▶ “Daddyphonics” on the family synthesizer circa 1982 by the.secret.buttons.

http://news.bahai.org/story/862

UNITED NATIONS, 23 October 2011, (BWNS) – Iran’s persecution of Baha’is is among the most “extreme manifestations of religious intolerance and persecution” in the world today, according to a UN expert.

The remarks of Heiner Bielefeldt – Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief – came during a press conference here in response to a question about a new report that documents the Iranian government’s media campaign to demonize Baha’is.

Read the complete report here: http://bic.org/resources/documents/inciting-hatred-book

“The Iranian government has a policy of systematic persecution…” said Dr. Bielefeldt, “with the view of even destroying that religion worldwide…It’s a very clear, clearly articulated policy of extreme hostility.”

Asked whether he had received any response from Iran to his statements on the issue, Dr. Bielefeldt replied, “The typical response is the following: Bahaism is not a religion, it’s a cult, it’s an evil cult.”

“They distinguish…between genuine religions – in their understanding the divinely revealed religions Judaism, Christianity and, of course, Islam – and the rest,” he said. “So this is a problem.

“I mean they really excommunicate, systematically, the Baha’is from the application of freedom of religion or belief by simply denying their faith to have the status of a religion. And this is something states cannot do.”

Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right, he said at the press conference on Thursday.

“The starting point must be the self-understanding of human beings. Their deep convictions…That is what counts,” he said.

“Inciting Hatred”

One aspect of the Iranian government’s campaign against Baha’is is documented in the report, “Inciting Hatred: Iran’s media campaign to demonize Baha’is”, which provides evidence of a state-sponsored strategy to vilify the Baha’i community.

The report, launched on 21 October, highlights false accusations of Baha’is being involved in a variety of subversive practices including being anti-Islamic, morally corrupt, and agents for foreign powers.

Responding to the findings, Faraz Sanei – Iran researcher with the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch – told CNN that rights groups have long documented Iran’s actions against Baha’is, designed to “deprive them of their ability to freely manifest the beliefs and teachings of their faith.”

The report, said Dr. Sanei, provides “valuable insight into the mechanics of a less documented and more insidious element of this campaign – anti-Baha’i propaganda propagated by official and semi-official media outlets, and the degree to which hate speech further exposes an already vulnerable minority group to discrimination and attacks by private actors.”

At the report’s launch, Bani Dugal – Principal Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations – noted that Baha’is in Iran “are particularly vulnerable to campaigns such as this because they don’t have any right to reply.”

To read the article online, see photographs and access links, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/862

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

I have not yet taken the time to ascertain what caused the “haze”/”fog” look in the originals. It could be one or more of the following:
1. Dirty lens (not uncommon on phone cameras)
2. Dispersion of light or UV in the lens
3. Diffraction around the edge of the very small lens opening on a camera phone.
4. Dispersion of light or especially UV in the high humidity of New Orleans air, more visible to camera than to the eye.
5. Something else intrinsic to the camera not listed above.

In general the HDR (Lite) effect in this camera app improves the picture, especially with regard to exposure.
Its effect in also enhancing the color saturation is more than I would prefer, and I see some color shifting as well.

The good news is that with a high quality recording app, the microphone on the LG Revolution turns out to be quite good. Mono, of course.

========== Audio Recording Apps

==== High quality voice and music recording

RecForge (Lite/Pro)
	Folder/File selection is on main screen
	By default records to SD Card: G:\RecForge\*.wav, *.mp3  after first installation
	If you navigate elsewhere, it will record there.
	If you quit from the menu and reenter, it will return to where you were located in previous session, and record there unless you cd
	WAV, MP3, or OGG formats
	Sample rates of 8, 11, 22, or 44 kHz
	16b
	Mono/Stereo
	Good capture of highs/sibilants
	Very good quality with either mp3 or wav
	Mono MP3 is 485KB/31sec:  16KB/sec
		Can auto convert WAVs to MP3, optionally deleting WAV
	Lite limits the time of compressed recordings
	Cons:
	    ~three second load time
	Pros:
	    .WAV capable
	    Folder structure is explicit in the UI.

Hi-Q MP3 (Lite)
	MP3, bit rates of 128 (CD), 96, 64, or 32 (voice) kbps
	Records to Recordings folder on SD card
		Internal  G:/Recordings/*.mp3
	.MP3 file/codec (high quality 44kHz sampling available)
	633KB/40sec:   16KB/sec
	Good capture of highs/sibilants
	Very good quality with mp3
	Pros:
	    Instant load time (but dialog for free version must be dismissed)
	    Input gain control (“experimental”)
	Cons:
	     Record button-to-record delay:   about 2 seconds on first recording
	     Doesn’t offer an uncompressed format
	     Little or no control of where recording files are put.

