I grew up with two good friends
One who wears brown and another who wears black.
I call them my brown and black brothers.
Alas, they have become very evil
And they are going all out
To destroy me and my family.
They are most evil when
They proclaim themselves as Jedi Knights.
They corrupted the Jedi Knights' true teachings
And transformed the Jedi Way
Into the Way Of The Dark Side.
The more they dress up in the Jedi's robes,
The more evil they become.
For they have defiled the house of the Jedi
By killing off the true Jedi
To whom they once served faithfully.
Thus worshipping at the temple
Of the Jedi
Dressed in Jedi robes
Makes one dirty
Instead of pure and clean.
The three of us also have a friend
Called the man in white.
He is the smartest of us all
And has a thousand and one inventions
Which the great-great grandparents
Of the men in black and brown,
As well as my ancestors taught him.
But he is snobbish and looks down
On the men in black and brown,
The shit and scum of our small vilage.
He has invented a machine
Which minces things up
And restores them
Into new and better stuff.
I am going to see him
And tell him to capture
My brown and black ex-neighbours,
And throw them into that machine.
And I am going to make him burn
The Jedi temple down,
And rebuild it with his technology.
For he has the true books of the Jedi
And the true teachings of the Jedi
In his lab.
Once he minces my devilish friends
And restores them to the true ways
Of their great-great grandpas,
I will forgive them.
And the man in white and I
Will make our wills which state
That the families
Of the men in brown and black
Will be the main beneficiaries
Of the bountiful harvests we reap
In the years to come.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
China's Dynasties
Chou 1111-255 BC, 950-960 (1376 years).
Chin 255-206 BC, 266-589, 937-947 (382 years).
Han 206 BC-220 AD, 947-950 (429 years).
Wei 220-266 (46 years).
Sui 589-618 (29 years).
Tang 618-907, 923-937 (303 years).
Liang 907-923 (16 years).
Sung 960-1276 (316 years).
Yuan [Mongols] 1276-1368 (92 years).
Ming 1368-1644 (276 years).
Qing [Manchus] 1644-1912 (268 years).
Chin 255-206 BC, 266-589, 937-947 (382 years).
Han 206 BC-220 AD, 947-950 (429 years).
Wei 220-266 (46 years).
Sui 589-618 (29 years).
Tang 618-907, 923-937 (303 years).
Liang 907-923 (16 years).
Sung 960-1276 (316 years).
Yuan [Mongols] 1276-1368 (92 years).
Ming 1368-1644 (276 years).
Qing [Manchus] 1644-1912 (268 years).
Friday, December 14, 2007
More 3rd World Heroes In US & UK
Hungarians
___________
Estee Lauder.
Tony Curtis.
Jamie Lee Curtis.
Adrien Brody.
Michael (Alias) Vartan.
William (20th Century Fox founder) Fox.
Steven Spielberg.
Al Zukor (Paramount founder).
Polish
_______
Scarlett Johansson.
Ted Knight.
Joe Lando.
Ross Martin.
Jerry Orbach.
Stefanie Powers.
Chloe Sevigny.
Loretta Swit.
Al Warner (Warner Brothers founder).
Gene Pitney.
Richie Sambora.
Max Factor.
Helena Rubenstein.
Martha Stewart.
Albanians
___________
Eliza Dushku.
James Belushi.
John Belushi.
Steve Buscemi.
Regis Philbin.
Arabs
______
Steve Jobs (Apple founder).
John Mack (Morgan Stanley CEO).
Wentworth Miller (Prison Break).
Vince Vaughn.
Greeks
_______
Rita Wilson.
Arianna Huffington.
Liz Perkins.
Tommy Lee.
Spiro Agnew (ex-Vice-President).
Russians / Ukrainians
________________________
Vanessa Carlton.
Edward Furlong.
Debra Messing.
Winona Ryder.
Milla Jovovich.
Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls).
James Franco (Spider-Man).
Sandra Dee.
Tom Selleck.
Andy Warhol.
Robert Urich.
Azeris
______
Bob Dylan.
Jakob Dylan.
David Chockachi.
Tiffani Amber-Thiessen.
___________
Estee Lauder.
Tony Curtis.
Jamie Lee Curtis.
Adrien Brody.
Michael (Alias) Vartan.
William (20th Century Fox founder) Fox.
Steven Spielberg.
Al Zukor (Paramount founder).
Polish
_______
Scarlett Johansson.
Ted Knight.
Joe Lando.
Ross Martin.
Jerry Orbach.
Stefanie Powers.
Chloe Sevigny.
Loretta Swit.
Al Warner (Warner Brothers founder).
Gene Pitney.
Richie Sambora.
Max Factor.
Helena Rubenstein.
Martha Stewart.
