IRAN:
Iran to hang nine more over election unrest
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Tuesday it would soon hang nine more rioters over the unrest that erupted after the June presidential vote, and the leader of the opposition said such repression showed the 1979 Islamic revolution had failed.

"Nine others will be hanged soon. The nine, and the two who were hanged on Thursday, were surely arrested in the recent riots and had links to anti-revolutionary groups," said senior judiciary official Ebrahim Raisi, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The two men hanged last week were among a group of 11 people sentenced to death on charges including "waging war against God" and being members of armed groups. is involved in the Darkhovin oilfield.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61122R20100202?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

TAIWAN:
China versus Taiwan: How the political standoff may end
FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61111H20100202?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a49:g43:r1:c0.206307:b30194914:z0
EXCERPT:
BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) - China has expressed fury at Washington's announcement of a new arms package for self-ruled Taiwan, saying it threatens the task of peaceful reunification between the two sides.

China and Taiwan, once at the brink of war before a thaw in relations, have avoided discussing their political future and instead focused on forming closer economic ties.

A non-violent solution is iffy more than 60 years after the Communist victory in the Chinese civil war, which forced the defeated Nationalist Party (KMT) to flee to Taiwan.

China, the world's third-largest economy and a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, claims sovereignty over ethnically Chinese Taiwan and has not renounced the use of force to bring the proudly democratic island under its control...

TIBET:
China warns U.S. on Dalai Lama, says to punish arms firms
FULL ARTICLE: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61111C20100202?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said a possible meeting between President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama would further harm Sino-U.S. relations, and vowed to go ahead with unspecified sanctions against U.S. firms selling arms to Taiwan...

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Dear TSR Friends:

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season. Thank you for all of your support of "The Singing Revolution", it would not have happened without you.

During this holiday season, we cherish the freedom we enjoy to openly celebrate in the way we each individually choose, and we celebrate what people are capable of achieving peacefully.

"The Singing Revolution" continues to play in theaters, universities and colleges. There are also discussions with PBS in the works, and we're hopeful that 2010 will be the year of serious television distribution.

We'll be sure to keep you posted with the latest news on "The Singing Revolution", and you can always visit the film's website for updates, upcoming screenings, and blog posts at www.singingrevolution.com.

Warmest wishes,

Maureen & James Tusty
Producers/Directors of "The Singing Revolution"

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"The Singing Revolution" was named the #1 holiday pick in Barron's Magazine this weekend! DVD and Book available on the film's website. Here's what they wrote...

By GENE EPSTEIN
"If books help you think and pictures help you feel, then moving pictures augmented by words can help you feel thoughts. As a diehard print person, I still insist books alone present thoughts and ideas with due evidence and nuance. But the visceral power of film is undeniable, especially when intensified by the power of song. "The Singing Revolution", a 2007 film narrated by actress Linda Hunt, tells the thrilling story of the tiny country of Estonia's nonviolent fight for independence, first against Nazi Germany and then the Soviet Union. It may be too much to say Estonian folk-singing literally was the revolution. But the film makes a strong case that popular song played a special role in moving Estonians to revolt."

Here's the full article...

http://online.barrons.com/article_email/SB126058426624988461-lMyQjAxMDI5NjEwMjUxODI0Wj.html#articleTabs_panel_article%3D1

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Here's a link to the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty site, with an post about how CELL PHONE videos and YOUTUBE are changing the face or protest/awareness in Iran.

It's also a great reminder of the important role RFE/RL still plays in sharing accurate news in oppressed regions of the world. As they state on their website..."the first requirement of democracy is a well-informed citizenry. By promoting the free flow of information, RFE/RL supports the development of civil society and thus makes a contribution to long-term development and stability in the region we cover. It's hard to imagine a more direct, effective way of supporting human rights and promoting democracy and the rule of law. We reach 17.6 million people in 20 countries..."

http://www.rferl.org/content/Five_MustWatch_Iran_Videos__/1899653.html

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November 30th the World March for Peace & Nonviolence comes to the US, kicking off in NYC. Visit their website for the full list of cities...

http://www.worldmarchusa.net/

The World March Comes to the US! Nov 30th - Dec 3rd
The international World March Team arrives in the United States on Monday, November 30 -- 35 countries, 4 continents and 60 days after setting out from New Zealand. Now it's our turn to express ourselves and take a stand: for the abolition of nuclear weapons, for an end to war as a means of resolving conflict, and for a new global consciousness based on nonviolence & the rejection of all forms of violence.

