Bagram pilots save 60 Soldiers during convoy ambush
Posted 8/6/2013 Updated 8/6/2013
by Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Public Affairs
8/6/2013 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Two A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots assigned to the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, provided close-air support to 60 U.S. Soldiers July 24.
The Soldiers were part of a routine clearance patrol that was ambushed after their lead vehicle in a convoy of 12 turned over during a patrol of an Afghanistan highway. The situation forced the Soldiers to establish an overnight base while they pulled the vehicle out of a ravine. As the sun rose, the unit began to receive heavy fire from a nearby tree line. The members were pinned behind their vehicles and three of the Soldiers suffered injuries. The unit was under fire and the wounded members needed a casualty evacuation so they called for close-air support.
However, there was one problem; the ground unit didn't have a way to confirm the enemy's position. The unit did have a joint fire observer who was able to communicate an estimated location to the A-10 pilots who arrived on scene shortly after receiving the call from a local base's joint terminal air controller responsible for coordinating aerial engagements.
"I flew over to provide a show of force while my wingman was looking for gunfire below," said the flight lead of the two-ship A-10 mission. "Our goal with the show of force was to break the contact and let the enemy know we were there, but they didn't stop. I think that day the enemy knew they were going to die, so they pushed even harder and began moving closer to our ground forces."
When the enemy combatants didn't flee after the show of force, the A-10 pilots decided to deliver air-to-surface munitions to protect the friendly ground forces.
"Even with all our (top-of-the-line) tools today, we still rely on visual references," said the lead pilot, who is on his first deployment from Moody Air Force Base, Ga. "Once we received general location of the enemy's position, I rolled in as lead aircraft and fired two rockets to mark the area with smoke. Then my wingman rolled in to shoot the enemy with his 30 millimeter rounds."
According to the pilots, that really stirred up the attacking force. The enemy moved even closer to the friendlies in an attempt to prevent the A-10 from attacking again. The ground forces were now taking on a large amount of fire from the trees and surrounding high terrain.
"We just kept putting down more 30 mm rounds," said the second A-10 pilot, also deployed from Moody AFB. "The bad guys were closing in and according to the muzzle flashes there were a lot of them, but because people were shooting all over the place, the JTAC didn't feel safe bringing in helicopters in to evacuate the wounded personnel."
The pilots said usually after the first or second pass, the enemy runs away, but this enemy force was large and willing to fight. The pilots continued to fire 30 mm rounds, but the enemy force refused to fall back. Now, the enemy force was close enough to engage the unit with grenades, so the convoy's commander approved the pilots to engage "danger-close." The term is meant to clearly communicate to the ground and air forces that the need for support is so grave the ground commander is willing to accept the potential risk to the friendly unit for the life-saving employment from the air.
"We train for this, but shooting danger-close is uncomfortable, because now the friendlies are at risk," the second A-10 pilot said. "We came in for a low-angle strafe, 75 feet above the enemy's position and used the 30-mm gun -- 50 meters parallel to ground forces -- ensuring our fire was accurate so we didn't hurt the friendlies.
The engagement lasted two hours that day, and in that time, the A-10s completed 15 gun passes, fired nearly all their 2,300, 30-mm rounds, and dropped three 500-pound bombs on the enemy force.
"That last gun runs must have made them give up," the two pilots agreed "because the firing stopped."
Shortly after the engagement was complete, an MC-12 aircraft specializing in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance arrived and began scanning the area for enemy forces that might be regrouping. Sometimes when close-air support leaves, enemy forces will attack again, so the A-10s remained on-station until all the Soldiers were safe.
"We wanted to make sure the area was safe because we had the pararescuemen from the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron coming to transport the injured to Bagram's hospital," said the second pilot. "The flight doctor assigned to our squadron treated the wounded in the emergency room. It was an example of a successful mission with contributions from all assets of our base."
After the pilots landed and debriefed, they went to the hospital to see the wounded Soldier.
