Asian Culture and Symbol

Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls

2009-11-09T21:28:00.000+07:00

According to the Jan/Feb 2006 edition of Blender magazine, American comedian Margaret Cho has labeled Stefani's Harajuku Girls a "minstrel show" that reinforces ethnic stereotypes of Asian women. [1]. The Harajuku Girls have continued to appear alongside Stefani in the media, and are featured in the music video for "Wind It Up" (2006). If you search the term Harajuku girls in internet, most probably you will find Gwen Stefani name also as the search results.

Gwen Stefani, singer principal of the pop band No Doubt, has lead Madonna-esque fashion revolt in both her recent video clip for her single What You Awaiting For and her solo album Love, Angel, Music, Baby. Its involving in 80's inspired popish tunes, platinum blonde hair and Like A Virgin kit outside the art cover of album reinforce her homage to the material girl, though it can be slightly language in the cheek. In 2006, Stefani launched a second clothing line, called the "Harajuku lovers," she said it is inspired by the zone of Harajuku in Japan. But its her references to the girls of Japanese Harajuku peppered in all the album and on a way in particular which drew the interest from a various range of te commentators. However who are these Harajuku Girls?

The Harajuku District of Tokyo and in particular street of Takeshita, a narrow street furnished with the stores is the brilliant house for these fashionistas. Since the end of the Second World War, the "consumerism" and "consumption" are becoming national past-time for most Japanese and in particular to teenager girls who often live at the house with their parents well until their twenties. Their free existence of rent provides them enough funds to gather at Harajuku each weekend, where they transform themselves into baby doll of Lolita-esque caricatures. Of course it is an extreme-pretty combination of dressing, but however you will find kind of oase of Japanese dress besides their ordinary-working-day dress which is everything is very ordered and conservative.

Who is David C. Chaney (Professor of Sociology) ?

2009-11-09T14:01:00.000+07:00

David C. Chaney is Professor of Sociology at the University of Durham, England. His academic specialty is the sociology of contemporary cultural history. He has published extensively, combining studies on institutions such as the shopping center and public festivals with more theoretical concerns regarding the discourses of culture. His latest books include The Cultural Turn and Lifestyles. He is currently working on a book on cultural change and everyday life for Macmillan. Jorge A. Gonzalez is Director of the Culture Program, University of Colima, Mexico. He is editor of the journal Estudios Sobre las Culturas Contemporaneas (Studies oj Contemporary Cultures), and is a member of Mexico's Complex Communication Network. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association. His most recent book is La coJradia de las emociones (in)terminables (The Brotherhood oJ Unending Emotions). His research interests are cognition, technology, and culture, and the further development ofa network of communication researchers across Mexico and Latin America.

Ulf Hannerz is Professor of Social Anthropology, Stockholm University, Sweden. He has taught at several American, European, and Australian universities. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is former Chair of the European Association of Social Anthropologists. His research has been especially in urban anthropology, media anthropology, and transnational cultural processes. Most recently, he has been engaged in a study ofthe work of news media foreign correspondents, including field research in four continents. Among his books are Soulside, Exploring the City, Cultural Complexity, and Transnational Connections. He is also Anthropology editor for the new International Encyclopedia oj the Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Stephen Hinerman is Lecturer in Communication Studies at San Jose State University, California. He has written extensively on cultural studies and rhetoric for many academic and popular publications, and writes regularly on popular music for several newspapers. He is co-editor (with James Lull) of Media Scandals: Morality and Desire in the Popular Culture Marketplace.

Cosmopolitan Adventures of Ferdinand

2009-11-08T22:29:00.000+07:00

In February 1753, Smollett "obliged the town" with his "Adventures of Ferdinand, Fathom," a cosmopolitan swindler and adventurer. The book is Smollett's "Barry Lyndon," yet as his hero does not tell his own story, but is perpetually held up as a "dreadful example," there is none of Thackeray's irony, none of his subtlety. "Here is a really bad man, a foreigner too," Smollett seems to say, "do not be misled, oh maidens, by the wiles of such a Count! Impetuous youth, play not with him at billiards, basset, or gleek. Fathers, on such a rogue shut your doors: collectors, handle not his nefarious antiques. Let all avoid the path and shun the example of Ferdinand, Fathom!"

Such is Smollett's sermon, but, after all, Ferdinand is hardly worse than Roderick or Peregrine. The son of a terrible old sutler and camp-follower, a robber and slayer of wounded men, Ferdinand had to live by his wits, and he was hardly less scrupulous, after all, than Peregrine and Roderick. The daubs of casual generosity were not laid on, and that is all the difference. As Sophia Western was mistaken for Miss Jenny Cameron, so Ferdinand was arrested as Prince Charles, who, in fact, caused much inconvenience to harmless travellers. People were often arrested as "The Pretender's son" abroad as well as in England.

The life and death of Ferdinand's mother, shot by a wounded hussar in her moment of victory, make perhaps the most original and interesting part of this hero's adventures. The rest is much akin to his earlier novels, but the history of Rinaldo and Monimia has a passage not quite alien to the vein of Mrs. Radcliffe. Some remarks in the first chapter show that Smollett felt the censures on his brutality and "lowness," and he promises to seek "that goal of perfection where nature is castigated almost even to still life . . . where decency, divested of all substance, hovers about like a fantastic shadow."

Smollett never reached that goal, and even the shadow of decency never haunted him so as to make him afraid with any amazement. Smollett avers that he "has had the courage to call in question the talents of a pseudo-patron," and so is charged with "insolence, rancour, and scurrility." Of all these things, and of worse, he had been guilty; his offence had never been limited to "calling in question the talents" of persons who had been unsuccessful in getting his play represented. Remonstrance merely irritated Tobias. His new novel was but a fainter echo of his old novels, a panorama of scoundrelism, with the melodramatic fortunes of the virtuous Monimia for a foil. If read to-day, it is read as a sketch of manners, or want of manners. The scene in which the bumpkin squire rooks the accomplished Fathom at hazard, in Paris, is prettily conceived, and Smollett's indignation at the British system of pews in church is edifying. But when Monimia appears to her lover as he weeps at her tomb, and proves to be no phantom, but a "warm and substantial" Monimia, capable of being "dished up," like any other Smollettian heroine, the reader is sensibly annoyed. Tobias as un romantique is absolutely too absurd; "not here, oh Tobias, are haunts meet for thee."

Japanese culture study in classroom

2009-11-03T14:32:00.000+07:00

Another issue that may affect whether variation is presented in the classroom regards the students' own goals and purposes for taking Japanese. Of the three respondents who answered, Junna gave the most comprehensive answer:

Generally speaking, they, especially the novice level students, seem to study Japanese either because they are Anime-otaku [literally "animation fanatics] or they would like to have a Japanese girlfriend/boyfriend. In terms of the intermediate/advanced students, they seem to learn Japanese either because they have Japanese girlfriends/boyfriends or because they are fascinated by the Asian culture (but Chinese language is difficult to learn so take Japanese) or because they pursue Japan-related carrier. Many of these people major in Japanese studies including literatures, history, etc.

Most of her points (anime, carrier orientation, in also mentioned by Hiroko and Rieko. However, only Rieko Most of her points (anime, carrier orientation, interest in culture) Most of her points (anime, carrier orientation, in culture) were also mentioned by Hiroko and Rieko. However, only Rieko mentioned the point that Most of her points (anime, carrier orientation, interest in culture) were also mentioned by Hiroko and Rieko.

However, only Rieko mentioned the point that I feel may be the most important, at least in terms of the lower level (100 - 202) students: the two year language requirement at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Although other interests are certainly influential in the students' decisions to take Japanese, I wonder how many of the students would actually enroll in Japanese courses if they were not required to take at least four semesters of a foreign language.

In my own experience teaching JPN 101 for one semester as a practicum student (in Fall 2003), out of a class of 17, only two students expressed interest in Japanese beyond the second year level; one was a graduate student in the philosophy department who was interested in Japanese Buddhist philosophy, and the other was a sophomore of Japanese descent. These two students are currently in third year Japanese. I am uncertain (and doubtful) that any of the other students from that class continued on beyond the required four semesters.

Abbasid power declines and then crumbles

2009-10-19T16:05:00.000+07:00

The powerful Abbasid Empire which ruled over much of the Middle East gradually loses their grip over Spain (756), Morocco (788), Tunisia (800), Egypt (868) and Persia (945) In 1945 Persian armies moved into Baghdad, the capital, and put an end to the political power of the caliph, who was originally an Islamic religious and political leader. The Turks are a nomadic people from the Far East who rode horses, herded goats and sheep, lived in tents, and used two-humped camels to carry goods. The Islamic world first met them as raiders and traders along their NE frontiers. The Abbasids took note of the Turks for their military skill and wrote that they made good slaves. In the 900s the Turks converted to Islam and begin to migrate into the Abbasid Empire.

Vedic Priest - the ritualistic link between the eternal and ephemeral

2009-10-18T01:09:00.000+07:00

The role, concept and functionality of vedic priest 'Purohita (pandita, shastry, acahrya) has undergone a dynamic adjustment over a period of two thousand years in the Hindu religions. This can be seen as a response to the social dynamics coupled with the economic scenario, political changes and the life struggles. With all that, the vedic priests have been the primary human instrumentality in the continuance of the vedic ritualistic tradition and thus the preservation of the authentic 'vedic heritage.'

The traditional rating of a vedic priest is with reference to the integrated standards in terms of a number of parameters, like - family background (kula, vamsha), the credentials of the master who imparted the training ( guru parampara, mata), the character and conduct ( sheela vrutta-vrutti), temperament (guna), Scholarship (vidya abhyasa), spiritual practice (sadhana, tapas). An individual of highest rating on this scale was considered capable of creating the link between the eternal vedas and the ephemeral world.

The Vedic rituals conducted under the leadership of such a Vedic priest would unfailingly yield the desired results in the performance of the ritual and in a timely manner. This was considered as the proof of efficacy of vedas and the justification of the existence of the vedic priest in society, in the practical terms. The ritual and cultural value system of Hindus is weaved around this concept of vedic priest and the practical ability of a vedic priest for efficacious use of Vedas.

In the current societal model, which is distinctly different from the Hindu societies of historical periods, there is a need to re-visit the functionality of 'vedic priest', and have a value - rating system by which the claimants can be evaluated for this title. This paper deliberates on these issues and how the historical experience helps in re-defining the role of a vedic priest in the global societies.

Neanderthal Human Beings

2009-10-11T20:36:00.000+07:00

With that understood, the big idea here (imagine me growling this like a Neanderthal) is: Humans BE Human Beings NO CRAP! And the contemporary twist: Human use Machines To be More Human! Not surprising, but people need to be reminded. It's something you'll hear over and over, and which you may've heard related to in a fairy tale called "The Emperor's New Clothes". Buzzwords used badly (Vol. II)

Like those non-existent clothes on the pretentious Emperor, don't be fooled by what's not actually there: words themselves are a liquid currency subject to much semantic argument, and a simple principle I recommend is to "sanity-check" yourself that there's actually substance behind what you're saying or being told, and that you aren't deep in mental feces (wish it was a buzzword but I'm 'fraid it won't catch on) like the Emperor was.

Underwater Taiwanese Rice

2009-10-05T20:56:00.000+07:00

Taiwanese scientists have discovered a gene to allow rice to grow underwater. A research team made the breakthrough after looking for a new strain to develop flood-resistant crops. Taiwan's Academia Sinica scientists have said the gene will allow rice seedlings to survive and continue to grow even when submerged in water. The discovery should help breeders generate new rice varieties with greater seedling growth under flood-water.

India Import of Merchandise Goods

2009-10-05T20:44:00.000+07:00

Import of sensitive items into India, ranging from automobiles and alcoholic beverages to edible oil and vegetables, rose 34.5 percent during the first four months of this fiscal, despite a 32.5 percent dip in the overall import of merchandise goods. The total import of sensitive items stood at Rs.18,061 crore during the period under review compared to Rs.13,424 crore in the like period of last fiscal, as per data released by the commerce ministry Thursday.

Import of sensitive items constituted 4.7 percent of the gross inbound shipment during the current fiscal, and 2.7 percent for the year before. A further look at the official data shows that import of automobiles and alcoholic beverages have shown a decline, while imports of most other sensitive items registered a rise including edible oil, pulses, food grains, fruits and vegetables, cotton, silk, rubber, spices, milk, tea and coffee.

'The imports of both crude edible oil as well as refined oil have gone up by 94.6 percent and 91.6 percent respectively. The increase in edible oil import is mainly due to substantial increase in import of crude palm oil and its fractions,' said the ministry statement. Imports of edible oil increased to Rs.7,151 crore during April-July, compared to Rs.3,683 crore in the corresponding period last year. Imports of sensitive items from Indonesia, Myanmar, the US, Malaysia, Canada, Ukraine, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and Thailand went up, while those from China, South Korea, Japan, Germany and Czech Republic fell.

South Asian Regional Trade

2009-10-05T20:39:00.000+07:00

Bangladesh has urged India to give it transit to Nepal and Bhutan to boost bilateral and South Asian regional trade and connectivity. The subject will be high on the agenda when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits New Delhi shortly. India too is expected to raise its pitch for better connectivity to its northeastern region through Bangladesh. The opinion in Bangladesh is divided on the twin issue that involves a quid pro quo. Some sections see Indian access a security threat while others want Dhaka to drive what they call a hard bargain with New Delhi since its access to the northeastern region deprives Bangladesh of a potential market.

Hasina Wednesday said Bangladesh 'always' requests India to give it transit facilities to Nepal and Bhutan. 'If such transit facilities are given, neighbouring countries can use Mongla Port, which will expedite regional development,' United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency quoted her as telling newly appointed Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Tamotsu Shinotsuka. Bangladesh is dependent upon its river ports and besides Mongla, it plans to build another sea port at Sonadia in the Bay of Bengal.

She told the envoy that the present government has planned to modernise the Mongla seaport and Japan can help Bangladesh in this regard, The Daily Star said Thursday. Dates for Hasina's New Delhi visit, the first since she returned to power last December, have not yet been announced.

Among the thorny bilateral issues is the transfer of people convicted for various crimes in Bangladesh and India. Dhaka is moving fast to sign the proposed agreement on transfer of 'sentenced persons' with New Delhi, New Age newspaper said Thursday. Bangladeshi officials of both foreign affairs and home ministries in Dhaka are learnt to have been in agreement to go ahead with the move to sign the agreement on transfer of 'sentenced persons' which would allow convicted prisoners to move to their country of origin by choice.

Besides criminals like smugglers, India is keen on getting custody of militants from its northeastern region hiding in Bangladesh. While Dhaka is willing to repatriate those 'sentenced' by its courts, it has kept out of the purview Anup Chetia, military chief of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom. Chetia, nabbed for travelling to Bangladesh on fake documents, completed his four year jail term several years ago. India says many militants from its northeastern region are hiding in Bangladesh. Dhaka denies it.

Roman Ancestor Worship

2009-10-04T20:47:00.000+07:00

Ancestor worship was an important part of family tradition and religion. Ancestors were considered as much a member of the family as a living member and their approval was sought just as members sought to live up to their example. Ancestors represented the line of family genius (the spirit of the family) that was present physically and symbolically in the paterfamilias. It was both his and yet it passed on to the next paterfamilias as a kind of guiding spirit.

