For best viewing, press pause on the video and allow it just a few moments to load before pressing play to watch. Enjoy!


[See post to watch Flash video]

Part I of the video and more about Pete is featured on the “Who We Are” page. Here’s Part II:

[See post to watch Flash video]

According to the International Herald Tribune:

Karzai delivered his Independence Day address in a stadium that was the site of public executions during the Taliban’s rule, which ended with an invasion by U.S.-led forces in late 2001. On Sunday, it enjoyed a more colorful atmosphere, with a parade of Afghanistan’s military forces and a display of the country’s many national dresses.

Sadly, in the previous two days, suicide bombers struck in two separate attacks in Kandahar, a foreign aid worker was kidnapped in Kabul, and Taliban leader Mullah Omar called for more attacks.

Since returning from our trip to Afghanistan, I have been trying to follow the news in the troubled country. I read about the first attack in which a suicide bomber killed a tribal leader in Kandahar. According to The Guardian: “Police spokesman Abdul Ghafar said the bomber blew himself up as Khariudin Achakzai, the chief of Kandahar’s Zhari district, was coming out of his house with five of his children.”

Of course, the ongoing presence of NATO troops – not to mention the continued civilian casualties they have been responsible for – fuels the rage of the Taliban and their supporters. Mullah Omar marked Independence Day by calling for the overthrow of the Karzai government and its “foreign backers.” Hmm, who can he mean?

So much civil unrest in countries throughout the world can be traced to past colonial and imperialist exploits. Iraq is the most obvious contemporary case in point. But the aftereffects of colonialism continue cast a horrific shadow across wide swathes of the entire African continent. And it seems, no corner of the globe has escaped unscathed.

I sincerely hope Afghanistan – and every other nation of people who gather willfully under the same banner – will one day be able to celebrate true independence.

We are still listening and want to hear from you, through your videos, photos, writing, and more. This where you can express your opinion and thoughts. The listening continues…

Find us on YouTube at http://youtube.com/thelisteningproject

Palestinian journalists
Palestinian journalists celebrate the release of Alan Johnston

It is not the Palestinian way to treat guests badly; it was shameful to make him suffer like that.

We know what it’s like not to be free: we have many prisoners in Israeli jails - and Gaza is a big prison. So, we really respect the brave journalists who come here to show the world what is happening.

I would love to meet him one day and say: ‘Forgive us - it wasn’t the wish of the general people that you were held like that. We don’t agree what happened to you’.

We feel the lack of someone like Alan Johnston. It’s the Palestinians’ loss that he had to leave in this way.

SAID ABDELWAHED, UNIVERSITY LECTURER, GAZA CITY

I was very happy this ended peacefully. I was so worried, because the kidnappers are not respected in Gaza. They are ruthless criminals who are shameful to the Palestinian people.

They seized someone who helped Palestinians in Gaza through his professional journalism - at a time when other journalists couldn’t reach Gaza through fear of just such a thing happening.

These people suddenly assumed a religious name - the Army of Islam - but it was fake. They are not known as Muslims - they are known for their criminal activities and for creating disorder.

I welcome the happy end to the tragedy of Alan Johnston’s kidnapping.

AGOMAN DAVID, 26, ENTREPRENEUR, TEL AVIV

It’s a good thing, a positive thing, because the captivity of anyone is terrible.

I think the kidnapping of Alan Johnston kept journalists from going to Gaza. But now I think more of them will return.

There are too many foreign journalists here but sometimes it is good to have the eye of the world focusing on us - it can prevent violence.

I hope Gilad Shilat [the captured Israeli soldier] will be next.

Maybe it would be good if Israel talked to Hamas to get him free.

OHAD ALON, 33, CAFE OWNER, TEL AVIV

The release of every prisoner is a good thing.

It doesn’t matter that this was a plot by Hamas to make itself look better: Alan Johnston is free.