Albanians
___________
Eliza Dushku.
James Belushi.
John Belushi.
Steve Buscemi.
Regis Philbin.
Arabs
______
Steve Jobs (Apple founder).
John Mack (Morgan Stanley CEO).
Wentworth Miller (Prison Break).
Vince Vaughn.
Greeks
_______
Rita Wilson.
Arianna Huffington.
Liz Perkins.
Tommy Lee.
Spiro Agnew (ex-Vice-President).
Russians / Ukrainians
________________________
Vanessa Carlton.
Edward Furlong.
Debra Messing.
Winona Ryder.
Milla Jovovich.
Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls).
James Franco (Spider-Man).
Sandra Dee.
Tom Selleck.
Andy Warhol.
Robert Urich.
Azeris
______
Bob Dylan.
Jakob Dylan.
David Chockachi.
Tiffani Amber-Thiessen.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
About The Beatles - Kings Of English Rock
Thanks, Wikipedia.
The Beatles were an English rock group from Liverpool, Britain, which lasted for 12 years beginning 1957.
Also nicknamed the Fab Four, The Beatles comprised Scotsmen John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney, and Anglo-Indians Sir George Harrison and Richard Starkey also known as Ringo Starr.
The Beatles is one of the most commercially successful bands in the history of popular music.
In the United Kingdom, The Beatles released more than 40 different singles, albums and EPs that reached number one. The group has sold more than a billion discs and tapes internationally and is the best-selling musical act of all time in the United States.
The United States’ entertainment magazine Rolling Stone has named The Beatles as the greatest musical act of all time and describes the group as the definer of the 1960s and a major influence on pop music in the following decades.
The Beatles began as The Quarrymen in March 1957. Its original members were Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. In 1960, they were joined by Lennon’s school friend Stuart Sutcliffe.
Sutcliffe was the bassist while Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were guitarists. Lennon and McCartney were the lead vocalists and lyricists.
The group became known as The Beatles in August 1960.
The Beatles’ early major influence was the United States’ King of Rock and Roll Elvis Aaron Presley. It was also influenced by Buddy Holly and his rock group The Crickets.
Sutcliffe left the band in 1961 to become an artist. Sadly, he died on April 10, 1962 as a result of complications caused by head injuries sustained in an accident two years earlier.
Pete Best, an Anglo-Indian, joined the group as drummer in 1960, when it became known as The Beatles.
The Beatles’ first gig took place in Hamburg in 1960. It was here that the American press first noticed the group. Their first hit song was a rock-remix of the traditional English song My Bonny.
In 1962, Brian Epstein, a Lithuanian-Israeli from Liverpool, became the group’s manager. Rumour has it that he and Lennon had a homosexual relationship. Epstein died of a drug overdose in 1967 when he was only 32.
Best left the group in August 1962 after persistent complaints about his lack of discipline by Harrison and Epstein. He was replaced by Richard Starkey who was also nicknamed Ringo Starr as a result of his love for rings.
The Beatles had its first major hit Love Me Do in June 1962.
The following year, The Beatles produced I Wanna Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Please Please Me and From Me To You which heralded its arrival in the United States.
The Beatles’ first TV appearance in the United States was in The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
The group’s members were awarded with MBEs (Members of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth 2 of the United Kingdom in the same year.
In 1966, the group unintentionally offended the Philippines’ murderous and corrupt President Ferdinand Chua Marcos who wanted to invite them for a meal at his palace in Manila after their concert by declining the ruthless despot’s invite.
In 1967, The Beatles became the first band to have a live telecast concert on television. 400 million people worldwide watched the group perform in Abbey Road, London.
In 1968, The Beatles became students of Hindu spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of Uttar Pradesh, India. The Punjabi Hindu teacher also called Mahesh Prasad Varma taught the group Transcendental Meditation.
Punjabi Indian influence from the guru made its way into The Beatles’ music. The group adopted the sitar as one of its musical instruments and this instrument played a key role in the hit song Norwegian Wood.
On January 30, 1969, The Beatles broke up following a live performance of its last hit song Let It Be in Savile Row, London.
After the group disbanded, all of its members went on to have successful solo careers.
Lennon became actively involved in anti-Vietnam War activism while Harrison organised a concert in New York to raise funds for flood victims in Bangladesh in 1971. Harrison was assisted by sitar legend Ravi Shankar of Punjab, India (Shankar is the father of singer-songwriter Norah Jones from the United States).
On December 8, 1980, Lennon was shot dead by Mark Chapman, apparently a deranged fan, in New York. However, many fans believe that he was killed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States for his strident opposition to the Vietnam War and his campaign to remove corrupt United States President Richard M. Nixon from power in 1974.
