FREE TIBET - No Olympics in China until Tibet is FREE

Site of Government of Tibet in Exile -
http://www.tibet.com/

Tibetan struggle to hold out to the last man: Kalon Tripa

Flanked by three Kalons, Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche addressing the conference of settlement officers
Dharamshala, 23 January, TibetNet: Hope for the best--i.e. to hope for a successful resolution of the Tibet problem within the lifetime of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

Prepare for the worst--i.e. to be prepared for the worst eventuality, whereby the Tibetan movement has to be sustained indefinitely, for centuries until the last Tibetan.

Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche thus elaborated the maxim of His Holiness here yesterday morning, at the inaugural of the 5th biennial conference of some 39 officers from Tibetan settlements across India and Nepal, under the supervision of the Home Department.



Kalon Tripa underlined the two aims of the Tibetan Administration in exile as His Holiness’ Middle-Way Approach to peacefully resolve the Sino-Tibetan problem, and to undertake measures that assist in the resolution of the issue through that Approach, which includes the sustenance of the Tibet movement through Tibetan religious and cultural identity.

Also present at the conference were the Kalon for religion and culture, Tsering Phuntsok, the Kalon for Education, Thupten Lungrig, and the Kalon for Information and International Relations, Tempa Tsering, who is also the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at New Delhi.

As there has been no change in the policies and plans of the last administration, which invested much time and effort in making assessments, formulating policies and action plans, and educating them to the masses, this administration is absolutely committed to see a thorough implementation of those policies and plans, without any waste of time, the Kalon Tripa added.

"This was also the sole purpose behind holding this conference a year in advance of its conventional timeline."

He further said that the Kashag could only formulate policies and action plans, while their actual implementation on ground relies entirely upon the dedication of the settlement officers, who are not merely a representative of the Home Department, but also of His Holiness and the entire Administration.

During this four-day conference, which will deliberate on a broad range of issues with the competency of the two-way communication channel between the Administration and the people, Kalon Tripa urged the settlement officers to discuss both the positives and negatives, just as His Holiness recently said "one should talk about the hare’s lip as much as one talks of its fine fur."

Reform Judaism-UK

This film is a brief look at Reform (Liberal) Judaism in Britain. American Reform Judaism is a bit different today, and I subscribe to the following:
ct. 27, 2004
"The Miami Platform" - 1997
ACCEPTED BY THE CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN RABBIS
June 24, 1997
Miami, Florida
PREAMBLE:
In recognition of the centenary of the first World Zionist Congress (August 29, 1897), the Central Conference of American Rabbis hereby issues its first platform dedicated exclusively to the relationship between Reform Judaism and Zionism.

In 1885 the framers of the Pittsburgh Platform of Reform Judaism declared that they no longer expected Jews to return to a national homeland in Palestine. The Platform's authors proclaimed: "We consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious community, and, therefore, expect neither a return to Palestine...nor the restoration of any of the laws concerning the Jewish state."

By 1937 the CCAR had reversed its stand on Jewish peoplehood, and declared in its "Columbus Platform" that "Judaism is the soul of which Israel [the people] is the body." The document further states: "We affirm the obligation of all Jewry to aid in its [Palestine's] up-building as a Jewish homeland by endeavoring to make it not only a haven of refuge for the oppressed but also a center of Jewish culture and spiritual life." This affirmation of Jewish peoplehood was accompanied by a reaffirmation of Reform Judaism's universal message: "We regard it as our historic task to cooperate with all men in the establishment of the kingdom of God, of universal brotherhood, justice, truth and peace on earth. This is our Messianic goal."

The CCAR returned again to the question of Zionism in 1976, asserting in its "Centenary Perspective": "We are bound to...the newly reborn State of Israel by innumerable religious and ethnic ties....We have both a stake and a responsibility in building the State of Israel, assuring its security and defining its Jewish character." The "Centenary Perspective" also affirmed the legitimacy of the Diaspora and the historic universalism of Reform Judaism: "The State of Israel and the diaspora, in fruitful dialogue, can show how a people transcends nationalism even as it affirms it, thereby setting an example for humanity, which remains largely concerned with dangerously parochial goals." Here again, the CCAR embraced Zionism as a means of fulfilling its universal vision and its opposition to narrow nationalism.

A century after Theodor Herzl called for the creation of a modern Jewish state and nearly fifty years since the State of Israel joined the family of modern nations, the fundamental issues addressed in the previous CCAR pronouncements continue to challenge us, making this a fitting time to re-examine and redefine the ideological and spiritual bonds that connect Am Yisrael [the People of Israel] to Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel] and to Medinat Yisrael [the State of Israel]. The CCAR affirms through this Platform those principles which will guide Reform Judaism into the 21st century.
I. Judaism: A Religion and a People
The restoration of Am Yisrael to its ancestral homeland after nearly two thousand years of statelessness and powerlessness represents an historic triumph of the Jewish people, providing a physical refuge, the possibility of religious and cultural renewal on its own soil, and the realization of God's promise to Abraham: "to your offspring I assign this land" . From that distant moment until today, the intense love between Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael has not subsided.

