Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has launched a tirade against John McCain, claiming he and his campaign are behind reports tying him to the Muslim faith.
Obama, a committed Christian today, was born to the Muslim faith and raised as a Muslim in his early youth, though he did not actively practice his religion.
Obama's ties to Islam is hereditary,he was born Muslim, his father was a Muslim, according to Muslim law, the religion is passed paternally. His fathers name Barack Hussein Obama is an Arabic name. The name Barack is a derivation of the horse that took the prophet Muhammad on his flight into heaven. Obama's father disappeared soon after his birth, however , he was raised by his white mother and her second husband, an Indonesian, who was also Muslim.
Obama attended a Catholic school in Indonesia, however he was registered as a Muslim. He was required to spend time praying with Muslim students and studying the Koran.
Though Obama biological father disappeared from his son's life soon after he was born and traveled to his native Kenya, he was raised by his Kansas-born mother and her second husband, an Indonesian who was also a Muslim.
Obama has described his mother as a Christian, but Newsweek recently noted she had eschewed her parents' faith in favor of secular humanism.
A close boyhood friend of Obama Zulfin Adi said Obama was a Muslim, he went to the mosque.
Obama's first-grade teacher at a Catholic school, Israella Dharmawan, said: "Barry (Barack's nickname) was Muslim. He was registered as a Muslim because his father was Muslim.
In the third grade, Obama transferred to a public school, where he was also registered as a Muslim. At the school, Muslim students attended weekly religion lessons about Islam.
Some of these details have been confirmed by Obama himself. In his autobiography, Dreams From My Father," Obama mentions studying the Koran and describes the public school as "a Muslim school."
Earlier this year,an Obama spokesman stated Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian.
But these statements are no true.
Everything suggests Obama was born a Muslim, to a nonpracticing father and for some years had considerable Muslim influence from his Indonesian stepfather.
Contrary to what Obama suggests, several pro-Obama sources have confirmed that he has many ties to Islam, through his upbringing, friends and associates.
His campaign states he never prayed in a mosque, untrue. There is proof that he did otherwise. No matter how much he tries to spin it, the facts are there.
26 percent of Americans believe he has Muslim ties.
Gary had his wife own and operate a travel business specializing in cruises. To read more articles about their many travels go to: http://www.travelnsnap.com
My Travel Blog featuring articles of my travels to various parts of the world. http://www.thefloridahoosier.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Wonning
Monday, December 15, 2008
Neural Circuits
It is said that we the humans react and respond to our proximate environment, and absolutely ignore the power (within) us that influence our ends, do blame the external forces. This intuitive question has made many of us to speak on the issue.
Charles Darwin presented his line of reasoning- the survival of fittest by means of natural selection (biological evolution)-the secular version.
Carl Marx, his wits responded to the (adaptation issues) in a rather melancholic fashion, and blamed the religion to be the force of defilement -"religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress, religion is the sigh of oppressed creatures, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people-the demand to give up the illusion about its condition was the demand to give up a condition that needs illusions".
Seneca perception of the issue -courtesy the German legend 'Dr Faustus', in Christopher Marlowe's-play- the selling of a soul to the devil. Shakes Peare withdrew himself in a scalding sense-as flies to the wanton boys are we to gods; they kill us for their sport (King Lear). GB Shah, in Pygmalion gave an outlet to his pent up emotions by hurling suggestion to the protagonist lady that- "you should find a sentimental hog with a thick pair of lips to kiss you with and thick a pair of boots to kick you with".
And Andrew Brown adapted himself to the misperception (Guardian.co.uk), "the return of the ideology has taken us all by surprise, because no one expected it all to be about religion. Twenty years ago, when the Berlin Wall fell and it seemed reasonable to suppose that all the big questions about how to organize society had been solved by history, if you had asked what could possibly disrupt this progressive consensus? Hardly anyone would have supposed that the answer had any thing to do with God.
There may have been a few prescient pessimists-would you mind naming them, who thought Islam would be an important and dangerous disruption on the forward march to the future-perhaps important and dangerous enough to need quelling with a few brisk, punitive expeditions-but even such pessimists could hardly have imagined the fiasco that what the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have turned out to be, nor 9/11 attacks and the widespread fear and loathing they have produced. Nor could anyone have foreseen the emergence of the religious right as such a dominant force in American politics and its extraordinary takeover of the Republican Party.
The Reaganite model of capitalism is collapsing around the world, liberal democracy is no longer poised to take over the world but worrying about the where and how it might survive, and that the arguments about religion were back as fiercely as ever and almost as popular.
This is extraordinary. Communism would not have fallen in the way it did were it not for the passionate Roman Catholicism of the Poles, and even in the other countries of Eastern Europe there were Christian groupings at the forefront of the revolutions of 1989.
Sure enough, the Catholic Church in Ireland imploded in scandals, and even in Poland lost its influence, the slow growth of liberal Protestantism continued. The simple message of hedonistic liberalism-there is probably no God; there is nothing to worry about; enjoy yourselves-seemed in the West entirely self-evident.
The weirdos who did not know the enjoyment of life was all one could hope for were clearly dying off and religion was no more than a "licensed insanity", in the words of John Bowker, then dean of Trinity College Cambridge.
What changed, what brought us to the contemporary world, where millions of Hindus, Christians, Muslims and atheists understand the existence of infidels and heretics as an existential threat against which almost any degree of violence is something justified?"
The Reaganite model of capitalism was collapsing around the world, liberal democracy was no longer poised to take over the world but worrying about the where and how it might survive, and that the arguments about religion were back as fiercely as ever and almost as popular".
There is a sharp contrast even in all the reflex actions, and a reflection of misperception on the part of people who spoke on the issue, God and for that matter religion has nothing to do with the power politics, we the perpetrators are responsible for the tribulations in the World we reside. What we lack is the understanding of neural hijacking-instinctive behavior, and the understanding of neural circuit-the procedure of the overlapping of knowledge in human mind, what neural hijacking does is that it takes direct route - apparently the survival route, without taking the sane route of getting the information processed duly by the proper neural circuit in more refined and even manner.
