as the punishment of a villager in Skeena’s village, in the reader’s imagination.

Telling a story of discovery, death and determination, Skeena is inspiring without being overblown, political without being ideological, and heart-rending without being tragic.Skeena is a novel by Fauzia Rafique to be launch on  Saturday, April 9 · 2:00pm - 4:00pm at Surrey Public Library, Newton Branch.   Fauzia started this novel in 1991 and continued the writing till it's completion in 2004. Fauzia devoted the golden period of her life to write this novel. After completing the pen work she started  the next face of struggle for its publication. it was her good luck due to her continued devotion  Amjad Saleem of Sanjh publication took the pains and novel published in 2007 by Sanjh publications Lahore in Punjabi with Shahmukhi script. Novel was published in a beautiful form,  released in 9 cities and hit the stalls. 

Click & enlarge for story intro

Novel Skeena touched the sky at all book counters. Fauzia was happy but not satisfied. its publication is Gurmukhi script was still a challenge. she was not in the mood to compromise for its publication without royalty.  ultimately novel published in Gurmukhi script also by the same publisher Sanjh of Lahore. Now you may read it in English (Roman words) also. If possible must partricipate the event. You wil meet and listen the Guest Speakers like Ajmer Rode, Bhupinder Dhaliwal, Sadhu Binning, Surjeet Kalsey, Dr. Saif Khalid and Shahzad Nazir Khan.

Poetry Manolis Readings will also take place by Yannis Ritsos and 'Vernal Equinox') Event Host at Facebook is Sana'a Janjua.

*Skeena: A story of discovery, death and determination

*‘Skeena’ Book Launch in Vancouver, April 10/2011

Cutter Commander Shares Haiti Experience

By Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Tamargo U.S. Coast Guard Academy Public Affairs NEW LONDON, Conn., April 7, 2011 - U.S. Coast Guard officers are presented with many challenges and opportunities. Normal operations may quickly turn into a life or death mission that challenges their training and experience. Coast Guard Cmdr. Diane W. Durham, head of the Professional Maritime Studies Department at the Coast Guard Academy, instructs second class cadets during an exercise on a training boat on the Thames River near New London, Conn., April 4, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Tamargo  Coast Guard Cmdr. Diane W. Durham became the head of the Professional Maritime Studies Department here during the summer of 2010. She leads 17 military and civilian instructors and staff, and oversees the nautical science training of the more than 1,000 members of the academy's corps of cadets. A few months earlier Durham had put her experience to the test as commander of the Coast Guard Cutter Forward. She and her crew were pressed into action in response to a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck less than 15 miles from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 12, 2010. The Forward was on deployment, Durham recalled, and recently had arrived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, when the earthquake occurred. "The duty section and off-duty crew onboard were jolted by unusual movement of the ship and quickly gathered to respond to an onboard emergency," she said. "We learned that it was an earthquake, and soon after, we learned of the devastation in Port-au-Prince. "The crew was recalled from various points around the base," Durham continued, "and we were underway by 10 p.m. We made best speed through the night." Durham's cutter was the first U.S. vessel to arrive in Haiti for the earthquake response mission. During the response, Durham said her crew members conducted numerous missions, including search and rescue, air traffic control, port assessments, damage assessment overflights and medical evacuations. Durham and her crew were recognized for their exceptional work during the response effort. On July 4, 2010, Durham represented the Coast Guard at the White House and was commended by President Barack Obama for the Haiti relief efforts. "We salute the United States Coast Guard, including a Coast Guardsman who commanded the first U.S. vessel to arrive in Haiti after the earthquake, helping to pave the way for one of the most complex humanitarian efforts ever attempted, Cmdr. Diane Durham," Obama said. At the height of the response in mid-January, the Coast Guard had up to eight cutters in Haiti's ports, in the Caribbean and in Florida waters. Air assets included a HC-144A Ocean Sentry aircraft, five HC-130 Hercules aircraft, three MH-65 Dolphin helicopters and three MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters operating in Haiti with more than 800 Coast Guard members providing assistance on shore, afloat on the cutters and in the air. Durham said she emphasized an open and honest command climate built on trust and communication. "Being on a cutter requires people to embody the term shipmate," she said. "You live together, work together, struggle together and succeed together for long periods of time. You become a family." This command climate directly impacted Durham's crew. "Commander Durham is very dedicated to the overall mission of the Coast Guard. I have sought after her council for stressful situations on several occasions," said Senior Chief Petty Officer Nicole Rose, the command chief on the Forward. "What makes a good leader is looking out after your people, dedication, motivation, compassion and the ability to expertly handle difficult situations. This is a talent too few have and many more need." Durham has served more than nine years at sea during her 21-year career on the Coast Guard cutters Rush, Decisive, Resolute, Tampa and Forward. Durham said she now brings her knowledge and experience from the fleet into the classroom to train and teach cadets, officer candidates, prospective commanding officers and executive officers. "It's important to have officers from the fleet as instructors because they know what is expected of junior officers in their first tours and what will help us achieve success when we enter the workforce," said First Class Cadet Amanda Cousart, a marine and environmental science major at the academy. "Teaching cadets and other Coast Guard personnel is a way to make sure all of the information Commander Durham has learned is passed on so future officers can make the Coast Guard thrive." First Class Cadet Dana Prefer echoed Cousart's sentiments. "I think that Commander Durham is a wealth of knowledge because she has done almost everything you can do in the afloat community," Prefer said. "When she told us about her past jobs, I was very impressed that she held that many command positions and highly-sought-after billets. I believe that due to her diverse career path," Prefer added, "she is able to get through to her students effectively, and I see her as a very good model of what a leader should be."