We believe that the eternal covenant established at Sinai ordained a unique religious purpose for Am Yisrael. Medinat Yisrael , the Jewish State, is therefore unlike all other states. Its obligation is to strive towards the attainment of the Jewish people's highest moral ideals to be a mamlechet kohanim [a kingdom of priests], a goy kadosh [a holy people], and l'or goyim [a light unto the nations].
II. From Degradation to Sovereignty
During two millennia of dispersion and persecution, Am Yisrael never abandoned hope for the rebirth of a national home in Eretz Yisrael. The Shoah [Holocaust] intensified our resolve to affirm life and pursue the Zionist dream of a return to Eretz Yisrael. Even as we mourned for the loss of one-third of our people, we witnessed the miraculous rebirth of Medinat Yisrael, the Jewish people's supreme creation in our age.

Centuries of Jewish persecution, culminating in the Shoah, demonstrated the risks of powerlessness. We, therefore, affirm Am Yisrael's reassertion of national sovereignty, but we urge that it be used to create the kind of society in which full civil, human, and religious rights exist for all its citizens. Ultimately, Medinat Yisrael will be judged not on its military might but on its character.

While we view Eretz Yisrael as sacred, the sanctity of Jewish life takes precedence over the sanctity of Jewish land.
III. Our Relationship to the State of Israel
Even as Medinat Yisrael serves uniquely as the spiritual and cultural focal point of world Jewry, Israeli and Diaspora Jewry are inter-dependent, responsible for one another, and partners in the shaping of Jewish destiny. Each kehilla [Jewish community], though autonomous and self-regulating, shares responsibility for the fate of Jews everywhere. By deepening the social, spiritual, and intellectual relationship among the kehillot worldwide, we can revitalize Judaism both in Israel and the Diaspora.
IV. Our Obligations to Israel
To help promote the security of Medinat Yisrael and ensure the welfare of its citizens, we pledge continued political support and financial assistance.

Recognizing that knowledge of Hebrew is indispensable both in the study of Judaism and in fostering solidarity between Israeli and Diaspora Jews, we commit ourselves to intensifying Hebrew instruction in all Reform institutions. Hebrew, the language of our sacred texts and prayers, is a symbol of the revitalization of Am Yisrael .

To enhance appreciation of Jewish peoplehood and promote a deeper understanding of Israel, we resolve to implement educational programs and religious practices that reflect and reinforce the bond between Reform Judaism and Zionism.

To deepen awareness of Israel and strengthen Jewish identity, we call upon all Reform Jews, adults and youths, to study in, and make regular visits to, Israel.

While affirming the authenticity and necessity of a creative and vibrant Diaspora Jewry, we encourage aliyah [immigration] to Israel in pursuance of the precept of yishuv Eretz Yisrael [settling the Land of Israel]. While Jews can live Torah-centered lives in the Diaspora, only in Medinat Yisrael do they bear the primary responsibility for the governance of society, and thus may realize the full potential of their individual and communal religious strivings.

Confident that Reform Judaism's synthesis of tradition and modernity and its historic commitment to tikkun olam [repairing the world], can make a unique and positive contribution to the Jewish state, we resolve to intensify our efforts to inform and educate Israelis about the values of Reform Judaism. We call upon Reform Jews everywhere to dedicate their energies and resources to the strengthening of an indigenous Progressive Judaism in Medinat Yisrael.
V. Israel's Obligations to the Diaspora
Medinat Yisrael exists not only for the benefit of its citizens but also to defend the physical security and spiritual integrity of the Jewish people. Realizing that Am Yisrael consists of a coalition of different, sometimes conflicting, religious interpretations, the Jewish people will be best served when Medinat Yisrael is constituted as a pluralistic, democratic society. Therefore we seek a Jewish state in which no religious interpretation of Judaism takes legal precedence over another.
VI. Redemption
We believe that the renewal and perpetuation of Jewish national life in Eretz Yisrael is a necessary condition for the realization of the physical and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people and of all humanity. While that day of redemption remains but a distant yearning, we express the fervent hope that Medinat Yisrael, living in peace with its neighbors, will hasten the redemption of Am Yisrael, and the fulfillment of our messianic dream of universal peace under the sovereignty of God.

The achievements of modern Zionism in the creation of the State of Israel, in reviving the Hebrew language, in absorbing millions of immigrants, in transforming desolate wastes into blooming forests and fields, in generating a thriving new economy and society, are an unparalleled triumph of the Jewish spirit.