The men of intellect who have been endowed with the wisdom say that- the charity of the intellect is to tolerate the talk of the ignorant, many of us in our childhoods used to believe the false notions owning to our ignorance but such false notions proved wrong, when we reached maturity, there are many aspects that used to be considered as Para psychological are know known as psychological aspects.
In the ever changing world where no final judgment is possible, what actually we, do is that we simply behave impulsively, and often we are unable to withstand the pressure that "Time" poses to our wits. There is a saying in Arabic that- do not curse time, because it is from me (God). The solution-the command of intellect over instinct, we the humans should stop taking selfish route and strive for mutual benefits than strike for the benefit.
Imran Zaka, Faisalabad, Punjab Pakistan,00926636545
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Imran_Zaka
Charles Darwin presented his line of reasoning- the survival of fittest by means of natural selection (biological evolution)-the secular version.
Carl Marx, his wits responded to the (adaptation issues) in a rather melancholic fashion, and blamed the religion to be the force of defilement -"religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress, religion is the sigh of oppressed creatures, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people-the demand to give up the illusion about its condition was the demand to give up a condition that needs illusions".
Seneca perception of the issue -courtesy the German legend 'Dr Faustus', in Christopher Marlowe's-play- the selling of a soul to the devil. Shakes Peare withdrew himself in a scalding sense-as flies to the wanton boys are we to gods; they kill us for their sport (King Lear). GB Shah, in Pygmalion gave an outlet to his pent up emotions by hurling suggestion to the protagonist lady that- "you should find a sentimental hog with a thick pair of lips to kiss you with and thick a pair of boots to kick you with".
And Andrew Brown adapted himself to the misperception (Guardian.co.uk), "the return of the ideology has taken us all by surprise, because no one expected it all to be about religion. Twenty years ago, when the Berlin Wall fell and it seemed reasonable to suppose that all the big questions about how to organize society had been solved by history, if you had asked what could possibly disrupt this progressive consensus? Hardly anyone would have supposed that the answer had any thing to do with God.
There may have been a few prescient pessimists-would you mind naming them, who thought Islam would be an important and dangerous disruption on the forward march to the future-perhaps important and dangerous enough to need quelling with a few brisk, punitive expeditions-but even such pessimists could hardly have imagined the fiasco that what the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have turned out to be, nor 9/11 attacks and the widespread fear and loathing they have produced. Nor could anyone have foreseen the emergence of the religious right as such a dominant force in American politics and its extraordinary takeover of the Republican Party.
The Reaganite model of capitalism is collapsing around the world, liberal democracy is no longer poised to take over the world but worrying about the where and how it might survive, and that the arguments about religion were back as fiercely as ever and almost as popular.
This is extraordinary. Communism would not have fallen in the way it did were it not for the passionate Roman Catholicism of the Poles, and even in the other countries of Eastern Europe there were Christian groupings at the forefront of the revolutions of 1989.
Sure enough, the Catholic Church in Ireland imploded in scandals, and even in Poland lost its influence, the slow growth of liberal Protestantism continued. The simple message of hedonistic liberalism-there is probably no God; there is nothing to worry about; enjoy yourselves-seemed in the West entirely self-evident.
The weirdos who did not know the enjoyment of life was all one could hope for were clearly dying off and religion was no more than a "licensed insanity", in the words of John Bowker, then dean of Trinity College Cambridge.
What changed, what brought us to the contemporary world, where millions of Hindus, Christians, Muslims and atheists understand the existence of infidels and heretics as an existential threat against which almost any degree of violence is something justified?"
The Reaganite model of capitalism was collapsing around the world, liberal democracy was no longer poised to take over the world but worrying about the where and how it might survive, and that the arguments about religion were back as fiercely as ever and almost as popular".
There is a sharp contrast even in all the reflex actions, and a reflection of misperception on the part of people who spoke on the issue, God and for that matter religion has nothing to do with the power politics, we the perpetrators are responsible for the tribulations in the World we reside. What we lack is the understanding of neural hijacking-instinctive behavior, and the understanding of neural circuit-the procedure of the overlapping of knowledge in human mind, what neural hijacking does is that it takes direct route - apparently the survival route, without taking the sane route of getting the information processed duly by the proper neural circuit in more refined and even manner.
The men of intellect who have been endowed with the wisdom say that- the charity of the intellect is to tolerate the talk of the ignorant, many of us in our childhoods used to believe the false notions owning to our ignorance but such false notions proved wrong, when we reached maturity, there are many aspects that used to be considered as Para psychological are know known as psychological aspects.
In the ever changing world where no final judgment is possible, what actually we, do is that we simply behave impulsively, and often we are unable to withstand the pressure that "Time" poses to our wits. There is a saying in Arabic that- do not curse time, because it is from me (God). The solution-the command of intellect over instinct, we the humans should stop taking selfish route and strive for mutual benefits than strike for the benefit.
Imran Zaka, Faisalabad, Punjab Pakistan,00926636545
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Imran_Zaka
Chinese agression in tibet
Invasion and Refugees
China's invasion by 40,000 troops in 1950 was an act of unprovoked aggression. There is no generally accepted legal basis for China's claim of sovereignty.
Ten years later 100,000 Tibetans fled with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual and temporal ruler.
In 1993 the UN High Commissioner for Refugees handled 3,700 Tibetan cases.
To avoid detection many refugees, who are poorly clothed, are forced to use the 19,000 ft. Nangpa-La pass below Everest. The Nepalese authorities continue to turn refugees over to the Chinese.
Chinese Administration of Tibet
By the 17-Point Agreement of 1951 China undertook not to interfere with Tibet's existing system of government and society, but never kept these promises in eastern Tibet and in 1959 reneged on the treaty altogether.