A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter launches off the flight deck of the 270-foot Coast Guard Cutter Forward near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 13, 2010. Coast Guard members were mobilized to provide support to Haiti last year after it experienced a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. U.S. Coast Guard photo

Corruption cannot be eradicated from a country like India..!

Anna Hazare Calling

The old man, Anna Hazare should not put his precious life on the block for this  LOK PAL thing......the issue has been coming up, time and again ,for the last 42 years, and a whole lot of Governments headed by various political parties have wielded power at the center as well as the states during this period but no one has been willing to get this bill passed by the parliament......why?  Because all these political dispensations, have vested interests in maintaining the status quo.....and for all you know the govt. of the day will find out a way to wriggle out of this political impasse ,make some promises and offer some platitudes, to the old man and his supporters, and get him to break his fast by offering him a glass of orange juice ,and there the matter will rest, till someone gets a brain wave to get in to the lime light once again...........and on the TV screens for their fifteen minutes of glory.........the bottom line is that corruption cannot be eradicated from a country like India...the Incredible.......it is simply impossible.....!!

                                                                                                --DR. M K BAJAJ   

Japanese Minister Thanks U.S. Service Members

By Lisa Daniel  American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 4, 2011 - Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa today boarded the USS Ronald Reagan to thank U.S. service members for their help since a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the tsunami it caused struck Japan on March 11. Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa views a banner created by U.S. service members in honor of Operation Tomodachi during his visit to the USS Ronald Reagan, April 4, 2011. Among those holding the banner are Army Lt. Gen. Burton Field, commander of U.S. Forces Japan, and U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Navy Adm. Patrick Walsh. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Carlstrom  The work of U.S. service members and other Americans is a testament to the half century of tomodachi –- friendship -- between the United States and Japan, Kitazawa said as he shared a statement from Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. "To all U.S. military members, on behalf of the people of Japan, I sincerely express my deep appreciation for the tremendous support provided by the U.S. military, the U.S. government and the American people at a time of unprecedented crisis in Japan," Kitazawa said. The USS Ronald Reagan responded immediately after the disaster, and its sailors, as well as other service members, continue their humanitarian mission in Japan "with pride and passion" and "are supporting Japan on an extraordinary scale," he said. As of March 25, more than 1,000 sailors and Marines were deployed in support of Operation Tomodachi and had flown more than 450 missions for recovery, transport and supplies distribution, according to the U.S. embassy officials in Tokyo. Kitazawa said he received a call from President Barack Obama right after the earthquake, pledging American support. "The entire Japanese people are deeply moved and encouraged by scenes of U.S. military members working hard in support of relief efforts," he said. "Those in Japan and the United States are true tomodachi. ... They share basic values such as democracy and respect for human rights." Faced with such a disaster, Kitazawa said, "in no time like the present do I feel so strongly about our friendship with the United States. Your support is a testament of our enduring bond for more than half a century. Japan, with your continuous cooperation, is determined to launch a full-scale effort to overcome these challenges ahead of us." U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos was part of the delegation that included senior Japanese military officials aboard USS Ronald Reagan today. "Looking out over this spectacular view, in front of all you great Americans, I am awed to be here, and I can't tell you how deeply moved I am by all you've accomplished in the last several weeks," he said. Roos offered U.S. condolences to the Japanese, noting that he saw the disaster's effects firsthand in northeastern Japan. "One cannot even begin to imagine the devastation until you witness it yourself," he said, "and even then it's hard to imagine. "I met with people who lost almost everything in their lives, including their loved ones," he continued. "I could not help but be moved by their calm dignity and resilient spirit."