We stand firm in our love of Zion. We resolve to work for the day when waves of Jewish pride and confidence will infuse every Jewish heart, in fulfillment of the promise: When God restores the fortunes of Zion we shall be like dreamers. Our mouths will fill with laughter and our tongues with songs of joy. Then shall they say among the nations God has done great things for them.
Submitted by CCAR Tripartite Zionist Platform Committee:

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch - Chair - (See his introductory comments)

CCAR Representatives:
Rabbi Stanley Davids
Rabbi Dow Marmur
Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman

HUC-JIR Representatives:
Dr. Susan Einbinder
Rabbi Ezra Spicehandler
Rabbi Gary Zola
Dr. Michael Meyer - alternate

UAHC Representatives:
Constance Kreshtool
Norman Schwartz
Rabbi Eric Yoffie

Additional Representatives:
Dr. Leon Jick
Rabbi Norman Patz

The Committee gratefully acknowledges the significant contributions of:
Aron Hirt-Manheimer - Drafter and Editor
Rabbi Harvey Fields - Drafter

Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism
Oct. 27, 2004
Adopted in Pittsburgh - 1999
Adopted at the 1999 Pittsburgh Convention
Central Conference of American Rabbis
May 1999 - Sivan 5759
See Commentary on the Principles for Reform Judaism

Preamble
On three occasions during the last century and a half, the Reform rabbinate has adopted comprehensive statements to help guide the thought and practice of our movement. In 1885, fifteen rabbis issued the Pittsburgh Platform, a set of guidelines that defined Reform Judaism for the next fifty years. A revised statement of principles, the Columbus Platform, was adopted by the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1937. A third set of rabbinic guidelines, the Centenary Perspective, appeared in 1976 on the occasion of the centenary of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Today, when so many individuals are striving for religious meaning, moral purpose and a sense of community, we believe it is our obligation as rabbis once again to state a set of principles that define Reform Judaism in our own time.

Throughout our history, we Jews have remained firmly rooted in Jewish tradition, even as we have learned much from our encounters with other cultures. The great contribution of Reform Judaism is that it has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving tradition, to embrace diversity while asserting commonality, to affirm beliefs without rejecting those who doubt, and to bring faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship.

This "Statement of Principles" affirms the central tenets of Judaism - God, Torah and Israel - even as it acknowledges the diversity of Reform Jewish beliefs and practices. It also invites all Reform Jews to engage in a dialogue with the sources of our tradition, responding out of our knowledge, our experience and our faith. Thus we hope to transform our lives through (kedushah), holiness.
God

We affirm the reality and oneness of God, even as we may differ in our understanding of the Divine presence.

We affirm that the Jewish people is bound to God by an eternal (b'rit), covenant, as reflected in our varied understandings of Creation, Revelation and Redemption.

We affirm that every human being is created (b'tzelem Elohim), in the image of God, and that therefore every human life is sacred.

We regard with reverence all of God's creation and recognize our human responsibility for its preservation and protection.

We encounter God's presence in moments of awe and wonder, in acts of justice and compassion, in loving relationships and in the experiences of everyday life.

We respond to God daily: through public and private prayer, through study and through the performance of other (mitzvot), sacred obligations -- (bein adam la Makom), to God, and (bein adam la-chaveiro), to other human beings.

We strive for a faith that fortifies us through the vicissitudes of our lives -- illness and healing, transgression and repentance, bereavement and consolation, despair and hope.

We continue to have faith that, in spite of the unspeakable evils committed against our people and the sufferings endured by others, the partnership of God and humanity will ultimately prevail.

We trust in our tradition's promise that, although God created us as finite beings, the spirit within us is eternal.

In all these ways and more, God gives meaning and purpose to our lives.

Torah

We affirm that Torah is the foundation of Jewish life.

We cherish the truths revealed in Torah, God's ongoing revelation to our people and the record of our people's ongoing relationship with God.

We affirm that Torah is a manifestation of (ahavat olam), God's eternal love for the Jewish people and for all humanity.

We affirm the importance of studying Hebrew, the language of Torah and Jewish liturgy, that we may draw closer to our people's sacred texts.

We are called by Torah to lifelong study in the home, in the synagogue and in every place where Jews gather to learn and teach. Through Torah study we are called to (mitzvot), the means by which we make our lives holy.

We are committed to the ongoing study of the whole array of (mitzvot) and to the fulfillment of those that address us as individuals and as a community. Some of these (mitzvot), sacred obligations, have long been observed by Reform Jews; others, both ancient and modern, demand renewed attention as the result of the unique context of our own times.