==== Voice recording – low quality, loss of sibilants and highs

Rehearsal Assistant
	Compressed, or WAV
	Records to Internal G:\urbanstew.RehearsalAssistant
	Configural Email default settings
	Projects
	.3GP file/codec
	Some loss of highs/sibilants
	Very small file:   Mono, 68KB/22sec ~= 3KB/sec

VoiceRecorder (Preloaded on my LG Revolution)
	AMR   (use AVS Audio Converter or the like on PC to convert)
	Records to either internal memor or SD card
		SD Card F:/my_sounds/*.amr
	Some added warble/vibrato
	Loss of highs/sibilants
	.AMR file/codec

============ AMR audio info
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_Multi-Rate_audio_codec
• Sampling frequency 8 kHz/13-bit (160 samples for 20 ms frames), filtered to 200–3400 Hz.
• The AMR codec uses eight source codecs with bit-rates of 12.2, 10.2, 7.95, 7.40, 6.70, 5.90, 5.15 and 4.75 kbit/s.
• Generates frame length of 95, 103, 118, 134, 148, 159, 204, or 244 bits for bit rates 4.75, 5.15, 5.90, 6.70, 7.40, 7.95, 10.2, or 12.2 kbit/s, respectively
• AMR utilizes Discontinuous Transmission (DTX), with Voice Activity Detection (VAD) and Comfort Noise Generation (CNG) to reduce bandwidth usage during silence periods

There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.

Source: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Adams

George Washington said, in his Farewell Address of Sept 19, 1796…

I have already intimated to you the danger of Parties in the State… Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party generally.

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human Mind. It exists under different shapes in all Governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the Public Councils and enfeeble the Public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the Administration of the Government and serve to keep alive the spirit of Liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in Governments of a Monarchical cast, Patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in Governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking in a free Country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective Constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the Powers of one department to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism. A just estimate of that love of power, and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart, is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position. The necessity of reciprocal checks in the exercise of political power, by dividing and distributing it into different depositaries, and constituting each the guardian of the public weal against invasions by the others, has been evinced by experiments ancient and modern; some of them in our country and under our own eyes. To preserve them must be as necessary as to institute them. If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the Constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment in the way which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed. The precedent must always greatly overbalance in permanent evil any partial or transient benefit, which the use can at any time yield.

–George Washington, from the Farewell Address of Sept. 19, 1796 in: The Writings of George Washington, pp. 969-71 (Library of America ed. 1997)

The event was hosted by U.S. Senator Mark Kirk, who spoke about a resolution he recently introduced condemning the persecution of the Baha’is.

http://news.bahai.org/story/823

On the wall was a very radiant colorful and beautiful traditional painting of Krishna and his wife Radha, emanating love.

The image was somewhat similar to this one, but large and far more colorful and beautiful:

It raised my spirits so much.

A few minutes into enjoying this, I suddenly remembered something I hadn’t remembered for years:  the small paintings of Baha’u’llah that you see in the archives on pilgrimage, which Bahiyyih Khanum said were a good representation of Him.    In my mind and memory I saw those pictures in a new way last night, connected with the elevated spirit of love for the Manifestation which Krishna has always inspired in me.   

Here are the words of Krishna that I remembered there that night…

Whenever dharma decreases,     [dharma means religion, adharma means irreligion]
O Bharata, and then there is
The arising of adharma,
Then do I manifest Myself. (7)

For protection of the righteous
And destruction of the wicked,
For establishing of dharma,
I manifest from age to age. (8)

He who thus knows in its true light,
My divine birth and My action,
Leaving the body, is not born
Again–but he attains to Me. (9)

Freed from attachment, fear, anger–
Absorbed, taking refuge in Me,
Purified by fire of knowledge,
Many have attained My Being. (10)

In whatever way they resort
To Me do I thus reward them.
It is My path which ev’rywhere
All men follow, O Arjuna. (11)

-          Krishna, The Bhagavad Gita (song of the Beloved), Chapter 4, verses 7-11

http://atmajyoti.org/gi_bhagavad_gita_intro.asp

Melissa was a beautiful, sweet, intelligent, responsible and independent young woman of 17 living with her mother, Rebecca Snook, in New Orleans near where we are also living now.

Melissa was a good student, had a job at a local restaurant, and had made many strong and wonderful friendships both in Scotts Valley, California, and in New Orleans.

As we best understand it, Melissa was in a warehouse building in New Orleans on a very cold night, with some artist and musician friends, a building without proper heating, and some of the young adults there had built a fire in a barrel, which apparently led to their asphyxiation by carbon monoxide poisoning before the building then caught fire and was destroyed.

There was a fair amount of incorrect information about the situation and about Melissa in the first few news articles, but that seems to be being corrected now.

A memorial service for Melissa will be held in California on Tuesday January 4th at 4:30 p.m. at Oakwood Chapel 3301 Paul Sweet Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95065. All are welcome to attend. Please spread the word.

A graveside service will be held in New Orleans on Saturday, Jan 8.

If you are friend or family of Melissa and are not already on the email list that Rebecca is using to send out announcements from New Orleans, please let me know and I’ll try to get you onto it.

Rebecca and Melissa Christmas 2010