Biographies: John V. Roos  Related Sites: USS Ronald Reagan  Special Report: Earthquake in Japan – U.S. Military Responds

Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos and others are briefed on the tsunami and earthquake humanitarian relief efforts during a visit to the USS Ronald Reagan, April 4, 2011. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Shawn J. Stewart  Japan Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa receives honors from sailors upon his arrival aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, April 4, 2011. Kitazawa delivered a message of thanks from Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan for U.S. relief efforts during Operation Tomodachi. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Shawn J. Stewart

Viet Nam must release Cu Huy Ha Vu..Amnesty

Amnesty International Demands Release of Prominent Vietnamese 
Activist Jailed Over Democracy Calls 

Washington, DC : Viet Nam must release a high-profile activist sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for calling for an end to one-party rule, Amnesty International said today.   

Human rights defender and environmental activist Cu Huy Ha Vu was convicted of "conducting propaganda against the state" by a court in Ha Noi yesterday after calling for a multiparty system in online articles and for giving interviews to foreign media.  Vu was also sentenced to three years of house arrest upon the completion of his seven year prison term. 

"This was a sham trial, with the presumption of innocence and right to a defense completely ignored," said Donna Guest, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific deputy director. "Cu Huy Va Vu is a prisoner of conscience and should be immediately and unconditionally released." 

The son of a famous revolutionary colleague of the late President Ho Chi Minh, Vu had previously twice sued the Prime Minister of the country, once in an attempt to stop a controversial bauxite mining project from harming the environment, and the other challenging the legality of a decree banning class-action petitions.   

His was the second major trial of a dissident this year, following the January conviction of Vi Duc Hoi, a pro-democracy activist and former Communist Party official prosecuted for posting articles online calling for democracy. 

Two former prisoners of conscience who tried to observe his trial, Pham Hong Son and Le Quoc Quan, were reportedly arrested outside the court.  Amnesty International is also calling for their immediate release. 

"The Vietnamese authorities have outlawed any peaceful dissent through their misuse of the judicial system.  The government needs to heed the calls of the international community to stop persecuting and imprisoning non-violent activists," said Guest. 

Dozens of peaceful political critics and activists have been sentenced to long prison terms since Viet Nam began a concerted crackdown on freedom of expression in October 2009. Amnesty International is calling on the Vietnamese government to allow judicial independence, and to repeal or reform vaguely worded security legislation used to prosecute peaceful critics. 

 (Issued on Tuesday, April 5, 2011) 

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. 

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Career Spans Two Services, Two Wars

By Trisha Gallaway
Joint Base Charleston
JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C., April 1, 2011 - On Feb. 23, 1991, Army Pfc. Roy Bentley was in Saudi Arabia serving with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment as an armored crewman when the ground war began during Operation Desert Storm.

Air Force Maj. Roy Bentley flies a C-17 Globemaster III in Southwest Asia in March 2011. Courtesy photo