China has renamed two out of Tibet's three provinces as parts of the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan, and renamed the remaining province of U'Tsang as Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
There is no evidence to support China's claim that TAR is autonomous: all local legislation is subject to approval of the central government in Beijing; all local government is subject to the regional party, which in Tibet has never been run by a Tibetan. Much enforcement of Chinese law is ad hoc and subject to local interpretation due to wording being deliberately ambiguous.
The Human Cost
Reprisals for the 1959 National Uprising alone involved the elimination of 87,000 Tibetans by the Chinese count, according to a Radio Lhasa broadcast of 1 October 1960. Tibetan exiles claim that 430,000 died during the Uprising and the subsequent 15 years of guerrilla warfare.
Some 1.2 million Tibetans are estimated to have been killed by the Chinese since 1950.
The International Commission of Jurists concluded in its reports, 1959 and 1960, that there was a prima facie case of genocide committed by the Chinese upon the Tibetan nation. These reports deal with events before the Cultural Revolution. Chinese Justice: Protest and Prisons
Exile sources estimate that up to 260,000 people died in prisons and labour camps between 1950 and 1984.
Unarmed demonstrators have been shot without warning by Chinese police on five occasions between 1987 and 1989. Amnesty International believes that "at least 200 civilians" were killed by the security forces during demonstrations in this period. There are also reports of detainees being summarily executed.
Some 3,000 people are believed to have been detained for political offences since September 1987, many of them for writing letters, distributing leaflets or talking to foreigners about the Tibetans' right to independence.
The number of political detainees in Lhasa's main prison, Drapchi, is reported to have doubled between 1990 and 1994. The vast majority of political inmates are monks or nuns. A political prisoner in Tibet can now expect an average sentence of 6.5 years.
Over 230 Tibetans were detained for political offences in 1995, a 50% increase on 1994, bringing the total in custody to over 600.
Detailed accounts show that the Chinese conducted a campaign of torture against Tibetan dissidents in prison from March 1989 to May 1990. However, beatings and torture are still regularly used against political detainees and prisoners today. Such prisoners are held in sub-standard conditions, given insufficient food, forbidden to speak, frequently held incommunicado and denied proper medical treatment.
Beatings and torture with electric shock batons are common; prisoners have died from such treatment. In 1992, Palden Gyatso, a monk who had been tortured by the Chinese for over 30 years, bribed prison guards to hand over implements of torture. The weapons, smuggled out of Tibet, were displayed in the west in 1994 and 1995.
Despite China having ratified a number of UN conventions, including those relating to torture, women, children and racial discrimination, the Chinese authorities have been repeatedly violating these conventions in China and Tibet.
Nearly all prisoners arrested for political protest are beaten extensively at the time of arrest and initial detention. Serious physical maltreatment has also been recorded in a significant proportion of cases. In the period 1994-1995, three nuns died shortly after release from custody as a result of ill-treatment and torture in detention.
The Chinese have refused to allow independent observers to attend so-called public trials. Prison sentences are regularly decided before the trial. Fewer than 2% of cases in China are won by the defence.
Control of Education
Chinese replaced Tibetan as the official language. Despite official pronouncements, there has been no practical change in this policy. Without an adequate command of Chinese, Tibetans find it difficult to get work in the state sector.
Secondary school children are taught all classes in Chinese. Although English is a requirement for most university courses, Tibetan school children cannot learn English unless they forfeit study of their own language. Many children are sent away to China for education, usually for a period of seven years.
Since 1994, the Chinese have strengthened their drive to re-educate young Tibetans about their cultural past at all levels of Tibetan education. They use a distorted history programme which omits reference to an independent Tibet.
At school, no unrehearsed discussion of Tibetan cultural, religious and social issues is allowed. Party positions must actively be upheld. Chinese culture is emphatically promoted.
Religious Intolerance
Religious practice was forcibly suppressed until 1979, and up to 6,000 monasteries and shrines were destroyed.
The 1982 Constitution of the People's Republic of China guarantees freedom of religious belief, but China seeks to restrict the numbers of monks and nuns entering monasteries. The restrictions prevent children under 18 from joining monasteries.
After serving arbitrary sentences imposed for pro-independence activities, nuns and monks released from prison are frequently banned from rejoining their nunneries.
New guidelines drawn up in 1994 instigated a policy of renewed religious suppression and attempts to discredit the religious authority of the Dalai Lama.
In 1995 the Chinese authorities rejected the child recognised by the Dalai Lama as the rebirth of the Panchen Lama, and installed their own candidate.
Chinese Immigrants Flood Tibet
Beijing has admitted a policy of deliberately encouraging Chinese to settle on a long-term basis in Tibet.
The influx of Chinese nationals has destabilised the economy. Forced agricultural modernisations led to extensive crop failures and Tibet's first recorded famine (1960-1962), in which 340,000 Tibetans died. Tibetan farms and grazing lands have been confiscated and incorporated into collectivised and communal farms.
Resettlement of Chinese migrants has placed Tibetans in the minority in many areas, including Lhasa, causing chronic unemployment among Tibetans.
Official figures put the number of non-Tibetans in the TAR at 79,000. Independent research puts the figure at 250,000 to 300,000, and for the whole of Tibet 5 to 5.5 million Chinese to 4.5 million Tibetans. In Kham and Amdo the Chinese outnumber Tibetans many times over.
Economic Development Plans
Beijing wants to see 10% economic growth per year from the Tibetan region. New wealth is being channelled into Chinese hands as shown by the 1994 announcement of a railway for Tibet. The rail project will speed both the influx of Chinese migrants as well as the extraction of Tibet's mineral reserves.
According to the TAR Economic Planning Commission's plan, the main thrust of China's economic activities in Tibet in the 1990s will be 'the exploitation of mineral resources'. Mining and other mineral extraction is the largest economic activity in both U'Tsang and Amdo.