We bring Torah into the world when we seek to sanctify the times and places of our lives through regular home and congregational observance. Shabbat calls us to bring the highest moral values to our daily labor and to culminate the workweek with (kedushah), holiness, (menuchah), rest and (oneg), joy. The High Holy Days call us to account for our deeds. The Festivals enable us to celebrate with joy our people's religious journey in the context of the changing seasons. The days of remembrance remind us of the tragedies and the triumphs that have shaped our people's historical experience both in ancient and modern times. And we mark the milestones of our personal journeys with traditional and creative rites that reveal the holiness in each stage of life.

We bring Torah into the world when we strive to fulfill the highest ethical mandates in our relationships with others and with all of God's creation. Partners with God in ( tikkun olam), repairing the world, we are called to help bring nearer the messianic age. We seek dialogue and joint action with people of other faiths in the hope that together we can bring peace, freedom and justice to our world. We are obligated to pursue (tzedek), justice and righteousness, and to narrow the gap between the affluent and the poor, to act against discrimination and oppression, to pursue peace, to welcome the stranger, to protect the earth's biodiversity and natural resources, and to redeem those in physical, economic and spiritual bondage. In so doing, we reaffirm social action and social justice as a central prophetic focus of traditional Reform Jewish belief and practice. We affirm the (mitzvah) of (tzedakah), setting aside portions of our earnings and our time to provide for those in need. These acts bring us closer to fulfilling the prophetic call to translate the words of Torah into the works of our hands.

In all these ways and more, Torah gives meaning and purpose to our lives.

Israel

We are Israel, a people aspiring to holiness, singled out through our ancient covenant and our unique history among the nations to be witnesses to God's presence. We are linked by that covenant and that history to all Jews in every age and place.

We are committed to the (mitzvah) of (ahavat Yisrael), love for the Jewish people, and to (k'lal Yisrael), the entirety of the community of Israel. Recognizing that (kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh), all Jews are responsible for one another, we reach out to all Jews across ideological and geographical boundaries.

We embrace religious and cultural pluralism as an expression of the vitality of Jewish communal life in Israel and the Diaspora.

We pledge to fulfill Reform Judaism's historic commitment to the complete equality of women and men in Jewish life.

We are an inclusive community, opening doors to Jewish life to people of all ages, to varied kinds of families, to all regardless of their sexual orientation, to (gerim), those who have converted to Judaism, and to all individuals and families, including the intermarried, who strive to create a Jewish home.

We believe that we must not only open doors for those ready to enter our faith, but also to actively encourage those who are seeking a spiritual home to find it in Judaism.

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by supporting individuals and families in the creation of homes rich in Jewish learning and observance.

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by making the synagogue central to Jewish communal life, so that it may elevate the spiritual, intellectual and cultural quality of our lives.

We are committed to (Medinat Yisrael), the State of Israel, and rejoice in its accomplishments. We affirm the unique qualities of living in (Eretz Yisrael), the land of Israel, and encourage (aliyah), immigration to Israel.

We are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes full civil, human and religious rights for all its inhabitants and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors.

We are committed to promoting and strengthening Progressive Judaism in Israel, which will enrich the spiritual life of the Jewish state and its people.

We affirm that both Israeli and Diaspora Jewry should remain vibrant and interdependent communities. As we urge Jews who reside outside Israel to learn Hebrew as a living language and to make periodic visits to Israel in order to study and to deepen their relationship to the Land and its people, so do we affirm that Israeli Jews have much to learn from the religious life of Diaspora Jewish communities.

We are committed to furthering Progressive Judaism throughout the world as a meaningful religious way of life for the Jewish people.

In all these ways and more, Israel gives meaning and purpose to our lives.


(Baruch she-amar ve-haya ha-olam).
Praised be the One through whose word all things came to be.
May our words find expression in holy actions.
May they raise us up to a life of meaning devoted to God's service
And to the redemption of our world.

Both are from

http://ccarnet.org/index.cfm?

OUR HAPPY CLIENTS

Thanks to our friend, author Brad Steiger-

ROSA BROOKS
Those ingrate Iraqis

President Bush is right: Americans deserve gratitude for cutting Iraqis' energy

consumption and tackling their overpopulation problem.

Rosa Brooks

January 19, 2007

'HOW SHARPER than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!" complained

Shakespeare's King Lear. But Lear didn't know from ingratitude. Think it stings

to have a thankless child? Just try the sting of a thankless occupied nation!

President Bush on Sunday shared his lamentations on "60 Minutes," the modern

equivalent of the storm-swept heath. Assuming the time-honored role of Fool,

CBS' Scott Pelley asked the president, "Do you think you owe the Iraqi people an

apology for not doing a better job?"

Bush retorted: "That we didn't do a better job, or they didn't do a better job?….

We liberated that country from a tyrant. I think the Iraqi people owe the

American people a huge debt of gratitude…. We've endured great sacrifice to help

them…. [Americans] wonder whether or not there is a gratitude level that's

significant enough in Iraq."