Romans saw themselves as hard-working, hard-fighting, practical, disciplined, pious small farmers who had no use for philosophy and luxuries. Even as Rome grew and prospered they maintained this rural, bucolic image of themselves. Land ownership and the self-reliance it produced were core Roman values that remained at the heart of what it meant to be Roman. This farmer-soldier ideal embodied the discipline, practicality, and devotion to duty that Romans believed was fundamental to the maintenance of republican virtue.

This ideal produced a strong social conservatism that revered tradition and was suspicious of innovation. This mos maiorum (ancestral custom, traditional values) was always a paramount consideration in the Roman mind. Romans worthy of respect within their community had to have dignitas and auctoritas. To attain them he had to possess virtus which included authentic pietas, fides, gravitas, and firmitas.

Chicago Mexican Descent

2009-10-04T20:42:00.000+07:00

My mother was born like me-in Chicago but of Mexican descent. It would be her tough street-wise voice that would haunt all my stories and poems. An amazing woman who loves to draw and read books and can sing an opera. A smart cookie. When I was a little girl we traveled to Mexico City so much I thought my grandparents' house on La Fortuna, number 12, was home. It was the only constant in our nomadic ramblings from one Chicago flat to another. The house on Destiny Street, number 12, in the colonia Tepeyac would be perhaps the only home I knew, and that nostalgia for a home would be a theme that would obsess me.

My brothers also figured greatly in my art. Especially the older two; I grew up in their shadows. Henry, the second oldest and my favorite, appears often in poems I have written and in stories which at times only borrow his nickname, Kiki. He played a major role in my childhood. We were bunk-bed mates. We were co-conspirators. We were pals. Until my oldest brother came back from studying in Mexico and left me odd woman out for always

Thailand, the land of Buddhism and smiles

2009-10-04T20:34:00.000+07:00

On behalf of the Organizing Committee which includes several societies, I sincerely invite all of you to attend the Second Asian Vegetarian Congress to be held from 19th-21st March, 2006 in Bangkok and Post-Congress Meeting and tour: 22nd-25th March, 2006 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Program will include lectures, symposium, posters, workshops, demonstration, food stalls, exhibition, contest, sightseeing, etc. The theme of the congress is to promote and harmonize the vegetarian way of life for our good health, clean environment, morality and peaceful world. The delegates and accompany persons are welcome to the Second Asian Vegetarian Congress. Looking forward to seeing and welcoming you in Thailand, the land of Buddhism and smiles.

The Asian Social Institute

2009-10-04T20:28:00.000+07:00

Aoki, who earned an MA at the Asian Social Institute in the Philippines, also works with Osaka's Center for Health and Rights of Migrants. CHARM serves the health needs, especially reproductive and sexual health, of vulnerable immigrant women. Access to health care is a big problem for those without resources in Japan, and a complicating factor for many is lack of legal status. This may be true even for long-term residents married to Japanese men, if they are in an unregistered second marriage.

To enable women with neither visa nor money to receive medical treatment, CHARM has developed a network of health institutions in the Kansai region (Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe). It works with medical doctors and local universities that offer degrees in social work, which send students for practical experience. Because the NGO is small, it targets specific ethnic communities - Filipino, Thai, and Peruvian - to develop leadership capacity among their longterm residents. These are women who already have good Japanese language skills; with a little knowledge of the workings of the welfare and medical systems, they can become valuable resource persons.

Thailand women trafficking

2009-10-04T20:27:00.000+07:00

The trafficking of women from Thailand is conducted by a system whereby local recruiters manage immigration procedures and receivers in Japan deliver women to brokers who arrange their employment. Before 1991, Filipino migration was much the same, as connections between Japanese yakuza and local recruiters brought women to Japan on tourist visas. But that year, a Filipina entertainer named Maricris Sioson died of multiple stab wounds and traumatic head injuries, provoking a change in Philippine government policy. (See Filipino Women's Diaspora: Causes, Costs and Challenges, BATIS Center for Women, Manila, 1995. batis@pacific.net.ph)

Now the whole process is much more open and highly organized. Most Filipinas enter Japan legally with an "entertainer visa" vetted by the Philippine government (which takes a fee). Recruiters advertise and "train" women to qualify as performing artists. The argument behind the open process is that the consulate can assist overseas workers who are part of the legal system. This it does to a limited extent, but openness does not afford any more real protection to Filipinas than is available to Thais and Chinese who commonly overstay on tourist or student visas or contract a fake marriage.

Emperor Showa Tenno from Tokyo

2009-10-04T20:24:00.000+07:00

Once the Atomic Bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Soviet Union had declared war on battle-weary Japan, Hirohito decided to do what and good emperor would do, and surrender. The odds had become too stacked against them, and Japan did not have enough resources nor man-power to withstand and more of the fighting, especially with its allies, Italy and Germany, out of the picture. On August 15th, 1945, the Emperor released his surrender speech. After the war, Hirohito retained rule of Japan, even when blamed for numerous war crimes, and helped it rebuild until his death on January 7th, 1989, ending the longest reign of a Japanese emperor in history.

Hirohito was the Emperor and symbol of Japan during its reign as one of the world's major superpowers. His reign became the longest reign of a single Emperor Japan has ever seen. He was one of the three men that inspired fear in their enemies and awe in the world as one of the most powerful forces the modern era has ever seen. Emperor Showa to his subjects, Hirohito to the world. He was destined to rule a country by birth, and became the symbol of one of the most respected and feared superpowers of the 20th century.

Indonesian Steel Mill Baron

2009-10-04T20:23:00.000+07:00

"I realized that life is too short to build a steel company from scratch," Mittal told Fortune in 2006. He spent the late 1970s and early 1980s running the Indonesian mill for his family's company. But starting in 1989 with a plant in Trinidad and Tobago, Mittal began purchasing and overhauling struggling steel mills in countries such as Mexico, Romania, and Ukraine, where entry costs were low. In 1994, the Mittals split up the family business, with Lakshmi taking over all non-India operations, leaving those in India for his brothers and father. Ispat International went public in 1997, and in 2004, Lakshmi integrated his privately held steel company, LNM Holdings, into Ispat for $13 billion-and Mittal Steel was born.

Lakshmi Mittal expanded into the U.S. by pouncing on bankrupt companies. He watched as New York financier Wilbur Ross purchased the assets of failing steel mills and formed the International Steel Group in 2005. That same year, Mittal swooped in and bought I.S.G. for $4.5 billion. Fortune estimates that Mittal's U.S. operations now yield an annual revenue of $1.5 billion.

East Asian political economy

2009-10-04T20:22:00.001+07:00

This is a seminar on East Asian political economy. The objective of this course is to equip students with theoretical and conceptual tools necessary to understand the political economy of East Asia. It deals with the economic growth, Asian economic crisis, democratization, and globalization in East Asia, Japan's reemergence and China's emergence, East Asian regional order and regionalism, new East Asian model. Through the political economic perspective, attempts will also be made to examine and compare the path of transformation and models of East Asian capitalisms (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China).

Central puzzles include: Was there a "miracle"? What brought economic crisis? What led the way to democracy in East Asia? Can East Asia converge completely into the Anglo-Saxon model? Can we identify an East Asian path of democratization? How do globalization and democratization affect the domestic change? Will the recent economic recovery of Japan be sustainable? Can China play the role as a regional and global leader? etc.

Steel Industry in India Market

2009-10-04T20:22:00.000+07:00

Mittal is focused on penetrating the market in India, a region previously handled by his father and brothers. In 2006, Mittal Steel announced a plan to construct a mill in Orissa, India. China is also on the radar. Mittal's ultimate dream is to consolidate the fragmented steel industry, and he is transforming himself into a modern-day industrial baron. Following the successful completion of the Arcelor-Mittal merger , he is certainly on his way. Jessica Liebman

Gold in The Ancient Civilizations

2009-10-04T20:21:00.000+07:00

Since the beginning of time, gold has maintained a significant status to all civilizations The ancient Egyptians worshipped the sun, which was seen to represent gold.The Chinese saw gold as the yang of the sun (silver being the moons ying) The Incas called gold the sweat of the sun Gold has been used as a currency for 5000 years. Alchemists symbol for gold is the same as that used for the sun a simple circle There are at least 63 variants on the alchemists symbol which were used between 12-18th century In some cultures, for example China, alchemy was seen to be intrinsically linked to the search for eternal life. 4000 BC first used in Central and Eastern Europe 3000 BC Egyptians beat gold into gold leaf and alloy gold with other metals 1091 BC China legalises squares of gold as a monetary unit 1848 US gold rush begins 1873 Gold discovered in South Africa 1900 US adopts gold standard for its currency.

the Islamic/Arabic world and the West

2009-10-04T20:11:00.000+07:00

This commentary is one of a series of ten articles of views on the relationship between the Islamic/Arabic world and the West by Arab and Western authors commissioned by the Common Ground News Service in partnership with Al-Hayat newspaper and reprinted by other regional news and media outlets. The article may be reproduced by any news or media outlet free of charge. In case of publishing, please indicate: This article is part of a series of views on "the relationship between the Islamic/Arabic world and the West" distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

In the past few years, something has gone wrong in the broader relationship between the so-called West and the countries of the Arab and Muslim world. Distrust, recriminations and resentment have mounted. Minor misunderstandings or disagreements have taken on highly symbolic importance and fed the cycle of suspicion. When France passes a law to protect the secular nature of its state-run education system by banning religious symbols from the classroom, Muslims all over the world see an intolerant West, bent on denying Muslims the right to practice their faith.

Conversely, when some Arab leaders react equivocally to Palestinian suicide bombing, many in the West see a failure to take a stand against all forms of terrorism, while most Arabs point to the suffering of the Palestinians and their valiant struggle to end the Israeli occupation. When terrorist groups in Iraq kidnap and murder European hostages and put the pictures on the internet, the public outcry is, understandably, visceral and severe. But commentators pronouncing on the background of these killings will somehow suggest that the words Islam, terrorism and fundamentalism are all inextricably linked. Meanwhile, for Arabs and Muslims, the most important images of the Iraq war were those documenting the degrading treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, confirming their long-held suspicions about Western motives and behavior.

How did we get here? The September and March 11th attacks in the US and Spain; the 2003 Iraq war and its aftermath; and the never-ending violence in Israel-Palestine are all contributing factors. But in a sense, relations between the West and the Muslim world have been on the slide for years. Lazy thinking and ignorance on both sides have created one-dimensional images of 'the other'. Too few have spoken out about the problems of stereotyping; the dangers of uncritical thinking and self-righteousness, and the urgent need to search for common ground.

Singapore Rainfall Time

2009-10-04T20:07:00.000+07:00

The Correlation Dimension method, though often used, does not provide conclusive evidence that the rainfall time series could be chaotic. This method makes many assumptions that are not necessarily justified in this case. For example, the data is assumed to be noise-free. Many aspects of this method are still under investigation. Another major problem, which is particular to rainfall time series, is that it contains a large number of a single value, zero. This leads to an underestimation of the Correlation Dimension (Sivakumar 2000). Nevertheless, it remains a valuable tool due to the relative simplicity of the algorithm.

The Nonlinear Prediction method in particular frequently provides more information than the Correlation Dimension method. For example, the rate at which the accuracy decreases with increasing lead time gives a rough idea of the value of the Lyapunov exponent, which measures the exponential separation of trajectories with time in phase space (Cambel 76). However, it is very susceptible to the presence of noise which tends to give low accuracy of prediction. When used in conjunction, the two methods reinforce each other and some of the criticisms can be mitigated partially.

Yet, attributing noise as the primary cause of the extremely low accuracy values seems too simplistic. There could be other fundamental issues involved. One of these that Casdagli brings up is that all of these forecasting algorithms were written for a stationary time series, one that is controlled so that the parameters of the system do not change significantly over the period the data on the time series are collected. Weather and climate are dynamical systems that constantly evolve and possess known cycles. The Singapore natural environment has also undergone extensive changes over the period of the record lengths of the rainfall time series data used. Thus, we cannot assume that the stationary requirement holds in this case.

Singapore Chaotic System

2009-10-04T20:05:00.000+07:00

Though a chaotic system and a stochastic system may exhibit very similar, apparently random behaviour as exemplified in their time series, there is a crucial difference between them. The chaotic system is governed by deterministic dynamics and therefore, it can be modelled, its underlying mechanisms can be divined and predictions can be made. However, in reality this is often very difficult to do as such systems contain a good deal of noise, which may be due to measurement errors.

Nevertheless, merely identifying a system as chaotic presents a step forward as approximate predictions can then be made. Following the development of Chaos science, many complex natural systems have been identified or at least suspected to be chaotic, among them, rainfall. In the paper by Bellie Sivakumar et al (Sivakumar 1999), the daily rainfall time series of Singapore of varying record lengths, obtained from six stations situated around Singapore, are analysed using Chaos science in order to investigate their chaotic behaviour and to determine the number of variables needed to model the dynamics of the system. Three analytical methods were used for this purpose: the Correlation Dimension Method, the Nonlinear Prediction Method and the Surrogate Data Method. These are only some of the more popular approaches. In this paper, we attempt to explain the methods and processes used in the analysis as well as comment on the conclusions drawn therein.

The Peloponnesian War Essay ?

2009-10-04T20:03:00.000+07:00

One of the two major purposes of these essays is to lay the groundwork for productive class discussions about the essay questions. Begin your essay by providing a succinct but clear overview of your answer (or answers) to the question (or questions). You don't need a general introduction to "set the stage" or describe a background situation. If the question is about the causes of the Peloponnesian War, then start your essay by saying, as clearly and concisely as possible, what you think caused the Peloponnesian War.

Then, in the following paragraphs, deal with the main elements of your answer, the evidence that supports your answer, and any possible objections which you think are significant. How exactly you structure your essay will depend on the particular essay question and your particular answer or answers, but everything in the essay should serve either to set forth your answer or to support it. Just like you don't need a lengthy introduction, you don't need a lengthy conclusion. The only reason to have a conclusion is to once again sum up the answer you're giving to the question. You may want to use an outline to lay out the major elements of your answer to the question before you begin to write. Then you can rigorously organize your essay around the answer you want to give.

Masculine on New Guinea Primitive Tribes

2009-10-02T17:04:00.001+07:00

Dr. Margaret Mead, distinguished anthropologist, after studying the lives of primitive tribes, has pointed out some of the extreme differences that exist in ideas of what is masculine and what is not, with each group of people feeling sure that its own ideas are right according to man's natural endowment. She tells of a man among the New Guinea mountain Arapesh people, who, of all his community, most nearly approached the American ideal of the male. He had a well-built physique and a handsome face, according to our standards. He showed initiative and energy; he was possessive and aggressive. But these characteristics made him a misfit among his own people.

Dr. Mead explains that among the Arapesh, men as well as women are supposed to be naturally maternal, gentle, always co-operative rather than competitive and never aggressive; therefore, this man who would fit so well into some parts of our society was merely a "pathetic figure" in his own world. He was not "masculine" according to Arapesh standards. Dr. Mead tells of another group of people, the Tchambuli, of whom she says, "We found a genuine reversal of the sex attitudes of our own culture, with the woman among the Tchambuli people the dominant, impersonal, managing partner, the man the less responsible and the emotionally dependent person."

