God has given us the day, we can use it as we like. We can waste it, or grow in its light and be of service to others. But what we do on the day is important, as we have exchanged a day of our life for it. When tomorrow come,today will be gone. I hope I will not regret for the price I paid for the day. Life is beautiful, together let us make each of our life, and other people's life more beautiful...
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Lost Civilization of Egypt
Today's Egypt is not ancient Egypt, the early Egypt civilization had been lost in history. The modern people of Egypt is highly arablized, they called themselves Egyptian Arabs. The Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza are the monument remained in earth to remind us of the early Egyptian Civilization.
Egyptian had lost their identity through time, now they are Arab
May be the Coptic people is considered the only living heritage who may traced their root to the Egyptian civilization. Coptic Christian is now only 9% of total population today, in their own native land. Like Arab Christian, they are leaving their home land....under political and social pressure....
Egyptian had lost their identity through time, now they are Arab
May be the Coptic people is considered the only living heritage who may traced their root to the Egyptian civilization. Coptic Christian is now only 9% of total population today, in their own native land. Like Arab Christian, they are leaving their home land....under political and social pressure....
Monday, January 16, 2012
Love of father without words
The love of father without words
I do not know what is the name of the movie, may be someone can tell us
you may not need to know the name,
it is good movie.....
You may not know Siamese, the language of Thailand
you do not need to know Siamese to see the movie,
there is no language in the movie
you only need your heart to see....
The movie is so touching,
of the love of father to his child,
it is universal value,
you do not need words to know.
It is the love without words, without many words,
the love of father.....
Friday, January 13, 2012
Li Na, back to Sydney
Li Na made a dramatic comeback in the semifinals of the Apia International Sydney, beating Petra Kvitova 1-6 7-5 6-2.
Azarenka, the No. 3 seed, won 1-6 6-3 6-2 over Radwanska, in another semi-final.
Li Na will meet Azarenka in the final on Friday 13 January 2012.
The Sydney International (formerly known as the New South Wales Open, with various title sponsors), sponsored as the Apia International Sydney as of 2012, is a professional tennis tournament in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The tournament is played annually at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre in Homebush. It is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world, dating to 1885.
Li Na was 2011 Women's singles Champion
Updates:15-1-2012
Victoria Azarenka has taken the Apia International Sydney title from Li Na — literally. The No. 3 seed took out the defending champ in a match that featured extraordinary tennis, winning 6-2 1-6 6-3 in front of a spirited Ken Rosewall Arena crowd. Azarenka is one of the noisiest players on tour — who grunted her way to the 95 decibel mark during her semi-final run to Wimbledon in 2011. Despite the great week, Li drops from No. 5 to No. 6 in the world rankings because she failed to defend her title points from 2011. Samantha Stosur moves to No. 5.
(source: extract from http://www.apiainternational.com.au/2012/01/azarenka-takes-title-from-li)
But Li Na still played good tennis despite the loss. Hope that she will be going for another Asian record to be the first Asian to win Australia Open next week...
Azarenka, the No. 3 seed, won 1-6 6-3 6-2 over Radwanska, in another semi-final.
Li Na will meet Azarenka in the final on Friday 13 January 2012.
The Sydney International (formerly known as the New South Wales Open, with various title sponsors), sponsored as the Apia International Sydney as of 2012, is a professional tennis tournament in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The tournament is played annually at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre in Homebush. It is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world, dating to 1885.
Li Na was 2011 Women's singles Champion
Updates:15-1-2012
Victoria Azarenka has taken the Apia International Sydney title from Li Na — literally. The No. 3 seed took out the defending champ in a match that featured extraordinary tennis, winning 6-2 1-6 6-3 in front of a spirited Ken Rosewall Arena crowd. Azarenka is one of the noisiest players on tour — who grunted her way to the 95 decibel mark during her semi-final run to Wimbledon in 2011. Despite the great week, Li drops from No. 5 to No. 6 in the world rankings because she failed to defend her title points from 2011. Samantha Stosur moves to No. 5.
(source: extract from http://www.apiainternational.com.au/2012/01/azarenka-takes-title-from-li)
But Li Na still played good tennis despite the loss. Hope that she will be going for another Asian record to be the first Asian to win Australia Open next week...
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Taiwan President election fever
Taiwan President election is on. The election for the 13th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China (第十三任中華民國總統副總統選舉) will be held in the Free Area of the Republic of China (ROC) on January 14, 2012. The election will be held together with legislative elections. It will be the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China.
Kuomintang(中國國民黨)
Kuomintang(中國國民黨) or KMT's Incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou(馬英九)is standing for re-election.Vice President Vincent Siew Wan-chang(蕭萬長)chose not to run for a second term, and on 19 June 2011 President Ma selected Premier Wu Den-yih(吳敦義)as his running mate.
The Kuomintang of China(KMT), sometimes romanized as Guomindang and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China (ROC). Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused by Sun Yat-sen.The Kuomintang traces its ideological and organizational roots to the work of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a proponent of Chinese nationalism, who founded Revive China Society in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1894. In 1905, Sun joined forces with other anti-monarchist societies in Tokyo to form the Tongmenghui or the Revolutionary Alliance, a group committed to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of a republican government. The KMT was founded by Song Jiaoren and Sun Yat-sen shortly after the Xinhai Revolution. Later led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, it ruled much of China from 1928 until its retreat to Taiwan in 1949 after being defeated by the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the Chinese Civil War. There, the KMT controlled the government under a single-party state until reforms in the late 1970s through the 1990s loosened its grip on power.
Together with the People First Party and Chinese New Party, the KMT forms what is known as the Taiwanese Pan-Blue coalition, which supports eventual unification with the mainland. However, the KMT has been forced to moderate its stance by advocating the political and legal status quo of modern Taiwan. The KMT accepts a "One China Principle" - it officially considers that there is only one China and that the Republic of China (not the People's Republic of China) is its legitimate government. However, since 2008, in order to ease tensions with the People's Republic of China, the KMT endorses the "three nos" policy as defined by Ma Ying-jeou - no unification, no independence and no use of force.
Ma is facing a tough challenge as James Soong Chu-yu(宋楚瑜) is also going for the President election, both are from Pan - Blue Coalition. Soong will be spoiling his chances. His victory card is not KMT, but his wife Christine Chow Ma or Chow Mei-ching( 酷酷嫂- 周美青). Based on party line, he is facing dangerous task, especially from the young voters and female voters. His main opponent is a strong woman , chances to be the first female President of Taiwan. It will attract some female voters for the sake of that. Christine Chow will attract some woman votes and family votes for Ma. Some said it is actually the election of Christine Chow Ma and Tsai Ing-wen(蔡英文), despite Christine Chow is not actively in politic. But her popularity among the Taiwanese is a pulling force, especially voters who see strong family as a determination to gauge on character of a candidate. Ma definitely has a plus point, as Tsai Ing-wen is not married. Ma may not be a perfect President, but his tenure was renowned for political stability and peace, that is the environment desired under the current global scenario, which will enhance Taiwan's economic development with mainland China and the world.
投平安、投清廉、投和平、投公義，投給自己與下一代的未來，一票都不能少！我們一起加油！(Ma Ying-jeou,馬英九).
Not only for Taiwan, for Cross-Strait relationship, for East Asia, and for the world.
這一票，為我們自己
Democratic Progressive Party(民主進步黨)
Candidates for the DPP(Democratic Progressive Party, 民主進步黨) is Tsai Ing-wen(蔡英文), DDP secretary-general Su Jia-chyuan(蘇嘉全)is her running mate.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP; 民主進步黨) is a political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity, including promotion of de jure Taiwan independence.The DPP won the presidency with the election of Chen Shui-bian in March 2000, ending more than half a century of KMT rule in Taiwan. In 2004, President Chen Shui-bian(陳水扁) was re-elected by a narrow margin following a controversial assassination attempt on him and the Vice President Annette Lu only hours before the election. He was convicted, along with his wife Wu Shu-chen, on two bribery charges, he is currently serving a 19-year sentence in the Taipei Prison, reduced from a life sentence in prison. Supporters have insisted that his trial have been unfair and politically motivated, a retribution from the Kuomintang against his years in power. But today he or commonly known as A-Bian (阿扁), is a liability to the party.
Tsai Ing-wen(蔡英文)is not experience as President, her capability is an unknown factor. Her experience as minister was also not strong. She was Minister of the Mainland Affairs Counci from l May 20, 2000 – May 20, 2004 and Vice Premier of the Republic of China from January 25, 2006 – May 21, 2007.
She announced she needs coalition government to rule Taiwan if she won, her cabinet may included members from other political parties in Taiwan. Will the government be stable? as Taiwan has no political history for such government. Still remember when President-elect Ah Bian on March 29, 2000,appointed Mr. Tang Fei(唐飛) as premier to head the new cabinet. With his wide-ranging military and overseas assignments, Mr. Tang has extensive administrative experience and an international outlook, which has promoted relations with other countries and will be necessary for the new cabinet. On October 3, 2000, Mr. Tang resigned from his post amid nuclear power row over Taiwan's energy policy. His appointment last only for a short term, from May 20, 2000 – October 6, 2000, not even for a full year. Can Tsai's new cabinet last if she is elected?....
The ruling Kuomintang has alleged that Tsai approved government investment in Yu Chang Biologics Co. when she was vice premier in early 2007 with the full knowledge that she would leave the Cabinet and chair the company later in the year. Tsai has denied the allegations, saying she did not manage the government investment and was only invited to chair Yu Chang by prominent scientists after she left the Cabinet."
Former President Lee Teng Hui(李登輝), the father of Taiwan independence support Tsai Ing-wen. But Lee's support has no additional effect, as his supporters are already strongly behind Tsai as critical mass.
(His support just remind Taiwan that Lee is forever for Taiwan independence even until his last breath, just like Ah Bian, the one who he supported, who cry for his political stance in a funeral of his mother in law. They are Taiwan independent hard core. Lee can betray his party who nourished him to be President to support Ah Bian, betray his motherland for independence and cultural proximity to Japan, what he had done for Taiwan......the best political drama for Oscar, for personal agenda. It looks just like Chiang Kai-sheh, best actor to do anything for personal ambition....)
「公平正義鋪滿台灣」 Tsai Ing-wen(蔡英文)
Fairness and Justice for Taiwan, and the first female President for Taiwan....
同願-台灣第一女總統
People First Party(親民黨)
Another candidate is PFP(People First Party, 親民黨) chairman James Soong Chu-yu(宋楚瑜), who was a former KMT member. Soong chose National Taiwan University professor emeritus Lin Ruey-shiung(林瑞雄), a career scientist and academic with no political experience, to be his running mate.The PFP was founded by James Soong and his supporters after his failed independent bid for the presidency in 2000. Soong is currently the chairman and dominates much of its politics. The chances for the candidate is slim, it is more a personal agenda for Song, the last for his ambition to become a President. It will spoil the chances of Ma Ying-jeou. PFP run will split the Pan-Blue Coalition vote and hand a winnable election to the DPP. If he is serious on Pan - Blue Coalition, he should not has run for the President election.
It was a repeat of 2000 President election, when he won 36.8% votes, KMT's Lien Chan won 23.1%, Chen Shui-bian won narrowly with 39.3%. Otherwise Lien Chan should had won the 2000 President election if not because of Soong. The total votes for Pan-Blue Coalition was 59.9%, much higher than Chen Shui-bian's 39.3%. However, the votes expectation will be lower this time, but he will be a king maker, as the votes to him will adversely affected Ma Ying-jeou and Pan - Blue Coalition's chances. If that happen, it will seriously affected Soong's reputation in Taiwan's political history. Soong is actually gamble on his political reputation, the result of the 2012 President election will determine what he will stand in history....
酷酷嫂- 周美青(Christine Chow Ma or Chow Mei-ching) , 中华民国第12任总统马英九的妻子，中华民国第一夫人
Chow was born in Hong Kong in 1952. She graduated from Taipei First Girls' High School and received her bachelor of laws degree from National Chengchi University and a master of laws (LL.M.) degree from New York University Law School.
Chow was a high-school classmate of Ma Ying-jeou's sister. Chow and Ma married in New York. She worked as a research assistant, an assistant librarian, and even as maître d’hôtel at a Chinese restaurant to support her husband through Harvard Law School [3] They have two daughters, Lesley (Ma Wei-chung, 馬唯中) and Kelly (Ma Yuan-chung, 馬元中). Lesley (Ma Wei-chung, 馬唯中) was born in 1980 in New York when Ma was attending Harvard; she completed her undergraduate work at Harvard University and is currently a graduate student at New York University. Younger daughter Kelly (Ma Yuan-chung, 馬元中), was born in Taiwan and is currently pursuing her undergraduate studies at Brown University in Rhode Island. Both Lesley and Kelly currently reside in the U.S.
Mrs. Ma was employed at the Mega International Commercial Bank in Taiwan in its legal department. After Ma Ying-jeou won the 2008 presidential election, she had initially said that she will continue her professional work. At the time, the only change she has made to her lifestyle was taking a chauffeured ride to work instead of public transportation.
In a change of course, President Ma, in a 15 July 2008 CNN interview, stated that his wife will resign her post at the bank to avoid any conflicts of interest or arouse suspicions during his presidency. Her resignation marked a major change for the career-oriented First Lady.
Chow is known for staying out of the political limelight and has rarely joined officials' wives at social or official functions in the past. Chow has stated that she will not fulfill "traditional" first lady responsibilities (no former first ladies held an active occupation); she has, however, said that she will fill in on meeting and greeting dignitaries if she has the time.
Chow is described as down-to-earth and assertive while sometimes lacking social and political tact. She once answered a reporter's question regarding her husband's shortcomings saying, "Whatever weak points husbands have, he has them all.".
That is why she is down to earth....