Chinese traders are favoured by lower tax assessments and the dominant position of Chinese in government administration. Chinese officials are paid various bonuses for working in Tibet.
China is pushing to incorporate Tibet into its new market economy by boosting agricultural output. Traditional barley farming, suited to the climate, is diminishing as new crops are introduced (sometimes with foreign aid backing).
The Environment and the Military
Estimates of deforestation vary, but most reckon that at least half Tibet's natural forest cover has gone since the Chinese occupation. An extensive road-building programme has been opening up the previously inaccessible areas of forest. Tourists have seen up to 60 trucks per hour loaded with timber leaving Tibet - proof of deforestation on a large scale, in contravention of UN Resolution 1803 (XVII) 1962, which establishes the right of peoples to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources.
The Indian Government reports that three nuclear missile sites, and an estimated 300,000 troops are stationed on Tibetan territory.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the Chinese operated a large nuclear weapons research centre at the Ninth academy in Haibai prefecture, Qinghai province.
China has admitted to dumping nuclear waste on the Tibetan plateau. There is a 20 km2 dump for radioactive pollutants near Lake Kokonor, the largest lake on the Tibetan plateau.
http://www.indohistory.com/chinese_aggression_in_tibet.html
http://www.indohistory.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anshuman_Gothwal
China's invasion by 40,000 troops in 1950 was an act of unprovoked aggression. There is no generally accepted legal basis for China's claim of sovereignty.
Ten years later 100,000 Tibetans fled with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual and temporal ruler.
In 1993 the UN High Commissioner for Refugees handled 3,700 Tibetan cases.
To avoid detection many refugees, who are poorly clothed, are forced to use the 19,000 ft. Nangpa-La pass below Everest. The Nepalese authorities continue to turn refugees over to the Chinese.
Chinese Administration of Tibet
By the 17-Point Agreement of 1951 China undertook not to interfere with Tibet's existing system of government and society, but never kept these promises in eastern Tibet and in 1959 reneged on the treaty altogether.
China has renamed two out of Tibet's three provinces as parts of the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan, and renamed the remaining province of U'Tsang as Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
There is no evidence to support China's claim that TAR is autonomous: all local legislation is subject to approval of the central government in Beijing; all local government is subject to the regional party, which in Tibet has never been run by a Tibetan. Much enforcement of Chinese law is ad hoc and subject to local interpretation due to wording being deliberately ambiguous.
The Human Cost
Reprisals for the 1959 National Uprising alone involved the elimination of 87,000 Tibetans by the Chinese count, according to a Radio Lhasa broadcast of 1 October 1960. Tibetan exiles claim that 430,000 died during the Uprising and the subsequent 15 years of guerrilla warfare.
Some 1.2 million Tibetans are estimated to have been killed by the Chinese since 1950.
The International Commission of Jurists concluded in its reports, 1959 and 1960, that there was a prima facie case of genocide committed by the Chinese upon the Tibetan nation. These reports deal with events before the Cultural Revolution. Chinese Justice: Protest and Prisons
Exile sources estimate that up to 260,000 people died in prisons and labour camps between 1950 and 1984.
Unarmed demonstrators have been shot without warning by Chinese police on five occasions between 1987 and 1989. Amnesty International believes that "at least 200 civilians" were killed by the security forces during demonstrations in this period. There are also reports of detainees being summarily executed.
Some 3,000 people are believed to have been detained for political offences since September 1987, many of them for writing letters, distributing leaflets or talking to foreigners about the Tibetans' right to independence.
The number of political detainees in Lhasa's main prison, Drapchi, is reported to have doubled between 1990 and 1994. The vast majority of political inmates are monks or nuns. A political prisoner in Tibet can now expect an average sentence of 6.5 years.
Over 230 Tibetans were detained for political offences in 1995, a 50% increase on 1994, bringing the total in custody to over 600.
Detailed accounts show that the Chinese conducted a campaign of torture against Tibetan dissidents in prison from March 1989 to May 1990. However, beatings and torture are still regularly used against political detainees and prisoners today. Such prisoners are held in sub-standard conditions, given insufficient food, forbidden to speak, frequently held incommunicado and denied proper medical treatment.
Beatings and torture with electric shock batons are common; prisoners have died from such treatment. In 1992, Palden Gyatso, a monk who had been tortured by the Chinese for over 30 years, bribed prison guards to hand over implements of torture. The weapons, smuggled out of Tibet, were displayed in the west in 1994 and 1995.
Despite China having ratified a number of UN conventions, including those relating to torture, women, children and racial discrimination, the Chinese authorities have been repeatedly violating these conventions in China and Tibet.
Nearly all prisoners arrested for political protest are beaten extensively at the time of arrest and initial detention. Serious physical maltreatment has also been recorded in a significant proportion of cases. In the period 1994-1995, three nuns died shortly after release from custody as a result of ill-treatment and torture in detention.
The Chinese have refused to allow independent observers to attend so-called public trials. Prison sentences are regularly decided before the trial. Fewer than 2% of cases in China are won by the defence.
Control of Education
Chinese replaced Tibetan as the official language. Despite official pronouncements, there has been no practical change in this policy. Without an adequate command of Chinese, Tibetans find it difficult to get work in the state sector.
Secondary school children are taught all classes in Chinese. Although English is a requirement for most university courses, Tibetan school children cannot learn English unless they forfeit study of their own language. Many children are sent away to China for education, usually for a period of seven years.
Since 1994, the Chinese have strengthened their drive to re-educate young Tibetans about their cultural past at all levels of Tibetan education. They use a distorted history programme which omits reference to an independent Tibet.
At school, no unrehearsed discussion of Tibetan cultural, religious and social issues is allowed. Party positions must actively be upheld. Chinese culture is emphatically promoted.
Religious Intolerance
Religious practice was forcibly suppressed until 1979, and up to 6,000 monasteries and shrines were destroyed.