But what it does show is that when Hamas wants something to happen, then it can. Maybe they will release Gilad Shalit.

I don’t think the release of Alan Johnston really changes anything substantially apart for his family and friends.

But his release does give Israelis some sense of hope about our soldiers. That’s our national anthem - Tikva [”hope” in Hebrew].

NASIM SHAHEEN, 33, RESEARCHER, RAMALLAH

We, the Palestinian people, appreciate all the foreigners who work in the occupied territories.

They tell the people around the world about our situation and our struggles.

I’m so happy that Alan Johnston has been released and is alive. It is against our culture to harm those who help us.

I followed this issue for months and I’m just so happy that he will see his parents again.

Our first interview today was with a woman named Yukiko. I had a lot of fun talking to her- of course, it was through Kaoru. Yukiko works with high school students who have returned from the U.S. or other countries and must re-acclimate to life in Japan. She talked in depth about how many of these students feel they no longer have a Japanese identity and have “adopted’ many American (those in America) “characteristics/ideas”. Most of these students have not learned much about Japanese traditions, history or culture and need to learn more in order to catch up to the other Japanese students. One thing she said that Japanese students learn in America is “competitiveness”- something that is not always valued in Japanese society. I had never thought about this- pretty interesting! There are many other things I learned from talking to Yukiko- but I will have to tell you all later- I’m super tired! I have not yet adjusted to this time change- I will write more late!

Carrie/Ms Lennox to my students!

The security situation has gone downhill somewhat from last year. Previously, officials were talking of the end of Taliban resistance and the coming peace. Unfortunately this hasn’t been the reality of the past 12 months. Continued bombings (mostly out of Kabul) and kidnappings have made things noticeably more stressful for visitors and locals alike. The Internet café we used last visit is closed because of the suicide bombing two weeks after we left. We’ve been advised to hire armed guards but decided against the increased visibility and strangeness of having a bunch of guns around our cameras. Something tells me that we might have different types of discussions if there were guns involved.

We’ve spent the past few days visiting with a number of folks. Most people have expressed positive views of US and its stabilizing presence in the last 4 years. After 25 years of invasions, civil war and the Taliban, people are happy for anything but what they’ve lived through. Unfortunately, there are few jobs and this is as poor a place as you could imagine. For some, hope is fading of a rebirth in Afghanistan and they are beginning a new exodus to Iran and Pakistan.

There isn’t really anybody here who doesn’t have something to say about the US because it plays such a prominent role in daily life. Many of the mistakes that have been made in Iraq fortunately have been avoided here, mostly because of what I see as a genuine global face to the rebuilding. In Afghanistan there is truly a coalition of nations working to bring some possibility of a future without war. Although clearly so much more could be done to support these folks and Iraq has all but erased the global attention span.

In the Kolala Pushta area of town we met Arifa. Her story is one that is difficult to even approach in this short email. I will say just briefly that she is a very courageous and kind woman who lost 8 of her family to an accidental US bomb in the waning days of the US invasion of Kabul. A young American woman, Marla Rudzika worked to secure compensation for her and others like her in Afghanistan and Iraq until last year when she was killed near Baghdad. She was a close friend to Han and this meeting with Arifa has been painful but I am really hoping ultimately a positive one. To this day she has received nothing for the tragic loss of her home, 7 children and husband. We’ve decided, the four of us, to do something, anything we can to help the situation. Any ideas or support anyone wants to give, let me know.

This trip of around the world has been a blessing but with it has come the realization that it’s often so easy to be part of someone’s life for a week and then jet off to some other exotic locale. Lately, its been hard to do that with a clear conscience. People have given so much to what we are doing. I realize that film as a powerful medium of communication has the possibility to bring change, but it seems time to do more. One thing I learned making our first film Awakening was that it’s the small things, the small gifts and generosity shared amongst people that begins the long road toward a hope that lasts and doesn’t end up in the ash pile of cynicism.