周美青作风与台湾多数“官夫人”迥异：她拥有自己的专业，一直是一名职业妇女；坐公共汽车上班、亦亲自开车接送女儿上下学；平时穿着打扮甚为朴实，举止低调。因极少接受媒体的采访，或回答记者的发问，而有“酷酷嫂”的昵称。周美青与以往诸位总统夫人不同，她继续保有其职业，成为中华民国第一位在职取薪的第一夫人，只是因维安以后不再搭大众运输交通工具上班。周美青本人并不愿意被称呼“总统夫人”，而希望被称呼为“美青姐”，在公司希望同事仍称呼其“周处长”。2008年6月9日，她从兆丰国际商业银行退休。
周美青退休后接任依惯例由总统夫人所担任的中华民国红十字会名誉会长，并开展其关怀儿童的公益活动。亦经常亲临球场观赏中华职棒大联盟的比赛。
周美青在民国一百年国庆大典与去年穿同一套衣服，立委刘盛良称赞周俭朴行径很了不起，应获全国百姓赞扬，“将来国史馆要编撰时，这一段应该编进去。”国史馆长吕芳上回答：“完全同意刘委员看法，因为真正伟大的事业是从平凡看出来的。[10]”不过亦有部份反对声浪批评国之大典不应如此节俭，是周美青俭朴过头。
2012年中华民国总统选举期间，诗人余光中写诗〈某夫人画像〉献给周美青，并反问选民：“我们要换掉这样的第一夫人吗？”
学历
台北市私立再兴中学
台北市立第一女子高级中学
国立政治大学法律系
纽约大学法律硕士
经历
兆丰国际商业银行法务处处长
中华民国红十字会总会名誉会长（2008年6月3日－）
(source: extract from wikipedia)
Voting for Ma Ying-jeou is voting for Christine Chow Ma or Chow Mei-ching(酷酷嫂)...
馬英九周美青 為台灣祈福
External Factors
The two main external factors for any Taiwan President election, are China factor and USA factor.
Taiwan may say it is now a democratic, but still relatively short, and the system may be heavily influence by the businesses, secret society, KMT bureaucracy, corruptions, which tainted their democracy development. But this is the only factor that the Taiwanese is proud of in their justification for independence. Taiwan's democracy is tainted with foreign support, from USA and Japan. China is an important factor in their President election.
China factor
China is no longer the same as when Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek retreat to Taiwan in 1949. Today, China is an economically strong country. China(中国), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the most populous state in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens.Since the introduction of market-based economic reforms in 1978, China has become the world's fastest-growing major economy,and the world's largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. It is the world's second-largest economy, after the United States, by both nominal GDP and purchasing power parity (PPP). On per capita terms, China ranked 90th by nominal GDP and 91st by GDP (PPP) in 2011, according to the IMF. China is a recognized nuclear weapons state and has the world's largest standing army, with the second-largest defense budget. In 2003, China became the third nation in the world, after the former Soviet Union and the United States, to independently launch a successful manned space mission. China has been characterized as a potential superpower by a number of academics,military analysts,and public policy and economics analysts.
Although a middle-income country by Western standards, the PRC's rapid growth has pulled hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty since 1978. Today, about 10% of the Chinese population live below the poverty line of US$1 per day (down from 64% in 1978), while life expectancy has increased to 73 years. More than 93% of the population is literate, compared to only 20% in 1950. Urban unemployment in China reportedly declined to 4% by the end of 2007, although true overall unemployment may be as high as 10%.
China's middle-class population (defined as those with annual income of at least US$17,000) has reached more than 100 million as of 2011, while the number of super-rich individuals worth more than 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) is estimated to be 825,000, according to Hurun Report. Based on the Hurun rich list, the number of US dollar billionaires in China doubled from 130 in 2009 to 271 in 2010, giving China the world's second-highest number of billionaires. China's retail market was worth RMB 8.9 trillion (US$1.302 trillion) in 2007, and is growing at 16.8% annually. China is also now the world's second-largest consumer of luxury goods behind Japan, with 27.5% of the global share.
(source: wikipedia)
No mater what is your political stance, historically Taiwan is part of China, Republic of China. Today, despite the retreat of KMT to Taiwan in 1949, Taiwan still part of People Republic of China. The main threat from Taiwan is the Taiwan independence. China is no longer a weak country, economically she is strong. Regular weekend direct, cross-strait charter flights between mainland China and Taiwan, under three links policy (三通) resumed on July 4, 2008 for the first time since 1950. Taiwan now is having mass flow of Chinese tourists to the island, and import of their agricultural products, Taiwan's investment in mainland China is subtabtial. The cross- strait relationship(海峡两岸关系)now is stable, it is beneficial to both China and Taiwan economy and its people. There are government and private engagement and dialogue between China and Taiwan. The Strait relationship is moving in positive way.
This trend may not be happy to everybody, but it cannot deny that it facilitate political stability and promote closer economic development and stability in the region of East Asia.
The result of the President election 2012, has impact to the Cross- Strait Relationship. Taiwan cannot go alone. There is too much inter-government and cross- strait interaction now. So any campaign that China's reaction is not important for future of Taiwan is day dreaming and short sighted....stable cross- strait relationship is important to future of Taiwan.
But Taiwan politic is sensitive to the voices from China, any indication of support to any candidates will have negative effect on the candidates chances. China now learn to remain silence towards Taiwan President election. China is not neutral, she strongly support Ma for the status quo, for stability of Cross-Strait relationship, for political stability of East Asia, and for hope of unification of China with Taiwan in future.....
Taiwan just cannot ignore China now.....
USA factor
On international relationship, Taiwan is politically and military influenced by USA and Japan. Ironically, in Sept 2011, two rival camps of next President Election 2012 visited USA in their promotion campaign. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)'s KMT team and defended his top election campaign aide King Pu-tsung’s (金溥聰) trip to the US as an opportunity to promote Taiwanese policies in the US.Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) US visit has apparently boosted her support rate. From their activities in USA it is clearly revealed the USA foreign policy on strait relationship is not straight forward, but critical for both camps, with hidden strategic move best know to them. Why must Taiwan professed as either a part of China or independent Taiwan, visited to USA for their support? This revealed Taiwan democracy is fake, Taiwan still need USA for military and political support to survive, both candidates know the games....
At one side USA only recognize People Republic of China as legitimate government for China, at the same time supplies arms to Taiwan, recognize as part of China by USA. The reason given was:
"Obama administration for telling US Congress on Wednesday that it plans a US$5.3 billion (S$6.83 billion) upgrade of Taiwan's F-16 fighter fleet. The US offer - which includes sales of advanced air-to-air missiles, laser- and GPS-guided bombs and radars -Washington says it wants Beijing and Taipei to determine their future peacefully, and that it is obliged by US law to help the island defend itself. Taiwan said the upgrade of the F-16s would contribute to regional peace by improving its defense capability in the face of what it called a continued threat from China."
What is USA(an outsider) action to supply arms to Taiwan, a part of China in the face of threat from their own government(as recognized by USA in one China policy), is clear cut interference of internal affairs of China. In military or international law, an unfriendly act, which can provoke war. The excuses by Obama' administration was "wants Beijing and Taipei to determine their future "peacefully", and that it is obliged by US law to help the island defend itself". What a hypocrisy, by supplying arms, the Taiwan issue can solved peacefully, why not Obama as Nobel Peace Prize winner, be a peace maker and call for peaceful negotiation for unification(instead of supply arms)???
Logically, USA's hypocrisy was diplomatically supported one China policy, militarily support Taiwan's defense(part of China), indirectly revealed actually USA support war between mainland China and Taiwan. It is just like saying I recognize USA as one nation, but I supply arms to Hawaii independent movement to fight Obama's central government...what a silly and cunning strategy, USA is using.... but they gained strategic advantage economically and militarily over East Asia. this is especially so when USA is facing economic decline, war or arms sales is the last resort to boost their economy. But unfortunately their allies, Europe faced similar economic problems and has wake up against unnecessary war. USA must find other way to boost its arms industry as war become difficult with less allies, strait relationship is the cash cow.
The potential hot spots under USA global strategy, for 2012 may be Iran, Korea & East Asia, Burma and South China Sea. Looking at their activities, USA may be created another bamboo curtain or wall to contain China. Taiwan will always be their chess. I do no think they are happy with any sign of Chinese unification. That means they will lost Taiwan, and solely depended on Japan and South Korea. Burma however is their potential card, another one is India and perhaps Vietnam.
USA is also facing President Election in the 2012. China remained one of the political agenda for President candidates. 2012 may not be peaceful year for the world, Taiwan President election is important for global politic, especially strait relationship.
Without the support of USA, can Taiwan go for independence alone? a question to be ponder....
Other factor, Japan
Another external factor is Japan, China's neighbour, linked to USA by The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan (日本国とアメリカ合衆国との間の相互協力及び安全保障条約 Nippon-koku to Amerika-gasshūkoku to no Aida no Sōgo Kyōryoku oyobi Anzen Hoshō Jōyaku). Its defense, like USA perceived China as threat, revealed in their defense white paper. Japan is waiting for the timing, the right time to gain their political benefits....they played their strategy similarly on Strait relationship, never call for peaceful unification solution as neighbor....
Japan however is good neighbor of Taiwan due to historical factor. Unlike former President Lee Teng Hui(李登輝)'s reign, the impart is neutral whether Ma or Tsai.
In conclusion, as an outsider, if you ask me if I am a Taiwanese, who should I vote? It depend whether the voter is looking at the big environment or local or small environment. If I look inward toward local environment, and look narrowly to Taiwanese independence , Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) will be the choice. but if I look at the bigger picture, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will be the choice. The game for James Soong Chu-yu(宋楚瑜)was over, he has no chance. My card is on Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)....and the vote for Christine Chow Mei-ching(周美青)......
However the election result will be close, it can go either way....
Further readings
1. Taiwan Inc. Backs Ma Re-Election in Push for China Business, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-10/taiwan-inc-backs-ma-re-election-bid-in-push-for-china-business.html
2. US moves raise suspicions that it is favoring incumbent in Taiwan presidential election, http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/us-moves-raise-suspicions-that-it-is-favoring-incumbent-in-taiwan-presidential-election/2012/01/01/gIQAJQ8fTP_story.html
3. Taiwan's Ma sets course for "10 golden years", http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/05/us-taiwan-election-ma-idUSTRE80409L20120105
4. Taiwan presidential candidates focus on economy, not China, http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-taiwan-elections-20120113,0,5607495.story?track=rss
5. Former Taiwan President Lee Backs Opposition’s Tsai Before Vote, http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-11/former-taiwan-president-lee-backs-opposition-s-tsai-before-vote.html
6. 想起的豈只是宇昌, http://tw.news.yahoo.com/blogs/society-watch/想起的豈只是宇昌
(國光石化」是近20年，石化業最重大的投資計劃。是蘇貞昌、蔡英文在行政院正副院長時強力通過，去年竟然又強力否決，最後，馬英九出面善後，主動喊停。馬英九政府只是延續蘇蔡政策，竟然也會被打得裡外不是人。夠笨。但這個過程裡，真的看到了政客們「巧言令色」的嘴臉。但是，停就停了。石化業的「專業哀鳴」在政治正確下的聲浪中，被淹沒了。我同情他們被政客玩弄的苦楚，無能為力. .....重述這一段沒多久前的荒謬公衛史，我可以想像綠營必然重彈老調，說「人民有知的權利」。這是廢話。人民當然有知的權利。我只是想問：為什麼從國際跨海而來的宇昌是「寶」？為什麼從台灣走向國際，取得國際認証的國光卻是「草」？....當然，現在更不會有人告訴你：同樣是生技，差點被民進黨搞死的，不只是現在生死未卜的宇昌，還有當時政黨輪替前的國光)
Note: Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) won the Taiwan President election 2012. Congratulation.
Kuomintang(中國國民黨)
Kuomintang(中國國民黨) or KMT's Incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou(馬英九)is standing for re-election.Vice President Vincent Siew Wan-chang(蕭萬長)chose not to run for a second term, and on 19 June 2011 President Ma selected Premier Wu Den-yih(吳敦義)as his running mate.
The Kuomintang of China(KMT), sometimes romanized as Guomindang and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China (ROC). Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused by Sun Yat-sen.The Kuomintang traces its ideological and organizational roots to the work of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a proponent of Chinese nationalism, who founded Revive China Society in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1894. In 1905, Sun joined forces with other anti-monarchist societies in Tokyo to form the Tongmenghui or the Revolutionary Alliance, a group committed to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of a republican government. The KMT was founded by Song Jiaoren and Sun Yat-sen shortly after the Xinhai Revolution. Later led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, it ruled much of China from 1928 until its retreat to Taiwan in 1949 after being defeated by the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the Chinese Civil War. There, the KMT controlled the government under a single-party state until reforms in the late 1970s through the 1990s loosened its grip on power.
Together with the People First Party and Chinese New Party, the KMT forms what is known as the Taiwanese Pan-Blue coalition, which supports eventual unification with the mainland. However, the KMT has been forced to moderate its stance by advocating the political and legal status quo of modern Taiwan. The KMT accepts a "One China Principle" - it officially considers that there is only one China and that the Republic of China (not the People's Republic of China) is its legitimate government. However, since 2008, in order to ease tensions with the People's Republic of China, the KMT endorses the "three nos" policy as defined by Ma Ying-jeou - no unification, no independence and no use of force.
Ma is facing a tough challenge as James Soong Chu-yu(宋楚瑜) is also going for the President election, both are from Pan - Blue Coalition. Soong will be spoiling his chances. His victory card is not KMT, but his wife Christine Chow Ma or Chow Mei-ching( 酷酷嫂- 周美青). Based on party line, he is facing dangerous task, especially from the young voters and female voters. His main opponent is a strong woman , chances to be the first female President of Taiwan. It will attract some female voters for the sake of that. Christine Chow will attract some woman votes and family votes for Ma. Some said it is actually the election of Christine Chow Ma and Tsai Ing-wen(蔡英文), despite Christine Chow is not actively in politic. But her popularity among the Taiwanese is a pulling force, especially voters who see strong family as a determination to gauge on character of a candidate. Ma definitely has a plus point, as Tsai Ing-wen is not married. Ma may not be a perfect President, but his tenure was renowned for political stability and peace, that is the environment desired under the current global scenario, which will enhance Taiwan's economic development with mainland China and the world.
