A Report from the Field: Gauging the Impact of Taliban Suicide Bombing
06/01/2007 - By Brian Glyn Williams from Terrorism Monitor, May 24 - In the aftermath of the toppling of the Taliban, Kabul, which has tremendous significance as a symbol of authority for those who aspire to rule Afghanistan...
2008-10-26 12:25:25Faith groups spreading the word on the wings
The trajectory of Michael Emmett's formative years never deviated from one inexorable conclusion: he was always going to end up in prison. Emmett's father was a career criminal who knew the Krays, and it was not long before junior followed senior into the family smuggling business, chiefly as a way of paying for his drugs and drink. It was a time of reckless living and hard partying. Emmett, by his own admission, went off the rails. 'There was nothing legal about me whatsoever,' he recounted years later. Then, in 1993, Emmett hit the big time, at least in terms of leaving a lasting imprint on the criminal justice system. After a couple of short spells inside for theft and dodgy deals involving antiques, he was caught with his father trying to smuggle £9m of cannabis into the UK in what, at the time, was one of the biggest drug busts in history. Father and son were sentenced together and Emmett junior got 12 years. 'It's odd going to prison with your dad,' he would remark to friends, as if recalling a family trip to the zoo.But what was more odd was what happened to Emmett, now 50, after he was sentenced. Having played the hard man - the sort of person who gloried in their facial scars and nebulous connections to London's most notorious East End firms - in his first few months at Her Majesty's Prison Exeter, he started going to the prison chapel, chiefly because it entitled him to a free phone call. It was from there that Emmett began to develop an interest in religion. He came to see faith as a chance to turn his life around. After badgering the chaplain to introduce an evangelical Alpha course that he had read about, Emmett found Jesus in the unlikely confines of an austere Victorian jail more familiar with sapping souls than saving them. There are thousands of others like Emmett who 'have found the Lord in prison' and made spectacular breaks with their criminal pasts, the sort of brutal splintering that secular groups working with reoffenders rarely achieve. For the unspoken truth is that, in an increasingly irreligious society, Jesus continues to walk the wings of Britain's prisons, offering salvation to those who have no other chance of saving themselves. And if the government gets its way, Jesus is going to assume a greater role in the criminal justice system. A new consultation document, 'Working with the Third Sector to Reduce Reoffending', produced by the Ministry of Justice, outlines ways of expanding the work of faith groups with offenders. 'Faith organisations can help build trust and acceptance and support effective reintegration,' the ministry claims.The government's logic for encouraging the role of faith groups in prison is based on simple economics. At a time when the ministry is having to find about £1bn of savings, faith-based organisations provide support networks on the cheap. Most have charitable status and can draw on funds dating back to handsome legacies gifted to them by Victorian patriarchs keen to emphasise their Christian values.But their biggest selling point is the impressive claims they make for curbing reoffending. Although about two-thirds of offenders go on to commit further offences, the group claims that Jesus can save not just fallen souls, but, crucially, taxpayers' cash.One notable example is the Kainos Community, which operates in three prisons - the Verne in Dorset, Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey and Stocken in Rutland. Operated by committed Christians, the group, which has been running for more than a decade, makes some dramatic claims for turning around the lives of even the most hardened of criminals. According to Kainos - which claims that its statistics are independently verified by academics - only 13 per cent of the serious offenders who complete its courses go on to reoffend after two years, compared with 35 per cent across the prison service average.Kainos, which is keen to play a greater role in Britain's prison system, enjoys a powerful position in the prisons in which it operates. Each jail gives over an entire wing to the community, which runs them on strict lines. Inmates sleep in dormitories and are given intensive cognitive behaviour therapy through classes in relationships, interpersonal skills and citizenship. On the wing the men live together, discuss their problems together and solve them together. The emphasis is on finding a common solution through empathy and discussion. Those offenders who want to be involved have to sign up to a minimum six-month programme and those who complete it are often kept on as mentors. When it started at the Verne, few were convinced that it could have an impact. But things quickly changed. 'In nine months we went from running what was known as the Beirut wing to a quiet, compliant wing,' said Patricia Rogers, chief executive of Kainos.Imported from a Christian-based group in Brazil, where it had helped to transform entire prisons, the organisation's religious emphasis has been toned down in recent years. But Rogers admits that faith is the key driver behind Kainos's operation. 'You won't see the word God used, but as an organisation we believe people can change, and that comes from our faith,' she said. Rogers admits many of the men end up being drawn to Christianity as a result of the programme. The organisation's website bears testimony to its apparent success. 'You have made me so happy today, and God bless for that and for everything that you teach me at Kainos,' one offender writes on the website. 