"He was laying there and next to him was a picture of his high-school girlfriend," the lead pilot said. "We were glad knowing we helped get him home alive. He said, 'Thank you for shooting those bad guys'. Luckily we were only a few minutes away and all the friendlies made it out that day."
Providing close-air support is the squadron's main mission here, and is the specialty of the aircraft they fly, the A-10 Thunderbolt II nicknamed the "Warthog."
"This was one of the most intense sorties our squadron has come into contact with in the last four months in theater," the lead pilot said. "Afterward the Afghan National Army said they found 18 enemy dead, so I can only imagine how many were out there. This was close-air support and this is what we train for."
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Thursday, August 08, 2013
Cagayan de Oro City- Charges filed
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/08 August) – Police filed multiple and multiple murder charges on Wednesday against six suspects in the July 26 bombing in Cagayan de Oro City that killed eight people and wounded 46 others.
In their complaint, however, police named only one suspect, Usman Hapids alias Mam-man, while the five others which included a female were identified as John Does and Jane Doe.
The suspects are alleged members of Khilafa Islamiyah Mindanao, an obscure group linked to the al-Qaeda.
The filing of the case before the City Prosecutor’s Office was done hours before the Senate committee on public order chaired by Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares held a public hearing on the bombing.
The blast hit Kyla’s Bistro at the Limketkai Rosario Arcade. Many of the victims were physicians and medical representatives who attended the midyear convention of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians.
Senior Inspector Pepito Ilagan Reyes of the Cagayan de Oro police criminal investigation office who filed the complaint said the suspects were identified by at least five witnesses from the Philippine National Police (PNP) rogues photo gallery of alleged terrorists.
“Respondent Usman Hapids was positively identified as the one who left the bag on top of the chair where he was seated,” Reyes said in the two-page complaint.
City Prosecutor Fidel Macauyag said the police submitted an affidavit by witnesses that the six suspects went to the Limketkai Rosario Arcade around 5 p.m. on July 26 and ordered dinner at Gloria Maris Restaurant.
“The suspects including Hapids sat together. They had dinner together. Later on they separated. Hapid and one of the suspects were on one table talking while the four others were seated on another table,” Macauyag narrated the contents of the affidavits submitted by the police.
He said the affidavit also said that the suspects left together and was not seen by the witnesses until 11 p.m. when Hapids returned alone, ordered beer at Kyla’s Bistro and left, leaving a powerful bomb fashioned from an 81mm mortar.
An Army officer said the Khilafa Islamiyah Mindanao is a small terror group based in Southwestern Mindanao and was previously unknown until it came under the scrutiny of the PNP.
“Their members are few. Less than 20 in number but they are the result of the merger of the most hardcore members of Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters,” the army officer who is an expert in counter-terrorism said.
Philippine Independent Church Bishop Felixberto Calang, however, threw caution on the police allegation.
Calang said in 2003, police and the military also blamed terrorists as responsible for the series of bombings in Davao City and the rest of Mindanao.
“It turned out that the bombings were perpetuated by government agents themselves. It was part of a plot to perpetuate former President Gloria Arroyo,” the bishop said.
Macauyag said police did not provide a postal address of Hapids making it difficult for his office to deliver a subpoena that would require the suspect to answer the police allegations.
“What Hapids can do is to ask a reinvestigation when he gets to be arrested by the police. That is his right,” he said.
The prosecutor said that aside from the sworn statements of witnesses the police presented as evidence a machine-validated official receipt from the Gloria Maris Restaurant and the results of the post-blast investigation.
“Based on the evidence presented by the police, there is probable cause to indict them,” Macauyag said.
He said he had organized a special panel of prosecutors to handle this case and have scheduled a hearing with the witnesses on August 20.
He said warrants of arrests might be issued by the court before the Cagayan de Oro fiesta on August 28. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
In their complaint, however, police named only one suspect, Usman Hapids alias Mam-man, while the five others which included a female were identified as John Does and Jane Doe.
The suspects are alleged members of Khilafa Islamiyah Mindanao, an obscure group linked to the al-Qaeda.
The filing of the case before the City Prosecutor’s Office was done hours before the Senate committee on public order chaired by Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares held a public hearing on the bombing.