Well, yes. I have wondered about that. Frankly — I'm talking to you, Iraqis! — a

few flowers and ticker-tape parades wouldn't be amiss, even at this late stage.

Remember, we got rid of Saddam Hussein for you — with a little help from his

executioners, to be sure, who sent him to his death amid enthusiastic chants in

praise of Shiite militia leader Muqtada Sadr. But that's just a detail.

Anyway, that's not all we've done for Iraq. We also introduced the Iraqis to

basic principles of energy conservation. Before the U.S. invasion, the feckless

residents of Baghdad used 16 to 24 hours of electricity each day. Today, thanks

to us, they thriftily make do with about six hours of electricity a day. Under

our tutelage, the Iraqis are also conserving fossil fuels: Oil production is

still well below prewar levels! And — recognizing that auto emissions are a

major contributor to global warming — a symbolically important number of Iraqis

has gone from driving their cars to detonating their cars. Now that's

dedication.

We've also helped the Iraqis address the problem of urban overcrowding. With

34,452 Iraqi civilians killed in 2006 alone, according to the United Nations,

and another 2 million opting to leave the country, the war has reduced the Iraqi

population by nearly 10%!

OK. But you're probably still wondering: What constitutes the "great sacrifice"

we Americans have made to give these gifts to the Iraqis? After all, despite

those U.S. troops who've lost lives and limbs in Iraq (3,024 dead and 47,657

wounded, so far), it's not like the rest of us are being drafted, right? Don't

be so modest. They also serve who only stand and watch TV!

When Jim Lehrer of PBS' "NewsHour" suggested to Bush that "the volunteer

military … and their families [are] the only people who are actually sacrificing

anything at this point," the president demurred. "A lot of people are in this

fight," he insisted. "I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the

terrible images of violence on TV every night." Too true! I've given up so much

of my peace of mind for this war — yet no Iraqi has ever so much as sent me a

thank you note.

In addition to that, I've heeded the president's call to fight terrorism through

my "continued participation and confidence in the American economy." When my

president calls on me to "go shopping more," I hop to it! I've walked the malls

until my boots were as worn as those of any Marine after a hard slog through the

Iraqi desert.

Anyway, when he spoke of the great sacrifices we Americans have made for Iraq,

the president didn't say the half of it. Modest soul that he is, he didn't even

mention the $200-billion annual price tag of the war in Iraq.

If we weren't spending $200 billion a year to help the Iraqi people, we could —

for instance — be funding universal healthcare (at an estimated $100 billion a

year, according to a New York Times analysis) and a universal preschool program

($35 billion a year). With the $65 billion we'd have left over after that, we

could create a comprehensive national service program for young Americans, or

more than triple the foreign aid we provide to developing countries.

That's not all. By focusing on Iraq to the near exclusion of all other issues,

we're also sacrificing our own national security interests. We're virtually

ignoring the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Russia's slide toward

repression, expanding regional conflicts in Africa and — ahem — the ongoing

activities of Osama bin Laden.

So don't be shy, my fellow Americans: Give yourselves some credit for the

sacrifices you're making for Iraq. Just as a soldier hit by an IED may at first

be too stunned to feel pain, it will take time for you to truly feel the depth

of your sacrifice. Rest assured: Though it may not hurt now, it will soon.

L.A. Times

US Justice in Irac

A - very mild - look at soldiers without a mission trying to - do what? Survive? Certainly. The fault lies not with them, but with the Bush Administration. Bring 'em home, alive and whole. This is the support our troops REALLY need.

MORE ON UFOS

(Thanks to Wm. M. Mott) MORE STUFF From WorldNet Daily

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PHOTONETDAILY
UFO frenzy ignited by Air Force officer
Others report strange phenomenon, digital expert views possible 'pilot'

---

Posted: January 19, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Joe Kovacs
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Zoomed image of mysterious orange light seen Jan. 9 near Van Buren, Ark. (photo: Col. Brian Fields, USAF, ret.)

A retired Air Force colonel who photographed mysterious, colorful lights hovering over western Arkansas last week has ignited a frenzy of interest in unexplained airborne phenomena, as WND has received numerous reports of similar sightings across the U.S., while a digital expert has filtered the pictures to reveal startling images of what he says could be the "pilot" of the unidentified craft.

"I believe these lights were not of this world, and I feel a duty and responsibility to come forward," said Col. Brian Fields, who spent nearly 32 years in the military piloting F-16 fighter jets. "I have no idea what they were."

As WND exclusively reported, Fields, 61, was at his Van Buren, Ark., home Jan. 9 when just before 7 p.m., he observed two intensely bright lights as he looked to the southeast close to the horizon.

