Nobel Peace Laureates launches a peace Campaign: Thank You Tibet!

Article by Nobel Women's Initiative via WN Dharamshala:

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet affirm critical values that the world is in danger of losing. They are a model for all of us: despite the attack on their people and the displacement of their culture they preach and practice compassion and respect for the dignity of every person. Furthermore, by making a peaceful transition from ancient traditions of leadership by a small group of hereditary rulers to government by democratically elected leaders, Tibetans have set an admirable example. If a community exiled from their homeland and scattered across the world can come together and grow into a democratic society that respects human rights, every community can do so. The Tibetans also demonstrate how common core human values can and should transcend geography, ethnicity and culture.

The Tibetans made an extraordinary choice to engage in peaceful nonviolent protest to the destruction of their culture and the take over of their homeland. By doing so, they followed in the great Indian example of Mahatma Gandhi and served as examples for the peace and democracy movements in Northern Ireland and Iran. Nonviolence can work, it must work and it does work and it does work - it has brought about peaceful change from India to the Czech Republic to South Africa. Every time women and men who are treated unjustly choose to respond with peaceful protest rather than violence they invite those whom they protest to respond with respect and compassion. There are thousands of women and men in India, China, Burma, Singapore, Malaysia and all the countries of this region who are inviting their leaders to listen to their protests and respond with respect and compassion. It is a grave mistake for leaders to ignore them, or to mistake their nonviolent protest for weakness or surrender. Nonviolence is powerful - it has overthrown governments and irrevokably changed societies.

Today, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community in exile ask for the freedom to practice and preserve their culture. Governments of the region and of the world should press the government of China to have constructive dialogue with representatives of the Tibetan people. His Holiness proposes the most basic and essential of steps that do nothing more than demonstrate respect and compassion for Tibetans: Tibet should be a zone of peace, free of nuclear weapons, where fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms are honored and the natural environment is restored and protected. There is no reason that the governments of China and leaders all over the world who support the Tibetans should not work together to listen and respond to the voice of the Tibetan people by engaging in sincere negotiations on the future status of Tibet and of relations between the Tibetan and Chinese people.

Close by, the people of Burma are asking their government to hear their voice as well. While the government has imposed an undemocratic so called "roadmap to democracy" and set elections for next year, governments of the region should support civil society's calls for steps that will indicate a commitment to true democracy. Burma's regional neighbors should ask the government of Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners and engage in a process of inclusive constitutional review with all stakeholders before holding elections.

Also in the region, just last week ASEAN inaugurated their Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. It is right and worthy of a regional organization aspiring to bring peace and prosperity to form such a body. However, the treatment by governments of civil society at the same summit was deplorable. A government must not refuse to meet with civil society or prevent civil society organizations from choosing their own representatives. It completely undermines their principle of civil society's critical voice in governance.

Asian nations have long focused on economic growth and development. It is past time for these nations to show leadership by responding to their own citizen's calls for human rights and democracy. It is also critical to support the calls of the citizens of other nations. From person to person, from citizen to government and from nation to nation, there must always be a positive response to nonviolence:engaging with peaceful citizens is the only way to preserve peace and ensure human security.

For more information please visit the Nobel Women's initiative at nobelwomensinitiative.org. The Nobel Womens's initiative was establshed in 2006 by sister Nobel Peace laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire to strengthen and expand the global movement to advance nonviolence, peace, justice and equality.

On the occasion of 50 Years in Exile: A Celebration of Tibetan Culture- Thank You Tibet! Campaign Launch, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India-October 28, 2009

By: Nobel Peace Laureates

Shirin Ebadi, Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Jody Williams

Several Halloween costumes possible on low budget

Gray Matters Matt Watson

Since fourth grade, Halloween has just been an excuse for my family to buy candy, most of which doesn't make it into the hands of trick-or-treaters, I'm afraid. While I don't get any trick-or-treaters living on campus, I still usually find an excuse for binging on sweets.

Eating candy is usually all I do on Halloween, but lately I've been going through the annual thinking-about-maybe-wearing-a-costume phase, which never really materializes.

All the young people do it. I want to be cool and fit in, but I don't have stashes of dollars saved up for luxuries like masks, costumes and face paint, even from Walmart.

As it turns out, I'm not the only one finding myself in this situation. According to The Coloradoan (Fort Collins, Colo.), college students are leaning toward crafting their own costumes this year. Nationally, Americans spend an average of $56.31 for the holiday, about $10 less than usual. I don't even intend to spend $20 on Halloween.

And I would never be the one to buy fabrics and try to craft my own costume. I'm looking for the real cheapo ideas. I've come up with the following.

1. Kanye West: My brother suggested this one to me. It's pretty easy. Wear sunglasses, carry around a beer and a microphone and cry every time you talk about your mother.

2. Balloon boy: Another idea from my brother. All you really have to do for this one is carry a paper bag or trash bag above your head and walk around in a cardboard box, although you can actually buy elaborate costumes for this from microflight.com, unfortunately. You could also carry around a tray with something that looks like vomit in it. This is a little insensitive and sadistic, but it's Halloween.

3. Tape random objects from your apartment to your body and call yourself Lady Gaga. It wouldn't hurt to break out with the robot dance at completely random moments.

4. Walk around holding your privates and say you're whoever your favorite hip-hop artist is. Michael Jackson fits this one well, but childish, entertainment-obsessed college students might be offended by it.

5. Edward Cullen, the "Twilight" vampire: Conceited, baby-faced white kids don't even have to do anything for this one.

6. Every time someone says something to you, scream back at them and say, "You lie!" Then apologize to them and say you're South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson. You don't even have to wear anything for this one if you don't want to.

7. Rush Limbaugh: All you'd have to do is carry a bunch of pills and spread blatant lies and exaggerations with a really loud voice. Tell everybody about the latest forwarded political e-mail you received without bothering to fact check it.

8. Bill Maher: Put on your best cynical face and tell everyone around you their religious beliefs are stupid and you're smarter than them. Also talk about being stoned.

9. Carry around a tissue, sneeze every once in a while and tell everyone you're a swine flu victim. That's pretty scary.

10. Say the word "amazing" in every sentence and call yourself Dick Vitale.

There, that's a good round 10, and you don't even have to dress up at all for most of them.

I'm sure the massive collection of my fans can think of even better ideas. I'm just getting started.