The 1982 Constitution of the People's Republic of China guarantees freedom of religious belief, but China seeks to restrict the numbers of monks and nuns entering monasteries. The restrictions prevent children under 18 from joining monasteries.
After serving arbitrary sentences imposed for pro-independence activities, nuns and monks released from prison are frequently banned from rejoining their nunneries.
New guidelines drawn up in 1994 instigated a policy of renewed religious suppression and attempts to discredit the religious authority of the Dalai Lama.
In 1995 the Chinese authorities rejected the child recognised by the Dalai Lama as the rebirth of the Panchen Lama, and installed their own candidate.
Chinese Immigrants Flood Tibet
Beijing has admitted a policy of deliberately encouraging Chinese to settle on a long-term basis in Tibet.
The influx of Chinese nationals has destabilised the economy. Forced agricultural modernisations led to extensive crop failures and Tibet's first recorded famine (1960-1962), in which 340,000 Tibetans died. Tibetan farms and grazing lands have been confiscated and incorporated into collectivised and communal farms.
Resettlement of Chinese migrants has placed Tibetans in the minority in many areas, including Lhasa, causing chronic unemployment among Tibetans.
Official figures put the number of non-Tibetans in the TAR at 79,000. Independent research puts the figure at 250,000 to 300,000, and for the whole of Tibet 5 to 5.5 million Chinese to 4.5 million Tibetans. In Kham and Amdo the Chinese outnumber Tibetans many times over.
Economic Development Plans
Beijing wants to see 10% economic growth per year from the Tibetan region. New wealth is being channelled into Chinese hands as shown by the 1994 announcement of a railway for Tibet. The rail project will speed both the influx of Chinese migrants as well as the extraction of Tibet's mineral reserves.
According to the TAR Economic Planning Commission's plan, the main thrust of China's economic activities in Tibet in the 1990s will be 'the exploitation of mineral resources'. Mining and other mineral extraction is the largest economic activity in both U'Tsang and Amdo.
Chinese traders are favoured by lower tax assessments and the dominant position of Chinese in government administration. Chinese officials are paid various bonuses for working in Tibet.
China is pushing to incorporate Tibet into its new market economy by boosting agricultural output. Traditional barley farming, suited to the climate, is diminishing as new crops are introduced (sometimes with foreign aid backing).
The Environment and the Military
Estimates of deforestation vary, but most reckon that at least half Tibet's natural forest cover has gone since the Chinese occupation. An extensive road-building programme has been opening up the previously inaccessible areas of forest. Tourists have seen up to 60 trucks per hour loaded with timber leaving Tibet - proof of deforestation on a large scale, in contravention of UN Resolution 1803 (XVII) 1962, which establishes the right of peoples to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources.
The Indian Government reports that three nuclear missile sites, and an estimated 300,000 troops are stationed on Tibetan territory.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the Chinese operated a large nuclear weapons research centre at the Ninth academy in Haibai prefecture, Qinghai province.
China has admitted to dumping nuclear waste on the Tibetan plateau. There is a 20 km2 dump for radioactive pollutants near Lake Kokonor, the largest lake on the Tibetan plateau.
http://www.indohistory.com/chinese_aggression_in_tibet.html
http://www.indohistory.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anshuman_Gothwal
we didnt start the fire- Obama isnt the first black president
The Black Question
Is President-elect Obama the first Black President? For that matter, was JFK the first Irish President? Was there ever a Jewish President? Was J. Edgar Hoover Black? Was there a Black Founding Father? How do you define Black?
The Preliminary
Before we get to the first Black President, let's discuss the other ethnic questions. JFK was not the first Irish President but the first Irish Catholic (or Green Irish) President. Actually, there were six other Irish Presidents before JFK who were Protestants (Orange Irish). In a similar fashion, there were Jewish Presidents - yep, precisely two Jewish Presidents - Teddy Roosevelt and FDR.
Say what?
I'm not mistaken - I am able to provide references and peer reviewed historical sources for my assertion. Both sides (paternal and maternal) of the Roosevelts were Jewish. This is important because a person is deemed Jewish only if his/her maternal line is Jewish or s/he converts to Judaism. For example, the Legendary Reggae Singer Hon. Robert Nesta Marley's father was Jewish (born in England of Syrian descent) but he would not qualify as a Jew because his mother is a Gentile (Afro-Jamaican). Similarly, Jamaican Rapper Sean Paul Henriques' (attended a private Jewish School - Hillel Academy located in Kingston, Jamaica) father is Jewish but his mother is a Gentile (Chinese Jamaican). As a matter of fact, Jamaica's Chief Rabbi Ainsley Cohen Henriques is Sean Paul's granduncle. Sean Paul wouldn't be considered Jewish unless he converts (or his mother converted before he was born) because of his maternal line as per the Orthodox Rabbinical Law. In my case, I am a Jew because my maternal line (mother's mother's mother) is Jewish although my paternal line (father's father's father) is Maroon. Sir Winston Churchill's was Jewish because his mother (born in Brooklyn, New York) was an Ashkenazi Jew. Great Britain's Prince Charles isn't a Jew although his paternal family tree contains a Jewish branch as well as an Indian branch and a Black (via Pushkin's daughter) branch. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was Jewish although he practiced the Christian religion since the day his father converted to Christianity due to a dispute with the English Jewish Community Leadership.
I digress; returning to the Roosevelts. The Roosevelt family is actually the Rosenfeld family (a Sephardic Jewish family) of Spain. They migrated from Spain to Holland (once under Spanish rule) before they finally migrated to New York. The rest is history as we would say.... I must add the Roosevelts worshiped at the Episcopalian Church during their lifetime. Let's not forget that former Republican Virginia Governor George "Macaca" Allen is Jewish because his mother was a Sephardic Jew born and raised in North Africa. As a matter of fact, Governor Allen's maternal grandfather was briefly detained by the Nazis because of his Jewish background. Today, Governor Allen practiced the Christian religion although some would argue that he is not exactly Christ-like. What would Jesus do in light of Governor Allen's 'Macaca' moments?