Zoomed image of mysterious yellow light seen Jan. 9 near Van Buren, Ark. (photo: Col. Brian Fields)

"At first I thought they were landing lights from an aircraft," he said. "As I continued to observe them they began to slowly disappear, then suddenly one reappeared, followed by two, then three. On at least one occasion four or five appeared. Each time they would slowly fade and eventually disappear. This occurred several times and when they would reappear they might do so in differing numbers and in different positions, sometimes in a triangular shape, sometimes stacked on top of each other, sometimes line abreast, etc. When the objects appeared they might stay illuminated 10 or more minutes."

Fields' wife thought the lights may have been ground-based, but Fields says he's certain they were airborne.

"I'm certain it wasn't an aircraft [from Earth]," said Fields, who also ruled out the possibility of flares, saying they didn't descend like flares typically do. "It's not anything I ever had any experience with . ... They were some kind of energy or something."

Fields snapped numerous images of the white, yellow and orange lights using a Canon digital camera with 6 megapixel resolution.

The story received heightened exposure after being posted on the Drudge Report yesterday, and became one of the most-viewed news reports in WND history. That prompted many others to contact WND, saying they witnessed the same or similar phenomenon.

"When I read this story, I literally got chill bumps all over my body, because it was exactly as I remember it also," said Will Childers of Camden, Ark., who says he saw the same lights Jan. 10 at approximately 7:15 p.m. in southern Arkansas.

A pilot from Lancaster, Pa., says he witnessed the mystery lights two years ago over northwestern Arkansas.

"I contacted Air Traffic Control and asked if they were handling or painting any aircraft off my left, and they informed me there no aircraft visible on radar in that direction for a couple of hundred miles," Rick Armellino told WND. "About 15 or 20 minutes after first noticing these two lights, both began changing position relative to one another, and then multiplied into about five or six smaller lights which began orbiting each another fairly briskly, and then simply just disappeared, leaving me very perplexed."

Richard Mobley, a software developer who commutes from Scottsdale, Ariz., to his home in Tucson, says he witnessed "the same exact thing" Fields described, noting his incident took place Nov. 15, 2006.

Mobley registered the following characteristics about the behavior of the objetcs:

• They appeared over the Gila Indian Reservation and moved southeast;
• I saw one, then two, then three, then four and five of these objects light up;
• Each lit up at a different time and went out at different times;
• Sometimes they would be in a row, and at other times they would appear stacked close to each other (bunched up or on top of each other);
• They were about 6,000 to 10,000 feet off the ground moving, high enough to fly over the mountain range;
• The light (when lit) was a round, super intense amber light which seemed to illuminate the ground below them;
• They would light up for about five to seven minutes and then dim down and go out;
• After about three minutes of being out, they would light back up, going from dim to intense amber light (not clear color like airplane landing lights);
• There was an aircraft in the area which had landing lights on as well as a beacon light (red and green on the wings and tail) so to distinguish between these object and a plane was easy;
• The amount of light given off at the height at which they were flying showed these objects were quite large.

In Belton, Texas, Jim Martin, a national sales manager for Clear Channel Radio says he, too, "observed a bright, white round light looking exactly like Col. Fields' pictures," but his sighting was Dec. 22, 2006.

Martin speculated it might have been a meteor headed directly toward him since "it did not vary in location in the sky" and that "it slowly dissipated without losing altitude."

And Jeff Pement of Pensacola, Fla., says he saw the same phenomenon as well.

"Except for the duration of time the lights stay visible, the description of the lights is exactly as I have seen it. Some of my friends think I am crazy. A few have witnessed them as I have taken them to the spot where I would typically see them. When I read Col. Fields' words describing what he saw, it was as if I was relating the event to someone."

A spokesman for the Air Force Space Command headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado told WND he had not heard anything like what was reported, but he would check into it.

In Fields' hometown of Van Buren, comet-watcher Mike Holloway was photographing Comet McNaught in the sky the same night of the colonel's sighting, and he said what Fields had witnessed was apparently something quite different from the comet.

Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) soaring over Van Buren, Ark., Jan. 9, 2007 (photo: Mike Holloway, used with permission)

"I do not think this has anything to do with the comet that was visible in the west sky just after sunset," Holloway told WND. "I imaged the comet on the 8th and 9th of January, and these lights look nothing like the comet."

Meanwhile, a digital-production expert in Columbia, S.C., analyzed the photographs taken by Fields, processing both the yellow-light image and the orange-light image through various filters using computer software.

"I was kind of surprised," said Mark Kirby, president and CEO of EIC Research, Inc.

When Kirby did a black-and-white analysis of the yellow light image, he noted "it looks like a clean silhouette of someone sitting behind a console or flight control."

Enhanced image of yellow-light photo taken by Col. Brian Fields shows an image in the center possibly resembling a pilot sitting behind a console (Enhanced image (c) 2007 EIC Research, Inc.)

When he examined the orange light, he said the result was "a bit scary," as he perceived what seemed like a face looking directly ahead.