November 30th: NYC
Join the World Marchers for Peace and Nonviolence on their first day in North America.

1 PM: March Over the Brooklyn Bridge
3 PM: Press Conference/City Proclamation at City Hall
7 PM: "Beyond Violence": Performance & Celebration at Riverside Church

December 1st: NYC
12 noon: Ceremony of Reconciliation at Ground Zero
READ MORE
More info: www.worldmarchinnyc.org

http://www.worldmarchusa.net/

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The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia is honoring Josef Stalin by placing his bust on a pedestal at its museum. Read some of the explanation below. For me, the logic is painfully flawed and simplistic. How can they not understand the greater implication of such a representation of one of history's most murderous tyrants? If they're simply trying to reflect the parties involved during these times, do they also have a statue or bust of Hitler in the same light? There has to be another way to represent this history more accurately...

AN EXCERPT FROM THE DAILY NEWS...

"William McIntosh, president of the memorial in Bedford, Va., insisted "the function of this sculpture is not to honor Stalin."
Stalin is included with the busts of Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill because the Soviets "secured the eastern front and helped win the war," he said.
"He's part of the narrative thread and the mission of the foundation is preserve the legacies and lessons of D-Day. One of the legacies of D-Day is the Cold War."
That explanation did not wash with Alex Storozynski of the Kosciuszko Foundation in Manhattan, whose father fought at D-Day as a member of a Polish Army unit.
"Given McIntosh's logic, should America put up a statue of Saddam Hussein because he was an ally of the U.S. in the 1980s when we supported Iraq in a war against Iran?" Storozynski wrote on Huffington Post..."

AND AN EXCERPT FROM STOROZYNSKI'S FULL ARTICLE:

"Hitler and Stalin were allies and started World War II in 1939 by both attacking Poland at the same time. But William McIntosh, the D-Day Memorial's president says that because Stalin became a U.S. ally after Germany invaded Russia, he deserves to be acknowledged along with Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

McIntosh is wrong. Stalin only gave lip service to the allies so that they would attack Nazi Germany on the Western front. Stalin did not liberate Eastern Europe from the Nazis in 1945; he sent in Soviet troops that occupied half of Europe until the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Stalin the communist barely hid his disdain for capitalist America during WWII, and once the war ended, he began the Cold War and ordered his scientists to work on missiles and nuclear weapons that could destroy the United States..."

You can write to the D-Day Memorial at: dday@dday.org

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-storozynski/us-honors-stalin-on-hallo_b_363141.html?view=print

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/11/19/2009-11-19_wwii_vets_up_in_arms_over_addition_of_soviet_dictator_stalins_bust_at_national_d.html

Continue reading»

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We are very excited to announce the release of "The Singing Revolution" on PAL DVD, with multiple subtitles.

The PAL DVD offers subtitles in Dutch, Estonian, French, German, Russian, and Spanish.

The DVD can be purchased at the film's website store: http://www.singingrevolution.com/cgi-local/store.cgi

PAL is the DVD standard for countries and regions such as Australia, most of Europe, Brazil, most of Africa, Estonia, and elsewhere. NTSC is the format for the US, Canada, Japan, much of South America and other regions.

Below is a link to a site that lists all countries and their formats (for those listed as SECAM, they are most often PAL DVD countries these days.)

http://www.dvdbuyingguide.com/codefreedvd/ntscchart.html

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Today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall! Below are two links to great photo-timelines of the wall's history.

It would still take almost two more years of struggle, until August 1991, for the illegally occupied Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania to have their rightful independence re-established in the world...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2009/oct/20/berlinwall-germany

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/08/berlin-wall-photos-a-look_n_350263.html

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"The European Parliament has awarded its Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Memorial, a leading Russian human rights organization and to the prominent human rights activists Ludmilla Alekseeva, Sergei Kovalev, and Oleg Orlov, and other Russian human rights defenders, Human Rights Watch said today."

"Memorial and this group of activists have set the standard for human rights work in Russia," Cartner said. "We are inspired by their fearlessness, vision, and dedication to justice."

To read the full article:

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/22/russia-memorial-awarded-sakharov-prize

Continue reading»

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Singing Revolution filmmaker Jim Tusty will be in Concord, NH tonight for a Q&A discussion at the Red River Theaters after the film plays. Click here for more details...

http://www.singingrevolution.com/cgi-local/screenings.cgi

October 29, 2009
Red River Theatres
11 S. Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
603-224-4600

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