投平安、投清廉、投和平、投公義，投給自己與下一代的未來，一票都不能少！我們一起加油！(Ma Ying-jeou,馬英九).
Not only for Taiwan, for Cross-Strait relationship, for East Asia, and for the world.
這一票，為我們自己
Democratic Progressive Party(民主進步黨)
Candidates for the DPP(Democratic Progressive Party, 民主進步黨) is Tsai Ing-wen(蔡英文), DDP secretary-general Su Jia-chyuan(蘇嘉全)is her running mate.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP; 民主進步黨) is a political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity, including promotion of de jure Taiwan independence.The DPP won the presidency with the election of Chen Shui-bian in March 2000, ending more than half a century of KMT rule in Taiwan. In 2004, President Chen Shui-bian(陳水扁) was re-elected by a narrow margin following a controversial assassination attempt on him and the Vice President Annette Lu only hours before the election. He was convicted, along with his wife Wu Shu-chen, on two bribery charges, he is currently serving a 19-year sentence in the Taipei Prison, reduced from a life sentence in prison. Supporters have insisted that his trial have been unfair and politically motivated, a retribution from the Kuomintang against his years in power. But today he or commonly known as A-Bian (阿扁), is a liability to the party.
Tsai Ing-wen(蔡英文)is not experience as President, her capability is an unknown factor. Her experience as minister was also not strong. She was Minister of the Mainland Affairs Counci from l May 20, 2000 – May 20, 2004 and Vice Premier of the Republic of China from January 25, 2006 – May 21, 2007.
She announced she needs coalition government to rule Taiwan if she won, her cabinet may included members from other political parties in Taiwan. Will the government be stable? as Taiwan has no political history for such government. Still remember when President-elect Ah Bian on March 29, 2000,appointed Mr. Tang Fei(唐飛) as premier to head the new cabinet. With his wide-ranging military and overseas assignments, Mr. Tang has extensive administrative experience and an international outlook, which has promoted relations with other countries and will be necessary for the new cabinet. On October 3, 2000, Mr. Tang resigned from his post amid nuclear power row over Taiwan's energy policy. His appointment last only for a short term, from May 20, 2000 – October 6, 2000, not even for a full year. Can Tsai's new cabinet last if she is elected?....
The ruling Kuomintang has alleged that Tsai approved government investment in Yu Chang Biologics Co. when she was vice premier in early 2007 with the full knowledge that she would leave the Cabinet and chair the company later in the year. Tsai has denied the allegations, saying she did not manage the government investment and was only invited to chair Yu Chang by prominent scientists after she left the Cabinet."
Former President Lee Teng Hui(李登輝), the father of Taiwan independence support Tsai Ing-wen. But Lee's support has no additional effect, as his supporters are already strongly behind Tsai as critical mass.
(His support just remind Taiwan that Lee is forever for Taiwan independence even until his last breath, just like Ah Bian, the one who he supported, who cry for his political stance in a funeral of his mother in law. They are Taiwan independent hard core. Lee can betray his party who nourished him to be President to support Ah Bian, betray his motherland for independence and cultural proximity to Japan, what he had done for Taiwan......the best political drama for Oscar, for personal agenda. It looks just like Chiang Kai-sheh, best actor to do anything for personal ambition....)
「公平正義鋪滿台灣」 Tsai Ing-wen(蔡英文)
Fairness and Justice for Taiwan, and the first female President for Taiwan....
同願-台灣第一女總統
People First Party(親民黨)
Another candidate is PFP(People First Party, 親民黨) chairman James Soong Chu-yu(宋楚瑜), who was a former KMT member. Soong chose National Taiwan University professor emeritus Lin Ruey-shiung(林瑞雄), a career scientist and academic with no political experience, to be his running mate.The PFP was founded by James Soong and his supporters after his failed independent bid for the presidency in 2000. Soong is currently the chairman and dominates much of its politics. The chances for the candidate is slim, it is more a personal agenda for Song, the last for his ambition to become a President. It will spoil the chances of Ma Ying-jeou. PFP run will split the Pan-Blue Coalition vote and hand a winnable election to the DPP. If he is serious on Pan - Blue Coalition, he should not has run for the President election.
It was a repeat of 2000 President election, when he won 36.8% votes, KMT's Lien Chan won 23.1%, Chen Shui-bian won narrowly with 39.3%. Otherwise Lien Chan should had won the 2000 President election if not because of Soong. The total votes for Pan-Blue Coalition was 59.9%, much higher than Chen Shui-bian's 39.3%. However, the votes expectation will be lower this time, but he will be a king maker, as the votes to him will adversely affected Ma Ying-jeou and Pan - Blue Coalition's chances. If that happen, it will seriously affected Soong's reputation in Taiwan's political history. Soong is actually gamble on his political reputation, the result of the 2012 President election will determine what he will stand in history....
酷酷嫂- 周美青(Christine Chow Ma or Chow Mei-ching) , 中华民国第12任总统马英九的妻子，中华民国第一夫人
Chow was born in Hong Kong in 1952. She graduated from Taipei First Girls' High School and received her bachelor of laws degree from National Chengchi University and a master of laws (LL.M.) degree from New York University Law School.
Chow was a high-school classmate of Ma Ying-jeou's sister. Chow and Ma married in New York. She worked as a research assistant, an assistant librarian, and even as maître d’hôtel at a Chinese restaurant to support her husband through Harvard Law School [3] They have two daughters, Lesley (Ma Wei-chung, 馬唯中) and Kelly (Ma Yuan-chung, 馬元中). Lesley (Ma Wei-chung, 馬唯中) was born in 1980 in New York when Ma was attending Harvard; she completed her undergraduate work at Harvard University and is currently a graduate student at New York University. Younger daughter Kelly (Ma Yuan-chung, 馬元中), was born in Taiwan and is currently pursuing her undergraduate studies at Brown University in Rhode Island. Both Lesley and Kelly currently reside in the U.S.
Mrs. Ma was employed at the Mega International Commercial Bank in Taiwan in its legal department. After Ma Ying-jeou won the 2008 presidential election, she had initially said that she will continue her professional work. At the time, the only change she has made to her lifestyle was taking a chauffeured ride to work instead of public transportation.
In a change of course, President Ma, in a 15 July 2008 CNN interview, stated that his wife will resign her post at the bank to avoid any conflicts of interest or arouse suspicions during his presidency. Her resignation marked a major change for the career-oriented First Lady.
Chow is known for staying out of the political limelight and has rarely joined officials' wives at social or official functions in the past. Chow has stated that she will not fulfill "traditional" first lady responsibilities (no former first ladies held an active occupation); she has, however, said that she will fill in on meeting and greeting dignitaries if she has the time.
Chow is described as down-to-earth and assertive while sometimes lacking social and political tact. She once answered a reporter's question regarding her husband's shortcomings saying, "Whatever weak points husbands have, he has them all.".
That is why she is down to earth....
周美青作风与台湾多数“官夫人”迥异：她拥有自己的专业，一直是一名职业妇女；坐公共汽车上班、亦亲自开车接送女儿上下学；平时穿着打扮甚为朴实，举止低调。因极少接受媒体的采访，或回答记者的发问，而有“酷酷嫂”的昵称。周美青与以往诸位总统夫人不同，她继续保有其职业，成为中华民国第一位在职取薪的第一夫人，只是因维安以后不再搭大众运输交通工具上班。周美青本人并不愿意被称呼“总统夫人”，而希望被称呼为“美青姐”，在公司希望同事仍称呼其“周处长”。2008年6月9日，她从兆丰国际商业银行退休。
周美青退休后接任依惯例由总统夫人所担任的中华民国红十字会名誉会长，并开展其关怀儿童的公益活动。亦经常亲临球场观赏中华职棒大联盟的比赛。
周美青在民国一百年国庆大典与去年穿同一套衣服，立委刘盛良称赞周俭朴行径很了不起，应获全国百姓赞扬，“将来国史馆要编撰时，这一段应该编进去。”国史馆长吕芳上回答：“完全同意刘委员看法，因为真正伟大的事业是从平凡看出来的。[10]”不过亦有部份反对声浪批评国之大典不应如此节俭，是周美青俭朴过头。
2012年中华民国总统选举期间，诗人余光中写诗〈某夫人画像〉献给周美青，并反问选民：“我们要换掉这样的第一夫人吗？”
学历
台北市私立再兴中学
台北市立第一女子高级中学
国立政治大学法律系
纽约大学法律硕士
经历
兆丰国际商业银行法务处处长
中华民国红十字会总会名誉会长（2008年6月3日－）
(source: extract from wikipedia)
Voting for Ma Ying-jeou is voting for Christine Chow Ma or Chow Mei-ching(酷酷嫂)...
馬英九周美青 為台灣祈福
External Factors
The two main external factors for any Taiwan President election, are China factor and USA factor.
Taiwan may say it is now a democratic, but still relatively short, and the system may be heavily influence by the businesses, secret society, KMT bureaucracy, corruptions, which tainted their democracy development. But this is the only factor that the Taiwanese is proud of in their justification for independence. Taiwan's democracy is tainted with foreign support, from USA and Japan. China is an important factor in their President election.
China factor
China is no longer the same as when Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek retreat to Taiwan in 1949. Today, China is an economically strong country. China(中国), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the most populous state in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens.Since the introduction of market-based economic reforms in 1978, China has become the world's fastest-growing major economy,and the world's largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. It is the world's second-largest economy, after the United States, by both nominal GDP and purchasing power parity (PPP). On per capita terms, China ranked 90th by nominal GDP and 91st by GDP (PPP) in 2011, according to the IMF. China is a recognized nuclear weapons state and has the world's largest standing army, with the second-largest defense budget. In 2003, China became the third nation in the world, after the former Soviet Union and the United States, to independently launch a successful manned space mission. China has been characterized as a potential superpower by a number of academics,military analysts,and public policy and economics analysts.
Although a middle-income country by Western standards, the PRC's rapid growth has pulled hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty since 1978. Today, about 10% of the Chinese population live below the poverty line of US$1 per day (down from 64% in 1978), while life expectancy has increased to 73 years. More than 93% of the population is literate, compared to only 20% in 1950. Urban unemployment in China reportedly declined to 4% by the end of 2007, although true overall unemployment may be as high as 10%.
China's middle-class population (defined as those with annual income of at least US$17,000) has reached more than 100 million as of 2011, while the number of super-rich individuals worth more than 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) is estimated to be 825,000, according to Hurun Report. Based on the Hurun rich list, the number of US dollar billionaires in China doubled from 130 in 2009 to 271 in 2010, giving China the world's second-highest number of billionaires. China's retail market was worth RMB 8.9 trillion (US$1.302 trillion) in 2007, and is growing at 16.8% annually. China is also now the world's second-largest consumer of luxury goods behind Japan, with 27.5% of the global share.
(source: wikipedia)
No mater what is your political stance, historically Taiwan is part of China, Republic of China. Today, despite the retreat of KMT to Taiwan in 1949, Taiwan still part of People Republic of China. The main threat from Taiwan is the Taiwan independence. China is no longer a weak country, economically she is strong. Regular weekend direct, cross-strait charter flights between mainland China and Taiwan, under three links policy (三通) resumed on July 4, 2008 for the first time since 1950. Taiwan now is having mass flow of Chinese tourists to the island, and import of their agricultural products, Taiwan's investment in mainland China is subtabtial. The cross- strait relationship(海峡两岸关系)now is stable, it is beneficial to both China and Taiwan economy and its people. There are government and private engagement and dialogue between China and Taiwan. The Strait relationship is moving in positive way.
This trend may not be happy to everybody, but it cannot deny that it facilitate political stability and promote closer economic development and stability in the region of East Asia.
The result of the President election 2012, has impact to the Cross- Strait Relationship. Taiwan cannot go alone. There is too much inter-government and cross- strait interaction now. So any campaign that China's reaction is not important for future of Taiwan is day dreaming and short sighted....stable cross- strait relationship is important to future of Taiwan.
But Taiwan politic is sensitive to the voices from China, any indication of support to any candidates will have negative effect on the candidates chances. China now learn to remain silence towards Taiwan President election. China is not neutral, she strongly support Ma for the status quo, for stability of Cross-Strait relationship, for political stability of East Asia, and for hope of unification of China with Taiwan in future.....
Taiwan just cannot ignore China now.....
USA factor
On international relationship, Taiwan is politically and military influenced by USA and Japan. Ironically, in Sept 2011, two rival camps of next President Election 2012 visited USA in their promotion campaign. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)'s KMT team and defended his top election campaign aide King Pu-tsung’s (金溥聰) trip to the US as an opportunity to promote Taiwanese policies in the US.Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) US visit has apparently boosted her support rate. From their activities in USA it is clearly revealed the USA foreign policy on strait relationship is not straight forward, but critical for both camps, with hidden strategic move best know to them. Why must Taiwan professed as either a part of China or independent Taiwan, visited to USA for their support? This revealed Taiwan democracy is fake, Taiwan still need USA for military and political support to survive, both candidates know the games....
At one side USA only recognize People Republic of China as legitimate government for China, at the same time supplies arms to Taiwan, recognize as part of China by USA. The reason given was:
"Obama administration for telling US Congress on Wednesday that it plans a US$5.3 billion (S$6.83 billion) upgrade of Taiwan's F-16 fighter fleet. The US offer - which includes sales of advanced air-to-air missiles, laser- and GPS-guided bombs and radars -Washington says it wants Beijing and Taipei to determine their future peacefully, and that it is obliged by US law to help the island defend itself. Taiwan said the upgrade of the F-16s would contribute to regional peace by improving its defense capability in the face of what it called a continued threat from China."
What is USA(an outsider) action to supply arms to Taiwan, a part of China in the face of threat from their own government(as recognized by USA in one China policy), is clear cut interference of internal affairs of China. In military or international law, an unfriendly act, which can provoke war. The excuses by Obama' administration was "wants Beijing and Taipei to determine their future "peacefully", and that it is obliged by US law to help the island defend itself". What a hypocrisy, by supplying arms, the Taiwan issue can solved peacefully, why not Obama as Nobel Peace Prize winner, be a peace maker and call for peaceful negotiation for unification(instead of supply arms)???