The Definition of Blackness
Before we return to the Black Presidents, let's look on Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Alexander Hamilton was an Octoroon (8 parts Black) who was born and raised in the British West Indies. J. Edgar Hoover was adopted by the Hoover family and was raised in Washington D.C. However, as per irrefutable documentation, J. Edgar Hoover had a Black biological grandfather who lived in the segregated South. I hope I didn't offend my fellow Blacks that one of us sabotaged the great Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey (my greatest personal hero since the Christ); Malcolm X, and MLK. Yes, Mr. Hoover was hiding a lot more in his "closet" besides the dresses, the Halloween fairy costumes, skeletons and buried bodies.
Spit it out already - the first Black President?
In the United States, the definition of Blackness is the one drop of blood rule, and you're Black by nature and not by nurture. If not, President-elect Obama would be White (50% White and 50% Black - nature; he was born and raised in a White home and with White values - nurture) instead of Black.
The preceding paragraph brings to mind, "Kittens born in an oven don't make them biscuits," responded William Butler Yeats to criticisms attacking him for distancing himself from his Irish heritage (he's of an Orange Irish background). At least it's not like Tiger Woods stating "I'm not Black. I'm just a quarter Black and three quarter Thai [his mother is full Thai and his late father is half Black and half Thai]." Or worse, a famous Brazilian personality trying to convince a foreign interviewer that Soccer Legend Pele is not Black -
Brazilian Personality: "Brazilians (White or otherwise) doesn't see Pele as a Negro. He is a national hero and a national treasure to the Brazilian people. We are colorblind as far as Pele is concerned."
Foreign Interviewer: "Would it have anything to do with the Latin/South American phrase (as it pertains to race relations in Latin America), 'Money whitens...?'"
Brazilian Personality: "No, Pele is very elevated in Brazil. As a matter of fact, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan are so popular in your country that my White American friends stated that they don't see them as Negroes. Wouldn't you agree?"
Foreign Interviewer: "I wouldn't mistake their skin's color for a great tan." Would you?
The Solution - the Proof - the Drum Roll....
There were five Black Presidents before President-elect Barack Obama: Thomas Jefferson; Andrew Jackson; Abraham Lincoln; Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge. No, Bill Clinton is not the first Black President although he is an honorary Black President. With all his warts, the Black community accepts him as a 'brother'- welcome to Harlem, Mr. President - we still love you.
First, Thomas Jefferson's mother was a half-Native Indian and his father had Black heritage. Second, Andrew Jackson's mother was Irish and his father had Black heritage (Andrew Jackson's brother was of a much darker complexion). Third, Abraham Lincoln's mother had Ethiopian heritage and there was a lot of contemporary media speculation about Lincoln's paternity (his father was sterile from childhood mumps and was later castrated; his real father was speculated to be Black) during his Presidential Campaign. He was nicknamed Africanus the First in the newspapers during his lifetime. Fourth, Warren Harding never denied his Black ancestry even when he was challenged in a public forum. According to Dr. Leroy Vaughn, M.D., M.B.A.,
"William Chancellor, a White professor of economics and politics at Wooster College in Ohio, wrote a book on the Harding family genealogy and identified Black ancestors among both parents of President Harding. Justice Department agents allegedly bought and destroyed all copies of this book. Chancellor also said that Harding's only academic credentials included education at Iberia College, which was founded in order to educate fugitive slaves."
Fifth, Calvin Coolidge mother's maiden name was Moor. She was of mixed Native Indian and Black ancestry from New England.
Dr. Leroy Vaughn, M.D., M.B.A. continued,
"All of the presidents mentioned were able to pass for White and never acknowledged their Black ancestry. Millions of other children who were descendants of former slaves have also been able to pass for White. American society has had so much interracial mixing that books such as "The Bell Curve"[co-authored by American Enterprise Institute's Dr. Charles Murray - the author of "Losing Ground"], discussing IQ evaluations based solely on race, are totally unrealistic."
I highly recommend his powerful book - Black People & their Place in World History: a Dynamic, Honest and Powerful View of Black History. Unfortunately it's not required reading in the American Public School system.
The Conclusion
In conclusion, science tells us that the Cradle of the Human Race is in Sub-Saharan Africa (exactly, Ethiopia - derived from the Greek for "Burnt Faces"). In addition, scientific study researchers discovered that "blue eyes are the result of a genetic mutation that likely occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago." Copenhagen University's Prof. Hans Eiberg stated, "Originally, we all had brown eyes." As a matter fact, scientists postulate that all blue eyed individuals shared one common ancestor.
The Afterthought - the Barbarism of Racism (Reverse or Otherwise) as per this author
In closing, no one should sacrifice another 'identity' group on the altar of 'identity' ideology in the glorification of their 'identity' idol worship. To the point, no one (or group) should promote reverse discrimination (persecution and humiliation of other groups); often feels his/her racism (in spite of its inherent illegality, immorality and barbarity) is justified because of the "atrocities endured by their identity group." If not, he/she who racially discriminates against one individual discriminates against all humanity. After all, don't we belong to the human race? Didn't we descend from the 'cradle' (both Biblically and scientifically) of Mother Africa?
Hail Obama, the Next President of the Great U.S. of A.
Karl A. Mitchell
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karl_Mitchell
Is President-elect Obama the first Black President? For that matter, was JFK the first Irish President? Was there ever a Jewish President? Was J. Edgar Hoover Black? Was there a Black Founding Father? How do you define Black?
The Preliminary
Before we get to the first Black President, let's discuss the other ethnic questions. JFK was not the first Irish President but the first Irish Catholic (or Green Irish) President. Actually, there were six other Irish Presidents before JFK who were Protestants (Orange Irish). In a similar fashion, there were Jewish Presidents - yep, precisely two Jewish Presidents - Teddy Roosevelt and FDR.
Say what?