Malaysia Job Market for Expatriates

2009-10-02T16:50:00.001+07:00

The following resources are intended to help you find and prepare for work when you leave the UK. They do not represent a complete list and should be used as a starting point for your job search activities. Further information on job searching in Malaysia, as well as general information on living and working abroad, can be found in the Working and Studying Overseas section of our resource area. A good overview on the economic activities and situation in Malaysia can be obtained from the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA) at www.mida.gov.my. The site also provides some information which should be useful for expatriates wanting to work in Malaysia.

The electronics and semiconductor industry in Malaysia is very competitive. Bayan Lepas, in Penang is no doubt the hub of electronics and semiconductor industry, with many businesses expanding up to the adjacent areas around the northern peninsular like in Kulim, Kedah. In addition, some of the industry can also be found in the states of Melaka Negeri Sembilan and Johor (Senai and Pasir Gudang). Some of the well known companies in the industry include:

Intel
Infineon
Flextronic
Panasonic
Dell
Samsung
Western Digital

Yoko, Cute Japanese Girl

2009-10-02T16:34:00.001+07:00

Yoko is a real woman I met when she came to Germany as exchange student. She is a cute Japanese girl that likes sex and first discovered some darker sides with me. What you can read here are the letters she wrote me about her experiences. Yoko is 24 years old (well she was when we started this diary) her measures are very shapely: 36bc-26-34, she wears her long almost black hair open. She is studying German and English at university and will finish her masters degree in 2002.

In her diary she describes what kinky things are happening in her life starting about one year after we separated. Her sister Ayumi is 19 years old (born 1981) graduated from school in '99 and is currently studying architecture. The diary is starting with several letters that Yoko wrote me before we decided to publish it on the net and turned it into a real passionate little novel. We are both no native English speakers so there might be many mistakes in the text. If anyone would like to spell check it we are very thankful! The text is copyrighted by Ogre & Yoko - you can find it exclusively on Ogre's Fun Page. If you see it somewhere else please contact us. We also very much like to receive your comments.

Lazy Sunday Moment in Macchu Picchu (Peru)

2009-10-02T16:33:00.001+07:00

I bring up "Lazy Sunday" to foreground my discussion of the pedagogical uses of YouTube because it sums up its spirit and helps us define the genre of video with which YouTube is most associated. Although YouTube is awash in clips from television and film, the sui generis YouTube video is the product of collaborative "lazy Sunday" moments when pals film each other or perform for the camera doing inane things like dancing, lip synching or making bottles of Diet Coke become volcanic after dropping Mentos candies in them.

Parnell and Samberg's references to Internet tools and movie trivia, as well as their parody of rap, perfectly capture a zeitgeist in which all pleasures can be recreated, reinvented and repeated ad nauseam through the magic of the Web. As Sam Anderson describes it in Slate, YouTube is "an incoherent, totally chaotic accretion of amateurism - pure webcam footage of the collective unconscious." Whatever you're looking for (except porn) can be found in this Borgesian hall of mirrors: videos of puppies, UFO footage, ghosts on film, musical memento mori about recently deceased celebrities, movie and documentary clips, real and faux video diaries, virtuoso guitar picking performances and all kinds of amateur films.

In my case, the video that sold me on YouTube was "Where the Hell is Matt Harding Dancing Now?" - a strangely uplifting video of a guy called Matt Harding who traveled around the world and danced in front of landmarks such as Macchu Picchu in Peru, Area 51 in the U.S., the head-shaped monoliths of Easter Island, and the Great Wall of China, among many others.

John Gilmore, The Internet Pioneer

2009-10-02T16:26:00.001+07:00

For technical reasons, it is extremely difficult to stamp out anything on the Internet--particularly images stored on the Usenet newsgroups. As Internet pioneer John Gilmore famously put it, "The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it." There are border issues as well. Other countries on the Internet--France, for instance--are probably no more interested in having their messages screened by U.S. censors than Americans would be in having theirs screened by, say, the government of Saudi Arabia.

That sounds easier than it probably is. Pornography is powerful stuff, and as long as there is demand for it, there will always be a supply. Better software tools may help check the worst abuses, but there will never be a switch that will cut it off entirely--not without destroying the unbridled expression that is the source of the Internet's (and democracy's) greatest strength. The hard truth, says John Perry Barlow, co-founder of the EFF and father of three young daughters, is that the burden ultimately falls where it always has: on the parents. "If you don't want your children fixating on filth," he says, "better step up to the tough task of raising them to find it as distasteful as you do yourself."

Adelie penguins in Antarctic Island

2009-10-02T16:24:00.001+07:00

There are more Adelie penguins than any other penguin species. They live in the deep south and as such frequently have to cross many kilometers of ice still bound to the continent or islands to reach land in the spring where they can build their nests. Sometimes they have to travel as much as 100 kilometers, though usually 20-40 is more usual. A long walk nevertheless. This pair were early arrivals in spring at an Antarctic Island near the northern edge of their breeding range and only had about half a kilometer to waddle and "toboggan". Tobogganing is a way of getting around where there is smooth snow or ice. The penguin lies on its stomach and propels itself along using its feet, an efficient use of energy and one where the penguin can easily keep up with a running man.

Australia on Asia-Pacific Contingent

2009-10-02T16:17:00.003+07:00

Currently, Australia is looking to position itself as the customer relations hub for the Asia-Pacific, serving their home market and markets in Southeast and East Asia, hoping to leverage the presence of a significant number of Asian migrants there. Already AMEX's Sydney call centre handles 25-40 per cent of the call volume for Singapore and Hong Kong, and has a volume of 250,000 calls from Australia and another 150,000 from New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and AMEX only upgraded its system in December 1997 at a relatively modest cost of A$2 million to the level already existing in call centres maintained by some of our telco's! The overall Australian call centre industry employs some 50,000 people and is valued at A$2 billion and has recently attracted Rockwell, one of the major players in call centre technology, having developed the first ACD system to replace PABX in the 1970s, to invest there.

Several of the proposals above would dove-tail nicely with such an activity focus. Crucially, we need to very quickly develop the necessary telecommunications infrastructure at a price level that is more than competitive with international prices and we need to quickly develop capacity in internet telephony as voice quality becomes more and more acceptable -- a German book company has a call centre in Florida, using internet telephony, to handle trans-Atlantic calls during the European night to by-pass German laws requiring them to close at 5pm. Furthermore, we need to devise incentive schemes to compete for the siting of regional/international customer care centres in this country.

Edward VII, King of Great Britain and Ireland

2009-10-02T16:17:00.001+07:00

Edward VII (1841-1910), king of Great Britain and Ireland and emperor of India (1901-10). The Edwardian period is named after him. Edward was born on November 9, 1841, in Buckingham Palace, London, the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and was christened Albert Edward. He studied at the universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, and Cambridge. In 1860 he visited Canada, inaugurating the custom of goodwill visits by members of the British royal family, particularly the prince of Wales, to British dominions and foreign countries.

In 1863 Edward married Alexandra, eldest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. The prince and princess then assumed much of the burden of court ceremonials and public functions, which Queen Victoria had laid aside on going into virtual retirement after the death of the prince consort in 1861. Edward traveled extensively. In Russia and France, particularly, he made valuable personal contacts in political and social circles. At home, his popularity was increased both as prince of Wales and as king by his interest in sports, notably yachting and horse racing; his horses won the Derby in 1896, 1900, and 1909 and the Grand National at Liverpool in 1900

A Double Edged Sword for the Profession

2009-10-02T16:10:00.001+07:00

Almost every sexuality educator has had to respond at some time or another to the charge that sex education is one of the causes of, not a solution to, adolescent sexual health problems. To those elements in our culture that continue to confuse education with indoctrination, information with titillation, and protection with license, those of us who advocate open communication, critical thinking, and comprehensive knowledge will always be seen as the enemy (Lickona, 1993; Berne and Huberman, 1996).

The majority of adults in this country are not fundamentally opposed to our work (Firestone, 1993) but they very probably are confused and more than a little frightened by it. While generally they value information as a cornerstone of responsible action, in the sexual arena, they often fear that "too much" information, given to young people "too early," may become titillating and/or may encourage premature experimentation rather than a healthy sense of responsibility.

The Child Sexual Abuse from an Anthropological Perspective

2009-10-01T17:59:00.001+07:00

One idea is central in this sense: The reader of any manual published in our own country or in other European countries concerning the problem of abuse will see, at least implicitly, the clear influence of the ritual abuse or recovered memory discourses. Authors such as LaFontaine (1991) introduce, into their research on abuse, unmistakable references to ideas that clearly came out of the recovery movement. In his work "Child Sexual Abuse," LaFontaine points out how many abuse memories do not appear until a long process of therapy has been carried out, in fact referring to the observation of one victim who noted that the majority of victims do not remember it until many years later, thanks to therapy (1991 pp. 91-92). LaFontaine, who supposedly approaches the problem of abuse from an anthropological perspective and based on his own research at a medical center, takes as givens the recovery movement's most questionable beliefs concerning memory dissociation and repression.

In a book edited in Spain by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Garbarino & Stoff (1993) -- the former being an acknowledged world expert on child protection -- present some Satanic ritual abuse cases as if they were true and with hardly any hint of criticism, which is also common in many other works. I shall refer to that book in the following chapter, where I will discuss this point in greater detail.

Ayumi Boyfriend and Real Relationship

2009-10-01T17:56:00.001+07:00

Ayumi got into all of this already at the age of 14. Her first boyfriend who was 18 was a gang member and gave her quite a lot of presents. After some time he dropped her to get another virgin girl. She missed all the stuff and a classmate "introduced" her to date older men. That all was already shocking me very much but the most disturbing thing that she told me was that she found out that our dad was dating another of her classmates for around a year. She had proof of it... a "puri kura" that is a small sticker and very popular here.

It showed our dad with a young girl. She believes that he still dates young girls. The classmate told her that she had to act as his little daughter and that they always had sex together. I was really shocked to hear that! It does mean father is hot for us... right? That is a strange feeling to know. Besides all of this my sis explained to me that she loves girls cause she dated all those guys over the years - around 3 a week - some of them regularly and it made her feel bad about a real relationship.

Deforestation and Ecological crisis

2009-09-28T16:10:00.001+07:00

In Aceh, the social and environmental impacts of resource destruction mean additional pressures on a population that has already suffered so much from the conflict. Aceh has been the scene of a decades-long bloody conflict between the Indonesian security forces and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). Thousands have been killed, disappeared, tortured in custody and detained without trial. The Indonesian forces' excessive response, which includes villageto-village 'sweepings' to hunt down GAM suspects and sympathisers and terrorising the civilian population, is an approach which only deepens the cycle of resentment and violence. Civil society groups struggling to promote peace have very little room to manoeuvre.

The wholesale destruction of natural resources throughout Indonesia has thrown the country into a deep ecological crisis. The rate of deforestation is now the highest in the world - official estimates put the annual rate at a staggering 3.8 million hectares per year (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 22 January, 2004). A World Bank report warned that Sumatra's lowland forest outside protected areas - may have gone by next year.

Peace Advocate As Traitor

2009-09-28T15:55:00.001+07:00

Acehnese who openly support autonomy, or simply advocate peace, risk being labelled as traitors by GAM, while those who want selfdetermination or independence risk being seen as subversives by the security forces even if they have no direct relationship with GAM. The recent assassinations of Syafwan Idris, the rector of the IAIN Ar-Raniry religious college, and of retired general and local politician Teungku Djohan, have made government officials and human rights activists very nervous, although (or perhaps because ) the identity and motive of the killers is not yet clear.

In other cases the identity of the killers is known, as in the case of the abduction and murder of three activists from RATA, an NGO working with torture victims and funded by the Danish government, in December 2000. A fourth activist who escaped described the killers as soldiers and Acehnese civilians known to work with the military, and a villager is also thought to have been killed in the same incident. The local press also receives threats, direct or implicit, leading it to censor itself. Any kind of public consultation or debate about autonomy will be difficult in this climate of fear, meaning that the autonomy law will be implemented in a situation in which it may be difficult to solicit inputs from the public or to measure its impact on popular sentiments.

Industrial Logging Corruption in Indonesia

2009-09-28T15:46:00.001+07:00

Since resource destruction in Aceh is closely bound up both with the conflict and with Indonesia's general approach to natural resource use, it is difficult to imagine a strategy that is capable of reducing deforestation that does not involve conflict resolution in Aceh as well as fundamental change in forest policy in Jakarta. There is no piecemeal solution to the problems in Aceh. Those interested in preventing forest destruction and loss of biodiversity should also support peaceful initiatives to bring an end to the war in Aceh.

A negotiated peace and military withdrawal from Aceh would create better conditions for stopping the destruction of Aceh's forests. It would need to be underpinned by policy change which restores rights over the forests to those communities who have most interest in sustaining them - a move that is urgently needed throughout Indonesia as well as in Aceh. In the immediate term, the Ladia Galaska road project should be halted and alternative ways of developing Aceh's infrastructure properly considered. An Indonesia-wide moratorium on industrial logging, combined with better law enforcement and measures to tackle corruption, would help save the forests in Aceh.

The Beauty of Paris Escape

2009-09-28T15:37:00.001+07:00

If Chester brings out Strether's aesthetic impulse, Paris nurtures and satisfies it. During his first week in Paris, he has already sensed its liberating power: "It was the difference, the difference of being just where he was and as he was, that formed the escape - this difference was so much greater than he had dreamed it would be; and what finally he sat there turning over as the strange logic of his finding himself so free" (54). Like most travelers in Paris, Strether is wooed by its beauty and antiquity. The beauty and antiquity revive Strether's sensitivity and help him to develop immediately after his arrival an oblique relationship with Paris.

Strether Il Penseroso is gradually replaced by Strether L'Allegro. Strether's Parisian sojourn becomes an excursion into his own mind. His initial appreciation of European landscape is deeply mixed with his memory: "Too deep almost for words was the delight of these things to Strether; yet as deeply mixed with it were certain images of his inward picture" (13). The meaning of landscape is determined neither by its natural beauty nor its historical value but by its proximity to Strether's memory and consciousness. Once he is immersed in the ambience of Paris, his ambassadorial mission is catalyzed into a search of his own fulfillment.

Vietnam War Hero on Blog

2009-09-24T08:28:00.001+07:00

In 1992, Ross Perot's running mate was vice Admiral James Stockdale, a Vietnam War hero and former prisoner of war,. At the vice presidential debate, he infamously began with the rhetorical questions: "Who am I? Why am I here?" (Holmes, 2005). While these questions didn't lead to victory for Stockdale, they can for you. You should, at least mentally but perhaps in your first post, state the reasons you are starting your blog, what you hope to do with it, who you hope will read it, and so on.

Do not have someone else write your blog. While you may enlist assistance for any technical aspects that you feel uncomfortable with (and with the blogging tools available today, this really should not be an issue), you must be the author to make it authentic and interesting to your audience. Before you begin your blog, know that you must make a personal commitment to have the time available to not only regularly post to your blog, but to read and respond to comments made on it. And if the comment section is.