'Coming to this community was the best possible thing that happened in my life.'Myriad Christian organisations operating in the UK prison system recount similar success stories. The Salvation Army operates a network of prison chaplains and claims many prisoners have benefited from its activities. The Daylight Christian Trust, a conservative evangelical group, runs a prison visitor and letter writing programme and has distributed 170,000 copies of its Scripture diaries across the UK's jails. The Prison Fellowship has more than 120 local prison prayer groups and 900 volunteers from all Christian denominations. It claims to have achieved a 'significant improvement' in victim empathy for prisoners who took part in one of its specialist programmes.Meanwhile, more than 50,000 prisoners have attended Alpha, the popular Christian course that operates in 80 per cent of the UK's jails. The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, has even praised Alpha's work, while its website carries scores of quotes from prisoners who claim their lives have been transformed by the course. Given current trends, some believe that the UK will follow the lead of the United States, where fundamental Christian groups pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to open centres in privately run prisons where they can promote their beliefs.The Prison Fellowship, set up by Chuck Colson - an adviser to US President Richard Nixon - who was jailed for obstruction of justice, makes startling claims for curbing reoffending rates and has become a powerful advocate of faith-based intervention programmes in the US. The organisation has flourished in states such as Florida, Texas and Georgia since President George W Bush outlined his 'faith-based agenda'- a plan to cure the United States's social ills through the expansion of religious ministries.But the increasing power of Christian prison ministries has attracted controversy in the US for blurring the lines between church and state. Their claims for curbing recidivism are also open to debate. Similarly a backlash is now brewing in the UK. The activities of some faith-based groups operating in prisons here are starting to alarm those who work with offenders. Napo, the probation officers' union, has written to MPs raising concerns about the work of a group called the Modern Jesus Army. The union says that it is worried that the organisation has been writing to a group of sex offenders in Hull prison offering them prayers and support in the final months of their sentences. Once out of jail, the offenders undergo a baptism and are born again. There are questions, too, about the way some groups target prisoners and preach a conservative interpretation of the Bible that claims homosexuality is a sin. Crook believes the growing influence of faith groups in the criminal justice system is a result of unprecedented pressures now being placed on prisons. 'What you have to understand is the lamentable provision of official counselling and support offered by the prison service, which is only exacerbated by overcrowding,' she said. 'No one cares unless you are trying to place yourself on the end of a rope. It is small wonder faith groups are on the rise in our jails.'There are also concerns that some groups exploit their position by offering de facto incentives to potential converts. 'Participation in these groups can often mean extra time out of cells and attendance on their courses can be a favourable factor at parole hearings,' said Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society. 'This means non-Christians and non-believers may have to pretend to be interested to get the privileges that these courses bring. I have yet to see any reliable evidence that they have any effect on recidivism.' He warned that the growing role of organised religion within jails was in danger of inflaming tensions within the prison system. Certainly other faiths are showing an increasing interest in building up a following among prisoners. Several jails in the UK have entire wings now dominated by Muslim gangs and most have a visiting imam. Nor is it just organised religion that is taking an active interest in saving the prison system's lost souls. Documents obtained by The Observer under Freedom of Information legislation reveal that the Church of Scientology has attempted to introduce its Criminon programme, which it claims can dramatically reduce reoffending rates, into Britain's jails, but so far to no avail. Recognising the increasing plurality of beliefs of offenders, the Prison Service is now promoting a more multi-faith agenda. The move has provoked controversy, with several Christian organisations closing down their activities, complaining that a culture of political correctness is stifling their work.But countless other Christian groups are ready to fill the gap. Given that the incarcerated population is at record levels and rehabilitation and education courses are being pared back, the church's role in Britain's jails can only become more powerful. No one else wants the job.Around the worldUnited StatesThe Supreme Court decrees that prison inmates retain a number of constitutional rights, including access to religion. About 38 per cent of inmates participate in religious programmes run weekly by more than 30 faith groups. BrazilMost prisoners are nominally Catholic and the Prison Ministry of the Catholic Church has local representatives who visit jails regularly. Protestant and African Brazilian denominations are also active in the prisons. A study of two prisons - one operated by a religious group, the other by a secular organisation - found that the religious prison had a 16 per cent recidivism rate compared with 36 per cent for the secular prison.New ZealandA prison near the capital, Wellington, uses prayer and spiritual transformation to reduce reoffending. The Faith-Based Unit at Rimutaka Prison is the first of its kind in Australasia and claims its approach has stopped many from going back to crime. SingaporeA pilot project run by Prison Fellowship International has started in Changi Prison. The 24/7 regimes aim to reduce offending through character-focused, faith-based programming.UgandaA prisons outreach ministry has been credited with reducing reoffending rates in parts of the country.ReligionPrisons and probationCriminal justiceguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
2008-10-26 12:12:22Aavaranaa s new collection to dazzle Diwali
The Festival of Lights is round the corner and shopping this year gets better as Aavaranaa brings its exclusive Diwali collection to make your celebrations truly special. Now you can, not only adorn yourself with the classy festive collection but shoppers can also embellish with antique gold jewellery from Aavaranaa.