The blast hit Kyla’s Bistro at the Limketkai Rosario Arcade. Many of the victims were physicians and medical representatives who attended the midyear convention of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians.
Senior Inspector Pepito Ilagan Reyes of the Cagayan de Oro police criminal investigation office who filed the complaint said the suspects were identified by at least five witnesses from the Philippine National Police (PNP) rogues photo gallery of alleged terrorists.
“Respondent Usman Hapids was positively identified as the one who left the bag on top of the chair where he was seated,” Reyes said in the two-page complaint.
City Prosecutor Fidel Macauyag said the police submitted an affidavit by witnesses that the six suspects went to the Limketkai Rosario Arcade around 5 p.m. on July 26 and ordered dinner at Gloria Maris Restaurant.
“The suspects including Hapids sat together. They had dinner together. Later on they separated. Hapid and one of the suspects were on one table talking while the four others were seated on another table,” Macauyag narrated the contents of the affidavits submitted by the police.
He said the affidavit also said that the suspects left together and was not seen by the witnesses until 11 p.m. when Hapids returned alone, ordered beer at Kyla’s Bistro and left, leaving a powerful bomb fashioned from an 81mm mortar.
An Army officer said the Khilafa Islamiyah Mindanao is a small terror group based in Southwestern Mindanao and was previously unknown until it came under the scrutiny of the PNP.
“Their members are few. Less than 20 in number but they are the result of the merger of the most hardcore members of Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters,” the army officer who is an expert in counter-terrorism said.
Philippine Independent Church Bishop Felixberto Calang, however, threw caution on the police allegation.
Calang said in 2003, police and the military also blamed terrorists as responsible for the series of bombings in Davao City and the rest of Mindanao.
“It turned out that the bombings were perpetuated by government agents themselves. It was part of a plot to perpetuate former President Gloria Arroyo,” the bishop said.
Macauyag said police did not provide a postal address of Hapids making it difficult for his office to deliver a subpoena that would require the suspect to answer the police allegations.
“What Hapids can do is to ask a reinvestigation when he gets to be arrested by the police. That is his right,” he said.
The prosecutor said that aside from the sworn statements of witnesses the police presented as evidence a machine-validated official receipt from the Gloria Maris Restaurant and the results of the post-blast investigation.
“Based on the evidence presented by the police, there is probable cause to indict them,” Macauyag said.
He said he had organized a special panel of prosecutors to handle this case and have scheduled a hearing with the witnesses on August 20.
He said warrants of arrests might be issued by the court before the Cagayan de Oro fiesta on August 28. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Ukrainian model Valeria Lukyanova
16 Questions for the ‘Real-Life Barbie,’ Valeria Lukyanova
Ukrainian model Valeria Lukyanova has developed a massive following for her doll-like appearance and wild teachings about ‘out-of-body’ travel. She talks to Anna Nemtsova about communicating with aliens, her plastic surgery—and why she will never have children.
Whitehotpix/Zuma
Ukranian model Valerie Lukyanova has become Internet-famous for her wild, alien-like appearance and “spiritual teachings.” Dubbed the “Real-Life Barbie” for her physical similarities to a Barbie doll, Lukyanova, who will not disclose her real age, has amassed a massive YouTube following over the past few years. This month, she’s the focus of a Vice documentary, Space Barbie, that explores her bizarre life and beliefs. She tells Anna Nemtsova about her “out-of-body” travel, people’s reaction to her appearance—and why she’ll never have children.
This interview has been translated from Russian.
How do you feel that people call you a “real-life Barbie”?
Look, to me the Barbie doll looks perfect; it was created as a human idol. When I adopted her image, it felt very positive, at first—I constantly heard compliments from everybody around me. But then I got a lot of insulting comments questioning my intellect. That was painful and bad for my reputation, since I’m a spiritual teacher for many people.
What made you want to become a spiritual teacher?
My out-of-body experiences began when I was a little girl: I could travel outside of my body to other planets and universes. Back then it happened spontaneously and now I can control my trips and travel only when I feel like it. For the last four years, I have been teaching seminars on meditation and out-of-body travel.