In 1988, The Beatles was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. As solo artistes, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were inducted in 1994, 1999 and 2004, respectively.
In February 1994, Starr, McCartney and Harrison recorded Free As A Bird, a song written by Lennon and McCartney.
On November 29, 2001, Harrison died of a brain tumour. He was posthumously knighted by Queen Elizabeth 2. McCartney received his knighthood four years earlier.
McCartney and Starr, the two surviving Beatles, suffer from health problems resulting from the group’s persistent drug abuse during its heydays. However, their ailments are under control and they make occasional appearances in British and American entertainment shows, especially those which are linked to humanitarian relief.
McCartney is a tireless advocate of vegetarianism.
Throughout its relatively short career, The Beatles set a number of world records which include the following.
- Best-selling musical group of all time. Sold a billion discs and tapes worldwide.
- Group with the most number one singles.
- Most successful songwriters - Lennon and McCartney.
- Most covered song - Yesterday.
- Fastest selling single - I Wanna Hold Your Hand which sold 250,000 units in three days and a million in two weeks.
The Beatles appeared in several films, all of which featured its hit songs. The films included A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965).
From 1965-1969 the group appeared in its very own cartoon series.
Here are the biographies of the group’s individual members.
1. John Winston Lennon.
________________________
John Winston Lennon (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), who was murdered at the age of 40 in New York, is not only revered as one of the world’s greatest singers and songwriters but also as a peace activist and humanitarian, author and graphic artist.
Post-Beatles, Lennon was best remembered for his peace and humanitarian hit songs such as Woman, Give Peace A Chance and Imagine.
As a member of The Beatles and after, Lennon was also remembered for his rebellious nature and irreverent wit, and occasionally courted controversy.
Lennon has two musician sons Julian and Sean, from two marriages. Julian’s mother is Lennon’s ex-wife Cynthia Powell of Britain while Sean’s mother is John’s second wife, artist and musician Yoko Ono of Japan.
Born in Liverpool during a German air raid on Britain during World War 2, Lennon was named for his paternal grandfather John Lennon and British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
When he was five, his parents, Alfred and Julia, were divorced and the latter raised him up.
When Lennon was 17, his mother died in a car accident. Coincidentally, his bandmate Sir Paul McCartney lost his mother to breast cancer two years earlier.
Lennon and his second wife Ono formed the Plastic Ono Band shortly before The Beatles disbanded. The band recorded the album Live Peace in Toronto, Canada in 1969 and subsequently came up with hit singles Give Peace A Chance, Cold Turkey and Instant Karma.
After The Beatles disbanded, the band came up with Working Class Hero, a tribute to Sir Charles Chaplin, the great Anglo-Indian comedian and champion of the working class.
Lennon’s other hit songs in the 1970s included Happy Xmas, Woman and Imagine.
He retired in 1975, to concentrate on business. However, in 1980, he announced his comeback to the music scene. Before he could release new materials, he was assassinated by Mark Chapman outside his house in New York.
As a member of The Beatles, Lennon was once slammed by conservative and fundamentalist Christians worldwide for an off-the-cuff statement that rock music was fast becoming more popular than Christianity. He made the statement in 1966 and subsequently apologised for it.
As a writer, Lennon created his own comics about his life journey and three books containing his works of art.
Several memorials have been established to honour Lennon. Shortly after his death, the Strawberry Fields Memorial was set up in New York’s Central Park. Other notable memorials are found in Havana, Cuba, and Videy, Iceland.
Bisexual Anglo-Indian rock star and Queen lead vocalist Freddie Mercury (Frederick Bulsara) dedicated his 1982 song Life Is Real to Lennon while Sir Elton John dedicated his 1982 hit song Empty Garden to Lennon.
In 1991, Lennon received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In September 2007, musicians, poets, painters and dramatists attended the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival in the village of Durness, Scotland. The cultural event was held in Lennon’s favourite summer holiday destination during his pre-teen years.
2. Sir George Harrison.
________________________
Sir George Harrison (February 25, 1943 – November 29, 2001) was best known as The Beatles’ youngest and most reclusive member as well as the group’s innovative lead guitarist.
He also gained worldwide fame as the organiser of a rock concert to help flood victims in Bangladesh in 1971 (the first humanitarian rock concert) and as a frequent collaborator with Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar.
He formed the veterans’ rock group The Travelling Wilburys with rock greats Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne in the 1980s.
Harrison also became an actor and film-maker and collaborated with British comedians John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin and American pop queen Madonna on screen.
Of Irish-Indian ancestry, Harrison was born a Christian but died a devout Hindu.
While John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney were the main singers and songwriters of The Beatles, Harrison gradually became a respected singer and songwriter in his own right.
In fact, he became the first Beatle to achieve a Number One single, My Sweet Lord, after the band disbanded.