Modern American Culture

2009-09-24T08:18:00.000+07:00

In A Study in Modern American Culture (1929; New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1956), Frazier noted that African American girls also read, and were influenced by, those magazines; As early as the 1920s, social workers had begun complaining that marriages orchestrated by the courts only led to more social problems. Even as legislators and working-class communities increasingly left adult women to fend for themselves in heterosexual relations, they still saw the need for girls in their teens to receive legal protection. Four of the seven state legislatures that repealed heartbalm actions in 1935 retained them for females under the age of majority.

Statutory rape prosecutions still accounted for the vast majority of the prosecutions for sexual violence in New York City. Girls and their families initiated most of those cases, and their efforts to obtain financial payments, and, less often, to secure a marriage, still enjoyed the support of jurors and legal officials, albeit in a narrower range of circumstances than earlier in the century. Only men who committed acts with virgins or girls much younger than they were, or who failed to provide for a child they had fathered, faced indictment and prosecution. Although, by the 1930s, the efforts of reformers to cast teenage girls as innocent children had failed, white Americans of all classes nonetheless saw girls as lacking the economic and social independence of adult women. That more and more girls spent their teenage years in high schools, segregated from adults, cemented their claim to protection.

African-American Women Mindset

2009-09-24T08:17:00.001+07:00

Women's focus on using a charge of seduction to bring about a marriage at least partly explains why African-American women did not make use of New York's seduction law. Mary Frances Berry has argued that black women's reputation for licentiousness caused jurors to regard it as impossible for them to be seduced, out of the question because a black woman needed no encouragement to consent.

But there is also evidence that African-American women were less concerned with marriage than white women and therefore had less interest in making a charge of seduction. Efforts to arrange the marriage of pregnant African-American girls involved in statutory rape cases in New York City occurred far less often than in the cases involving pregnant immigrant girls. That pattern is consistent with the findings of sociologists and social workers, who made much of the acceptance of illegitimacy in African-American communities.

"If a girl is pregnant, [her parents] feel that she should "have the baby" and that the father (if they can find him) should contribute to its support," sociologists Drake and Clayton wrote of lower-class black families in Chicago in 1945.

"They seldom insist, however, that he marry the girl to "give the child a name" or to save their daughter's honour." Drake and Clayton traced that stance to a belief that a girl who had an illegitimate child "has not necessarily 'ruined' herself," since "lower class men do not necessarily refuse to live with or marry [such a] girl."

French's Accent and Cultural Stereotypes

2009-09-21T09:09:00.001+07:00

Laura works in the Wollongong office of a Commonwealth Government Department. She feels uncomfortable about the way Paul, one of the other employees in her section, is acting towards her. He has made numerous jokes about her accent and keeps remarking on her nationality. Laura has tried to correct Paul's cultural stereotypes but to no avail. She feels that the situation is affecting her ability to do her job. Laura has sent Paul a note telling him she is offended by his comments and attitude and asks him to leave her alone.

Unfortunately, this seems to have had the opposite effect and Paul has started humming can-can music, leaving croissants and garlic in her desk at work and sends the office emails about the nuclear testing on Pacific atolls and the decimation of frog populations around the world. Laura decides to speak to her supervisor, Sam, about the problem and he assures her that he will look into it. Later that day Laura sees Paul go into Sam's office and close the door. He is in there for a long time and she can hear Sam and Paul talking, laughing, and doing Maurice Chevalier impersonations. This meeting doesn't seem to have solved the problem but Laura doesn't feel confident about speaking to Sam again.

Pregnancy on Theology (whore of Babylon image)

2009-09-21T09:03:00.001+07:00

At closing sessions some days later, Wilson presented a longer list of "errors," some compiled by embittered exdisciples over the winter. Weakened by pregnancy and long detention, Hutchinson said little; in any case, theology had ceased to be the issue. She had been reconstituted as the "whore of Babylon," charged with violations of Puritan relational ideology, and tarred with Familism, the heresy for which Quakers could be hanged in Massachusetts Bay.

One of the elders summarized charges: "[Y]ou have stept out of your place," he said, "you have rather bine a Husband than a Wife and a preacher than a Hearer, and a Magistrate than a Subject." Wilson called her a "dayngerous Instrument of the Divell." Said others, the "Misgovernment of this Woman's tongue" by her husband and other natural rulers portended grave "Disorder." When members objected again to punishment for conscience, Cotton found biblical authority to exile her for perjury, blasphemy, and spiritual "seduction." The writ of excommunication ordered her to leave the parish "as a Leper"; because she "despised and contemned the Holy Ordinances," she should not "benefit by them."

Hutchinson walked out of church, followed by family members and her friend Mary Dyer (executed in 1660 for Quakerism). In March, 1638, she joined William Hutchinson in Rhode Island, where she experienced what Winthrop soberly termed a "monstrous birth"-in his view, providen¬tial evidence of grotesque theology, a "confession" that cast additional doubt upon the woman's own words. The governor noted, too, that Dyer's "familiarity with the devill" earlier had produced a stillborn "monstrous" child, which Hutchinson and Dyer had labored to conceal; both women were unnatural, poisonous, perhaps demonic.

Indeed, Winthrop wondered whether or not his old nemesis had been a witch all along. In 1639, church elders (including Ann Hibbens' husband, William) visited Rhode Island to check on the progress of censured members. Hutchinson slammed the door in their faces. She wanted no part of their church, for she was an ecstatic "spouse of Christ." Disconcerted visitors pronounced her a "Harlot," begging the church to "cut her off" once and for all. Wilson gladly obliged.

Erotic Pornographic Culture

2009-09-21T09:02:00.001+07:00

Pornography can do this to a limited degree, at first. Hence the excitement teenage boys feel when they discover porn for the first time: before it can foreclose on erotic possibilities, porn enables them. But pornographic culture - and I mean that phrase in a number of ways all at once - can only show us what is expected. It kills mystery. It raises expectations without communicating demands. The presumptive viewing subject of a porn film is not a lover and is not expected to be, but free reign is given to his expectations. Imagination plays no part.

A pornographic culture is one with a diminished appreciation for the erotic, which is to say the generative. It is a society in which lovers are all too rare. (Do I need to make the obvious joke? They are replaced by fuckers.) Americans too often develop a sexual vocabulary without also developing an erotic or sensual one.

New Pornchic of Female Chauvinist Pigs

2009-09-04T20:54:00.000+07:00

The women's porn market is growing; more women are producing it, and more women are watching it (Goldberg 2003, Achille 2005, Milne 2005, Rutter 2007) At the same time, anti-porn feminists continue to accuse porn of being degrading to women, reducing them to sexual objects for men. Thus the anti-porn and pro-sex debate between feminists continues.

In the United States, the two camps are most vocally represented in the popular media by Ariel Levy, author of Female Chauvinist Pigs (2005), and the CAKE movement, with its handbook devoted to the sexual pleasures of modern women. According to Levy, the CAKE movement is symptomatic of a current trend equating raunchy with empowered. It all comes down to performance for men rather than pleasure for oneself, argues Levy (Levy 2005). She blames the consumer industry for exploiting the conflation of raunchy with empowered, and for promoting the new pornchic with its simplistic, plastic stereotypes of female sexuality as of the libecritique of as porn evidence sexually rated and personally empowered

Her is that, a commercialized superficial version of sex, it can never give you the real thing: "no matter how much porn you watch you will end up with a limited knowledge of your own sexuality because you still won't know how these things feel" (ibid., 185, Levy's emphasis). CAKE's critique of porn, on the other hand, is that "there's simply a lack of it tailo red to the female eye. We want to see ourselves on-screen and identify with the subject" (Gallagher & Kramer 2005, 180).

Powerful Clan Family Member

2009-09-04T20:52:00.001+07:00

At first the Emperor still had respect for Empress Wang as his legal spouse (and as a family member of a powerful clan), but one incident changed all that. Wu Zetian had given the Emperor a daughter, and after the Empress visited and played with it, the baby was found dead in the crib. From then on the Emperor became alienated from the Empress, although according to some historians Wu herself had killed the baby just to produce this result. The Emperor began to consult with his advisors on the propriety of stripping Empress Wang of her title, and giving it to Wu Zetian. Many senior advisors were opposed, but Wu was able to outmaneuver them all, and in the end she became the Empress. Still later, she had former empress Wang and Concubine Xiao both murdered**.

It soon became clear that Wu was keenly interested in politics, and for three decades she was a force behind the throne. She was known as an advocate for tax cuts, for the avoidance of war, for the reduction of imperial expenses, and for equal treatment for southerners and northerners. Who could object to those? She also struck a minor blow for feminism by making the mourning period for a mother equal to that for a father.

The Tang Dynasty Emperors Line

2009-09-04T20:52:00.000+07:00

When the Emperor died, Wu had already gained so much authority that, after a display of picking a succession of immature members of the Tang line as emperors, starting with one of her own sons, and showing up their incompetence one by one, she was able to take over the reign herself. At the age of 66, she declared herself the first emperor of a new Zhou dynasty, which thus replaced the Tang dynasty.

Of course there were dissenters, who mounted an armed revolt even before she declared herself Emperor, but the revolt was easily put down. Just like most dictators who felt their position to be insecure, Wu ordered several high officials at the court executed on suspicion of collaborating with the rebels. Subsequently she established an intelligence network and encouraged anyone who knew any plot against her to send in a secret report. Unlike most dictators, however, she was able to turn around once her position was secure. She blamed the persecutions on the over-zealousness of a few officials, and won back some popularity by executing the particularly harsh enforcers of those persecutions.

The Popular Local Judge Dee (Di Renjie)

2009-09-04T20:45:00.000+07:00

On the positive side, she recognized and welcomed into her administration a considerable number of capable and principled people, including a man named Di Renjie. Di was at first just a popular local judge, but eventually he became one of her most trusted advisors, and served two terms as the prime minister. [In fact he became a legendary figure. Centuries later there was a novel in which he was portrayed as a clever judge who could crack difficult crime cases. The stories were fictional, but they became well known even in the U.S. at one time, through the book The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee by Robert Van Gulik.]

Another of Wu's strong points was her tolerance of criticism. During the armed rebellion against her, the rebels' propagandist wrote a brilliant circular that savagely attacked her. She praised the literary merit of that circular, and even after the defeat of the rebels and the disappearance of this writer, she kept collecting his works into her library.

The Foreign Devil Chinese Peer

2009-09-04T20:38:00.001+07:00

The Chinese peer from their gates as our chair-bearers carry us by - we are their entertainment of the day. With only six foreigners in a city of 80,000 they are bound to be curious. Will I ever get use to the shouts of "foreign devil" that greet us daily? (Looks at earring.) Was it a discard - was one lost? How important was it to her? Ha! I remember how important finding just one earring would have been to us back home. During the Civil War we heard the Yankees were on their way to destroy our Viewmont estate.

We saw a big cloud of dust. Knowing it must be the soldiers, Mother gathered up all of the silver and jewelry and said, "Go bury this in a safe place." I hurriedly dug a deep hole, buried the items, then we waited for the soldiers to come - but it was only a herd of scared sheep causing the dust. We breathed a sigh of relief, and I went to retrieve the jewels - well to this day when anyone of us goes for a walk over the land, we walk with eyes downward - still looking for the place where I buried the treasure. As I said, if we could find just one earring we would know where to look for the rest.

Parents Crucial Roles as Sexual People

2009-09-04T20:38:00.000+07:00

It is axiomatic that all parents are their children's first and most important sexuality educators--for better or for worse, and whether or not they are even consciously aware of their crucial role. While others may make significant contributions to a child's healthy (or unhealthy) sexual growth and development, it is through parents that children acquire their most basic attitudes and feelings about themselves as sexual people.

In an ideal world, children would grow up in families where parents tried their best to instill positive attitudes about sexuality and made a point of conversing openly and often about sexual information, values, and relationships. Of course the reality is that many families, even today, find sexuality an extremely difficult topic. Children and adolescents often turn to other sources for information and guidance; the Internet, because of its accessibility and relative anonymity, and most certainly because of the array of sexually explicit material and images it is widely known to offer, is well on its way to becoming a major transmitter of information and attitudes about sexuality to young people.

China’s Patriarchal Tradition

2009-09-04T20:35:00.001+07:00

How do we now assess the magnitude of what Wu Zetian had achieved? She managed to defy China's patriarchal tradition and personally dominated the political stage in one capacity or another for 45 years. She ruled well enough to leave behind a prosperous society, and some of her acts had a lasting influence. For instance, she increased the weight given to literary merit in the imperial examination system for selecting government officials. She might have done that in part to foster a different kind of elite so as to counterbalance the moralistic Confucian scholars, but the result was far reaching. For many centuries afterwards, the ability to write elegant prose and beautiful poetry became indispensable for success in the civil examinations.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Emperor Wu was not her gaining control of the government, but her being able to moderate her ruthless way after the consolidation of her power. A tyrant can never be sure that there aren't plotters lurking somewhere. Once a dictator goes on the path of persecution, a vicious cycle starts in which the net snares more and more followers while other followers' resentment becomes better disguised. Modern dictators like Stalin and Mao seemed to trust no one after they went down that path. Emperor Wu's ability to turn back from ever-wider purges made her a standout among the absolute rulers in history - male or female.

Speaking Hebrew

2009-09-04T20:35:00.000+07:00

If you think we are speaking Hebrew, think again; does the name G-String ring a bell? We think it does; you have bought them enough to ensure the sudden bonanza. Are we trying to draw in vein a relation since both are arousing factors? NO; let's now reveal the secret. The most prominent feature of the G-string is the spaghetti strap; it helps to stimulate the Graffenberg spot in women. In men, the strap forces itself down on the G spot equivalent, which we shall discuss later; this is where the name came from and it is not just about sheer visual pleasure

Asian Stone Sarcophagus

2009-09-04T20:34:00.000+07:00

It is also said that sarcophagus (?) or otherwise called "Asian Stone" (?) to have been found at Assos and to be widely traded from its harbour reaching as far as Rome and Egypt. The stone was believed to decompose the corpes placed in the sarcophagus within a short period of time, therefore the word itself meant "flesh eater" Σαρξ (σαρκοσ) in greek, thus also indicating that the name sarcophagus for the tombs originated in Assos. Religiously it was important since it was thought that one can reach heaven easier and faster.

The description found in ancient documents concerning "Asian Stone" was contradictory from that of the physical qualities of the stone itself, therefore, for many centuries the issue of what was traded from the harbour of Assos remained under debate by scholars.

The Malaysia Ethnic Minority Indians

2009-09-04T20:33:00.000+07:00

We refer to the above critical matters in Malaysia but which generally gets the least attention locally even by the Opposition parties, NGO's, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission and the media for this community is generally regarded as politically insignificant, do not draw local or international funding and are deemed not press worthy. To the contrary the Malaysian government has successfully projected itself to the world as a modern Islamic thinking country which is not true.

The ethnic minority Indians in Malaysia were brought in to Malaysia by the British some 200 over years ago. Since independence in 1957 the Malaysian Indians have been permanently colonialised by the Islamic fundamentalist and Malay chauvinists UMNO led Malaysian government.