Exactly 20 years later, on Feb. 23, 2011, Air Force Maj. Roy Bentley landed in Kuwait with the 17th Airlift Squadron en route to his deployment with the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron -- this time as a C-17 pilot supporting operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.
"The 2nd Cavalry was the spearhead for the 7th Corps movement into Iraq" during Desert Storm, Bentley said. "We were the lead unit for the right hook. The cavalry is the eyes and ears of the corps."
Bentley remained on active duty with the Army until July 1992, when he then joined the Army National Guard and used his GI Bill benefits to go to college. In 1998, he was accepted into the Air Force's Officer Training School, and he began pilot training in 1999.
Today, Bentley is a C-17 instructor pilot assigned to the 17th Airlift Squadron here. He is deployed to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, one of three locations where the squadron is based during this deployment rotation.
The air mobility mission has played a key role in operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. While deployed, the squadron is providing airlift for troops and passengers, military equipment, cargo and aeromedical airlift. It also conducts missions involving the airland or airdrop of troops, equipment and supplies to warfighters in austere locations.
As someone who has been on both sides of the coin, Bentley said, he knows how important the air mobility mission is and what it can mean to the warfighter on the ground.
"At the end of the ground war in 1991, the supply line was stretched, and we were without our normal rations for three weeks," he said. "We did have Chef Boyardee Beefaroni as a meal supplement to our normal meals ready to eat. When the MREs ran out, it was Beefaroni for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I haven't eaten it since."
While the mission is certainly different this time around for Bentley, he has a true appreciation for the service members who are on the ground.
"I can relate to the men and women I am dropping off and picking up in theater," he said. "I understand that all the supplies we deliver are sorely needed by the people on the ground. I take great pride in moving the troops around theater, taking the time to talk with them and encouraging them during their deployment."
Looking back on his deployment during the Gulf War, Bentley said his time in a tank was much different from time in a C-17.
"Life in a tank was better than life on the ground," he said. "We had a place to eat, sleep and stay protected. There wasn't too much to worry about in a tank, except another tank."
So how is time spent in a C-17 different?
"Life on the C-17 is nice. We have a working toilet onboard, and at every stop you can find a place to shower," he said. "Not taking a shower for six months is not an experience I want to repeat. I always tell the guys that I have had my Air Force appreciation tour. No matter how bad you think you have it, there is always someone out there who has it worse."
During this current deployment, Bentley is the Detachment 2 commander for the squadron at Manas and has been flying with two of the squadron's newest pilots.
"Being able to pass on my know-how and developing the skills of those younger airmen has been rewarding," Bentley said.
Just as it was by chance that Bentley landed in Kuwait 20 years to the day of the start of the ground war in Operation Desert Storm, he's also leaving in the same fashion.
"I was redeployed to Germany in May 1991, and I'm slated to return to Charleston in May 2011," he said.
Bentley's fellow airmen at Manas couldn't let this milestone pass without a few good-natured jabs.
"I was the young guy during the first Gulf War," he said. "The young guys [here] keep reminding me that I am the old man this time around."

Release Election Protesters: Amnesty International

Washington, D.C: . Amnesty International has demanded the release of a Belarusian student sentenced today for taking part in a post-election protest - the third similar conviction in the past week. 
"It's chillingly clear that the three activists have been sentenced on the basis of trumped up charges just because they dared to criticize elections that were plagued by irregularities," said Nicola Duckworth of Amnesty International. "These men are prisoners of conscience - jailed for the peaceful expression of their views - and they must be immediately and unconditionally released." 

Mikita Likhavid, 20, was sentenced to three years and six months in a labor colony on charges of "mass disorder" for peacefully participating in opposition demonstrations in December. The conviction follows the sentencing on March 24 of activists Zmitser Dashkevich and Eduard Lobau, allegedly for "hooliganism". 

Mikita Likhavid was among protesters beaten by riot police in disturbances that followed Belarus' disputed election on December 19, in which President Alyaksandr Lukashenka was re-elected for the fourth time amid allegations of rigging. 

Law student Likhavid was initially detained for an administrative offence but then faced criminal charges, despite the policeman who filed his arrest warrant admitting in court that he had not seen Likhavid during the protest. 

Prominent activist Zmitser Dashkevich, leader of the Young Front organization, and fellow Young Front member Eduard Lobau were last week sentenced to two and four years in a labor colony respectively for allegedly assaulting passers-by the day before the election. 

Another Young Front activist present at the time told Amnesty International that the group had in fact been attacked. He said four men had asked them for directions and then punched Zmitser Dashkevich and Eduard Lobau. 

Police arrived within minutes in a police special forces minibus and detained the three activists and two of the attackers without asking any questions. Zmitser Dashkevich and Eduard Lobau were convicted on the basis of testimony from the two attackers detained with them. 

"It appears that Zmitser Dashkevich and Eduard Lobau, as well-known activists, were detained to prevent them taking part in the demonstration on December 19," said Duckworth. 

The convictions bring the total number of prisoners of conscience connected with the post-election crackdown currently in detention or under house arrest to 15. (Issued on Tuesday, March 29, 2011) 

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. 

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