2008-10-04 00:00:00Foraging: San Francisco: Kuraya Japanese Antiques
This nondescript warehouse on the industrial fringe of the Mission District is full of antiques, each with its own back story.
2008-10-26 10:21:23Events Calendar: 10.22.08 New York
11-day festival/tradeshow/exhibition at Japan CArt & Design Events...AT Events:&bull October is Color Month!&bull Our Fall Colors Contest is underway.- See All Events Below - Sisters on the Planet: Climate Equity Discussion&bull Free Documentary Screening &bull October 24th, 7-8:30pm. Free. Food and beverages provided.&bull Action Center to End World Hunger, 6 River Terrace, Battery Park City Japan C&bull An 11-week festival showcase of all things Japanese--part design exhibition, part bazaar, part trade fair&bull Through November 1st&bull Felissimo Design House, 10 West 56th StreetUntethered: A Sculpture Garden of Readymades&bull A sculpture garden of everyday objects deprogrammed of their original function, embedded with new intelligence, and transformed into surrealist and surprising readymades.&bull Through October 25th&bull Eyebeam, 540 W. 21st Street, bet. 10th and 11th Aves., 212.937.6580 Cookie Living Show Home at Riverhouse&bull Top Designers transform a 3-bdrm condo. Kids can enjoy cooking classes and demos, as well as great giveaways, raffles and special offers. &bull Through October 26th Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays only, from 11am-5pm&bull Riverhouse, 2 River Terrace, Battery Park City Entrance on North End Avenue Living the Italian House in Soho&bull View a recreation of five spaces found in Italian houses by using elements and products from 35 of the most innovative design companies in Italy, plus events and film screenings.&bull October 27th launch party at 7pm through December 20th RSVP 212.353.1383 or RSVP9@BDEonline.biz &bull 172 Mercer StreetMax Lamb at Johnson Trading Gallery&bull In his first solo exhibition, Lamb explores, celebrates and animates natural materials through a distinctly process-driven approach and anchored by skilled hand-craftmanship&bull Through November 7th&bull 490 Greenwich Street between Spring and Canal, 212.925.1110. Myth and Material at Moroso&bull An exhibition on the work of Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien &bull Through October&bull 146 Greene StreetTextile Design&bull Designer and Japanese textile collector Elizabeth Wilson presents Asiatica's newest fall designs &bull November 11th through 22nd&bull AKA/Central Parkm, 42 W. 58th StreetSticks, Stones, Bones&bull Michael Reynolds, a style and design editor curates this installation culling from design from ancient times through today.&bull Through November 1st&bull R 20th Century Gallery, 82 Franklin Street, bet Church & Broadway Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary&bull Exhibition features 50 contemporary artists from 17 countries who transform discarded, commonplace, or valueless manufactured and mass-produced objects into extraordinary works of art. &bull Through March 1st, 2009&bull Museum of Art and Design, 2 Columbus Circle New Location! Metropolitan Home and Showtime Networks' Showhouse&bull Famous designers will transform rooms of a Gramercy Park Greek revival town house, inspired by Showtime's lineup including Dexter, Californication, The Tudors, Weeds, The L-Word and United States of Tara. &bull Tours run through October 26th on Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-4pm. $25 entry fee benefits the Happy Hearts Fund charity&bull 23 Grammercy Park South, 1.323.966.4600Brooklyn Flea&bull Over 200 vendors of vintage furniture, clothing and antiques alongside new designs by local makers of everything from jewelry to textiles.&bull Every Sunday, 10am to 5pm rain or shine&bull Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School on Lafayette Ave. between Clermont and Vanderbilt Ave., Fort Greene, BrooklynABC Home Launches Earth Day Campaign&bull ABC Home is partnering with 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Wangari Maathais Green Belt Movement on its Carbon Poverty Reduction Program. For every piece of goodwood furniture purchased at ABC Home, a tree will be planted in Kenya to replenish rapidly diminishing biodiversity.&bull 888 Broadway, 212.473.3000
2008-10-26 08:41:14Man is robbed by bogus workmen
An elderly man has items including an antique watch...
2008-10-21 11:38:08Police look for Afghan antiques
Volunteers from art industry are trained by the police to spot looted Afghan antiques...