Asian Racial Harassment

2009-09-04T20:32:00.000+07:00

Vice President of Advocacy shall serve to promote awareness within the Asian Pacific American Community and others outside of the community about issues and concerns facing Asian Pacific Americans. He / she shall serve as the contact person for any group requesting the support of AASU to address any injustices that a group or individual may have experienced. He shall organize actions to address any racial harassment, discrimination, violence and/or other injustices that a student of color may have encountered. He shall serve as an advocate for the Asian American Studies/Ethnic Studies program at the University and will organize efforts to recruit and retain APA students and Faculty. He serve as SGA liaison. He shall have oversight of the WAASP and AASPIRE Committee Chairs

The Demolishment Of Mariaman Hindu Temple

2009-09-04T20:31:00.000+07:00

Commonwealth ethnic indian peace loving subjects in malaysia persecuted by government backed islamic extremist violent armedterrorist who launched a pre dawn violent armed attack and destroyedthe kg jawa mariaman hindu temple at 4.00 a.m this morning. We appeal for u.k to move emergency u.n resolution condemning "ethnic cleansing" in malaysia. We also appeal to refer malaysia to the world court and internationalcriminal court for crimes against it's own ethnic minority indians.

In every three weeks one Hindu temple is demolished in Malaysia. The latest being the demolishment of the Mariaman temple in Padang Jawa, Shah Alam, Selangor early this morning (15.11.2007) and the next being the (Mutaiya) Hindu temple in Sungai Petani scheduled for the 29.11.2007

Saturday Night Live

2009-09-04T20:30:00.000+07:00

On December 17, 2005, "Saturday Night Live" ran a skit by Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg called "Lazy Sunday," a rap video about going out on a "lazy Sunday" to see The Chronicles of Narnia and procuring some cupcakes with "bomb frostings" from the Magnolia Bakery in New York City. The rap touches on the logistics of getting to the theater on the Upper West Side: "Let's hit up Yahoo Maps to find the dopest route./ I prefer Mapquest!/ That's a good one too./ Google Maps is the best!/ True that! Double true!/ 68th and Broadway./ Step on it, suck a!"

Parnell and Samberg make it to the Magnolia for their cupcakes, go to a deli for more treats, and hide their junk food in a backpack for smuggling past movie security.

They complain about the high movie prices at the box office ("You can call us Aaron Burr from the way we're dropping Hamiltons") and brag about participating in the pre -movie trivia quiz. Doesn't seem like much if you've never seen it, but for pure joie de vivre, and white suburban dorkiness, "Lazy Sunday" just can't be beat. What makes "Lazy Sunday" special, however, is how its original airing coincided with the birth of Internet video -sharing, enabling the two minute clip to be viewed millions of times on YouTube, a free service that hosts videos posted by users. In fact, the popularity of the clip on YouTube was so great that NBC forced the site to remove it several months later, citing copyright infringement. The prospect of its programming being net-jacked by Internet geeks and magnified through YouTube's powerful interface was just too much for NBC.

The Chilean Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda

2009-09-04T20:06:00.000+07:00

OK, that's all nice, but what can YouTube do for professors, apart from giving them something to look at during their lunch breaks? Inside Higher Ed has reported on the ways in which YouTube is causing consternation among academics because it is being used by students to stage moments of guerilla theater in the classroom, record lectures without permission and ridicule their professors. Indeed, a search on YouTube for videos of professors can bring up disquieting clips of faculty behaving strangely in front of their students, like the professor who coolly walks over to a student who answers a ringing cell phone in class, politely asks for the device, and then violently smashes it on the floor before continuing on with his lecture as if nothing had happened. It could be staged (authenticity is more often than not a fiction on YouTube) but it is still disturbing.

Another course in which YouTube has played a part in is my senior level literature course on the Chilean Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda. It may seem farfetched to use Internet video in a poetry class, but in this case, YouTube offers several useful media clips. I have utilized film clips in which Neruda's poetry appears (such as Patch Adams and Truly, Madly, Deeply), as well as music videos of Latin American singers who use lyrics by Neruda. More than anything that I could say in class, these videos illustrate the reach and enduring quality of Neruda's poetry in Latin American and North American culture.

Sex Culture in America

2009-09-04T20:05:00.000+07:00

Sex Is Morally Wrong ? We live in a supposedly secular and progressive world. However, there are still many religious and traditional influences in our lives which tell us that sex is wrong. Especially in America, the stench of our Puritan founders still lingers in our culture. Sex is censored in the media, and anything with sexual content is deemed "inappropriate" or "dirty."

This limiting belief is usually a problem with guys who have had a conservative upbringing. Later in life, they attempt to rid themselves of their constrictive morals and live normally. And even though they can debunk the belief that sex is wrong on an intellectual level, when the time comes to actually have sex they feel unreasonably guilty. This guilt is not a pleasure enhancing guilty thrill, but a crushing weight that ruins their immersion.

If you have the belief that sex is dirty or wrong, you must first know 100% on an intellectual level that it is not. Great sex will enhance a woman's emotional well-being enormously, while the absence of it will cause misery and psychological damage. It is hard to know this if the most trusted people in your life have told you otherwise, because you cannot picture these people willfully deceiving you. What you must realize is that they were themselves deceived by their parents, and are merely passing it on without knowing.

Chinese Concubine Xiao vs Empress Wang

2009-09-04T19:57:00.000+07:00

Things might have just ended there, if not for a rash act on the part of the new Emperor's wife. Her family name was Wang, and Empress Wang was jealous of Concubine Xiao. Whereas Empress Wang had no son, Concubine Xiao had produced a son, who might later ascend the throne, and that was something Empress Wang could not stand. Having heard of the incident at the nunnery, she figured that bringing Wu Zetian back into the palace might loosen Concubine Xiao's hold on the Emperor. That was a mistake that Empress Wang would live to regret.

The Empress secretly sent word to the nunnery to have Wu Zetian grow her hair back, and at the same time she encouraged the Emperor to bring in Wu as another concubine. Once assured that this was all proper and not incest, he was willing, and so the deed was done. After Wu became firmly established in the Emperor's favor, however, the Empress and Concubine Xiao realized that they were both being ignored by the Emperor. They then formed an alliance against Wu, but it was too late.

Peta Indonesia Jawa Tengah Kudus

2009-09-01T13:51:00.000+07:00

Right now, i'm looking to Kudus, a small middle java city (or we, indonesian, usually called it jawa tengah.). This atlas map is not in compare with any what google maps has achieve. This old atlas map so arcaic but it's what the middle school has tough me. So, i will use this when try to teach my childreen about geography (rather then the intelligence google maps)

Probably what i have choose as educational medium is a bad choice. But for me, it's better to teach your son the love of book rather then the complexity of digital map. They are not ready for it. Like i'm also not ready for it. It' comming, i know. The digital age is just a round the corner. But i still insist in the old habit of reading before scanning. Did you know most of people in internet is not reading but scanning. They're scan the web. For me it's a bad habit and need to be adjust before any education step took further.

Taiwan Typhoon Morakot

2009-08-10T08:10:00.000+07:00

Hei, i just reading this horroble news. concern about this because i have friend who gonf abroad to macau. I know macau is far way from taiwan cuse taiwan is near the mainland. But still i have fear what may happen if a nation under arning of a typoon.

A remote mountain village in Taiwan has been engulfed by a mudslide, leaving at least 600 peoples missing. The mudslides, due to weather create by Typhoon Morakot, occurred when heavy rain and storms inflicted the worst flooding the island has seen in at least 50 years.

In the village of Shaio Lin, which was partially buried by the mudslide, rescuers are still searching for buried people. After crossing the Taiwan Strait, Typhoon Morakot hit China where it toppled seven apartment buildings and submerged large swathes of land.

Authorities evacuated 1.4 million people, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. At least six people were reported dead in China. Before reaching into Taiwan, the storm had lashed the Philippines, where it killed 22 people.

Thank you! hopefully there's nothing happen in the sky.

Who is Hadrian ?

2009-07-30T02:03:00.000+07:00

Hadrian (in Latin, Publius Aelius Hadrianus) (ad76-138), emperor of Rome (117-138), who declared an end to the expansion of the empire and drew back to the limits established by Augustus. One of the most cultured of the emperors, he was a patron of virtually all the arts.

Hadrian was born January 24, 76, either in Itálica, near Seville, Spain, or in Rome. When his father died in 85, he became the ward of a relative, the future emperor Trajan. Educated in Rome, Hadrian held various civil and military posts until Trajan became emperor in 98. He then served with distinction in military campaigns with Trajan on the Danube frontier and was made consul several times. As archon of Athens (112) he immersed himself in Greek culture, for which he demonstrated an abiding attachment. When Trajan died in 117, Hadrian was proclaimed emperor by the army, and his appointment was then ratified by the Roman Senate.

The Roman Empire at the time was repeatedly threatened by the revolts of subject peoples and by barbarian invasions. Recognizing the need for consolidation, Hadrian resolved to abandon the outlying provinces. He established a series of defense fortifications, including the famous Hadrian's Wall, that historically marked the end of Roman territorial expansion. At Rome he strengthened his position by liberalism toward the people, by support of poor children, and by a considerate attitude toward the Senate.

In several extended tours he visited nearly every Roman province, setting local political, military, and economic affairs in order and strengthening loyalty to Rome. His favorite, Antinoüs, traveled with him; when the youth drowned, Hadrian deified him. In 134-35 the emperor revisited Judea, where he put down a lengthy insurrection of the Jews at a reported cost to them of half a million lives. Hadrian spent the closing years of his life partly in Rome and partly at his palatial villa at Tibur (modern Tivoli). He died at Baiae (modern Baia) on July 10, 138, and was succeeded as emperor by Antoninus Pius.

A highly cultivated man, Hadrian surrounded himself with poets, philosophers, and scholars. He wrote verse and prose in Latin and Greek with notable skill. Passionately interested in architecture, he erected in Rome such magnificent buildings as the Athenaeum (an academy for the promotion of learning), the Temple of Venus and Roma, the Pantheon (rebuilt), and his massive mausoleum (Castel Sant'Angelo), and, in Athens, many other buildings. Hadrian's villa was actually an entire town, with splendid buildings recalling the best he had seen in his travels and some of the finest statuary of ancient times.

Symbolic Importance of West Bank

2009-07-26T04:39:00.000+07:00

The West Bank is of great symbolic importance to the world's three major monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), and its cities and towns are filled with historic and religious sites.

The town of Hebron is best known for the Cave of the Patriarchs, where several biblical patriarchs, including Abraham, are believed to be buried.
Bethlehem contains the Church of the Nativity, known as the site where Jesus Christ was born; and Rachel's Tomb, revered by both Muslims and Jews.
Sites in the town of Jericho include the palace of the Muslim ruler Hisham, and the Mount of Temptation (Qarantal, Dayr al), where it is believed that Christ was tempted by the Devil.

So, this is why west bank really important for three biggest religion in the world. And become source of struggle among its habitant.

Who is Philistines ?

2009-07-21T04:24:00.000+07:00

Philistines, highly civilized inhabitants of the coastal region of palestine. They lived, from some time in the 12th century bc, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, to the southwest of Judea (a part of what is now the West Bank), from Ekron toward Egypt. According to the Old Testament, they came from Caphtor, which may probably be identified with Crete (Kríti). A Pelasgian origin was also suggested, but modern scholars believe that the Philistines, undoubtedly immigrants, came from Crete.

It is not known whether Abimelech, king of Gerar (see Genesis 20-21, 26), was king of these people or merely of the country that later became Philistia. More probably, the Philistine skirmishes with the Danites mark their first appearance as aggressive enemies; the migration of the Danites (see Judges 18) about the 11th century bc is credited to Philistine pressure on their earlier home territory toward the south. They had five princes, who ruled over the five cities of gaza, Ashdod, Ashqelon, Gath, and Ekron.

Under the last of the judges of ancient Israel, Samuel, their rule was terminated by the Battle of Mizpah. At Mount Gilboa', Saul, the first king of ancient Israel, and his sons fell in battle against them. David, king of Judah and Israel, routed them repeatedly, and under Solomon, David's son and successor, their country seems to have been incorporated in the Jewish Empire. The internal troubles of Judah emboldened them once more to resistance, but Hezekiah, a later king of Judah, subdued them in the 8th century bc with the aid of the Egyptians. The Assyrians afterward took Ashdod, and in the time of the Maccabees (2nd and 1st century bc) the Philistines were Syrian subjects; thereafter the name of the country became lost in that of Palestine.

Who is Ramses III ?

2009-07-21T01:08:00.000+07:00

Ramses III (reigned 1194-1163 bc), Egyptian king of the 20th Dynasty, a great military leader who repeatedly saved the country from invasion. In the fifth year of his reign, Ramses defeated an attack by the Libyans from the west, and two years later he routed invaders known as the Sea Peoples. In his 11th year he again repelled an attempted Libyan invasion.

Ramses was also a builder of temples and palaces in the tradition of his 19th-Dynasty predecessor, Ramses II. His victories are depicted on the walls of his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu, near Luxor. Egyptian records tell of a strike by workers at Ramses's burial site and of a plot against the king near the end of his reign. Ramses III was the last of the great rulers of ancient Egypt; his death was followed by centuries of weakness and foreign domination

PLO on Mahmoud Abbas Era

2009-07-20T03:34:00.000+07:00

In late 2001 the U.S. administration reaffirmed its willingness to endorse an independent Palestinian state , which, if established, would not compromise Israel's existence as a majority Jewish state. However, by 2002 further Palestinian violence put Arafat in the same dilemma he had faced previously: how to restrain violence by radicals and fundamentalists without doing irreparable damage to the broader objectives of retaining the unity of the PLO and maintaining his leadership of it, and without appearing to be under the thumb of Israel and the United States.

Arafat died in November 2004 and long-time PLO Executive Committee member and former Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas succeeded him as PLO chairman. Abbas was subsequently elected president of the PNA in January 2005. Although world leaders applauded the Palestinian voters choice, Abbas inherited Arafat threefold legacy: governing a fragmented national movement, reconciling the dream of Palestinians to return to all of Palestine with the reality that Israel will and power made that impossible, and establishing security from what he termed 'anarchy' in order to better an abysmal Palestinian economy.

Sitemap Asia Culture Blog

2009-07-20T03:13:00.000+07:00

Apa itu sitemap ? Oke bila disingkat sitemap itu peta situs yg berisi link link artikel penting dalam sebua situs. Biasanya link tentang about blog itu sudah pasti dimasukkan ke dalam pemetaan sebuah situs. Jadi nikmati saja perjalanan panjang blog ini sebelum memiliki sedemikian banyak tulisan yg mungkin sekilas enggak bermutu. Tapi harapannya sy bisa menulis dengan lebih baik lagi. Tidakkah kamu merasa kaalu hak blog itu ditulis dgn tulisan manusia dan bukannya hasil keywrd stuffing enggak jelas.

Sekin dan terima kasih sebelumnya.

Bom Jakarta dari Teroris malaysia ?