Logically, USA's hypocrisy was diplomatically supported one China policy, militarily support Taiwan's defense(part of China), indirectly revealed actually USA support war between mainland China and Taiwan. It is just like saying I recognize USA as one nation, but I supply arms to Hawaii independent movement to fight Obama's central government...what a silly and cunning strategy, USA is using.... but they gained strategic advantage economically and militarily over East Asia. this is especially so when USA is facing economic decline, war or arms sales is the last resort to boost their economy. But unfortunately their allies, Europe faced similar economic problems and has wake up against unnecessary war. USA must find other way to boost its arms industry as war become difficult with less allies, strait relationship is the cash cow.
The potential hot spots under USA global strategy, for 2012 may be Iran, Korea & East Asia, Burma and South China Sea. Looking at their activities, USA may be created another bamboo curtain or wall to contain China. Taiwan will always be their chess. I do no think they are happy with any sign of Chinese unification. That means they will lost Taiwan, and solely depended on Japan and South Korea. Burma however is their potential card, another one is India and perhaps Vietnam.
USA is also facing President Election in the 2012. China remained one of the political agenda for President candidates. 2012 may not be peaceful year for the world, Taiwan President election is important for global politic, especially strait relationship.
Without the support of USA, can Taiwan go for independence alone? a question to be ponder....
Other factor, Japan
Another external factor is Japan, China's neighbour, linked to USA by The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan (日本国とアメリカ合衆国との間の相互協力及び安全保障条約 Nippon-koku to Amerika-gasshūkoku to no Aida no Sōgo Kyōryoku oyobi Anzen Hoshō Jōyaku). Its defense, like USA perceived China as threat, revealed in their defense white paper. Japan is waiting for the timing, the right time to gain their political benefits....they played their strategy similarly on Strait relationship, never call for peaceful unification solution as neighbor....
Japan however is good neighbor of Taiwan due to historical factor. Unlike former President Lee Teng Hui(李登輝)'s reign, the impart is neutral whether Ma or Tsai.
In conclusion, as an outsider, if you ask me if I am a Taiwanese, who should I vote? It depend whether the voter is looking at the big environment or local or small environment. If I look inward toward local environment, and look narrowly to Taiwanese independence , Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) will be the choice. but if I look at the bigger picture, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will be the choice. The game for James Soong Chu-yu(宋楚瑜)was over, he has no chance. My card is on Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)....and the vote for Christine Chow Mei-ching(周美青)......
However the election result will be close, it can go either way....
Further readings
1. Taiwan Inc. Backs Ma Re-Election in Push for China Business, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-10/taiwan-inc-backs-ma-re-election-bid-in-push-for-china-business.html
2. US moves raise suspicions that it is favoring incumbent in Taiwan presidential election, http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/us-moves-raise-suspicions-that-it-is-favoring-incumbent-in-taiwan-presidential-election/2012/01/01/gIQAJQ8fTP_story.html
3. Taiwan's Ma sets course for "10 golden years", http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/05/us-taiwan-election-ma-idUSTRE80409L20120105
4. Taiwan presidential candidates focus on economy, not China, http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-taiwan-elections-20120113,0,5607495.story?track=rss
5. Former Taiwan President Lee Backs Opposition’s Tsai Before Vote, http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-11/former-taiwan-president-lee-backs-opposition-s-tsai-before-vote.html
6. 想起的豈只是宇昌, http://tw.news.yahoo.com/blogs/society-watch/想起的豈只是宇昌
(國光石化」是近20年，石化業最重大的投資計劃。是蘇貞昌、蔡英文在行政院正副院長時強力通過，去年竟然又強力否決，最後，馬英九出面善後，主動喊停。馬英九政府只是延續蘇蔡政策，竟然也會被打得裡外不是人。夠笨。但這個過程裡，真的看到了政客們「巧言令色」的嘴臉。但是，停就停了。石化業的「專業哀鳴」在政治正確下的聲浪中，被淹沒了。我同情他們被政客玩弄的苦楚，無能為力. .....重述這一段沒多久前的荒謬公衛史，我可以想像綠營必然重彈老調，說「人民有知的權利」。這是廢話。人民當然有知的權利。我只是想問：為什麼從國際跨海而來的宇昌是「寶」？為什麼從台灣走向國際，取得國際認証的國光卻是「草」？....當然，現在更不會有人告訴你：同樣是生技，差點被民進黨搞死的，不只是現在生死未卜的宇昌，還有當時政黨輪替前的國光)
Note: Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) won the Taiwan President election 2012. Congratulation.
Monday, January 9, 2012
SAMARKAND - THE CITY OF DANIEL
I come across the city of Samarkand while doing the study on the Silk Road. Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the trade route between China and the Mediterranean (Silk Road). It was one of the greatest city in Central Asia. It is also the city of Daniel where his tomb was located. Samarkand is located in Uzbekistan, one of former Russian republic in Central Asia.
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Samarkand - The city of Daniel
Daniel (Hebrew: דָּנִיֵּאל, Modern Daniyyel Tiberian Dāniyyêl, meaning "God is my Judge") is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways. By Divine Wisdom from his God, YHVH, he interpreted dreams and visions of kings, thus becoming a prominent figure in the court of Babylon. Eventually, he had apocalyptic visions of his own that have been interpreted as the Four monarchies. Some of the most famous tales of Daniel are: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, The writing on the wall and Daniel in the lions' den.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (BC 606), Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among the young Jewish nobility carried off to Babylon. The four were chosen for their intellect and beauty to be trained as advisors to the Babylonian court,(Daniel 1) Daniel was given the name Belteshazzar, i.e., prince of Bel, or Bel protect the king!(not to be confused with the neo-Babylonian king, Belshazzar). Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given the Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, respectively.
After the Persian conquest of Babylon, Daniel held the office of the first of the "three presidents" of the empire under the reign of Darius the Mede, and was thus practically at the head of state affairs, with the ability to influence the prospects of the captive Jews (Daniel 9), whom he had at last the happiness of seeing restored to their own land; although he did not return with them, but remained still in Babylon.
Daniel's fidelity to God exposed him to persecution by jealous rivals within the king's administration. The fact that he had just interpreted the emperors' dream had resulted in his promotion and that of his companions. Being favored by the King, Darius the Mede, he was untouchable. His companions were vulnerable to the accusation that had them thrown into the furnace for refusing to worship the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar as a god; but they were miraculously saved, and Daniel would years later be cast into a den of lions (for continuing to practice his faith in YHWH), but was miraculously delivered; after which Darius issued a decree enjoining reverence for "the God of Daniel" (Daniel 6:26). He "prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Great," whom he probably greatly influenced in the decree which put an end to the Jewish Captivity (BC 536).
Muslims traditionally consider Daniel (Arabic: دانيال, Danyal) as an Islamic prophet, alongside the other major prophets(Nabi) of the Old Testament like Adem (Adam), Nuh (Noah), Idris (Enoch),Ibrahim (Abraham),Is'haq (Isaac), Yaq'ub (Jacob),Yusuf (Joseph), and Musa (Moses), Dawud (David)and others.
There are six different locations claiming to be the site of the tomb of the biblical figure Daniel: Babylon, Kirkuk and Muqdadiyah in Iraq, Susa and Malamir in Iran, and Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
The time and circumstances of Daniel's death have not been recorded. However, tradition maintains that Daniel was still alive in the third year of Cyrus according to the Tanakh (Daniel 10:1). He would have been almost 100 years old at that point, having been brought to Babylon when he was in his teens, more than 80 years previously. Many posit that he possibly died at Susa in Iran. Tradition holds that his tomb is located in Susa at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal. Other locations have been claimed as the site of his burial, including Daniel's Tomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, as well as Babylon, Egypt, Tarsus and, notably, Samarkand, which claims a tomb of Daniel, with some traditions suggesting that his remains were removed, perhaps by Tamerlane, from Susa to Samarkand. the tomb of prophet Daniel is situated on the outskirts of the settlement Afrasiab that is in the north-east of Samarkand. On a high bluff of the hill there stretched a long 5-domed building of the mausoleum, and at the foot of the hill there is the river Siab. The sprawl of the building is directly connected with the tomb, whose length is equal to 18 meters.
You can read about the story of Daniel in the The Book of Daniel (Hebrew: דניאל), which is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius the Mede. The book concludes with four Divine prophetic visions.
The introduction of the Book of Daniel is written in Hebrew, the body is written in Biblical Aramaic, then the Masoretic text concludes the book with a return to Hebrew. The book consists of a series of six third-person narratives (chapters 1-6) followed by four apocalyptic visions in the first-person (chapters 7-12)
The prophet Ezekiel, with whom Daniel was a contemporary, describes a Daniel as a "pattern of righteousness" in the Book of Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and "wisdom" (28:3).
Samarkand, the former capital city of powerful Timurleng.
The fifth century B.C. Jerusalem has been destroyed and sacked by Babylon King Nebuchadnessar. Among the Jewish young men seized and enslaved by the Babylonians there was the would-be great Biblical prophet Daniel. It was he who wrote the famous Book of Prophecies, sacred for three world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
600 years ago the fearful Emperor Timurleng brought the prophet's remains to this city from Babylon. Nowadays, life is at its large around them.
In Samarkand, the former capital city of powerful Timurleng, there has since time unknown existed three religious communities: the Moslems, the Jews, and the Christians. For them all, the Prophet's tomb is sacred.
However, the prophet's tomb has not become an object of violent disagreements, unlike the holy places in Palestine. How was it possible that this "oasis of peace" was formed in Samarkand? How can the three communities support the fragile balance of benevolent relations? For the first time in history, on the threshold of the third millennium, we are diving into the closest secrets of the three Samarkand communities and discovering the way in which this peaceful island has existed. We reveal enigma of this magnificent city and it's great people.
(source: CORONA FILMS, 2006)
Samarkand - where Muslim, Christian and Jew come to pray
There is hardly any place in the world is where Muslim, Christian and Jew come to pray, the mausoleum of Khoja Daniyar, also known as Daniiel, or Daniel, Samarkand, is the place where Christian, Muslim and Jews come to pray.
Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the trade route between China and the Mediterranean (Silk Road). At times Samarkand has been one of the greatest cities of Central Asia.
Founded circa 700 BC by the Sogdians, Samarkand has been one of the main centres of Iranian civilization from its early days. It was already the capital of the Sogdian satrapy under the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia when Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 BC. The Greeks referred to Samarkand as Maracanda.
The Travels of Marco Polo, where Polo records his journey along the Silk Road, describes Samarkand as a "a very large and splendid city..." Here also is related the story of a Christian church in Samarkand, which miraculously remained standing after a portion of its central supporting column was removed.
In the mid-seventh century AD, Sa-mo-kien, as the Chinese called it, was visited by the Buddhist monk Hsuan-tsang (602-649 AD), whose memoirs give us a good idea of what life was like in the area prior to the advent of Islam. At this time, the residents of the city were mostly Zoroastrians, although Buddhism was known and Nestorian Christianity had also been introduced into the area.
Christianity came to Central Asia from Persia in the 1st Century. According to legend, the Apostle Thomas went to Samarkand (now a city in Uzbekistan) by the Great Silk Road and appointed several bishops there. Documents confirmed that in the 2nd & 3rd Centuries there were Christian churches in that region and Christianity spread mainly through Nestorian Christians.
The Nestorian patriarch had raised it to the rank of metropolitan see, possibly as early as the beginning of the fifth century and certainly by the early seventh century. Different authorities give different dates, although it was certainly in existence by the patriarchate of Theodosius (852-858) and probably by the time of Saliba-Zakha (712-728). Various historical documents, both Christian and Muslim, give evidence of the continuing status of Christianity in Samarkand from the time of the Arab invasion up to the establishment of Mongol power in the area. (“Nestorian Christianity in Central Asia”, by Mark Dickens)
However, around the 14th Century Christianity started to be wiped out by Islam and Buddhism and practically disappeared for several centuries. Tamerlane engaged in a fierce campaign to externimate Chrisitanity within his empire. The last Christian churches in Samarkand and Central Asia were destroyed by his grandson, Ulugh Beg.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan - the crossroad of cultures
Samarkand (Greek: Marakanda) is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the (Silk Road) trade route between China and Europe. At times Samarkand has been the greatest city of Central Asia, and for much of its history it has been under Persian rule. Founded circa 700 BCE it was already the capital of the Sogdian satrapy under the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia when Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 BCE . Under Sassanid Empire of Persia, Samarkand flourished and became one of the most important cities of the Persian empire.
Under Abbasid rule, the secret of paper making was obtained from two Chinese prisoners from the Battle of Talas in 751, which led to the first paper mill in the Islamic world to be founded in Samarkand. The invention then spread to the rest of the Islamic world, and from there to Europe (either through Spain or through crusaders).
From the 6th to 13th centuries it grew larger and more populous than modern Samarkand and was controlled by the Western Turks, Arabs (who converted the area to Islam), Persian Samanids, Karakhan Turks, Seljuk Turks, Karakitay, and Khorezmshah before being sacked by the Mongols in 1220. A small part of the population survived, but Samarkand suffered at least another Mongol sack by Khan Baraq to get treasure he needed to pay an army with. The town took many decades to recover from these disasters.
Samarkand - the city of Tamerlane
In the 14th century Samarkand became the capital of the empire of Timur (Tamerlane) or Timurid dynasty(1370-1506), and it is the site of his mausoleum (the Gur-e Amir). The Bibi-Khanym Mosque remains one of the city's most notable landmarks.
In 1370, Timur the Lame, also known as Tamerlane(8 April 1336 – 18 February 1405), decided to make Samarkand the capital of his projected world empire, which extended from India to Turkey. For the next 35 years, he built a new city, populating it with artisans and craftsmen from all of the places he had captured. Timur gained a reputation for wisdom and generosity, and Samarkand grew to become the center of the region of Transoxiana. Timur was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until 1857.