I'm not mistaken - I am able to provide references and peer reviewed historical sources for my assertion. Both sides (paternal and maternal) of the Roosevelts were Jewish. This is important because a person is deemed Jewish only if his/her maternal line is Jewish or s/he converts to Judaism. For example, the Legendary Reggae Singer Hon. Robert Nesta Marley's father was Jewish (born in England of Syrian descent) but he would not qualify as a Jew because his mother is a Gentile (Afro-Jamaican). Similarly, Jamaican Rapper Sean Paul Henriques' (attended a private Jewish School - Hillel Academy located in Kingston, Jamaica) father is Jewish but his mother is a Gentile (Chinese Jamaican). As a matter of fact, Jamaica's Chief Rabbi Ainsley Cohen Henriques is Sean Paul's granduncle. Sean Paul wouldn't be considered Jewish unless he converts (or his mother converted before he was born) because of his maternal line as per the Orthodox Rabbinical Law. In my case, I am a Jew because my maternal line (mother's mother's mother) is Jewish although my paternal line (father's father's father) is Maroon. Sir Winston Churchill's was Jewish because his mother (born in Brooklyn, New York) was an Ashkenazi Jew. Great Britain's Prince Charles isn't a Jew although his paternal family tree contains a Jewish branch as well as an Indian branch and a Black (via Pushkin's daughter) branch. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was Jewish although he practiced the Christian religion since the day his father converted to Christianity due to a dispute with the English Jewish Community Leadership.
I digress; returning to the Roosevelts. The Roosevelt family is actually the Rosenfeld family (a Sephardic Jewish family) of Spain. They migrated from Spain to Holland (once under Spanish rule) before they finally migrated to New York. The rest is history as we would say.... I must add the Roosevelts worshiped at the Episcopalian Church during their lifetime. Let's not forget that former Republican Virginia Governor George "Macaca" Allen is Jewish because his mother was a Sephardic Jew born and raised in North Africa. As a matter of fact, Governor Allen's maternal grandfather was briefly detained by the Nazis because of his Jewish background. Today, Governor Allen practiced the Christian religion although some would argue that he is not exactly Christ-like. What would Jesus do in light of Governor Allen's 'Macaca' moments?
The Definition of Blackness
Before we return to the Black Presidents, let's look on Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Alexander Hamilton was an Octoroon (8 parts Black) who was born and raised in the British West Indies. J. Edgar Hoover was adopted by the Hoover family and was raised in Washington D.C. However, as per irrefutable documentation, J. Edgar Hoover had a Black biological grandfather who lived in the segregated South. I hope I didn't offend my fellow Blacks that one of us sabotaged the great Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey (my greatest personal hero since the Christ); Malcolm X, and MLK. Yes, Mr. Hoover was hiding a lot more in his "closet" besides the dresses, the Halloween fairy costumes, skeletons and buried bodies.
Spit it out already - the first Black President?
In the United States, the definition of Blackness is the one drop of blood rule, and you're Black by nature and not by nurture. If not, President-elect Obama would be White (50% White and 50% Black - nature; he was born and raised in a White home and with White values - nurture) instead of Black.
The preceding paragraph brings to mind, "Kittens born in an oven don't make them biscuits," responded William Butler Yeats to criticisms attacking him for distancing himself from his Irish heritage (he's of an Orange Irish background). At least it's not like Tiger Woods stating "I'm not Black. I'm just a quarter Black and three quarter Thai [his mother is full Thai and his late father is half Black and half Thai]." Or worse, a famous Brazilian personality trying to convince a foreign interviewer that Soccer Legend Pele is not Black -
Brazilian Personality: "Brazilians (White or otherwise) doesn't see Pele as a Negro. He is a national hero and a national treasure to the Brazilian people. We are colorblind as far as Pele is concerned."
Foreign Interviewer: "Would it have anything to do with the Latin/South American phrase (as it pertains to race relations in Latin America), 'Money whitens...?'"
Brazilian Personality: "No, Pele is very elevated in Brazil. As a matter of fact, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan are so popular in your country that my White American friends stated that they don't see them as Negroes. Wouldn't you agree?"
Foreign Interviewer: "I wouldn't mistake their skin's color for a great tan." Would you?
The Solution - the Proof - the Drum Roll....
There were five Black Presidents before President-elect Barack Obama: Thomas Jefferson; Andrew Jackson; Abraham Lincoln; Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge. No, Bill Clinton is not the first Black President although he is an honorary Black President. With all his warts, the Black community accepts him as a 'brother'- welcome to Harlem, Mr. President - we still love you.
First, Thomas Jefferson's mother was a half-Native Indian and his father had Black heritage. Second, Andrew Jackson's mother was Irish and his father had Black heritage (Andrew Jackson's brother was of a much darker complexion). Third, Abraham Lincoln's mother had Ethiopian heritage and there was a lot of contemporary media speculation about Lincoln's paternity (his father was sterile from childhood mumps and was later castrated; his real father was speculated to be Black) during his Presidential Campaign. He was nicknamed Africanus the First in the newspapers during his lifetime. Fourth, Warren Harding never denied his Black ancestry even when he was challenged in a public forum. According to Dr. Leroy Vaughn, M.D., M.B.A.,
"William Chancellor, a White professor of economics and politics at Wooster College in Ohio, wrote a book on the Harding family genealogy and identified Black ancestors among both parents of President Harding. Justice Department agents allegedly bought and destroyed all copies of this book. Chancellor also said that Harding's only academic credentials included education at Iberia College, which was founded in order to educate fugitive slaves."
Fifth, Calvin Coolidge mother's maiden name was Moor. She was of mixed Native Indian and Black ancestry from New England.
Dr. Leroy Vaughn, M.D., M.B.A. continued,
"All of the presidents mentioned were able to pass for White and never acknowledged their Black ancestry. Millions of other children who were descendants of former slaves have also been able to pass for White. American society has had so much interracial mixing that books such as "The Bell Curve"[co-authored by American Enterprise Institute's Dr. Charles Murray - the author of "Losing Ground"], discussing IQ evaluations based solely on race, are totally unrealistic."