2009-07-19T03:47:00.000+07:00

Ternyata menurut laporan polisi, peristiwa pemboman jakarta tempo hari itu memang sengaja menargetkan pengusaha asing. Para pengusaha berwarga negara asing ini dipilih demi meningkatkan efek psikosocial bom bunuh diri tsb. Masih menuru beberapa sumber, teror bom hotel JW Marriott kali ini benar benar pintar karena mengambil momen sesudah pemilu dan sebelum tim manchester united tiba di indonesia sehingga gema teror menggema langsung ke seantero dunia. Polisi indonesia juga menyimpulkan kalau serangan teroris kali ini sudah mengkalkulasi kapan para pengusaha ini berkumpul, yaitu saat breakfast meeting. Dan saat pagilah, bom pun diledakkan.

Kamera CCTV telah menunjukkan lelaki berjalan dengan ransel besar memasuki area restoran hotel. Lelaki ini ditanyai oleh staf keamanan yg diberitahu kalau ransel hitam tsb berisi laptop yg harus segera diberikan pada rekan bisnis. Sekali diijinkan memasuki restoran, dia meledakkan alatnya tepat didekat eksekutif asia timur dan barat.

Polisi indonesia mengatakan kalau insiden terorisme ini menunjukkan kemampuan jemaah islamiyah, yg dipimpin teroris kelahiran malaysia, Noordin Mohammed Top (biasanya dipanggil Noordin M. Top). Polisi mengidentifikasi bomber Marriot sebagai Nur Said, teman seperjuaan Noordin Top dan lulus dari pesantren yg dipimpin Abu Bakar Bashir, salah satu ulama garis keras di indonesia.

Monalisa itu Perempuan Seksi

2009-07-19T03:15:00.000+07:00

Apakah kamu tau luksian monalisa ? Bila kamu sudah pernah melihat masterpiece leonardo da vinci ini, bisakah kamu membayangkan apakah dia itu perempuan seksi atau cuma sosok aristrokat biasa. Apalagi senyum monalisa yg misterius semain membuat kita terperosok ke dalam pusaran pertanyaan yg sama.

Hehehe kemarin ada yg berasumsi, mungkin dia itu cewe ganas seks. Dia menikmati pertualangan seks seperti orang menikmati naik sepeda. Hohohh ini terjemah paling aneh dari senyum perempuan misterius ini. Dan entah mengapa sy merasa apapun menjadi jawaban logis atas senyum manis tertahan itu. Mungkin gara gara ini pula lonardo melukis dia. Aduh, kayaknya sy harus lebih banyak baca biografi da vinci. Siapa tau sy menemukan kepingan sejarah yg bisa dipertanggung jawabkan.

Informasi Saudi Arabia

2009-07-19T01:45:00.000+07:00

Sy tidak tau mengapa tp sy sangat suka dengan kerajaan saudi arabia. Sy rasa mereka adalah host yg baik bagi para peziarah tanah suci. Orang orang yg naik haji bener benar diperlakukan layaknya tamu allah. Mereka aman berjalan di kawasan mekkah dan madinah dibawah naungan perlindungan raja fad. Hmm sy rasa itu juga penyebab sy sud menulis posting puji pujian semacam ini heheheeh terlepas dari motif ekonomi, sy rasa mereka memang pemimpin besar dunia arab.

Oke, memang tulisan ini tidak cukup menjadi Informasi Saudi Arabia karea belum tuntas. Namun sy berniat untuk menjabarkannya suatu hari nanti dengan lebih baik lagi. Harapan sy juga besar untuk melihat kabbah. Mungkin selepas menikah, sy baru bisa menabung untuk pergi ke sana. Bukankah itu pengharapan setiap muslim untuk menunaikan kewajiban agama islam ? Apalagi ditengah masalah perbedaan pendapat mengenai perang palestina, rasanya harapan untuk bertemu di saudi dan melihat bagaimana kesatuan kaum muslimin pasti akan menjadi pemandangan yg sejuk damai : Wajah islam yg sy kenali .

indonesian dance

2009-07-18T01:49:00.000+07:00

Indonesian Dance, the dances of the peoples of Indonesia, including elaborate dance dramas as well as dances intended solely to display grace of movement. Indonesian dance has three main traditions: the Javanese, in eastern Java; the Sundanese, in western Java; and the Balinese. Javanese and Sundanese dance includes folk and courtly styles, but in Bali these merged into a single style shared by all social classes. In general, Indonesian dance is slow in tempo, with controlled, reserved motions.

The dancers stay close to the ground (in contrast to the high leaps of Western ballet), and arm and hand movements are important. Sundanese dance tends to be more sensuous and expansive than Javanese and Balinese dance. The dance of Indonesia was strongly influenced by the diffusion of Indian culture in the 1st millennium ad.

The country's dance dramas often portray episodes from Hindu epics, and some Indian influence can be observed in the use of the legs, neck, and head and in remnants of the mudras (codified hand gestures of Indian dance). In the 15th and 16th centuries the conversion of Java to Islam provided an overlay of plots, characters, and similar influences. The dances of Bali, lacking the Islamic elements, may reflect pre-Islamic forms that have disappeared from Java.

The remarkable dance tradition of Bali, flourishing and evolving after 1000 years, is deeply linked to communal and spiritual life. There, ritual often consists of dance, and spirit possession is believed to occur in ceremonies such as the barong dance drama (which exorcises evil spirits from a village). Other important forms of Indonesian dance include the wayang orang (the large-scale, spectacularly staged dance adaptation of the wayang kulit, or puppet theater), which has distinct Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese variants.

Its dance style probably originated in ancient unmasked dances whose modern descendants include the deeply revered bedaja, a court dance for nine women who move in unison in graceful, abstract patterns. The wayang topeng, or masked dance, is usually a solo character interpretation drawn from Hindu legends. Village customs and popular theater include other dance forms.

Who is Ramses II, an ancient Egypt king

2009-07-18T01:01:00.000+07:00

Ramses II (reigned 1290-1224 bc), ancient Egyptian king, third ruler of the 19th Dynasty, the son of Seti I. Building on the successes of his father, Ramses attempted to regain and establish control over territory in western Asia that Egypt had held during the 16th and 15th centuries bc. His 67-year reign was one of the longest in Egyptian history and he passed into the popular imagination as the model of an Egyptian pharaoh (king), an outstanding ruler with a semidivine nature, a courageous warrior, and a great builder. Numerous monuments, inscriptions, and papyri testify to the extraordinary dynamism of his personality and provide more documentary evidence for this period than for any other in ancient Egyptian history.

As a boy Ramses served as co-ruler with his father and gained early experience of warfare on campaigns with him in Libya and Nubia (now southern Egypt and northern Sudan). After Seti's death Ramses established his capital at Pi-Ramesse (House of Ramses), a harbor town on the eastern delta of the Nile that was the site of a former Hyksos stronghold. From here Ramses launched expeditions to subdue rebellious Egyptian territories in Syria, including a foray into northern Palestine during the fourth year of his reign.

Ramses II's principal opponents were the Hittites, then the leading power of Asia Minor, against whom he waged a long war. In the fifth year of his reign Ramses led an invasion into the Hittite empire, when he and his army crossed into northern Syria as far as the Hittite stronghold of Kadesh. Believing the city to be lightly guarded, Ramses advanced with a division of his troops, only to find himself quickly surrounded by a Hittite army and cut off from the bulk of his forces. In the battle that followed, Ramses claimed to have fought Hittite warriors single-handedly until reinforcements finally arrived and the enemy was defeated. Although Ramses later boasted of a glorious triumph, he had nearly lost the battle, his troops had failed to take the city, and the Egyptians afterwards had to retreat. The battle was later commemorated on many of his greatest monuments as a resounding victory.

Neither power achieved a conclusive victory at Kadesh, and Ramses continued to raid towns on the Hittite frontier until the ninth or tenth year of his reign, when he took Katna and Tunip. Having failed to make significant territorial gains, however, he began to adopt a more conciliatory policy. Fifteen years after the Battle at Kadesh, Ramses signed a treaty with the Hittites, the first recorded treaty in history. It divided the disputed lands between the two kingdoms and provided for Ramses to marry the daughter of the Hittite king.

The remaining years of Ramses II's long rule were comparatively peaceful. He became one of the greatest of Egyptian builders and adorned nearly every city in the land with a temple. He built a magnificent new capital on the Nile Delta; he also built temples on the sites of monuments of his predecessors. He completed a vast hypostyle (large-columned) hall in the Temple of Amon at Karnak and temples at Abydos and Luxor.

At Thebes he built his mortuary temple, a memorial known as the Ramesseum. His great temple at Abu Simbel in Nubia, which features four colossal figures of the king, was carved into a sandstone cliff near the town of Aswan on the Nile. During the 1960s the temple was reconstructed on a higher site to save it from flooding following the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

Ramses II fathered more than 100 children with his numerous wives and concubines. The names of many of them were inscribed on official monuments. He outlived his 12 eldest sons and was succeeded on his death by the 13th eldest, Merenptah.

What is Abbasids ?

2009-07-17T01:45:00.000+07:00

Abbasids, dynasty of caliphs who ruled the caliphate of Islam from 750 until 1258. All of these caliphs were descended from Abbas, a member of the tribe of Quraysh of Mecca who was an uncle of the prophet Muhammad. The Abbasids seized the caliphate following the overthrow of the Umayyad dynasty of caliphs, and held it until the Mongols sacked Baghdad and killed the last caliph of the line. For most of this time their court was in Baghdad, a town founded at the command of the second Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur (754-775) in 762.

For the first century or so of their caliphate, the Abbasids acted as the leaders of Islam both religiously and politically, despite the fact that during this period their authority was rejected by some. The peak of their power probably occurred in the reign of Harun ar-Rashid, who relied heavily on the Barmakid family of administrators. Following Harun's death there was a period of civil war between his two sons, al-Amin and al-Mamun. Al-Mamun finally triumphed but the prestige of the family was damaged.

By the end of the 9th century the Abbasids were unable to exercise real religious or political authority. Their religious authority had been taken over by the religious scholars of Sunni Islam following the failure of the caliphs' attempt to impose their will over them in the trial of strength known as the Mihna (833-847). As a result of this episode the caliphs were restricted to a largely symbolic role as merely nominal leaders of Sunni Islam. Followers of Shia Islam rejected the Abbasids completely.

Politically the caliphs had become puppets in the hands of their Turkish soldiers, who were able to remove and install caliphs as they wished. In 908 one caliph held office for one day only. The process culminated with the institution in 935 of the title Amir al-Umara (Commander of the Commanders), which was taken by the real political power, the chief of the Turkish soldiers.

At the same time, territories that the Abbasids controlled fell apart as independent states arose in regions previously under Abbasid rule. Some of the rulers of these states recognized the suzerainty of the Abbasids, but this was merely a token. In 945 the Shia Buwayhid family conquered Baghdad itself, and for the next century the Abbasid caliphate survived mainly because the Buwayhids found it useful in various ways.

Although the 9th and 10th centuries saw a decline in the power of the caliphs, the period was one of great religious and cultural importance. The trial of strength between the caliphs and the Sunni religious scholars sealed the rise of the Sunni form of Islam. It prepared the way for the appearance of the great books of Sunni law and the collections of hadiths (reports about Muhammad). Only slightly later, the Shia form of Islam achieved its definitive form when the line of the 12 Imams came to an end in 873, an event followed by the appearance of books of Shia law and distinctive collections of hadiths.

Philosophy, medicine, mathematics, and other sciences flourished as the Islamic world appropriated and developed the knowledge and wisdom of earlier and surrounding cultures. Particularly important was the science and philosophy of the Hellenistic Near East, and the 9th and 10th centuries saw the translation into Arabic of several works by (or attributed to) figures like Aristotle, Plato, Euclid, Galen, and others. The work of translation was encouraged by the Abbasid al-Mamun who founded the so-called House of Wisdom (Dar al-Hikma) in Baghdad as a center for it. Arabic-speaking Christians were especially active in the production of translations. The system of so-called Arabic numerals originated in India, but was adopted at this time by Islamic civilization, then later transmitted to the West.

The political fragmentation of the caliphate led to the emergence of many local courts and centers of power, which also encouraged the development of science and philosophy as well as poetry and prose, art, and architecture. Some of the local courts that emerged in the eastern regions of the caliphate are especially associated with the rise of an Islamic Persian literature and Iranian national sentiment.

In 1055 the Seljuk Turks, who were Sunnis, captured Baghdad, but this made no significant difference to the position of the caliphs. Although once again honored as symbols of the unity of Sunni Islam, their freedom of action was severely limited. Only in times of Seljuk weakness were individual caliphs occasionally able to exercise some power and influence.

By the time the Mongol Empire ended the line of caliphs in 1258, Sunni Islam no longer needed even the symbolic role of the caliphate. It is true that the Mamluk sultans of Egypt established a puppet caliphate in Cairo, installing various members of the Abbasid family who had escaped the fall of Baghdad. Since the end of the Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad, however, no claimant to the office has achieved anything like general recognition among the Muslims.

After their first century or so the Abbasids cannot be said to have had much control over events. They nevertheless provided a focus of loyalty for Sunni Islam during an often turbulent period, and their caliphate may be seen in retrospect as the golden age of Islamic civilization.

Who is Caligula ?

2009-07-16T02:11:00.000+07:00

Caligula, real name Gaius Caesar (12-41), Roman emperor (37-41), born probably in Antium (now Anzio, Italy), the youngest son of the Roman general Germanicus Caesar and the grandnephew of the Roman emperor Tiberius. Yesm he's one of king of roman empire.

His early life in military camps earned him the nickname Caligula (Latin, "Little Boot") because of his small military shoes. Tiberius named his grandson, Tiberius Gemellus, and Caligula joint heirs to the throne, but the Roman Senate and people chose Caligula as sole emperor.

Caligula adopted Gemellus as his son but later had him murdered. A clement ruler for the first six months, he became a vicious tyrant after a severe illness. Historians believe that he probably went insane.

He squandered his fortune on public entertainment and building projects but he alo make this syupid crime :

banished or murdered most of his relatives
had people tortured and killed while he dined
made his favorite horse a consul
declared himself a god;
had temples erected and sacrifices offered to himself.

In 41 the officers of his guard formed a conspiracy against him, and he was assassinated.

Who is Flavius Gratianus (Gratian) ?

2009-07-16T02:02:00.000+07:00

Gratian (359-383), full name Flavius Gratianus (359-83), Western Roman emperor (367-83). The eldest son of the Western emperor Valentinian I, Gratian became coemperor with his father in 367 and, after the latter's death in 375, ruled jointly with his young half brother Valentinian II.

A firm supporter of the Christian church, he began the process of disassociating the Roman state from the old pagan religion. Refusing the title of pontifex maximus (chief priest), traditionally held by emperors, he ordered the shrine of the goddess Victory removed from the Senate house and ended financial support for the pagan cults.

Gratian spent most of his reign in Gaul, guarding the western provinces against Germanic tribes. In 378 he repelled an Alamannic invasion of Gaul at Argentaria (near present-day Colmar, France) and pursued the invaders back across the Rhine.

In 383 Magnus Maximus, his commander in Britain, rebelled against him and was proclaimed emperor by the army. Deserted by his troops, Gratian fled to Lyon, where he was overtaken and slain.

Who is Domitian ?