While Central Asia blossomed under his reign, other places such as Baghdad, Damascus, Delhi and other Arab, Georgian, Persian and Indian cities were sacked and destroyed and their populations massacred. He was responsible for the effective destruction of the Christian Church in much of Asia. Thus, while Timur still retains a positive image in Muslim Central Asia, Persia, and Arab countries, he is vilified by many in India, where some of his greatest atrocities were carried out.
Timur died enroute during an uncharacteristic winter campaign against the ruling Chinese Ming Dynasty. It was one of the bitterest winters on record; his troops are recorded as having to dig through five feet of ice to reach drinking water. His body "was embalmed with musk and rose water, wrapped in linen, laid in an ebony coffin and sent to Samarkand, where it was buried." His tomb, the Gur-e Amir, still stands in Samarkand, though it has been heavily restored in recent years.
On his deathbed, Timur named his grandson,son of Jahangir, Pir Muhammad (b1374-d1407)as his successor. This by pass his other surviving sons, Miran Shah suffered from mental difficulties, and Shah Rukh was judged too pious to rule. Unfortunately for Pir Muhammad, he was not supported by any of his relatives following Timur's death. He was unable to assume command in Samarkand and was murdered by his vizier in 1407.
Because of mental difficulties caused by an accident, Miran Shah(b1366-d1408) was not a candidate for succeeding Timur.In the struggle that followed Timur's death in 1405, his son Aba Bakr managed to oust Jalayirid forces from Tabriz and Miran Shah reestablished himself in Azerbaijan. At the same time, Miran Shah supported another son, Khalil Sultan, in his claims the throne. Miran Shah was later killed in the battle in 1408.
Khalil Sultan(died in 1411), son of Miran Shah and a grandson of Timur, took over as ruler.Khalil Sultan's rule(1405-1409)in Samarkand finally ended when Shah Rukh entered the city unopposed on May 13, 1409. Shāh Rukh was the fourth and youngest son of Timur and child of one of his concubines. Transoxiana was then given to Shah Rukh's son Ulugh Beg. Khalil decided to surrender to Shah Rukh, who had captured his wife Shad Mulk. He received his wife back, and was appointed governor of Ray. He died there in 1411. His wife committed suicide shortly after his death.
Ulugh Beg(b 1394-d 1449), Timur's grandson,oldest son of Shah Rukh ruled the country for 40 years(1409-1449). In Samarkand, Ulugh Beg created a scientific school that united outstanding astronomers and mathematicians. He also ordered the construction of an observatory; it contained a gigantic but precision-made marble sextant with an arc length of 63 meters. Ulugh Beg is also founder of uzbek language and uzbek nation.
(source: wikipedia)
As Timurid power in Transoxiana faltered after the deaths of Shah Rukh and Ulugh Beg, the city ceased to be as important as it had been. In 1447, it was sacked by the Uzbeks, who were to return half a century later to set up yet another Turkic dynasty in the area. After the demise of Timurid rule in Central Asia, Samarkand came under a succession of Persian, Turkic, and even Chinese rulers.
In the 16th century,Shaybanids moved their capital to Bukhara, and Samarkand went into decline. After an assault by the Persian warlord Nadir Shah, the city was abandoned in the 18th century.
The city was eventually captured by the Russians in 1868 as this new power from the north expanded into Turkestan ("Land of the Turks"), as the area was known at that time. It is today a major city in the Republic of Uzbekistan, one of five Central Asian republics which emerged from the rubble of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In 2001, UNESCO added the city to its World Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures.
Further readings
1. Book of Daniel, The Bible
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Samarkand - The city of Daniel
Daniel (Hebrew: דָּנִיֵּאל, Modern Daniyyel Tiberian Dāniyyêl, meaning "God is my Judge") is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways. By Divine Wisdom from his God, YHVH, he interpreted dreams and visions of kings, thus becoming a prominent figure in the court of Babylon. Eventually, he had apocalyptic visions of his own that have been interpreted as the Four monarchies. Some of the most famous tales of Daniel are: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, The writing on the wall and Daniel in the lions' den.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (BC 606), Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among the young Jewish nobility carried off to Babylon. The four were chosen for their intellect and beauty to be trained as advisors to the Babylonian court,(Daniel 1) Daniel was given the name Belteshazzar, i.e., prince of Bel, or Bel protect the king!(not to be confused with the neo-Babylonian king, Belshazzar). Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given the Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, respectively.
After the Persian conquest of Babylon, Daniel held the office of the first of the "three presidents" of the empire under the reign of Darius the Mede, and was thus practically at the head of state affairs, with the ability to influence the prospects of the captive Jews (Daniel 9), whom he had at last the happiness of seeing restored to their own land; although he did not return with them, but remained still in Babylon.
Daniel's fidelity to God exposed him to persecution by jealous rivals within the king's administration. The fact that he had just interpreted the emperors' dream had resulted in his promotion and that of his companions. Being favored by the King, Darius the Mede, he was untouchable. His companions were vulnerable to the accusation that had them thrown into the furnace for refusing to worship the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar as a god; but they were miraculously saved, and Daniel would years later be cast into a den of lions (for continuing to practice his faith in YHWH), but was miraculously delivered; after which Darius issued a decree enjoining reverence for "the God of Daniel" (Daniel 6:26). He "prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Great," whom he probably greatly influenced in the decree which put an end to the Jewish Captivity (BC 536).
Muslims traditionally consider Daniel (Arabic: دانيال, Danyal) as an Islamic prophet, alongside the other major prophets(Nabi) of the Old Testament like Adem (Adam), Nuh (Noah), Idris (Enoch),Ibrahim (Abraham),Is'haq (Isaac), Yaq'ub (Jacob),Yusuf (Joseph), and Musa (Moses), Dawud (David)and others.
There are six different locations claiming to be the site of the tomb of the biblical figure Daniel: Babylon, Kirkuk and Muqdadiyah in Iraq, Susa and Malamir in Iran, and Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
The time and circumstances of Daniel's death have not been recorded. However, tradition maintains that Daniel was still alive in the third year of Cyrus according to the Tanakh (Daniel 10:1). He would have been almost 100 years old at that point, having been brought to Babylon when he was in his teens, more than 80 years previously. Many posit that he possibly died at Susa in Iran. Tradition holds that his tomb is located in Susa at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal. Other locations have been claimed as the site of his burial, including Daniel's Tomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, as well as Babylon, Egypt, Tarsus and, notably, Samarkand, which claims a tomb of Daniel, with some traditions suggesting that his remains were removed, perhaps by Tamerlane, from Susa to Samarkand. the tomb of prophet Daniel is situated on the outskirts of the settlement Afrasiab that is in the north-east of Samarkand. On a high bluff of the hill there stretched a long 5-domed building of the mausoleum, and at the foot of the hill there is the river Siab. The sprawl of the building is directly connected with the tomb, whose length is equal to 18 meters.
You can read about the story of Daniel in the The Book of Daniel (Hebrew: דניאל), which is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius the Mede. The book concludes with four Divine prophetic visions.
The introduction of the Book of Daniel is written in Hebrew, the body is written in Biblical Aramaic, then the Masoretic text concludes the book with a return to Hebrew. The book consists of a series of six third-person narratives (chapters 1-6) followed by four apocalyptic visions in the first-person (chapters 7-12)
The prophet Ezekiel, with whom Daniel was a contemporary, describes a Daniel as a "pattern of righteousness" in the Book of Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and "wisdom" (28:3).
Samarkand, the former capital city of powerful Timurleng.
The fifth century B.C. Jerusalem has been destroyed and sacked by Babylon King Nebuchadnessar. Among the Jewish young men seized and enslaved by the Babylonians there was the would-be great Biblical prophet Daniel. It was he who wrote the famous Book of Prophecies, sacred for three world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
600 years ago the fearful Emperor Timurleng brought the prophet's remains to this city from Babylon. Nowadays, life is at its large around them.
In Samarkand, the former capital city of powerful Timurleng, there has since time unknown existed three religious communities: the Moslems, the Jews, and the Christians. For them all, the Prophet's tomb is sacred.
However, the prophet's tomb has not become an object of violent disagreements, unlike the holy places in Palestine. How was it possible that this "oasis of peace" was formed in Samarkand? How can the three communities support the fragile balance of benevolent relations? For the first time in history, on the threshold of the third millennium, we are diving into the closest secrets of the three Samarkand communities and discovering the way in which this peaceful island has existed. We reveal enigma of this magnificent city and it's great people.
(source: CORONA FILMS, 2006)
Samarkand - where Muslim, Christian and Jew come to pray
There is hardly any place in the world is where Muslim, Christian and Jew come to pray, the mausoleum of Khoja Daniyar, also known as Daniiel, or Daniel, Samarkand, is the place where Christian, Muslim and Jews come to pray.
Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the trade route between China and the Mediterranean (Silk Road). At times Samarkand has been one of the greatest cities of Central Asia.
Founded circa 700 BC by the Sogdians, Samarkand has been one of the main centres of Iranian civilization from its early days. It was already the capital of the Sogdian satrapy under the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia when Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 BC. The Greeks referred to Samarkand as Maracanda.
The Travels of Marco Polo, where Polo records his journey along the Silk Road, describes Samarkand as a "a very large and splendid city..." Here also is related the story of a Christian church in Samarkand, which miraculously remained standing after a portion of its central supporting column was removed.
In the mid-seventh century AD, Sa-mo-kien, as the Chinese called it, was visited by the Buddhist monk Hsuan-tsang (602-649 AD), whose memoirs give us a good idea of what life was like in the area prior to the advent of Islam. At this time, the residents of the city were mostly Zoroastrians, although Buddhism was known and Nestorian Christianity had also been introduced into the area.
Christianity came to Central Asia from Persia in the 1st Century. According to legend, the Apostle Thomas went to Samarkand (now a city in Uzbekistan) by the Great Silk Road and appointed several bishops there. Documents confirmed that in the 2nd & 3rd Centuries there were Christian churches in that region and Christianity spread mainly through Nestorian Christians.
The Nestorian patriarch had raised it to the rank of metropolitan see, possibly as early as the beginning of the fifth century and certainly by the early seventh century. Different authorities give different dates, although it was certainly in existence by the patriarchate of Theodosius (852-858) and probably by the time of Saliba-Zakha (712-728). Various historical documents, both Christian and Muslim, give evidence of the continuing status of Christianity in Samarkand from the time of the Arab invasion up to the establishment of Mongol power in the area. (“Nestorian Christianity in Central Asia”, by Mark Dickens)
However, around the 14th Century Christianity started to be wiped out by Islam and Buddhism and practically disappeared for several centuries. Tamerlane engaged in a fierce campaign to externimate Chrisitanity within his empire. The last Christian churches in Samarkand and Central Asia were destroyed by his grandson, Ulugh Beg.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan - the crossroad of cultures
Samarkand (Greek: Marakanda) is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the (Silk Road) trade route between China and Europe. At times Samarkand has been the greatest city of Central Asia, and for much of its history it has been under Persian rule. Founded circa 700 BCE it was already the capital of the Sogdian satrapy under the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia when Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 BCE . Under Sassanid Empire of Persia, Samarkand flourished and became one of the most important cities of the Persian empire.
Under Abbasid rule, the secret of paper making was obtained from two Chinese prisoners from the Battle of Talas in 751, which led to the first paper mill in the Islamic world to be founded in Samarkand. The invention then spread to the rest of the Islamic world, and from there to Europe (either through Spain or through crusaders).
From the 6th to 13th centuries it grew larger and more populous than modern Samarkand and was controlled by the Western Turks, Arabs (who converted the area to Islam), Persian Samanids, Karakhan Turks, Seljuk Turks, Karakitay, and Khorezmshah before being sacked by the Mongols in 1220. A small part of the population survived, but Samarkand suffered at least another Mongol sack by Khan Baraq to get treasure he needed to pay an army with. The town took many decades to recover from these disasters.
Samarkand - the city of Tamerlane
In the 14th century Samarkand became the capital of the empire of Timur (Tamerlane) or Timurid dynasty(1370-1506), and it is the site of his mausoleum (the Gur-e Amir). The Bibi-Khanym Mosque remains one of the city's most notable landmarks.
In 1370, Timur the Lame, also known as Tamerlane(8 April 1336 – 18 February 1405), decided to make Samarkand the capital of his projected world empire, which extended from India to Turkey. For the next 35 years, he built a new city, populating it with artisans and craftsmen from all of the places he had captured. Timur gained a reputation for wisdom and generosity, and Samarkand grew to become the center of the region of Transoxiana. Timur was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until 1857.
While Central Asia blossomed under his reign, other places such as Baghdad, Damascus, Delhi and other Arab, Georgian, Persian and Indian cities were sacked and destroyed and their populations massacred. He was responsible for the effective destruction of the Christian Church in much of Asia. Thus, while Timur still retains a positive image in Muslim Central Asia, Persia, and Arab countries, he is vilified by many in India, where some of his greatest atrocities were carried out.
Timur died enroute during an uncharacteristic winter campaign against the ruling Chinese Ming Dynasty. It was one of the bitterest winters on record; his troops are recorded as having to dig through five feet of ice to reach drinking water. His body "was embalmed with musk and rose water, wrapped in linen, laid in an ebony coffin and sent to Samarkand, where it was buried." His tomb, the Gur-e Amir, still stands in Samarkand, though it has been heavily restored in recent years.
On his deathbed, Timur named his grandson,son of Jahangir, Pir Muhammad (b1374-d1407)as his successor. This by pass his other surviving sons, Miran Shah suffered from mental difficulties, and Shah Rukh was judged too pious to rule. Unfortunately for Pir Muhammad, he was not supported by any of his relatives following Timur's death. He was unable to assume command in Samarkand and was murdered by his vizier in 1407.
Because of mental difficulties caused by an accident, Miran Shah(b1366-d1408) was not a candidate for succeeding Timur.In the struggle that followed Timur's death in 1405, his son Aba Bakr managed to oust Jalayirid forces from Tabriz and Miran Shah reestablished himself in Azerbaijan. At the same time, Miran Shah supported another son, Khalil Sultan, in his claims the throne. Miran Shah was later killed in the battle in 1408.