"You could literally see two eyes and a mouth," Kirby said. "It looked like someone looking at you."

Enhanced image of orange-light photo taken by Col. Brian Fields, with mysterious figure highlighted inside circle (Enhanced image (c) 2007 EIC Research, Inc.)

Enhanced image of orange-light photo taken by Col. Brian Fields, transferred to black and white, with mysterious figure highlighted inside circle (Enhanced image (c) 2007 EIC Research, Inc.)

Kirby, who says he doesn't really believe in extraterrestrial life from elsewhere in the universe, wondered, "Could this be the first actual photo of visitors from another planet?"

He also proffered a more earthly explanation, saying, "It's not far-fetched to believe it's something our military has developed."

Nearly a decade ago, in March 1997, hundreds of Arizona residents witnessed strange illuminations in the sky, which have come to be known as "the Phoenix Lights," a mystery which has yet to be resolved.

Some readers have suggested the possibility of "earthquake lights," which are believed to be flashes or glows of light associated with strong seismic activity.

Still others maintain the "not of this world" lights were definitely nothing supernatural.

"I get a little annoyed by 'prior military people' talking about 'strange lights in the sky,'" said James Whitesell of Greenwood, Ind. "Tell the former Air Force officer to step back and take a deep breath ... . It was likely an illumination round of some type."

Stephen Richard Armour, an American missionary working as a video producer in Brazil since 1977, thinks the event could likely be a hoax similar to one he witnessed.

"Some clever kids had taken a clear [2 liter] Coke bottle, inverted it and cut little breathing holes in the top and one in the exact center of the inverted bottom," he said. "They had then put a lit candle in the cap, stuck a toothpick tied to a string in the center hole and had then hung the string down about 50 feet or so from [a] black kite, hanging from the dark string they used. When they flew the kite up high, it was big enough to pull the candlelit Coke bottle up, which then very convincingly, bobbed up and down (like a yo-yo) with the kite."

Armour suggests Fields, who is honestly reporting what he saw, was simply "suckered."

"No aliens, no demons," he said, "only kids or malicious adults with some multiple kite variation of this trick."

3 YEARS LATER-ROVERS ON MARS!

SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Continues to Test New Computer Smarts - sol 1070-1070, January 12, 2007:

On the rover's 1,068th sol, or Martian day of exploration on Mars (Jan. 4, 2007), Spirit used its new computer smarts to autonomously acquire images of the terrain using the hazard avoidance camera, construct a three-dimensional model of the terrain, identify rock or soil exposures of interest, and generate plans for placing the Mössbauer spectrometer and microscopic imager on 10 of those targets. Spirit's twin, the Opportunity rover on the other side of Mars, completed the same exercise. The next step of the testing process for both rovers will be to actually place scientific instruments on a target of interest.

Spirit spent much of the past week studying a layered rock exposure known as "Montalva." During the study, the rover used the brush on the rock abrasion tool, the microscopic imager, the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer that collects information about elemental composition, and the Mössbauer spectrometer that identifies iron-bearing minerals.

Plans called for Spirit to observe three transits of the Martian moon Phobos as it passed between the rover and the sun on sols 1075 (Jan. 11, 2007), 1077 (Jan. 13, 2007), and 1078 (Jan. 14, 2007).

Sol-by-sol summary:

Sol 1070 (Jan. 6, 2006): Spirit unstowed the robotic arm and brushed the surface of Montalva, acquired a microscopic image of the rock, and placed the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer on it for elemental analysis. Before shutting down for the evening, Spirit measured atmospheric dust using the panoramic camera.

Sol 1071: Spirit acquired a full-color image, using all 13 filters of the panoramic camera, of a boulder nicknamed "Davis." It also used the navigation camera for images of scientific targets, and used the miniature thermal emission spectrometer to measure atmospheric dust and to surveyed the sky and ground, while communicating with the Odyssey orbiter in the afternoon.
Sol 1072: Spirit scanned the foreground using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, acquired 4 hours worth of data using the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer, monitored atmospheric dust with the panoramic camera, and took images of the sky for calibration purposes.

Sol 1073: Spirit swung the robotic arm out of view to collect full-color, 13-filter images of Montalva with the panoramic camera and acquired 4 hours of worth of data using the Mössbauer spectrometer. The rover scanned the sky and ground using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, monitored dust accumulation on the rover mast, measured atmospheric dust, and imaged the sky for calibration purposes.

Sol 1074: Spirit used the navigation camera and the miniature thermal emission spectrometer observe a nearby rock known as "Kohnen" and another target known as "Amundsen." Spirit fired up the Mössbauer spectrometer for another 3 hours worth of analysis of Montalva. The rover turned off the Mössbauer spectrometer and monitored atmospheric dust.