2008-10-20 04:35:07Antiques and collectibles
Antiques and collectibles events in the Bay Area
2008-10-18 18:26:33Steven Wayne Yvaska: Gilroy shop is no stranger to stars
Gilroy antiques maven Gracie Garcia raised her head from a newspaper to see a woman looking at amber-colored glass. Garcia recognized the repeat customer "“ Barbra Streisand "” and asked if she could assist the actress and singer.
2008-10-17 13:44:20One man and his museum in China
INT5International/CultureOne man and his museum in ChinaBeijing, Oct 16 Xinhua Ma Weidu knew little about antiques when he was a child in the chaotic China of the 1960s. But he used to wonder why people hated beautiful old things so much, watching them tearing paintings and dismantling old constructions.Now the 53-year-old has his own museum filled with antiques. He has been in the profession for almost three decades. Ma recently became a household name after he started delivering lectures on antiques and traditional culture on national broadcaster CCTV."I watched how China's antique collection boomed. Now two places are most crowded in Beijing before sunrise everyday: Tiananmen Square where tourists crane their neck to watch national-flag raising and Panjiayuan a curio fair where people bend their head down to hunt for treasures."Ma believes three indices attest to antique collection prosperity: extra money in pockets, government permission and increasing interest in, and knowledge of, antiques.When Ma began collecting antiques, they were cheap. "It was like picking up treasures littered on the ground."Most people were throwing out old things to equip themselves with modern products such as "a collapsible chair, a TV set, sofa or a bike" in the late 1970s and early 1980s when China just opened its door to the outside world and launched economic reforms.Ma dropped out from school at 11 when the Cultural Revolution 1966-1976 began. He became an editor of a literature magazine after publishing a novel. He once joined writers such as Wang Shuo and Liu Zhenyun in producing China's early TV comedies in the 1990s."When I was young, literature was my ultimate dream. But I left it when I found the circle corrupt - some writers could bribe judges for a prize."He turned to antique collection. "It's like when you drank quality wine, you can't go back to common wine or when you smoked a quality cigar, you can't go back to common cigarettes.""In antique collection, there is a definite answer on whether an object is genuine or not."When Ma got a treasure, he enjoyed showing it to his friends. "Once, when I rushed into a friend's home, people inside were embarrassed and quickly turned off the TV. When I found they were watching porn, I said nothing exciting to watch porn, let's look at the bowl I just collected."Ma named his museum after a word from the Taoist classic "Tao Te Ching, Guanfu", which literally means "watch it again and again". "If you watch an object again and again, you are either in love with it or studying it." His 3,500-square-metre museum mainly displays furniture and china, Ma's two favourites."A museum is a place for you to enjoy culture. China's museums have improved a lot. When I visited museums in the 1980s, they were badly equipped with broken lights and women were knitting sweaters at the door."Ma plans to leave his collection to society when he passes away."Antiques belong to the society. We are just temporary keepers. When looking at antiques, I often felt it was not I who was staring at them, but they were staring at me. Most have been passed on by at least 10 generations or up to 50 generations. We are passengers before them."He describes himself as a "passionate" and "diligent" man who "perseveres" in doing what he believes in.A friend describes him as a "man with the most common sense." Wang Gang, an actor and anchorman for a TV show on antiques, called him frank in determining the authenticity of antiques.Once when a collector took out a curio for Ma to judge on a show, he called "the object interesting, it's younger than me". The collector took out another. Ma said "this one is younger than my son". When another collector presented a cup, he announced "there are only three such cups in the world. You've got the fourth."To make sure he gets authentic antiques, Ma reads through basic books and takes every chance to study relics in museums, exhibitions or curio fairs.Now he spends some days every month to help appraise "treasures" brought by visitors. "It exposes me to the pressure of market changes and helps me keep an eye on fake production technique changes. If you don't follow the market changes closely for one or two years, you are out."Ma's home is furnished with traditional hardwood furniture. "My son often cried when he bumped into them. But when he grew up, he could clearly remember a certain wooden chair that he had finished his homework on and had deep affection for it."Though he gained all his knowledge outside school, he wished he had "regular" education. He enjoys observing and talking on subjects like literature, art medicines and anthropology with unorthodox comments.His obsession in seeking authenticity in antiques and social phenomena may come from his Taoism studies. "I'm an atheist, but I study Taoism for its philosophy. Taoism doesn't have class differences. Many others have class divisions and discuss things in certain circumstances with time and space limits."Curios were dubbed "adult toys" in the past, providing intellectual pleasure for collectors. "Today people put monetary value before intellectual enjoyment. There is too much knowledge covered under an antique."Ma said he built the museum not to revive ancient culture, but to remind the offspring "we once arrived at such cultural prosperity".--Xinhuadkg/jg/ky 989 Words16100811
2008-10-16 00:00:00
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