Khalil Sultan(died in 1411), son of Miran Shah and a grandson of Timur, took over as ruler.Khalil Sultan's rule(1405-1409)in Samarkand finally ended when Shah Rukh entered the city unopposed on May 13, 1409. Shāh Rukh was the fourth and youngest son of Timur and child of one of his concubines. Transoxiana was then given to Shah Rukh's son Ulugh Beg. Khalil decided to surrender to Shah Rukh, who had captured his wife Shad Mulk. He received his wife back, and was appointed governor of Ray. He died there in 1411. His wife committed suicide shortly after his death.
Ulugh Beg(b 1394-d 1449), Timur's grandson,oldest son of Shah Rukh ruled the country for 40 years(1409-1449). In Samarkand, Ulugh Beg created a scientific school that united outstanding astronomers and mathematicians. He also ordered the construction of an observatory; it contained a gigantic but precision-made marble sextant with an arc length of 63 meters. Ulugh Beg is also founder of uzbek language and uzbek nation.
(source: wikipedia)
As Timurid power in Transoxiana faltered after the deaths of Shah Rukh and Ulugh Beg, the city ceased to be as important as it had been. In 1447, it was sacked by the Uzbeks, who were to return half a century later to set up yet another Turkic dynasty in the area. After the demise of Timurid rule in Central Asia, Samarkand came under a succession of Persian, Turkic, and even Chinese rulers.
In the 16th century,Shaybanids moved their capital to Bukhara, and Samarkand went into decline. After an assault by the Persian warlord Nadir Shah, the city was abandoned in the 18th century.
The city was eventually captured by the Russians in 1868 as this new power from the north expanded into Turkestan ("Land of the Turks"), as the area was known at that time. It is today a major city in the Republic of Uzbekistan, one of five Central Asian republics which emerged from the rubble of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In 2001, UNESCO added the city to its World Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures.
Further readings
1. Book of Daniel, The Bible
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Orthodox Christmas
Merry Christmas again.....the 2nd Christmas Day.
To many people, Christmas day was over on 25th December 2012, but not Orthodox Christian. Orthodox Christian celebrate Christmas on January 7th, 2012.
The original date of the celebration in Eastern Christianity was January 6, in connection with Epiphany, and that is still the date of the celebration for the Armenian Apostolic Church and in Armenia, where it is a public holiday. As of 2012, there is a difference of 13 days between the modern Gregorian calendar and the older Julian calendar. Those who continue to use the Julian calendar or its equivalents thus celebrate December 25 and January 6 on what for the majority of the world is January 7 and January 19. For this reason, Ethiopia, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, and the Republic of Moldova celebrate Christmas on what in the Gregorian calendar is January 7; all the Greek Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25.
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world,[5] with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine, all of which are majority Eastern Orthodox. It is said to be the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles almost 2,000 years ago.
Based on the numbers of adherents, Orthodoxy is the second largest Christian communion in the world after the Roman Catholic Church. The most common estimates of the number of Orthodox Christians worldwide is approximately 300 million.
Orthodoxy is the largest single religious faith in Greece (95%) and in Eastern Europe, including Russia (80%), Ukraine (80%), Romania (87%), Belarus (85%), Bulgaria (83%), Serbia (84%), Georgia (89%), Moldova (93%), the Republic of Macedonia (65%), Cyprus (80%) and Montenegro (74%).
The number of Orthodox adherents represents about 36% of the population in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian Serbs). In Albania, the adherents number around 25% out of a 40% Christian population, the others being Roman Catholic. As the dominant religion in northern Kazakhstan, it represents 40% of Kazakhstan, and 4% of Lithuania and 13% of the Estonian population.
Large Orthodox Christian communities exist in the Mediterranean countries of Lebanon (40% of Christian population, and 10% of the whole Lebanese population), Jordan (80% of Christian population), Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestinian Christians) with some families able to trace their ancestry to the earliest Christians of the Holy Land. Orthodox minorities live in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary (Romanian minority), Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Ancient Eastern Orthodox communities still have large populations in countries such as Lebanon and Israel (Jerusalem and Bethlehem).
The Orthodox Church traces its development back through the Byzantine or Roman empire, to the earliest church established by St. Paul and the Apostles. It practices what it understands to be the original ancient traditions, believing in growth without change. In non-doctrinal matters the church had occasionally shared from local Greek, Slavic and Middle Eastern traditions, among others, in turn shaping the cultural development of these nations.
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox)
To many people, Christmas day was over on 25th December 2012, but not Orthodox Christian. Orthodox Christian celebrate Christmas on January 7th, 2012.
The original date of the celebration in Eastern Christianity was January 6, in connection with Epiphany, and that is still the date of the celebration for the Armenian Apostolic Church and in Armenia, where it is a public holiday. As of 2012, there is a difference of 13 days between the modern Gregorian calendar and the older Julian calendar. Those who continue to use the Julian calendar or its equivalents thus celebrate December 25 and January 6 on what for the majority of the world is January 7 and January 19. For this reason, Ethiopia, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, and the Republic of Moldova celebrate Christmas on what in the Gregorian calendar is January 7; all the Greek Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25.
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world,[5] with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine, all of which are majority Eastern Orthodox. It is said to be the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles almost 2,000 years ago.
Based on the numbers of adherents, Orthodoxy is the second largest Christian communion in the world after the Roman Catholic Church. The most common estimates of the number of Orthodox Christians worldwide is approximately 300 million.
Orthodoxy is the largest single religious faith in Greece (95%) and in Eastern Europe, including Russia (80%), Ukraine (80%), Romania (87%), Belarus (85%), Bulgaria (83%), Serbia (84%), Georgia (89%), Moldova (93%), the Republic of Macedonia (65%), Cyprus (80%) and Montenegro (74%).
The number of Orthodox adherents represents about 36% of the population in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian Serbs). In Albania, the adherents number around 25% out of a 40% Christian population, the others being Roman Catholic. As the dominant religion in northern Kazakhstan, it represents 40% of Kazakhstan, and 4% of Lithuania and 13% of the Estonian population.
Large Orthodox Christian communities exist in the Mediterranean countries of Lebanon (40% of Christian population, and 10% of the whole Lebanese population), Jordan (80% of Christian population), Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestinian Christians) with some families able to trace their ancestry to the earliest Christians of the Holy Land. Orthodox minorities live in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary (Romanian minority), Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Ancient Eastern Orthodox communities still have large populations in countries such as Lebanon and Israel (Jerusalem and Bethlehem).
The Orthodox Church traces its development back through the Byzantine or Roman empire, to the earliest church established by St. Paul and the Apostles. It practices what it understands to be the original ancient traditions, believing in growth without change. In non-doctrinal matters the church had occasionally shared from local Greek, Slavic and Middle Eastern traditions, among others, in turn shaping the cultural development of these nations.
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox)
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Whale killings
"There are over 80 species of cetaceans, a group made up of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Despite many protections including a moratorium on whaling since 1986, many species of cetaceans continue to be threatened – with some on the verge of extinction"
The world's great whales were hunted to near extinction in the previous century, and despite a global moratorium on commercial whaling, several countries continue to whale commercially - Norway and Iceland using objections to the moratorium, Japan under the guise of 'scientific research'.
(from WWF)
Despite a global whaling ban, the survival of whales, dolphins and porpoises continues to be threatened by commercial trade, pollution, over-fishing and depletion of the ozone layer.
Japan is the main trading culprit. The country’s government continues to authorize hunting of more than 1,000 great whales a year – under the guise of “scientific whaling.” It also has regularly authorized the annual killing of an estimated 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and small whales – collectively known as small cetaceans – in poorly regulated and unsustainable coastal hunts. The meat is then sold to supermarkets and restaurants across the country.
(source: extract from http://www.eia-global.org/species_in_peril/whales_dolphins_purposes.html)
Whale killings
Aftermath of a Japanese whale hunt
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales. Industrial whaling emerged with organised fleets in the 17th century; competitive national whaling industries in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the introduction of factory ships along with the concept of whale harvesting in the first half of the 20th century.
As technology increased and demand for the resources remained, catches far exceeded the sustainable limit for whale stocks. In the late 1930s more than 50,000 whales were killed annually and by the middle of the century whale stocks were not being replenished. In 1986 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial whaling so that stocks might recover.
While the moratorium has been successful in averting the extinction of whale species due to overhunting, contemporary whaling is subject to intense debate. Pro-whaling countries, notably Japan, wish to lift the ban on stocks that they claim have recovered sufficiently to sustain limited hunting. Anti-whaling countries and environmental groups say whale species remain vulnerable and that whaling is immoral, unsustainable, and should remain banned permanently.
Whaling began in prehistoric times and was initially confined to (near) coastal waters. Early whaling affected the development of widely disparate cultures—such as Norway and Japan. Although prehistoric hunting and gathering is generally considered to have had little ecological impact, early whaling in the Arctic may have altered freshwater ecology. The development of modern whaling techniques was spurred in the 19th century by the increase in demand for whale oil, sometimes known as "train oil" and in the 20th century by a demand for margarine and later meat.
Whale oil is little used today and modern commercial whaling is done for food. The primary species hunted are the common minke whale and Antarctic minke whale, two of the smallest species of baleen whales.
(source: extract from wikipedia)
Traditional whaling is mainly at coastal areas and for own consumptions by indigenous peoples for oils and meats, it was sustainable. But modern whaling is now mainly for food, commercially for global market, and there is the problem of overhunting merely for profits, causing much ecological problems.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC)
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up under the ICRW to decide hunting quotas and other relevant matters based on the findings of its Scientific Committee. Non-member countries are not bound by its regulations and conduct their own management programs.
The IWC voted on July 23, 1982, to establish a moratorium on commercial whaling beginning in the 1985–86 season. Since 1992, the IWC's Scientific Committee has requested that it be allowed to give quota proposals for some whale stocks, but this has so far been refused by the Plenary Committee.
At the 2010 meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Morocco, representatives of the 88 member nations discussed whether or not to lift the 24 year ban on commercial whaling. Japan, Norway and Iceland have urged the organization to lift the ban. A coalition of anti-whaling nations has offered a compromise plan that would allow these countries to continue whaling, but with smaller catches and under close supervision. Their plan would also completely ban whaling in the Southern Ocean. More than 200 scientists and experts have opposed the compromise proposal for lifting the ban, and have also opposed allowing whaling in the Southern Ocean, which was declared a whale sanctuary in 1994. Opponents of the compromise plan want to see an end to all commercial whaling, but are willing to allow subsistence-level catches by indigenous peoples.
Stop eating whale meat if you are not indigenous peoples who traditionally depended on whale oils and whale meat. If you are not whale meat eater, then do not start it..... Save our whales...
Further readings
1. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) official website, http://www.iwcoffice.org/commission/iwcmain.htm
2. EIA in the USA, http://www.eia-global.org/species_in_peril/whales_dolphins_purposes.html
3. Whaling, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling
4. Japan Whaling Association, http://www.whaling.jp/english/
5. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/
The world's great whales were hunted to near extinction in the previous century, and despite a global moratorium on commercial whaling, several countries continue to whale commercially - Norway and Iceland using objections to the moratorium, Japan under the guise of 'scientific research'.
(from WWF)
Despite a global whaling ban, the survival of whales, dolphins and porpoises continues to be threatened by commercial trade, pollution, over-fishing and depletion of the ozone layer.
Japan is the main trading culprit. The country’s government continues to authorize hunting of more than 1,000 great whales a year – under the guise of “scientific whaling.” It also has regularly authorized the annual killing of an estimated 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and small whales – collectively known as small cetaceans – in poorly regulated and unsustainable coastal hunts. The meat is then sold to supermarkets and restaurants across the country.
(source: extract from http://www.eia-global.org/species_in_peril/whales_dolphins_purposes.html)
Whale killings
Aftermath of a Japanese whale hunt
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales. Industrial whaling emerged with organised fleets in the 17th century; competitive national whaling industries in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the introduction of factory ships along with the concept of whale harvesting in the first half of the 20th century.
As technology increased and demand for the resources remained, catches far exceeded the sustainable limit for whale stocks. In the late 1930s more than 50,000 whales were killed annually and by the middle of the century whale stocks were not being replenished. In 1986 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial whaling so that stocks might recover.
While the moratorium has been successful in averting the extinction of whale species due to overhunting, contemporary whaling is subject to intense debate. Pro-whaling countries, notably Japan, wish to lift the ban on stocks that they claim have recovered sufficiently to sustain limited hunting. Anti-whaling countries and environmental groups say whale species remain vulnerable and that whaling is immoral, unsustainable, and should remain banned permanently.
Whaling began in prehistoric times and was initially confined to (near) coastal waters. Early whaling affected the development of widely disparate cultures—such as Norway and Japan. Although prehistoric hunting and gathering is generally considered to have had little ecological impact, early whaling in the Arctic may have altered freshwater ecology. The development of modern whaling techniques was spurred in the 19th century by the increase in demand for whale oil, sometimes known as "train oil" and in the 20th century by a demand for margarine and later meat.
Whale oil is little used today and modern commercial whaling is done for food. The primary species hunted are the common minke whale and Antarctic minke whale, two of the smallest species of baleen whales.
(source: extract from wikipedia)
Traditional whaling is mainly at coastal areas and for own consumptions by indigenous peoples for oils and meats, it was sustainable. But modern whaling is now mainly for food, commercially for global market, and there is the problem of overhunting merely for profits, causing much ecological problems.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC)
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up under the ICRW to decide hunting quotas and other relevant matters based on the findings of its Scientific Committee. Non-member countries are not bound by its regulations and conduct their own management programs.
The IWC voted on July 23, 1982, to establish a moratorium on commercial whaling beginning in the 1985–86 season. Since 1992, the IWC's Scientific Committee has requested that it be allowed to give quota proposals for some whale stocks, but this has so far been refused by the Plenary Committee.