How popular are you as a spiritual leader? And what do you teach at your seminars?
Many people are interested in that topic nowadays; people do not even realize that aliens visit them—they need to be explained certain things. I know only a few professionals of my level who have the skills to communicate with visitors from other civilizations. My experience is very wide. I can travel around the entire world, to the past and to the future. I also share my ideas on dieting with people. If you want to live a long life and stay beautiful, eat vegetables and herbs, eat very small portions—you will have more energy, feel more pure emotions, and that will make you a more creative person.
So you communicate with aliens?
All the time. My communication with aliens is not verbal—we speak the language of light. I have learned a lot from my contact with them. Now I know that my spirit is very old. And also that humans are the least sophisticated civilization—we’re on the lowest level of evolution. Aliens helped me understand everything about the creation of our world. It turns out that the truth has nothing to do with how religions interpret it.
Thursday, August 01, 2013
Offensive-Asian Girlz
Offensive "Asian Girlz" Video Sparks Talk of Protest
 |
| Joe Anselm / YouTube |
It's not. The crap-tastic, Sugar Ray–esque L.A. band really performs a song, "Asian Girlz," with the following lyrics: Korean barbecue / Bitch I love you / I love your creamy yellow thighs / Ooh your slanted eyes.
Those are just the lyrics we can publish before the next page, before we warn you of explicit, offensive and NSFW material:
The video has already elicited strong reactions from many Asian-Americans. One Facebook poster reacting to model Levy Tran's participation in the video suggested a protest outside the band's Aug. 10 show at the House of Blues in West Hollywood.
Tran's page was bombed with negative feedback suggesting she's an Asian-American Uncle Tom and has "lost all fucking respect."
Blogger and cultural critic Angry Asian Man published the lyrics this week and said:
This racist, yellow-fever bullshit is an actual song, and it is possibly the worst song I've ever heard. If you can somehow get past the first minute of this shit, I commend you.
He's right. And if this is a publicity stunt, the Hollywood Freeway to stardom is littered with the carcasses of similar "talents."
The act says it reposted the video Monday, apparently after the last posting saw a barrage of critical comments. Its site says the video premiered Saturday.
The band says on YouTube that the new posting has ...
... a new description as a response to all the comments we received on this video. We appreciate all the criticism and support. Our song "Asian Girlz" was not written with any malicious, hateful or hurtful intent.
Guess they don't get that I love your sticky rice / Butt fucking all night ... It's the Year of the Dragon / Ninja pussy I'm stabbin' is just as offensive as ethnic food, cultural and sex similes would be to other minorities.
And despite shouts to Koreatown, Chinatown and even specific restaurants, we don't think the song will be taken as a marketing godsend.
We still think it's some kind of a joke. A very sick and tasteless joke.
Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Dennis Romero on Twitter at@dennisjromero. Follow LA Weekly News on Twitter at @laweeklynews.
Below are not from the story above:
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Bodyscapes
Using human parts to create stunning landscapes, photographer Carl Warner's project titled "Otherscapes."
See also The Form of the Body
Rumor: Android 4.3 coming to Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2
Rumor: Android 4.3 coming to Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, not Android 4.2.2
A new report says that Samsung is already working on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for some of its top devices, with the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 said to make the jump directly to Android 4.3 and skip Android 4.2.2.
We will remind you that this is just a rumor at this point, so don’t get too excited about it at this time, as we can’t confirm the news just yet. Temefy has it from sources close to Samsung India that the company is working on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note, but also on the Android 4.3 update for the same devices.
Android 4.2.2 was already leaked for the Galaxy S3, but so was an Android 4.3 build for the Galaxy S4 Google Play edition.
Since Google is expected to launch Android 4.3 in the near future, it would make sense to see some devices skip a Jelly Bean version in order to run the latest Android OS available. But that doesn’t mean that Samsung will necessarily choose this route.