2009-07-16T01:27:00.000+07:00

Domitian, full name Titus Flavius Domitianus (ad51-96), Roman emperor (ad81-96), known primarily for his conflict with the Senate and the Roman aristocracy. Domitian was the second son of Emperor Vespasian and the brother of Emperor Titus, whom he succeeded. In Germany he defeated the Chatti (83) and began construction of the limes, a line of fortifications marking the Roman frontier between the Rhine and Danube rivers. In Britain, Roman control was extended north into Scotland by 84, and in eastern Europe an invasion of the Dacians was ended when they were forced back across the Danube in 88. In 89 Domitian suppressed a revolt led by Antonius Saturninus, governor of Upper Germany.

Although popular with the army, Domitian was hated by the senators, who resented his attempts to dominate them and were especially angered by his adoption of the title dominus et deus ("master and god"). In 85 he made himself censor for life, which gave him the official right to supervise the Senate's behavior.

After Saturninus's revolt, and especially in the last three years of his reign, Domitian terrorized the aristocracy, executing many of them for supposed acts of treason and confiscating their property to help pay for his increasing expenses. On September 16, 96, he was murdered at the instigation of court officials and his wife, Empress Domitia.

who is Decius ?

2009-07-16T01:26:00.000+07:00

Decius (201-251), emperor of Rome (249-251), best known as the instigator of the first thoroughgoing persecutions of the Christians. He was born Gaius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius in Lower Pannonia (modern Hungary). He was in command of troops along the Danube River in 249, when his soldiers, against his will, proclaimed him emperor.

The reigning emperor, Philip I, subsequently led an army against him, but was defeated at Verona and killed in action. Decius was then accepted as emperor by the Roman Senate. He persecuted the Christians by ordering all inhabitants of the Roman Empire to signify their willingness to worship the pagan gods.

Among the victims of this persecution were Pope Fabian, who was martyred; Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, who was forced into exile; and Origen, the church father, who was imprisoned and tortured. The Christian church was long divided on the question of the proper treatment of those Christians (called Iapsi) who publicly accepted the orders of Decius but afterward returned to the church. In June 251 Decius led a Roman army to engage the Goths, who were attacking in the Dobruja. Although surrounded, the Goths refused to surrender, and in the final assault on them Decius was killed, reputedly through the treason of Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus, who then became emperor.

Who is Gaozu, China Emperor ?

2009-07-16T01:21:00.000+07:00

Gaozu or Kao-tsu, imperial title of Liu Bang, also called Liu Chi (256-195 bc), emperor of China (206-195 bc), who founded the Han dynasty. A rebel army officer of low birth in the last days of the Qin (Ch'in) dynasty, he proclaimed himself emperor in 206 bc, having deposed the last Qin, but had to fight rivals for actual power, which he secured by 202 bc.

Gaozu made a pact with the belligerent Xiongnu (Hsiung-nu), a nomadic people to the north who had been raiding his territory, promising to give them food and clothing in return for cessation of hostilities. It was the first treaty between two independent powers in East Asia and set the standard of international diplomacy in the region for 1000 years.

Where is West Bank ?

2009-07-16T01:17:00.000+07:00

West Bank, territory in southwestern Asia, bounded on the north, west, and south by Israel, and on the east by Jordan. It is located on the western bank of the Jordan River in the northeast, and on a portion of the Dead Sea in the southeast. The West Bank covers about 5,860 sq km (2,263 sq mi). Once part of Palestine, the West Bank was annexed by Jordan in 1950, then occupied by Israel in 1967.

Israel continues to maintain control over the West Bank, which today is populated by a large Palestinian majority and Israeli minority. After Israel and the Palestinians reached a number of agreements between 1993 and 1998, almost all Palestinian population centers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were transferred to Palestinian administration under the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

Following a Palestinian intifada (uprising) that began in 2000, however, Israeli forces resumed control of a number of West Bank cities. In 2002 Israel also began construction of a barrier, or separation, wall to protect Israeli settlements, which continued to encroach on West Bank territory.

Israel also constructed highways that were accessible only to Israeli settlers, as Palestinians charged that Israel was attempting to carve the West Bank into areas resembling the bantustans that existed in South Africa during the apartheid era

What is Semites ?

2009-07-16T00:59:00.000+07:00

Semites, term first used toward the end of the 18th century for peoples listed in the Bible (see Genesis 10:21-32) as descended from Shem, the eldest son of the biblical patriarch Noah.

Today, however, the term Semite is a linguistic, not a racial, classification; it refers to peoples who spoke or speak any of the Semitic languages. Ancient peoples grouped under this term include those who inhabited Aram, Assyria, Babylonia, Canaan (including the Hebrews), and Phoenicia. Among modern peoples speaking Semitic languages are the Arabs and Jews, particularly in Israel.

The original homeland of the Semites is not definitely known. Scholars think it probably was in southwestern Asia, and some even locate it specifically in Arabia. Evidence uncovered by archaeologists indicates that Semitic-speaking peoples were scattered over Mesopotamia before the establishment of urban culture there; and it is thought that waves of Semitic nomads, beginning presumably in prehistoric times, successively swept over the deserts westward into the Fertile Crescent.

Today, the Semitic-speaking peoples (chiefly Arabs) are concentrated in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Their influence has been extended in recent historic times, however-by the Jews as far as Europe and America, and by the Arabs into Africa south of the Sahara and eastward to the subcontinent of India.

Semitic peoples have been credited with inventing the alphabet. The three major monotheistic religions, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, were born in their midst.

Who is Akhenaton or Ikhnaton ?

2009-07-16T00:57:00.000+07:00

Akhenaton or Ikhnaton, also called Amenhotep IV, pharaoh of Egypt from about 1353 to 1335 bc. Akhenaton was the son of Amenhotep III and Tiy, and husband of Nefertiti, whose beauty is now famed through celebrated portrait busts of the period.

Akhenaton was the last important ruler of the 18th dynasty and notable as the first historical figure to establish a religion based on the concept of monotheism. He established the cult of Aton, or Aten, the sun god or solar disk, which he believed to be a universal, omnipresent spirit and the sole creator of the universe. Some scholars believe that the Hebrew prophets' concept of a universal God, preached seven or eight centuries later in a land that Akhenaton once ruled, was derived in part from his cult.

After he established the new religion, sometimes referred to as solar monotheism, he changed his name from the royal designation Amenhotep IV to Akhenaton, meaning "He who is devoted to Aton." He moved his capital from Thebes to Akhetaton (now the site of Tall al 'Amarinah), a new city devoted to the celebration of Aton, and he ordered the obliteration of all traces of the polytheistic religion of his ancestors. He also fought bitterly against the powerful priests who attempted to maintain the worship of the state god Amon, or Amen.

This religious revolution had a profound effect on Egyptian artists, who turned from the ritualistic forms to which they had been confined, to a much more realistic representation of nature as evidence of the all-embracing power of the sun, Aton (see Egyptian Art and Architecture).

A new religious literature also arose. This blossoming of culture, however, did not continue after Akhenaton's death. His son-in-law, Tutankhamun, moved the capital back to Thebes, restored the old polytheistic religion, and Egyptian art once more became ritualized.

Early Ottoman Empire

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The Ottoman Empire was founded at the end of the 13th century by Osman, a Muslim Turkish warrior. By the time of his death in 1326, Osman had succeeded in carving out a small state in the frontier lands between the Byzantine Empire and the territory of the Seljuks in northwestern Anatolia.

His successor, Orhan, continued to expand in Anatolia, and also successfully invaded Thrace in Europe. During the reign of Orhan's son Murad I, the Ottomans unrelentingly swept into the Balkan Peninsula. Victorious in the First Battle of Kosovo in 1389, the Ottoman Empire gained Bulgaria, Macedonia, part of Greece, and most of Serbia.

The Late Bronze Age

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The Late Bronze Age (about 1500-1200 bc) was a period of renaissance, but Palestine was politically dominated by the Egyptian New Kingdom . After a post-destruction gap at many sites in Late Bronze I (about 1500-1400 bc), most of the major Middle Bronze Age cities were reoccupied in Late Bronze II (about 1400-1200 bc).

Many became centers for the Egyptian administration of Palestine, as known from the letters sent by various 14th-century bc Palestinian princes to Pharaoh Akhenaton (Ikhnaton) at his capital at el-Amarna in Egypt. Among the cities represented in these Amarna letters are Megiddo, Taanach, Shechem, Gezer, Jerusalem, Hebron, Lachish, Ashqelon, and Gaza. Each prince denounces his rivals as traitors and fawns on the pharaoh, proclaiming his own loyalty as a vassal. Many of the letters beg for military protection. Others complain about corrupt Egyptian officials or high taxes or local troublemakers known as the Apiru.

The Palestinian city-states gradually declined in the 13th century bc. Although luxury goods found in palaces and tombs reveal the considerable wealth and sophistication of the elite, most people must have led rather miserable lives.

The Late Bronze Age in Palestine was marked by religious vitality. Temples and cult objects have been found at many sites. Tablets found at Ugarit on the Syrian coast near Latakia contain mythological texts recounting the loves and wars of the Canaanite gods and goddesses. These include El, the head of the pantheon; his consort Asherah, the principal mother goddess; a younger divine pair, Baal, the storm god, and his lover Anath; Mot, the god of death; and Dagon, the grain

Godfrey of Bouillon

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Godfrey of Bouillon (1061?-1100), French nobleman, soldier, and leader of the First Crusade (see Crusades). In 1082 Godfrey was granted the title of duke of Lower Lorraine by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and had his capital at Bouillon in the Ardennes region of France. Godfrey and his brother Baldwin I, later king of Jerusalem, led an army from the Low Countries in the First Crusade. Arriving in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) in December 1096, he succeeded in establishing relations with the Eastern Roman Emperor Alexius I Comnenus.

In 1099 Godfrey participated in the siege and capture of Jerusalem. He was offered the title of king of Jerusalem, but refused it for religious reasons and was instead named Defender of the Holy Sepulchre. In August 1099, when Egyptian forces moved to attack Jerusalem, Godfrey defeated them at Ascalon (now Ashquelon, Israel).

As the first Christian ruler of Jerusalem, Godfrey later became the hero of many songs, legends, and literary works, including several of the French medieval epics known as Chansons de Geste and of the epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1575; translated in 1884), by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso.

Trojan war part 1

2009-07-15T01:48:00.000+07:00

Trojan War, in Greek legend, famous war waged by the Greeks against the city of Troy. The tradition is believed to reflect a real war between the Greeks of the late Mycenaean period and the inhabitants of the Troad, or Troas, in Anatolia, part of present-day Turkey. Modern archaeological excavations have shown that Troy was destroyed by fire sometime between 1230 bc and 1180 bc, and that the war may have resulted from the desire either to plunder the wealthy city or to put an end to Troy's commercial control of the Dardanelles.

Legendary accounts of the war traced its origin to a golden apple, inscribed "for the fairest" and thrown by Eris, goddess of discord, among the heavenly guests at the wedding of Peleus, the ruler of Myrmidons, and Thetis, one of the Nereids. The award of the apple to Aphrodite, goddess of love, by Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, secured for Paris the favor of the goddess and the love of the beautiful Helen of Troy, wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta.

Helen went with Paris to Troy, and an expedition to avenge the injury to Menelaus was placed under the command of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. Agamemnon's force included many famous Greek heroes, the most noted of whom were Achilles, Patroclus, the two Ajaxes, Teucer, Nestor, Odysseus, and Diomedes.

who is Caesar ?

2009-07-15T01:40:00.000+07:00

Caesar, name of a patrician Roman family and an imperial title. The family of the Julian gens (clan) called Caesar was active in Roman public life from the time of the Punic Wars. The most renowned member of this family was Gaius Julius Caesar. His adopted son, Gaius Octavius, assumed the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus in accordance with Roman custom, later adding the title Augustus (Latin, "majestic"), by which he is generally known. The four Roman emperors of the Julio-Claudian line-Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius I, and Nero-were also adopted into this family and thus properly called Caesar.

After the dynasty ended with the death of Nero in ad 68, the name Caesar was retained to designate the imperial rulers. Emperor Hadrian adopted the imperial title Augustus; Caesar then became the title of the heir apparent to the Roman throne. In ad 285 Emperor Diocletian appointed a colleague, Maximian, to share the throne. Maximian was called Caesar until 286, when he was given the imperial title Augustus; two assistants, intended to be successors to the Augustuses, were selected and given the title Caesar.

Each Augustus and each Caesar was assigned a portion of the Roman Empire to administer. Although this complex system did not survive, the title continued to be used for emperors-designate. The imperial significance of the title Caesar was preserved in medieval and modern derivations, including the German kaiser and the Russian tsar.

Who is Caracalla ?

2009-07-15T01:33:00.000+07:00

Caracalla, nickname of the Roman emperor who ruled as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (188-217). Originally named Bassianus, he was born in Lugdunum, Gaul (now Lyon, France), and was nicknamed Caracalla because he introduced into Roman fashion a long cloak or tunic from Gaul called the caracalla. When his father, Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus, died in 211, Caracalla became joint emperor with his younger brother, Publius Septimius Geta.

In 212 Caracalla became sole emperor after causing the murder of Geta and the massacre of several thousand of Geta's followers. Caracalla's reign was marked by cruelty, extravagance, and treachery, particularly in military campaigns against the Alamanni and the peoples of Gaul and Parthia.

During his reign the Baths of Caracalla and the Arch of Septimius were constructed in Rome. Caracalla was assassinated in Mesopotamia by Marcus Opellius Macrinus, who then succeeded him as emperor.

THE EARLY BRONZE AGE

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The Early Bronze period (about 3300-2000 bc) was marked by the rise, zenith, and collapse of the first truly urban cultures in Palestine. Early Bronze I (about 3300-3200 bc) was a brief, transitional phase known largely from scattered villages and several large cemeteries. It marked a decline from the Chalcolithic. Nevertheless, there was trade with Late Predynastic Egypt

By Early Bronze II (about 3200-2600 bc) there were many more sites, most had grown into larger towns, and the few large ancient palestine cities were surrounded by massive walls. Palestinians traded with Egypt and established colonies in the southern Sinai, probably to exploit copper and other minerals. Before the end of the period, trade with Egypt came to a standstill.

The Early Bronze III period (about 2600-2400 bc) was a renewed and possibly expanded urban phase centered mostly in the center and south of the country. Enormous city walls, temples, and possibly palaces were constructed. There was little contact with Egypt.

There was contact with Mesopotamia, however, and the beautiful lustrous finished pottery from Khirbet Kerak points also to North Syrian and Anatolian influences. Toward the end, several towns apparently were destroyed, and most others were in decline. By about 2400 bc, virtually all the Early Bronze II and III sites were abandoned. This may have been caused by the exhaustion of natural resources, environmental degradation, the collapse of international trade, disease, and famine.

The Early Bronze IV period (about 2400-2000 bc) is characterized by hundreds of new villages and encampments, many in marginal zones such as the Jordan Valley, Transjordan, the Negev, and Sinai. Most of the large tells (mounds) of the previous urban phases were deserted, or occupied only seasonally; some became burying grounds for groups of pastoral nomads.

Who is Cuauhtémoc ?

2009-07-15T01:08:00.000+07:00

Cuauhtémoc (1495?-1525), last ruler of the Aztec Empire of Mexico, nephew of Emperor Montezuma II. Cuauhtémoc led the opposition to Montezuma's policy of appeasing the Spanish invaders. The Aztecs organized the attack, known as la noche triste ("sad night"), that drove the Spanish commander Hernán Cortés from the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán on June 30, 1520.

