On Sunday June 14 2009, the annual art festival was held in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. It was a beautiful day with bright sunshine. Falun Gong practitioners from Scotland and northern England attended the festival and demonstrated the beauty of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa).

Since the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999, the County 610 Office agents detained Mr. Liu Nailun, 40, in brainwashing centres twice, four months in all. He eventually served three years in a forced labour camp, followed by a four-year prison sentence. His wife was forced to divorce him. Liu Nailun did not give up his belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance during his four-year prison term and returned home with his head held high. He lost all of his possessions. He has found a menial job and lives a hard life.

On August 8th, 2008, Laizhou City police scaled the wall of the place where I was staying and arrested me and took me to Dianzi Brainwashing Centre. During the 12-day detention in the brainwashing centre, there were eight days when I was hung up [by handcuffed wrists] and deprived of sleep. Because my arms were cuffed for so long, I couldn't move them at all after I was finally let down. My legs and feet were swollen to the point that I couldn't wear my shoes. My hands had no feeling and I couldn't straighten my fingers. Now that seven months have passed, I still have numbness in my hands, and my ears sometimes ring. My left arm still hurts and I can't move it very quickly.

On February 19th, 2005, police arrested Ms. Yuan Shuzhe in front of the Shijilianhua Market. At he police station, Ms. Yuan's hands were handcuffed behind her back. They stepped on her to make her squat. Then the short torturer squatted before her, and while holding her chin, asked, "Are you Yuan Shuzhe?" She would not answer. They repeatedly struck her head with full water bottles for a time until the short torturer asked again, "Are you Yuan Shuzhe?" Still, she did not answer. All three of the torturers beat her head. The two tall torturers stretched her arms upward as far as they could, inserted a needle into the tip of her right middle finger until it was about halfway in, then he turned the needle and pulled it out.

Mr. Wu Yang and his wife Ms. Sun Min went to Beijing to avoid being harassed and persecuted by their local Chinese Communist Party officials. On April 22nd, Mr. Wu Yang was distributing Falun Gong DVDs and was arrested. On April 28th, police sent Ms. Sun Min's family a "Death Notice" which stated: "On April 23rd, Sun Min was found dead as a result of falling from a height." However, Ms. Sun's family found marks of torture on her body, head, shoulder, neck, wrists and hands.

When friends and neighbours heard the news, they appealed to the public security bureau by signing a statement that described how Mr. Liu had changed from a drug addict to a healthy and good person after practicing Falun Gong.

Even though most people don't realize yet why we do what we are doing today, so long as we persist with our efforts for the salvation of others, when the truth reveals itself, they will understand. That is, "the enthusiasm to save others" cannot slow down.

On June 28th, 2009, the New York Divine Land Marching Band was invited to perform at the Philippine Festival Parade in Jersey City, NJ. The festival has been a tradition in Jersey City to celebrate Independence Day for the past 19 years.