The report also says that an Android 4.2.2 for the Galaxy S3 and Note 2 would arrive in November instead of July, as initially expected. If true, that would be another reason to have the handsets move directly to Android 4.3 instead.
Finally, the publication says that the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 2 will all be further upgradeable to the next major Android version – supposedly Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie – but not all of them will receive it at the same time.
We’ll be back with more details about software updates for these particular handsets once we have them.
- See more at: http://www.androidauthority.com/rumor-android-4-3-galaxy-s3-galaxy-note-2-not-android-4-2-2-244338/#sthash.kCz5nJqX.dpuf
Galaxy Note 2 vs Galaxy S3 vs Galaxy Nexus
We will remind you that this is just a rumor at this point, so don’t get too excited about it at this time, as we can’t confirm the news just yet. Temefy has it from sources close to Samsung India that the company is working on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note, but also on the Android 4.3 update for the same devices.
Android 4.2.2 was already leaked for the Galaxy S3, but so was an Android 4.3 build for the Galaxy S4 Google Play edition.
Since Google is expected to launch Android 4.3 in the near future, it would make sense to see some devices skip a Jelly Bean version in order to run the latest Android OS available. But that doesn’t mean that Samsung will necessarily choose this route.
The report also says that an Android 4.2.2 for the Galaxy S3 and Note 2 would arrive in November instead of July, as initially expected. If true, that would be another reason to have the handsets move directly to Android 4.3 instead.
Finally, the publication says that the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 2 will all be further upgradeable to the next major Android version – supposedly Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie – but not all of them will receive it at the same time.
We’ll be back with more details about software updates for these particular handsets once we have them.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Right Direction-"Project Hood-Helping Chicago's Murder problem
Click here: Project Hood Website
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Chicago Pastor Maintains Rooftop Vigil For A Good Cause
by Frederick H. LoweIt was Sunday, January 29, and Corey Brooks, pastor of the New Beginnings Church of Chicago, was across the street from it, camped out on the roof of an abandoned motel, where he had lived in a tent for 68 days by then.
It did not prevent Pastor Brooks from delivering his sermon over Skype on his laptop to the congregation inside the warm church.
“I need every single member to be fully engaged,” Brooks said as ushers prepared to pass around the offering plate. “I hope there is a $162,000 check there [in the offering plate] to get me off the roof.”
He did not get his wish that day, but donors have made a lot of small contributions of cash and checks.
“We have received donations from all over the country,” Brooks said. “It's encouraging that people have been so nice and so generous, especially in these tough economic times.”
The donations, however, have left him short of his goal of raising $450,000 to tear down the 2½-story, abandoned motel on South King Drive. The building is boarded up, and thieves have stolen all of the pipes and fixtures.
| Pastor Brooks' tent on top of an abandoned motel. |
The former motel is owned by businessman Venood Patel, Family Bank and Trust and National Republic Bank. The banks are owed a $1.5 million mortgage on the building, Brooks said.
“I have no idea how they are working this out with him [Patel],” Brooks said.
Once he raises the money, Pastor Brooks will tear down the block-long building to construct a community-economic development center to establish a small-business incubator. He also wants to open a restaurant, FedEx and Kinko's offices and a professional counseling service to treat individuals traumatized by gun violence.
Pastor Brooks took a High-Lift to the building's roof on November 22, 2011, after being inspired by Chapter 2 of Habakkuk in the Bible. One verse that most-influenced him says, ”I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.”
| (Photo by Frederick H. Lowe, II) |
Initially, he planned to live on the roof 22 days, but now he is not sure how long it will take to reach his goal. As of Thursday morning, he will have lived on the roof 72 days.
“I want to come down today because I have a lot of work to do, but I have decided to make the best of the situation,” he said. “I write. I study, and I am working on the master plan for next phase.”
Being on the roof and looking down on South King Drive does have its advantages.
“It helps keep me away from all of the distractions,” said Brooks, who celebrated his 43rd birthday January 9. Church staff brought him cake, but other than that, it was another workday.
Fortunately, this has been a mild winter by Chicago standards. On Tuesday, it was 56 degrees.