At the 2010 meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Morocco, representatives of the 88 member nations discussed whether or not to lift the 24 year ban on commercial whaling. Japan, Norway and Iceland have urged the organization to lift the ban. A coalition of anti-whaling nations has offered a compromise plan that would allow these countries to continue whaling, but with smaller catches and under close supervision. Their plan would also completely ban whaling in the Southern Ocean. More than 200 scientists and experts have opposed the compromise proposal for lifting the ban, and have also opposed allowing whaling in the Southern Ocean, which was declared a whale sanctuary in 1994. Opponents of the compromise plan want to see an end to all commercial whaling, but are willing to allow subsistence-level catches by indigenous peoples.
Stop eating whale meat if you are not indigenous peoples who traditionally depended on whale oils and whale meat. If you are not whale meat eater, then do not start it..... Save our whales...
Further readings
1. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) official website, http://www.iwcoffice.org/commission/iwcmain.htm
2. EIA in the USA, http://www.eia-global.org/species_in_peril/whales_dolphins_purposes.html
3. Whaling, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling
4. Japan Whaling Association, http://www.whaling.jp/english/
5. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/
Stop eating Sharks and shark's fins
I think food for human is the priority in world agenda, stable supply to meet the needs of human population is important. Animals had been one of the food chains for human since historical days. Some may said man was basically a vegetarian, and not meat eater in the earliest days. But animal protein is still important source since historical days.
Food, shortage of food, is the urgent agenda for the world today, there are many human beings died of hunger in this earth. But ironically there are many human beings who are overfed, and actually they are resulting in food wastage. This is the ugly picture of society today.
If a man is facing hunger, I do not mind he eat dog if that was only food available. I am not against dog eater, like chicken, beef, mutton, dog meat has been food for many Asian countries, Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, China, Burma etc, since historical days. It is normal just like eating chicken...the animal was prepared as food in that societies as source of protein. How can we stop them eating dog meat?. If you stop them, it is cruel to human, instead of the dogs...moreover dogs are not facing extinction problem. It was their culture and their stable source of food. However if you are not culturally a dog eater, then do not start it.
We are facing the dilemma of human right for food, and animal right for humanization...we cannot go like animal right extremist who go all ways to protect animal right and forget about human right. They dressed dogs like human, deprived the dogs the right to be a dog, an animal...and forced dogs to be like human....animal just need to live like animal. Behind all these movement, there are resources channeled to the rich pet food industry, pet business sector. When human being still died of hunger....
But shark is different, shark meat is luxurious food items, and sharks are wild animals not commonly prepared for human foods, it was only food items for exceptionally few who are rich and overfed, who want something exotic...we can go without eating them. Sharks' population is now going to a danger level of extinction... this apply also to Whale meat eating....
It is the protection of sharks and whales for our future generation....much more than food problems... Whales and Sharks are killed for meats and fins...and even for sport....
Killing of sharks is also not only shark fins eating problems, there are also shark meat eating in Japan, in Europe, in Australia. It is not only typical Chinese problem, it is rich man's problem, it is problem of supply and demand, it is a world problem......and similarly there is also problem of killing of whales by other communities....
Today, we are only talking about shark fins....
Shark fisheries
The majority of shark fisheries have little monitoring or management. The rise in demand for shark products increases pressure on fisheries. Major declines in shark stocks have been recorded—some species have been depleted by over 90% over the past 20–30 years with population declines of 70% not unusual. Many governments and the UN have acknowledged the need for shark fisheries management, but little progress has been made due to their low economic value, the small volumes of products produced and sharks' poor public image.
On the IUCN red list there are 39 species of elasmobranches (sharks and rays) listed as threatened species (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable). CITES lists three sharks in Appendix II: the basking shark, the great white shark, and the whale shark. Appendix II lists those species that are not in danger of extinction, but which require controls on international trade to maintain their populations. It is estimated that 10–100 million sharks are slaughtered each year for their fins with a median figure of 38 million. The industry is valued at US$1.2 billion; because of the lucrative profits, there are allegations of links to organized crime. They also raise questions on the medical harm from the consumption of high levels of toxic mercury reportedly found in shark fins.
It is estimated that 100 million sharks are killed by people every year, due to commercial and recreational fishing. Sharks are a common seafood in many places, including Japan and Australia. In the Australian state of Victoria, shark is the most commonly used fish in fish and chips, in which fillets are battered and deep-fried or crumbed and grilled. In fish and chip shops, shark is called flake. In India, small sharks or baby sharks (called sora in Tamil language, Telugu language) are sold in local markets. Since the flesh is not developed, cooking the flesh breaks it into powder, which is then fried in oil and spices (called sora puttu/sora poratu). The soft bones can be easily chewed. They are considered a delicacy in coastal Tamil Nadu. Icelanders ferment Greenland sharks to produce hákarl, which is widely regarded as a national dish.
Let us take the opportunity of coming Chinese New Year to talk about shark fins. Eating shark fins had been long time since historical days, but there was no problem of shark extinction, it was a rare exotic food only for minority of people. But the scenario is different today, it has become a popular exotic food...
But still remember killing of sharks is not only shark fins eating, but also shark meat eating; it is not only Chinese problem, it is also Japanese, it is also European problem, it is the world problem. But being contributor of the problem, Chinese should stop eating shark fins.... to contribute positively the conservation of shark population.
Shark fins
Stop eating shark’s fins from this New Year
Shark’s fins soup is popular today. It is a popular soup item of Chinese cuisine usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item in business dinner or government official functions. It was rare seafood item only for emperor’s cuisine or rich people in the old days. The consumptions was not high, as supplies was limited. But with the advance in transportation, supplies can now easily obtained from Spain, South America and anywhere in the world. The supplies and consumptions increase not only due to high demand, but also the high price for supplies of the shark’s fins. Fins were used to obtain from dead sharks, but in view of the extreme high price for the fins, much higher than the shark meat. Shark fins are now obtained from lived sharks just for their fins, and the shark are throw back into the seawater, most finless sharks are not able to survive long in the sea. This has drastically and adversely affect the number of the sharks in the world. The market for shark fins are in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South East Asia countries, and many Chinese restaurants around the world.
Shark fins soup is not a must item for normal dinners, but it is a regular item in special occasions, like wedding and banquets. We cannot denied that Shark’s fins soup had been around since Ming Dynasty, some said it was started from Admiral Cheng Ho. May be during his expeditions oversea, traveled in the seas for days and months, seafood like shark fins become one of the sailors items. It may not be a luxurious item In their food during the sailing days, it was for survival in the sea. The food item may had introduced to the Chinese people when they landed in the Chinese ports, and it become a popular food item. But due to its difficulties in supplies, it was a highly priced item, not many people can afford to eat it. It become an affluent food item, only royalties and rich families can afford to eat it. It slowly evolved to become a food symbol of richness and success.
History of Shark Fins eating
Shark fin soup dates back to China's Ming Dynasty. The popularity of shark fin soup rose in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as standards of living began to improve. The delicacy was coveted by emperors because it was rare, delicious, and required elaborate preparation. Holding both culinary and symbolic significance, the dish is popular at important occasions such as weddings, banquets, and important business deals. It symbolizes wealth, power, prestige and honor. This staple of gourmet Chinese cuisine is a show of respect, honor, and appreciation to the guests
Preparation
Genuine shark fin soup or stew is made with shark fins obtained from any of a variety of shark species. Raw shark fins are processed by first removing the skin, trimming them to shape, and thoroughly drying them. Hydrogen peroxide may be used before drying to make their colour more appealing.
Shark fins are the cartilaginous pectoral and dorsal fins of a shark. Sharks' fins are sold in two forms: frozen and dried. Both need to be softened before they can be used to prepare soup. The frozen form is ready to use, as it has been prepared and therefore only requires about an hour or two of soaking.
There are two types of the dried form, skinned (shredded) and whole, which requires more preparation
Nutritional Content
Vitamin content of typical shark fin soup is much less than that of typical vegetable soup, containing almost no vitamin A. However, it contains slightly more iron, zinc, riboflavin, and phosphorus than normal vegetable soup. If consumed in extremely large quantities, shark fin soup may cause sterility in men due to mercury content. ( Watch out for shark fin soup, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-05/21/content_444520.htm)
The FDA recommends pregnant women and young children avoid eating shark fins.
The nutritional content of Shark fin (100 grams)
Energy of 350 kcal, protein 84.1 g, fat 0.5 g, carbohydrates 2.3 grams, 0.01 mg thiamine, riboflavin 0.02 mg, 252 mg of calcium, phosphorus 115 mg, 226 mg of potassium, sodium 79.6 mg, 10.9 mg iodine, Magnesium 17 mg, iron 5.1 mg, 2.25 mg of zinc, selenium 72.46 mcg, Copper 0.04 mg Manganese 0.09 mg.
Shark fin which protein containing about 80%, also contains fat, carbohydrates and other minerals. Shark fin may be luxurious sea food in Chinese cuisine, but the nutritional value is actually not very high. This is because the protein contained in Shark fin, is lacking an essential amino acid (tryptophan), and is not a complete protein.
The nutritional value of Shark fin:
1. Shark fin with lipid-lowering, anti-arteriosclerosis and anticoagulant content on the effectiveness of prevention and treatment of cardiovascular system diseases.
2. Shark fin is rich in collagen, but the protein is not entirely protein, should be cooked with meat, chicken, duck, shrimp were cooked in order to achieve the complementary proteins, but also conferred by fresh taste can nourish, Soft skin.
3. One of the useful content in shark fin is cartilage or cartilage, which is believed capable of improving immunity and preventing cancer. Just like shark fins, chicken feet also contain a lot of cartilage to coat joints, which is much cheaper and breed commercially.
Demand and Consumptions
Sharks are often killed for shark fin soup. Shark fin soup is a status symbol in Asian countries, and is considered healthy and full of nutrients. Fishermen capture live sharks, fin them, and dump the finless animal back into the water. Shark finning involves removing the fin with a hot metal blade. The resulting immobile shark soon dies from suffocation or predators. Shark fin has become a major trade within black markets all over the world. Fins sell for about $300/lb in 2009. Poachers illegally fin millions each year. Few governments enforce laws that protect them. Consumption of shark fin soup has risen dramatically with the middle class becoming more affluent, as Chinese communities around the world enjoy increasing income levels. Environmental groups claim that finning has caused decline of shark species, which, as top predators in the ocean, are essential to the stability of oceanic ecosystems. Fishing fleets catch an estimated 70 million sharks a year as of 2010.
Now with the economic success of China, there are many rich Chineses who consumed shark fins more frequently in their dinners and banquets.
Sharks are also killed for meat. European diners consume dogfishes, smoothhounds, catsharks, makos, porbeagle and also skates and rays.
Supply - Shark finning
Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discarding of the rest of the fish. Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers only have to transport the fins
.
On September 15, 2007, Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Ministry Azmi Khalid banned shark's fin soup from official functions committing to the Malaysian Nature Society (for conservation of shark species).
Sharks belong to the scientific class Chondrichthyes, or jawed fish with cartilage skeletons. Using their body and tail in a side-to-side movement, sharks move through water using fins for steering, stabilization, propulsion and thrust. Supported by cartilage, shark fins are rigid rather than flexible. In the shark family, there are five different types of fins, each with its own purpose. Sharks, as all fish, use their body and tail in a side to side motion to move through the water. Shark fins are rigid not flexible, and are supported by rods made of cartilage. Sharks have five different kinds of fins.
(i) Paired pectoral fins lift the shark as it swims.
(ii) Paired pelvic fins stabilize the shark.
(iii) One or two dorsal fins also stabilize the shark. In some species, dorsal fins have spines.
(iv) Not all sharks have an anal fin, but it provides stability for the sharks that do have one.
(v) The caudal or tail fin moves the shark forward.
It is high time to stop eating shark’s fin soup, especially during Chinese New Year Reunion dinner and wedding dinner.
Opposition voices
Tommy Cheung, the legislator representing Hong Kong's catering sector, said: "I don't believe sharks are an endangered species. Some species of shark may be, but not all shark's fin comes from certain species. There are a lot of species that are plentiful." There is no reliable count for the numbers taken in the shark fin trade and thus it is hard to prove the claims on either side of the argument.
However, research has shown that the vast majority of shark species are gaining in population and not endangered; CITES lists only 3 out of 400 species as needing protection. Furthermore, shark finning contributes to a small proportion of sharks caught worldwide; most sharks are caught in European nations as bycatch, for sport, or for their meat. As a result, the movement against shark fins have been variously described as misled, reliant on populist rhetoric, or Sinophobic.
According to Giam's article, "sharks are caught virtually all parts of the world. Despite the strongly declared objectives of the Fisheries Commission in Brussels, there are very few restrictions on fishing for sharks in European waters. The meat of dogfishes, smoothhounds, cat sharks, skates and rays is in high demand by European consumers...The situation in Canada and the United States is similar: the blue shark is sought after as a sport fish while the porbeagle, mako and spiny dogfish are part of the commercial fishery...the truth is this: Sharks will continue to be caught and killed on a wide scale by the more organized and sophisticated fishing nations...targeting shark's fin soup will not stop this accidental catch. The fins from these catches will be thrown away or turned into animal feed and fertilizers if shark's fin soup is shunned."
However, the U.S. FDA lists sharks as one of four fish (with swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish) whose high mercury content is hazardous to children and pregnant women.
Shark finning is cruel, and shark finning should be banned. Shark fins should only be obtained from dead fishes, not lived sharks. Better to stop eating shark related food to stop the demand and the ultimately the sharks killings, either for shark fins or for shark meats.
We should stop eating shark’s fins during Chinese New Year 2012, and start campaigns to stop consuming shark’s fins soup, and to help the survival of the sharks’ population. By eating shark’s fins, we are helping to increase the demand.....let us stop it.
Say No to Shark Fins Soup, and a happy Chinese New Year for Sharks, for all human, and the world....