After the death of Montezuma and his successor, Cuauhtémoc was chosen emperor of the Aztec and succeeded in defending the capital throughout the spring and summer of 1521.

When finally captured by the Spanish, he refused to reveal the location of the Aztec gold treasury. Taken hostage by Cortés and his party on their march through Honduras, the emperor was tortured and killed by the Spanish. A statue of Cuauhtémoc is in Mexico City. The name is also spelled Guatemotzín and Guatémoc.

Indonesia Customs of Eating

2009-07-15T00:59:00.000+07:00

Rice is the staple and is eaten at every meal. Vegetables, fish, and hot sauces are often served with the rice; specific dishes vary according to the region. Tea and coffee are the most common drinks. Fresh fruit is widely available and is often eaten as dessert. Popular meats include beef and chicken. Observant Muslims do not eat pork.

Chilies are often used (sometimes in large quantities) in cooking, as are other spices. Coconut milk is used to cook particularly spicy food known as padang food, named after the city on Sumatra where it originated. In the capital, Jakarta, restaurants serve a variety of different cuisines, although the range is not as extensive as in some other Southeast Asian capitals.

Many Indonesians eat with a spoon and fork, but more traditional families eat with their hands. Generally, the fork is held in the left hand and the spoon in the right, and both hands are kept above the table while eating. It is impolite to eat or drink until invited to do so by the host. Finishing a drink implies the desire for the glass to be refilled. There are many street vendors selling food, but people who purchase food should always sit to eat because it is considered inappropriate to eat while standing or walking on the street.

The Middle Bronze Age

2009-07-13T00:21:00.000+07:00

The Middle Bronze Age (about 2000-1500 bc) brought the full flowering of Canaanite civilization. During Middle Bronze I (about 2000-1800 bc) there was a gradual return to urban life, perhaps stimulated by contact with Egypt and by movements of Amorites (West Semitic peoples from Syria) into the country.

The former town sites in the marginal zones were almost all abandoned, new towns were established along the coast and in the interior, old urban mounds were reoccupied, and city walls were built. In Middle Bronze II (about 1800-1650 bc) these advances were consolidated and a fully established city-state system emerged.

The final phase, Middle Bronze III (about 1650-1500 bc), represents the zenith of the second urban period in Palestine, in many ways the most impressive development in pre-Roman Palestine. At Shechem, massive fortifications and two city gates enclosed a well-planned urban site with a barracks, palace-administrative center, public plaza, and two temples. The citadel at Gezer included a tower nearly 17 m (55 ft) across. Nearly all sites have enormous, complex fortification systems.

About this time, Asian princes called Hyksos (Ã¢â'¬Å"rulers of foreign countriesÃ¢â'¬) rose to power in Egypt, only to be driven back to Palestine by the founders of Dynasty XVIII, about 1550 bc. In the next half to three quarters of a century every site in Palestine was destroyed.

Middle Bronze Age Palestine most important and influential cultural innovation was the invention of the Proto-Sinaitic writing system, the oldest known semialphabetic writing (see Writing). Inscriptions found both in the Sinai and in Palestine are written in forms of this simple but effective system. From this region, over the centuries, alphabetic writing spread around the world.

Technological innovations of the Middle Bronze Age include the first fast-wheel-thrown pottery and the introduction of the first true tin-bronze on a large scale, which made possible new kinds of weapons and implements. For the manufacture of these bronzes, tin was imported by donkey caravans from upper Mesopotamia, nearly 800 km (500 mi) away.

Joshua, book of the Old Testament

2009-07-12T23:43:00.000+07:00

Joshua, book of the Old Testament. According to the traditional view, its author was Joshua, the military leader and hero chosen by Moses to be his successor and to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Most modern biblical scholars, however, reject this view; their studies have shown that the book contains material drawn from a number of different sources.

Attempts to date the various strands have largely been inconclusive. The only conclusion widely accepted today is that the oldest passages of the book, which some scholars date from the middle of the 10th century bc, were completely rewritten and much elaborated upon in the 7th century bc by a member (or members) of the so-called Deuteronomic school (see Deuteronomy; Pentateuch). Later, probably after 500bc, editors concerned primarily with priestly matters added to or rewrote much of the latter half of the book.

The Book of Joshua concludes the accounts begun in Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy of the origin and early history of the Jews. It begins (chap. 1-6) with an account of the Hebrews' entry into the Promised Land, Canaan, and the sack of the ancient Palestinian walled city of Jericho. It then relates (chap. 7-12) how the Hebrews established themselves throughout Canaan by their conquest of another ancient city, Ai.

They did this by making a covenant with the fearful Gibeonites, by their bloody rout of an army led by the kings of five other southern Canaanite cities, and by the slaughter of an army gathered by yet other Canaanite kings "at the waters of Merom" (11:5) in the north. Much of the latter half of the book (chap. 13-24) describes how Joshua distributed the conquered land among the 12 tribes of Israel.

The book concludes with Joshua's final exhortation (chap. 23) to Israel to honor the covenant entered into with God on Mount Sinai and an account of the last gathering of the tribes under Joshua (chap. 24), at which time the people and Joshua entered into another covenant to serve and obey God.

The central theme of the Book of Joshua is that God will lead his people if they observe his law; but if they deny him, he will turn from them, giving them over to marauding nations and to foreign rule.

Who is Saladin ?

2009-07-12T23:37:00.000+07:00

Saladin (1138-1193), Muslim leader, who recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Born in Tikrit, Iraq, Saladin, as he is known in the West, was a Kurd; his Arabic name is Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub. At the age of 14 he joined other members of his family (the Ayyubids) in the service of the Syrian ruler Nur ad-Din. Between 1164 and 1169 he distinguished himself in three expeditions sent by Nur ad-Din to aid the decadent Fatimid rulers of Egypt against attacks by the Christian Crusaders based in Palestine. In 1169 he was made commander in chief of the Syrian army and vizier of Egypt.

Although nominally subject to the authority of the Fatimid caliph in Cairo, Saladin treated Egypt as an Ayyubid power base, relying mainly on his Kurdish family and supporters. Having revitalized Egypt's economy and reorganized its land and naval forces, Saladin repelled the Crusaders and took the offensive against them. In September 1171 he suppressed the dissident Fatimid regime, reuniting Egypt with the orthodox Abbasid caliphate, but his reluctance to cooperate with Nur ad-Din against the Crusaders brought him to the brink of war with his former master.

After Nur ad-Din's death in 1174, Saladin expanded his power in Syria and northern Mesopotamia, mainly at the expense of his Muslim rivals. Following the submission of Damascus (1174), ?alab (Aleppo) (1183), and Mosul (1186), numerous Muslim armies, allied under Saladin's command, were ready to move against the Crusaders. In 1187 he invaded the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, defeated the Christians at Hittin in Galilee (July 4), and captured Jerusalem the following October. In 1189 the nations of western Europe launched the Third Crusade to win back the holy city.

Despite Saladin's relentless military and diplomatic efforts a Christian land and naval blockade forced the surrender of the Palestinian stronghold of Acre (now 'Akko) in 1191, but the Crusaders failed to follow up this victory in their quest for Jerusalem. In 1192 Saladin concluded an armistice agreement with King Richard I of England that allowed the Crusaders to reconstitute their kingdom along the Palestinian-Syrian coast but left Jerusalem in Muslim hands. On March 4, 1193, Saladin died in Damascus after a brief illness.

Muslim historiography has immortalized Saladin as a paragon of princely virtue. He has held enduring fascination for Western writers, including modern novelists.

Stone Age

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The Stone Age was a time of slow development that laid the foundations of all later economic and social life.

During the Paleolithic or Stone Age in Palestine (before 20,000 bc), the inhabitants lived in seasonal camps and cave shelters and obtained food by hunting and foraging.

During the Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age (about 20,000-8500 bc) larger, semipermanent villages appeared. They were made possible by the beginnings of domestication of plants and animals.

The Neolithic or new Stone Age (about 8500-4500 bc) was marked by the first full domestication of plants and animals. This made food supplies more plentiful and more reliable. Permanent villages were established and the population grew considerably. One of the most ancient urban settlements known was at Jericho, which had brick houses and a stone town wall in about 6850 bc.

Pottery made its first appearance in Palestine about 6000 bc. The first use of metal (copper) also took place during the Neolithic Age. During the Chalcolithic Period, or Copper-Stone Age (about 4500-3300 bc) there was further economic advance. Grains were grown, possibly using primitive irrigation techniques. Agricultural products such as olives and grapes were brought from the hill country to villages in the lower Jordan Valley. The manufacture of stone, ceramic, and copper articles , as well as textiles and basketry, developed.

Ancient Palestine

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Ancient Palestine, a region of the ancient Near East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea between Egypt and Syria. It comprised territory that in the 21st century included Israel, the Israeli-occupied West Bank (Samaria and Judea), the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon, and northwestern Jordan to the east of the Jordan River. Ancient Palestine was the Holy Land of the Bible, the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity.

Ancient Palestine consisted of five geographical divisions. Four ran parallel from north to south. Along the Mediterranean there was a narrow coastal plain. Farther east was hill country Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. East of that was the valley of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, part of the Great Rift Valley. Still farther east were the Transjordanian highlands. The arid Negev extended southward from the Judean Hills to the Gulf of Aqaba.

The oldest evidence historians possess for the linguistic and ethnic character of the population of Palestine comes from the second millennium bc. Then and later, the country was inhabited by a diversity of ethnic groups, mainly Semitic in language. The invading Israelites knew the area as Canaan and its inhabitants as Canaanites.

The Egyptians main term for the area was Rezenu (Retenu), and they also referred to it as Pwenet (Punt) and Toneter (God Land). In Greek the land was known as coelo (southern) Syria.

The modern name Palestine, deriving from the Greek Philistia (the southern Mediterranean coast), was imposed by the Romans after the Bar Kochba revolt (ad 130-134), when they killed or deported most of the formerly predominant Jewish population.

Maronites

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Maronites, Christian community of Arabs, and one of the largest Eastern Rite churches. The Maronites, centered in Lebanon, are in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Small Maronite groups also exist in Cyprus, Palestine, Syria, and the United States.

Their total number throughout the world is about 3 million. In the 7th century the community adhered to the heresy of Monothelitism, which challenged the mainstream Christian church's position on Christ's nature. In the 12th century the group reestablished communion with the Western church. The Maronites are headed by a patriarch, called the patriarch of Antioch, who resides in Lebanon. The liturgy is an Antiochene rite recited in the Syriac language, with elements from the Latin rite.

In 1966 the Holy See erected an exarchate (province) for the Maronites in the United States. The exarch, or delegate of the patriarch of Antioch, resided in Detroit, Michigan. In 1971 the exarchate became an eparchy (a more important diocese, or administrative division). In 1977 it moved to Brooklyn, New York, becoming the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. Another eparchy was founded in 1994 in Los Angeles, California, as the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles. Maronites in the United States number about 150,000.

Jericho Part 2

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In 1920 Jericho became part of the British mandate of Palestine. By the terms of a 1947 United Nations (UN) plan calling for the partition of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, Jericho was allocated to Arab control. Shortly after the state of Israel declared its independence in 1948, war broke out between Israel and its Arab neighbors. This war, known as the first Arab-Israeli War, lasted until 1949 and resulted in an influx of displaced Palestinians to Jericho.

A number of refugee camps were built by the UN in and around the city, boosting Jericho's population and expanding its economy. The city was under the rule of Jordan from 1949 until 1967; during that time the Palestinian nationalist Musa Alami founded an agricultural school and experimental farm there to provide training for the Palestinian refugee population. Following the Six-Day War of 1967, Jericho and the rest of the West Bank were occupied and administered by the Israeli government.

Due to its distance from other West Bank population centers and its relatively small population, Jericho remained somewhat removed from the anti-Israel activity that took place in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the period of the Palestinian uprising, or intifada (1987-1993). Largely for this reason, Jericho was chosen as the starting point for Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank under the provisions of an historic 1993 peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Under the agreement, in May 1994 Israel withdrew from Jericho and transferred the town and its surroundings to the Palestinians.

A Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was created to administer and police Jericho and the Gaza Strip, while Israel maintained control over armed forces, foreign policy, and Israeli citizens and other visitors to Palestinian areas. A second peace agreement in September 1995 gave the Palestinian National Authority administrative control over almost all West Bank towns populated by Palestinians. In 1994, the population of the town including the refugee camps in the surrounding area was estimated at 25,000. Population (1997 estimate) 14,744.

Jericho Part 1

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Jericho (Arabic Ari?a, Hebrew Yiri?o), town in the West Bank, located in the Jordan Valley, north of the Dead Sea and west of the Jordan River. Jericho is the world's oldest known settlement and is famous in biblical history. From 1967 to 1994 Jericho was occupied and administered by Israel. In 1994 it became the first town in the West Bank to come under Palestinian administration .

Located about 244 m (about 800 ft) below sea level, Jericho is one of the lowest cities in the world. Its climate is hot and dry in summer and mild in winter, supporting the growth of such crops as dates, bananas, and citrus fruits. Most of Jericho's agricultural land is irrigated by small private wells that provide water throughout the year; the city draws its water from an irrigation system originating at the Ayn as Sultan Spring, which has supplied Jericho with water since ancient times. In addition to agricultural activities, Jericho has a long-standing tourist industry. Road traffic from Jerusalem and other cities in northern Israel converges in Jericho, and roads continue south to the Dead Sea and the Negev. Traffic from the Allenby Bridge crossing on the Jordanian border passes through Jericho as well.

Points of interest in Jericho include a 6th-century synagogue with an intact mosaic; Hisham's palace, which was built in the 700s as a winter retreat for the Umayyad Caliph Hisham and is a surviving example of early Islamic architectureand the Byzantine structure of Saint George's monastery. Located nearby are the Mount of Temptation (Qarantal, Dayr al), which, according to New Testament tradition, is the site where the devil tempted Jesus Christ, and the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947.

Jericho is the site of the oldest settlement yet to be discovered, with significant archaeological remains dating back as far as 8000 bc. Located about 2 km (about 1 mi) from today's city center, the settlement included a walled community and a high tower. Additional findings from the period indicate that there was irrigated agriculture, revealing the prehistoric shift from nomadic to settled forms of life. Jericho is well-known in biblical history as the site of a siege by Joshua and the Israelites. The city functioned as an administrative center for the Persians in the 6th century bc and became a royal resort in the time of Alexander the Great in the 4th century bc. Around 30 bc Jericho was awarded to Herod the Great by the Roman emperor Augustus . Herod laid out new aqueducts and built a theater and winter palace there.

Between the 4th and 7th centuries ad Jericho attracted many pilgrims and the population grew considerably. The city was taken over by Arabs in the 7th century, and during the 12th and 13th centuries Crusaders controlled Jericho and greatly expanded the cultivation of sugarcane in the region. After the defeat of the Crusaders by the Muslim leader Saladin, Jericho's vitality declined. In 1840 the Egyptian general Ibrahim Pasha razed the city when he withdrew his army to Egypt.