“It has been bearable,” he said. “I am grateful for the weather. The tent absorbs the sun's rays, making it warm.”
Readers can donate funds to Project Helping Others Obtain Destiny through the website athttp://www.projecthood.org
Good News-Judith Hill, World Class singer
Judith Hill's Website
Judith Hill-World Class singer!
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Bio
Having literally spent her life immersed in music, Judith Hill has long been on a path towards capturing the depth and breadth of her artistic vision. Her remarkable journey has taken the gifted singer/songwriter/musician to stages all over the planet, both as a solo performer as well as alongside such icons as the late, great Michael Jackson. Now Hill is poised to take her own well-deserved place in the spotlight. A richly emotive vocal stylist and virtuosic piano player, Hill has spent pretty much her whole life to arrive at this plateau.
“I’m an organic soul artist with a passion to bring the world together,” Hill says. “The music, whether it’s funk or a ballad, it’s all about that message. That’s the thing that resonates most for me, that message and the heart behind it.”
Musically minded from the start, Hill penned her first song at just four years old. No surprise really, considering that the Los Angeles-native grew up in such an intensely musical household – her father, Robert “Pee Wee” Hill is a pioneering funk bassist known for his work with such artists as Sly Stone, Jimmy Smith, and Bob Dylan, while her mom, Michiko Hill, is an accomplished keyboardist in her own right, with credits including Rufus w/Chaka Khan, Wayne Shorter, and Billy Preston. In addition to their steady session work, the Hills also own and operate Master’s Crib Recording Studio, which served as a genuinely motivating playground for Judith.
“It was very inspiring,” she says. “I was constantly surrounded by great musicians. Of course, it is only as I got older that I realized what a lucky girl I was.”
Hill fell in love with the sounds of funk, jazz, and soul, with a special fondness for gospel, especially from a vocal standpoint – Aretha Franklin, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, The Winans. She rebelled against her mother’s piano lessons in her tween years but soon came back around.
“I felt like everyone around me did it and I wanted to do something different,” Hill says. “It wasn’t until I was a little bit older that I really found the passion for music inside of me. I couldn’t help but do it.”
With that in mind, Hill pursued a degree in music composition at Biola University, where she wrote her first symphony as well as pieces for piano, vocal groups, chamber ensembles and string quartets.
“Getting inside of the music became the biggest passion I’d ever had,” Hill says. “I realized there was so much to learn, from the early baroque period to romantic classical to contemporary classical and jazz. I became so excited about it, I knew I didn’t want to do anything else with my life.”
After graduation, Hill spent a year in Paris, singing background vocals for legendary French singer/songwriter Michel Polnareff. Though a “great experience,” she quickly discovered that her true desire was focus on her own artistry. Hill returned home and began writing and recording songs, sharpening her performance chops at open mic nights. But fate threw her a curveball when a musician friend told her that Michael Jackson was looking for background singers and asked if he could submit her name for the gig. Hill agreed, of course, and to her surprise, found herself with the job.
“It came out of nowhere,” Hill says. “I was like, well, that’s a change of plans. But, a good change of plans.”
Hill put her own music on hold and began rehearsing with Jackson for the planned “This Is It” world tour. In addition to her role as background vocalist, she was chosen to duet with Michael on the classic Bad ballad, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” later to become the undisputed highlight of the posthumously released film, This Is It. Working closely with one of popular music’s greatest talents proved both an inspiration and an education.
“He was amazing,” Hill says. “Very polite, very shy, but so iconic in everything he did. Everything you’d imagine him to be like. He was a perfectionist, he knew exactly what he wanted. I learned so much just observing him rehearse us, giving notes to the lighting person or the director. It was so incredible to see this iconic King of Pop putting a show together.”