Related articles:
1. The factory processes shark's fin. But the boss of the factory never eat shark's fin.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwdW0wRYjoo
2. http://www.sharktruth.org/
3. STOP SHARK FINNING, http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/shark-fin-soup.htm
http://www.thailandlife.com/all-about-thailand/shark-fin-soup.html
4. The Reality of Shark Finning , http://www.sharkfriends.com/sharks/sharkfinning.html
5. http://www.unitedconservationists.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=223
6. Shark finning, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_finning
Youtubes
7. Shark Finning , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2UKgLsOhRM
8. Shark Fin Soup , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCqPXhhxZIg&feature=fvwp&NR=1
Food, shortage of food, is the urgent agenda for the world today, there are many human beings died of hunger in this earth. But ironically there are many human beings who are overfed, and actually they are resulting in food wastage. This is the ugly picture of society today.
If a man is facing hunger, I do not mind he eat dog if that was only food available. I am not against dog eater, like chicken, beef, mutton, dog meat has been food for many Asian countries, Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, China, Burma etc, since historical days. It is normal just like eating chicken...the animal was prepared as food in that societies as source of protein. How can we stop them eating dog meat?. If you stop them, it is cruel to human, instead of the dogs...moreover dogs are not facing extinction problem. It was their culture and their stable source of food. However if you are not culturally a dog eater, then do not start it.
We are facing the dilemma of human right for food, and animal right for humanization...we cannot go like animal right extremist who go all ways to protect animal right and forget about human right. They dressed dogs like human, deprived the dogs the right to be a dog, an animal...and forced dogs to be like human....animal just need to live like animal. Behind all these movement, there are resources channeled to the rich pet food industry, pet business sector. When human being still died of hunger....
But shark is different, shark meat is luxurious food items, and sharks are wild animals not commonly prepared for human foods, it was only food items for exceptionally few who are rich and overfed, who want something exotic...we can go without eating them. Sharks' population is now going to a danger level of extinction... this apply also to Whale meat eating....
It is the protection of sharks and whales for our future generation....much more than food problems... Whales and Sharks are killed for meats and fins...and even for sport....
Killing of sharks is also not only shark fins eating problems, there are also shark meat eating in Japan, in Europe, in Australia. It is not only typical Chinese problem, it is rich man's problem, it is problem of supply and demand, it is a world problem......and similarly there is also problem of killing of whales by other communities....
Today, we are only talking about shark fins....
Shark fisheries
The majority of shark fisheries have little monitoring or management. The rise in demand for shark products increases pressure on fisheries. Major declines in shark stocks have been recorded—some species have been depleted by over 90% over the past 20–30 years with population declines of 70% not unusual. Many governments and the UN have acknowledged the need for shark fisheries management, but little progress has been made due to their low economic value, the small volumes of products produced and sharks' poor public image.
On the IUCN red list there are 39 species of elasmobranches (sharks and rays) listed as threatened species (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable). CITES lists three sharks in Appendix II: the basking shark, the great white shark, and the whale shark. Appendix II lists those species that are not in danger of extinction, but which require controls on international trade to maintain their populations. It is estimated that 10–100 million sharks are slaughtered each year for their fins with a median figure of 38 million. The industry is valued at US$1.2 billion; because of the lucrative profits, there are allegations of links to organized crime. They also raise questions on the medical harm from the consumption of high levels of toxic mercury reportedly found in shark fins.
It is estimated that 100 million sharks are killed by people every year, due to commercial and recreational fishing. Sharks are a common seafood in many places, including Japan and Australia. In the Australian state of Victoria, shark is the most commonly used fish in fish and chips, in which fillets are battered and deep-fried or crumbed and grilled. In fish and chip shops, shark is called flake. In India, small sharks or baby sharks (called sora in Tamil language, Telugu language) are sold in local markets. Since the flesh is not developed, cooking the flesh breaks it into powder, which is then fried in oil and spices (called sora puttu/sora poratu). The soft bones can be easily chewed. They are considered a delicacy in coastal Tamil Nadu. Icelanders ferment Greenland sharks to produce hákarl, which is widely regarded as a national dish.
Let us take the opportunity of coming Chinese New Year to talk about shark fins. Eating shark fins had been long time since historical days, but there was no problem of shark extinction, it was a rare exotic food only for minority of people. But the scenario is different today, it has become a popular exotic food...
But still remember killing of sharks is not only shark fins eating, but also shark meat eating; it is not only Chinese problem, it is also Japanese, it is also European problem, it is the world problem. But being contributor of the problem, Chinese should stop eating shark fins.... to contribute positively the conservation of shark population.
Shark fins
Stop eating shark’s fins from this New Year
Shark’s fins soup is popular today. It is a popular soup item of Chinese cuisine usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item in business dinner or government official functions. It was rare seafood item only for emperor’s cuisine or rich people in the old days. The consumptions was not high, as supplies was limited. But with the advance in transportation, supplies can now easily obtained from Spain, South America and anywhere in the world. The supplies and consumptions increase not only due to high demand, but also the high price for supplies of the shark’s fins. Fins were used to obtain from dead sharks, but in view of the extreme high price for the fins, much higher than the shark meat. Shark fins are now obtained from lived sharks just for their fins, and the shark are throw back into the seawater, most finless sharks are not able to survive long in the sea. This has drastically and adversely affect the number of the sharks in the world. The market for shark fins are in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South East Asia countries, and many Chinese restaurants around the world.
Shark fins soup is not a must item for normal dinners, but it is a regular item in special occasions, like wedding and banquets. We cannot denied that Shark’s fins soup had been around since Ming Dynasty, some said it was started from Admiral Cheng Ho. May be during his expeditions oversea, traveled in the seas for days and months, seafood like shark fins become one of the sailors items. It may not be a luxurious item In their food during the sailing days, it was for survival in the sea. The food item may had introduced to the Chinese people when they landed in the Chinese ports, and it become a popular food item. But due to its difficulties in supplies, it was a highly priced item, not many people can afford to eat it. It become an affluent food item, only royalties and rich families can afford to eat it. It slowly evolved to become a food symbol of richness and success.
History of Shark Fins eating
Shark fin soup dates back to China's Ming Dynasty. The popularity of shark fin soup rose in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as standards of living began to improve. The delicacy was coveted by emperors because it was rare, delicious, and required elaborate preparation. Holding both culinary and symbolic significance, the dish is popular at important occasions such as weddings, banquets, and important business deals. It symbolizes wealth, power, prestige and honor. This staple of gourmet Chinese cuisine is a show of respect, honor, and appreciation to the guests
Preparation
Genuine shark fin soup or stew is made with shark fins obtained from any of a variety of shark species. Raw shark fins are processed by first removing the skin, trimming them to shape, and thoroughly drying them. Hydrogen peroxide may be used before drying to make their colour more appealing.
Shark fins are the cartilaginous pectoral and dorsal fins of a shark. Sharks' fins are sold in two forms: frozen and dried. Both need to be softened before they can be used to prepare soup. The frozen form is ready to use, as it has been prepared and therefore only requires about an hour or two of soaking.
There are two types of the dried form, skinned (shredded) and whole, which requires more preparation
Nutritional Content
Vitamin content of typical shark fin soup is much less than that of typical vegetable soup, containing almost no vitamin A. However, it contains slightly more iron, zinc, riboflavin, and phosphorus than normal vegetable soup. If consumed in extremely large quantities, shark fin soup may cause sterility in men due to mercury content. ( Watch out for shark fin soup, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-05/21/content_444520.htm)
The FDA recommends pregnant women and young children avoid eating shark fins.
The nutritional content of Shark fin (100 grams)
Energy of 350 kcal, protein 84.1 g, fat 0.5 g, carbohydrates 2.3 grams, 0.01 mg thiamine, riboflavin 0.02 mg, 252 mg of calcium, phosphorus 115 mg, 226 mg of potassium, sodium 79.6 mg, 10.9 mg iodine, Magnesium 17 mg, iron 5.1 mg, 2.25 mg of zinc, selenium 72.46 mcg, Copper 0.04 mg Manganese 0.09 mg.
Shark fin which protein containing about 80%, also contains fat, carbohydrates and other minerals. Shark fin may be luxurious sea food in Chinese cuisine, but the nutritional value is actually not very high. This is because the protein contained in Shark fin, is lacking an essential amino acid (tryptophan), and is not a complete protein.
The nutritional value of Shark fin:
1. Shark fin with lipid-lowering, anti-arteriosclerosis and anticoagulant content on the effectiveness of prevention and treatment of cardiovascular system diseases.
2. Shark fin is rich in collagen, but the protein is not entirely protein, should be cooked with meat, chicken, duck, shrimp were cooked in order to achieve the complementary proteins, but also conferred by fresh taste can nourish, Soft skin.
3. One of the useful content in shark fin is cartilage or cartilage, which is believed capable of improving immunity and preventing cancer. Just like shark fins, chicken feet also contain a lot of cartilage to coat joints, which is much cheaper and breed commercially.
Demand and Consumptions
Sharks are often killed for shark fin soup. Shark fin soup is a status symbol in Asian countries, and is considered healthy and full of nutrients. Fishermen capture live sharks, fin them, and dump the finless animal back into the water. Shark finning involves removing the fin with a hot metal blade. The resulting immobile shark soon dies from suffocation or predators. Shark fin has become a major trade within black markets all over the world. Fins sell for about $300/lb in 2009. Poachers illegally fin millions each year. Few governments enforce laws that protect them. Consumption of shark fin soup has risen dramatically with the middle class becoming more affluent, as Chinese communities around the world enjoy increasing income levels. Environmental groups claim that finning has caused decline of shark species, which, as top predators in the ocean, are essential to the stability of oceanic ecosystems. Fishing fleets catch an estimated 70 million sharks a year as of 2010.
Now with the economic success of China, there are many rich Chineses who consumed shark fins more frequently in their dinners and banquets.
Sharks are also killed for meat. European diners consume dogfishes, smoothhounds, catsharks, makos, porbeagle and also skates and rays.
Supply - Shark finning
Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discarding of the rest of the fish. Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers only have to transport the fins
.
On September 15, 2007, Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Ministry Azmi Khalid banned shark's fin soup from official functions committing to the Malaysian Nature Society (for conservation of shark species).
Sharks belong to the scientific class Chondrichthyes, or jawed fish with cartilage skeletons. Using their body and tail in a side-to-side movement, sharks move through water using fins for steering, stabilization, propulsion and thrust. Supported by cartilage, shark fins are rigid rather than flexible. In the shark family, there are five different types of fins, each with its own purpose. Sharks, as all fish, use their body and tail in a side to side motion to move through the water. Shark fins are rigid not flexible, and are supported by rods made of cartilage. Sharks have five different kinds of fins.
(i) Paired pectoral fins lift the shark as it swims.
(ii) Paired pelvic fins stabilize the shark.
(iii) One or two dorsal fins also stabilize the shark. In some species, dorsal fins have spines.
(iv) Not all sharks have an anal fin, but it provides stability for the sharks that do have one.
(v) The caudal or tail fin moves the shark forward.
It is high time to stop eating shark’s fin soup, especially during Chinese New Year Reunion dinner and wedding dinner.
Opposition voices
Tommy Cheung, the legislator representing Hong Kong's catering sector, said: "I don't believe sharks are an endangered species. Some species of shark may be, but not all shark's fin comes from certain species. There are a lot of species that are plentiful." There is no reliable count for the numbers taken in the shark fin trade and thus it is hard to prove the claims on either side of the argument.
However, research has shown that the vast majority of shark species are gaining in population and not endangered; CITES lists only 3 out of 400 species as needing protection. Furthermore, shark finning contributes to a small proportion of sharks caught worldwide; most sharks are caught in European nations as bycatch, for sport, or for their meat. As a result, the movement against shark fins have been variously described as misled, reliant on populist rhetoric, or Sinophobic.
According to Giam's article, "sharks are caught virtually all parts of the world. Despite the strongly declared objectives of the Fisheries Commission in Brussels, there are very few restrictions on fishing for sharks in European waters. The meat of dogfishes, smoothhounds, cat sharks, skates and rays is in high demand by European consumers...The situation in Canada and the United States is similar: the blue shark is sought after as a sport fish while the porbeagle, mako and spiny dogfish are part of the commercial fishery...the truth is this: Sharks will continue to be caught and killed on a wide scale by the more organized and sophisticated fishing nations...targeting shark's fin soup will not stop this accidental catch. The fins from these catches will be thrown away or turned into animal feed and fertilizers if shark's fin soup is shunned."
However, the U.S. FDA lists sharks as one of four fish (with swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish) whose high mercury content is hazardous to children and pregnant women.
Shark finning is cruel, and shark finning should be banned. Shark fins should only be obtained from dead fishes, not lived sharks. Better to stop eating shark related food to stop the demand and the ultimately the sharks killings, either for shark fins or for shark meats.
We should stop eating shark’s fins during Chinese New Year 2012, and start campaigns to stop consuming shark’s fins soup, and to help the survival of the sharks’ population. By eating shark’s fins, we are helping to increase the demand.....let us stop it.
Say No to Shark Fins Soup, and a happy Chinese New Year for Sharks, for all human, and the world....
Related articles:
1. The factory processes shark's fin. But the boss of the factory never eat shark's fin.
2. http://www.sharktruth.org/
3. STOP SHARK FINNING, http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/shark-fin-soup.htm
http://www.thailandlife.com/all-about-thailand/shark-fin-soup.html
4. The Reality of Shark Finning , http://www.sharkfriends.com/sharks/sharkfinning.html
5. http://www.unitedconservationists.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=223
6. Shark finning, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_finning
Youtubes
7. Shark Finning , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2UKgLsOhRM
8. Shark Fin Soup , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCqPXhhxZIg&feature=fvwp&NR=1
Monday, January 2, 2012
如果您喝酒脸红，看了这条新闻您还喝吗？？
喝酒有害身体，这是大家都知道的铁律. 有些人喝一点脸就红，有些人喝了脸色不改.
喝一点脸就红, 都是中國人基因的错.
中國人的基因, 这用来警惕大家不要滥用酒精.....一点点就好...脸红就不需喝酒 lah....
Asian Turn Red Syndrome (Alcohol flush reaction)lah....
中國人的基因, 这不是一件好事吗？....