I highly recommend his powerful book - Black People & their Place in World History: a Dynamic, Honest and Powerful View of Black History. Unfortunately it's not required reading in the American Public School system.
The Conclusion
In conclusion, science tells us that the Cradle of the Human Race is in Sub-Saharan Africa (exactly, Ethiopia - derived from the Greek for "Burnt Faces"). In addition, scientific study researchers discovered that "blue eyes are the result of a genetic mutation that likely occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago." Copenhagen University's Prof. Hans Eiberg stated, "Originally, we all had brown eyes." As a matter fact, scientists postulate that all blue eyed individuals shared one common ancestor.
The Afterthought - the Barbarism of Racism (Reverse or Otherwise) as per this author
In closing, no one should sacrifice another 'identity' group on the altar of 'identity' ideology in the glorification of their 'identity' idol worship. To the point, no one (or group) should promote reverse discrimination (persecution and humiliation of other groups); often feels his/her racism (in spite of its inherent illegality, immorality and barbarity) is justified because of the "atrocities endured by their identity group." If not, he/she who racially discriminates against one individual discriminates against all humanity. After all, don't we belong to the human race? Didn't we descend from the 'cradle' (both Biblically and scientifically) of Mother Africa?
Hail Obama, the Next President of the Great U.S. of A.
Karl A. Mitchell
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karl_Mitchell
What do democrats believe in anyway?
According to dictionary.com, the technical definition of Democrat is "a member of the Democratic party." This is not exactly helpful, especially if you are new to politics and trying to figure out where you fit in the political spectrum. At the risk of sounding partisan and getting the political bloggers on my back, the basic difference between Democrats and Republicans is that Democrats want bigger government while Republicans want smaller government. Obviously there are plenty of ways to incorporate both philosophies into a political belief system, so don't think that this article is going to favor the Democrats over the Republicans. We only want to explore what makes Democrats...well, Democrats!
It might be hard to believe with all of the partisan bickering happening in Congress, but Democrats were, once upon a time, members of a party called the Democratic - Republican Party, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The Democratic Party officially separated from the Republican Party when Andrew Jackson was elected.
That's all fine and good, but what do Democrats really believe? We can't speak for individuals within the Democratic Party, but the party defines itself as believing in the following:
Raising the minimum wage Investing in and favoring renewable energy over oil Lower taxes for the middle class Higher taxes for the wealthy (currently defined as those who make more than $250,000 per year) Public funding for Welfare, Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security National/Universal health care Lower pharmaceutical costs Protection of the environment Lower costs for Higher Education North American Free Trade Agreement Central American Free Trade Agreement Adjusting the Alternative Minimum Tax Equal Opportunity regardless of gender, age, race, orientation, nationality or religion Making gay marriage legal Pro-Choice legislation Stem cell research Ending the war in Iraq Reversing Unilateralism Decolonization of Puerto Rico (if Puerto Rican citizens want that) This is simply a quick laundry list of what Democrats believe in as a party. All of these points have paragraphs of complicated policy behind their headlines (which we do not have time to explore in this article). Within both political parties there are members who do not agree with every facet of a party's political platform.
The 2008 election has caused the balance in Washington to tip toward the Democrats' side of the aisle. Americans have elected a Democratic President and both the House of Representatives and the Senate will have Democratic majorities when everyone has been sworn in to session. Many Republicans worry about how this will shift the balance for laws and policy in the United States. It is important to remember that you cannot paint all Democrats (or all Republicans) with the same brush. It is also important to remember that being "liberal" and being "a democrat" do not always mean the same thing. In the last few decades the "liberal" brush has been used against Democrats and it is important to remember that liberals can be found in the Republican, Constitution, Green and Libertarian parties as well!
For more information on politics, visit http://www.democratsmicroblog.com and http://www.republicanmicroblog.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Parks
It might be hard to believe with all of the partisan bickering happening in Congress, but Democrats were, once upon a time, members of a party called the Democratic - Republican Party, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The Democratic Party officially separated from the Republican Party when Andrew Jackson was elected.
That's all fine and good, but what do Democrats really believe? We can't speak for individuals within the Democratic Party, but the party defines itself as believing in the following:
Raising the minimum wage Investing in and favoring renewable energy over oil Lower taxes for the middle class Higher taxes for the wealthy (currently defined as those who make more than $250,000 per year) Public funding for Welfare, Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security National/Universal health care Lower pharmaceutical costs Protection of the environment Lower costs for Higher Education North American Free Trade Agreement Central American Free Trade Agreement Adjusting the Alternative Minimum Tax Equal Opportunity regardless of gender, age, race, orientation, nationality or religion Making gay marriage legal Pro-Choice legislation Stem cell research Ending the war in Iraq Reversing Unilateralism Decolonization of Puerto Rico (if Puerto Rican citizens want that) This is simply a quick laundry list of what Democrats believe in as a party. All of these points have paragraphs of complicated policy behind their headlines (which we do not have time to explore in this article). Within both political parties there are members who do not agree with every facet of a party's political platform.
The 2008 election has caused the balance in Washington to tip toward the Democrats' side of the aisle. Americans have elected a Democratic President and both the House of Representatives and the Senate will have Democratic majorities when everyone has been sworn in to session. Many Republicans worry about how this will shift the balance for laws and policy in the United States. It is important to remember that you cannot paint all Democrats (or all Republicans) with the same brush. It is also important to remember that being "liberal" and being "a democrat" do not always mean the same thing. In the last few decades the "liberal" brush has been used against Democrats and it is important to remember that liberals can be found in the Republican, Constitution, Green and Libertarian parties as well!
For more information on politics, visit http://www.democratsmicroblog.com and http://www.republicanmicroblog.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Parks
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