On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson passed away, leaving Hill and the “This Is It” troupe in a heartbroken state of shock. As the world mourned, Hill was asked to 
sing at Jackson’s public memorial. Watched by one billion fans around the world, the service’s emotional crescendo came from Hill’s powerfully poignant performance of “Heal The World,” a moment she declares “a milestone in my life. Just being there was overwhelming, but I felt that I had a responsibility to rise above myself and be an inspiring person, to represent Michael in the best way possible.”
sing at Jackson’s public memorial. Watched by one billion fans around the world, the service’s emotional crescendo came from Hill’s powerfully poignant performance of “Heal The World,” a moment she declares “a milestone in my life. Just being there was overwhelming, but I felt that I had a responsibility to rise above myself and be an inspiring person, to represent Michael in the best way possible.”
Media and industry players soon besieged Hill, all pushing her to release something right there and then. Though advised to ride the momentum, she opted to spend the next few years refining her sound through experimentation and collaborations. Hill strove to perfect every aspect of her artistic persona, incorporating her lifelong zeal for fashion and theatre into her live act while simultaneously pushing her music forward by blending her extensive array of influences into her own unique sound.
“I’m really passionate about bringing cultures together,” Hill says. “I love music from Asian and Arabic and African cultures and it’s exciting to also play with those things visually. Being biracial, those things represent me as well as the world.”
Hill’s desire to create “a more international experience rather than just American pop music” led to her spending much of 2011 traveling the world in partnership with Avon Cosmetics, serving as spokesperson and star of their worldwide Avon Believe World Tour. The trek took Hill to such faraway places as Istanbul, Shanghai, New Delhi, Warsaw, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Johannesburg. Further travels brought her to Southeast Asia and South America, where she performed as background singer with Stevie Wonder. While she had not planned to continue her background work, the offer to work with Wonder proved irresistible.
“I said to myself I wouldn’t do background after Michael,” Hill says, “but when Stevie asked me I just said, ‘Yes, of course.’ It’s been a great experience. He’s such an inspiration, just like Michael. I’m so blessed to get to work with these people.”
Judith’s musical journey has since brought her to doing music for Spike Lee’s film Red Hook Summer, the stage of The Voice and to the lens of film director Morgan Neville in the upcoming film 20 Feet From Stardom, which tells the true story of the backup singers behind some of the greatest musicians of the 21st century. Judith is now on the next leg of her great adventure. She’ll be recording her debut solo release due out later this year – and who knows where it will take her and us.
Judith Hill's Website
Just an opinion: Those of us that watched "The Voice" in Spring 2013 may never watch that show again. Judith Hill was second to no-one on the show including the judges. To use the method of using "America" to cast votes seems to be more of a Popularity Contest rather then "The Voice" with was best. Everyone knew she was the best. She could sing circles around everyone including all the judges. She is a world class singer that people would pay to go see in concert. I hope "The Voice" rethinks how they use "America" to cast votes. I think the judges did just fine without the "American Idol" style method of voting. That is why I lost interest in that show also. Judith Hill keep going, your great!
Visit her Website, buy her music and video "Twenty Feet From Stardom". You will be amazed as millions of Americans are!
Good News-Japan vowed Support for Mindanao Philippines
Japan presents dev’t map for Mindanao
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe walks with former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada during wreath-laying ceremonies at the Rizal Shrine yesterday. AP
MANILA, Philippines - Visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday vowed to support the peace process in southern Philippines following the signing of the framework agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Abe presented to President Aquino “a very accurate and leading-edge topographical mapping of Mindanao” that Japan created for future economic development of the region.
The Topographic Mapping Project for Peace and Development in Mindanao amounting to 11.9 million yen (about P5.23 million) was the first “updated and precise digital map” developed in 60 years, according to the Japanese embassy.
It was completed under the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiative for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD) for Mindanao.
The digital map, whose data can be flexibly processed and analyzed, will cater to the various needs of planning for development, environmental management, disaster management, land use, socio-economic development, urban utilities management, and transport system.
The project covered all 26 provinces in Mindanao, including Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the remote islands of Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi, Turtle and Mambahenaunahan with an approximate area of 100,500 square kilometers.
It was in Tokyo where President Aquino met with MILF chief Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim in August 2011, which was believed to have expedited the peace negotiations between the two sides.