Sol 1075: Spirit observed the morning transit of Phobos using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, fired up the Mössbauer for an overnight observation, acquired thumbnail images of the sky using the panoramic camera, and searched for dust devils by acquiring video frames using the navigation camera.

Sol 1076: Plans called for Spirit to use the Mössbauer spectrometer for another 3 hours of study of Montalva and to take images of the sky for calibration purposes with the navigation and panoramic cameras. Spirit was also to monitor atmospheric dust and pre-position the panoramic camera to acquire images of the next day's transit of Phobos.

Sol 1077: Plans called for Spirit to acquire images of the sky for calibration purposes while communicating directly with Earth using the high-gain antenna. Plans also called for Spirit to use the Mössbauer for 12 hours of analysis of Montalva, heat up the electronics inside the panoramic camera, and acquire images of the Phobos transit with the panoramic camera.

Sol 1078 (Jan. 14, 2007): Plans called for Spirit to scan the sky for clouds using the navigation camera, study a target known as "Svarthammaren," and survey the sky and ground during the Phobos transit at 1:45 p.m. local solar time using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. The rover was to survey targets known as "Sejong" and "Amery" and search the sky for clouds again the following morning using the navigation camera.

Odometry:

As of sol 1075 (Jan. 11, 2006), Spirit's total odometry was 6,895 meters (4.28 miles).

Spirit Update Archive

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Opportunity Finds Another Meteorite - sol 1049-1056, January 12, 2007:

After wrapping up scientific studies of a rock called "Santa Catarina" on the rim of "Victoria Crater," Opportunity determined, based on analysis of the iron content, that the rock is probably a meteorite. Nearby cobbles appear to have similar composition, based on data from the Mössbauer spectrometer, panoramic camera, and miniature thermal emission spectrometer. Opportunity's itinerary will now take the rover in a northeasterly direction toward the crater's edge for a better look at the west face of "Cape Desire," on the other side of the "Bay of Toil."

On the morning of Opportunity's 1,048th sol, or Martian day, the rover entered auto mode, meaning that, in order to protect itself from a sequencing error, the rover cancelled all scheduled activities. Rover planners re-established control of all operating sequences on sol 1049 (Jan. 5, 2007).

Also on sol 1049, Opportunity performed additional diagnostic tests of the grinding motor that operates the rock abrasion tool. All signs point to a failed encoder. Rover handlers must now invent a new strategy for using the brush and grinder that does not rely on the encoder to sense when the device comes into contact with a rock surface. Team members anticipate they will be able to use the rock abrasion tool again in a few weeks.

Sol-by-sol summary:

In addition to daily observations that included measuring atmospheric dust with the panoramic camera, searching for clouds with the navigation camera, surveying the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, and imaging the sky with the panoramic camera, Opportunity completed the following activities:

Sol 1049 (Jan. 5, 2007): Opportunity conducted diagnostic tests of the rock abrasion tool, studied Santa Catarina using the Mössbauer spectrometer, acquired full-color, 13-filter panoramic images of cobbles known as "Ibirama" and "Xaxim," and studied a blue cobble known as "Igreja" using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 1050: Opportunity acquired full-color panoramic camera images of cobbles known as "Lajes" and "Pelotas," studied Lajes with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, took images of Lajes with the navigation camera, and analyzed Santa Catarina with the Mössbauer spectrometer.

Sol 1051: Opportunity acquired panoramic camera images of the area where the rover is scheduled to drive, acquired data from a cobble known as "Mafra" using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, and collected additional data about Santa Catarina with the Mössbauer spectrometer.

Sol 1052: Using all 13 filters of the panoramic camera, Opportunity acquired images of Mafra and a cobble nicknamed "Peixe," scanned the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, and continued to analyze Santa Catarina using the Mössbauer spectrometer.

Sol 1053: Opportunity acquired full-color images using all 13 filters of the panoramic camera of cobbles known as "Videira" and "Chapeco," scanned Videira and the background behind it using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, and conducted analysis of Santa Catarina using the Mössbauer spectrometer.

Sol 1054: Opportunity monitored dust accumulation on the rover's mast, surveyed the sky with the sun low on the horizon using the panoramic camera, and surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 1055: Plans called for Opportunity to back up and acquire panoramic camera images of Santa Catarina along with Mössbauer spectrometer data, turn northeast and drive toward Bay of Toil, take stereo images using the navigation camera, and acquire panoramic mosaics using the panoramic camera for help in planning the next drive to the edge of Victoria Crater.

Sol 1056 (Jan. 12, 2007): Opportunity was scheduled to conduct a sky survey using the panoramic camera.

Odometry:

As of sol 1053 (Jan. 9, 2007), Opportunity's total odometry remained at 9,790 meters (6.1 miles).

Murray Bookchin discusses anarchism

Not chaos but an alternative political theory....Anarchism is society organized as a social network rather than a top-down state system.