In October of last year, the government and the MILF signed a framework agreement for the establishment of a Bangsamoro government that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Aquino said the core of the two countries’ strategic partnership were mutual respect, goodwill, and a determination to see each other prosper.
“As neighboring nations, we believe that the growth of our peoples will redound to the further development of our region. On this note, I thank the Prime Minister and the people of Japan for their continuous support of the peace process in Mindanao,” Aquino said.
Aquino said the J-BIRD was vital to the socio-economic development of the Bangsamoro.
He said the new initiatives of the program, which include community and human resource development, “will help my countrymen in the Bangsamoro rebuild their communities and become even more productive citizens of the Philippines.”
“For this, Your Excellency, you have the sincerest gratitude of the Filipino people,” Aquino told Abe.
Japan has been playing an active role in assisting the peace process in Mindanao.
The J-BIRD was launched in 2006 and since then Japanese socio-economic development advisers were deployed to the International Monitoring Team (IMT).
The new technical cooperation for the Bangsamoro government is expected to promote comprehensive capacity building to assist the work of the Transition Commission, Bangsamoro Development Agency, and the Bangsamoro Leadership Institute and facilitate smooth transition under the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and the Bangsamoro government.
Aquino said Japan was only one of just two countries with which the Philippines has a strategic partnership, affirmed and strengthen by Abe’s visit.
Aquino also expressed his wish for the good health of Emperor Akihito of Japan, and expressed hope Abe would continue to instill in his countrymen a renewed optimism in their economy and in their country “as you lead them to a more vibrant Japan.”
“And to the Japanese and the Filipino people, may they continue to build on the staunch friendship they have fostered through the years and together, work for the mutual advancement of our countries,” Aquino said.
Aquino said they agreed to strengthen bilateral policy dialogues and to continue high-level visits and people-to-people exchanges.
He said the Japanese government’s decision to encourage more Filipino tourists to visit Japan by allowing multiple-entry visas was welcome, along with the expansion of the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youth (JENESYS) program, which would “provide our respective students a unique opportunity to cultivate friendships and deepen their appreciation for our respective cultures and societies.”
“On the economic front, I congratulated the Prime Minister for the economic gains that Japan enjoys at present. This revival is the result of the Japanese government’s resolve to efficiently manage the economy by improving productivity and increasing the participation of citizens, particularly women, in the labor force. This growth is a positive sign for the global economy and for the Filipino people,” he said.
After all, Japan is the Philippines’ top trading partner, Aquino said, and in 2012, total bilateral trade amounted to $16.35 billion.
“Japan remains our largest source of development assistance, and our country’s second largest source of approved investments, which in the previous year amounted to more than P69 billion. Japan is also our third largest source of tourists; 412,474 Japanese nationals visited our shores last year,” Aquino said.
“Inclusiveness and the adherence to sound policy fundamentals are the same principles that have paved the way for the resurgence of our own economy. During our discussions, I underscored the commitment of my administration to meaningful reform, which is essential in nurturing an attractive and stable investment climate,” he said.
Aquino thanked Abe for Japan’s commitment to Philippine development, and for extending assistance in critical areas such as infrastructure development, transportation, connectivity, and disaster preparedness and response.
“I welcomed the technical assistance provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in developing a transport roadmap study for Metro Manila and its surrounding areas. I also expressed appreciation for Japan’s positive response to our request for a post-disaster stand-by loan through the Stand-by Emergency Credit for Urgent Recovery (SECURE),” Aquino said.
“I also thanked the Prime Minister for the positive indication from his government with respect to improvements in the Philippines’ aviation safety standards; we look forward to productive discussions for our air services,” the President said.
Aquino also told Abe he was looking forward to the commemorative summit in Tokyo in December to mark the 40th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
He said the relationship between Japan and ASEAN “serves as a cornerstone of harmony and dialogue in our part of the world.”
He said Abe’s visit “reaffirms our shared commitment to deepen our relations, foster cooperation, and more importantly build a more peaceful and more secure Asia-Pacific region.”
“It is by treading the path to progress and peace that we can bring about meaningful change for our peoples,” Aquino said.
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