Harrison’s other hit songs included What Is Life, Give Me Love and Got My Mind Set On You.
The most famous film Harrison produced was The Life Of Brian which starred Cleese, Idle, Palin and himself. He also produced Time Bandits starring Anglo-Indian actor Sir Sean Connery (yes, he and Sir Roger Moore, his successor as James Bond are Anglo-Indian) and Cleese and Mona Lisa starring Anglo-Indian actors Bob Hoskins and Sir Michael Caine.
Harrison wrote his first song Don’t Bother Me for The Beatles in 1963. He performed all The Beatles’ songs which he wrote and they included My Guitar Gently Weeps and Something.
Something, dedicated to Harrison’s first wife, model Patti Boyd, has been described by Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley as one of the most beautiful love songs of all time.
One of Harrison’s best friends was Welsh Canadian singer and songwriter Eric Clapton, who later married Boyd and wrote the songs Layla and Wonderful Tonight as a tribute to her.
In 1976, Harrison was hospitalised with hepatitis, but recovered from the deadly disease.
In 1980, he became the first Beatle to write an autobiography, I, Me, Mine.
He was diagnosed with lung and throat cancer in 1997, but beat the illness until it returned in 2001.
In late 1999, Harrison survived a stabbing by a stalker who sneaked into his house.
Harrison died of a brain tumour in 2001 and following an unpublicised cremation, had his ashes scattered in the Ganges River, India and several locations around the world.
Shortly before his death, he released a message which read: "Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another."
Harrison and R&B singer and actress Aaliyah Haughton (niece of R&B legend Gladys Knight) who died in a plane crash in 2001, became the first singers to score back-to-back posthumous number one hits.
Aaliyah's More Than A Woman and Harrison’s My Sweet Lord became chart toppers in January and February 2002, respectively.
Harrison married twice. His first marriage to Boyd in 1966 lasted 4 years (they remained lifelong friends). In 1978, he married Olivia Arias, a Mexican who was his secretary. They had a son, Dhani.
An accomplished gardener, Harrison restored the English manor house and grounds of Friar Park, which once belonged to businessman Sir Frank Crisp. Harrison also owned homes in Hawaii and Australia where he kept extensive tropical gardens.
Harrison was a fan of sports cars and motor racing. He was a big fan of the Mini Cooper and owned a McLaren F1 car.
Several days after his death, Harrison appeared in animated form in The Simpsons as himself. The episode titled Hunka Hunka Burns In Love was dedicated to Harrison.
3. Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr).
__________________________________
Richard Starkey Jr. (born July 7, 1940), known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is best known as the drummer for The Beatles. He was the oldest and shortest member of the band, and the last to join it.
Of English and Iranian ancestry, Starr joined the group in Hamburg, Germany in 1962, two years after he met John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir George Harrison.
Starr is credited with writing The Beatles’ songs Don't Pass Me By and Octopus' Garden among others.
Lennon used Starr's original expressions A Hard Day's Night and Tomorrow Never Knows, and turned them into Beatles songs.
Starr married Maureen Cox in 1965 and had three children. They were divorced in 1975.
One of their children, Zak Starkey is a prolific drummer who has collaborated with The Who and Oasis.
In 1980, he married Israeli-American actress Barbara Bach (who acted in his good friend Sir Roger Moore’s James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me) who acted with him in the comedy film Caveman.
Starr also performed in his former bandmates’ concerts most notably Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh in 1971.
Starr occasionally performs with his All-Star Band comprising notable British and American musicians.
Besides Caveman, Starr has also starred in The Magic Christian (with the late British actor Peter Sellers) and Son Of Dracula.
Starr has also been a television host and is best known as the narrator of children’s television series Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends.
Starr was the first Beatle to appear in The Simpsons in 1991 as himself. Harrison and McCartney have also appeared in the animated television series.
4. Sir James Paul McCartney.
_______________________________
Sir James Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) is best known as one of the two lead singers and songwriters of The Beatles, the other being John Lennon.
He is also a successful solo artiste and has worked on film scores and classical music besides rock and pop music.
McCartney is listed in the Guinness World Records as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles.
He is also a respected humanitarian who organises concerts for world peace and freedom, and a staunch vegetarianism activist.
McCartney's father James was a trumpet player and pianist, who led his own band in the 1920s.
While in The Beatles, McCartney also wrote songs for several artists most notably Mary Hopkin (Those Were The Days), Cilla Black, Badfinger and Peter Asher (World Without Love).
After The Beatles disbanded, McCartney formed his own band, Wings, which was later renamed the Paul McCartney Band. Its members included his wife Linda Eastman on keyboards and Anglo-Indian Denny Laine on guitar.
One of the band’s most famous hit songs was Band On The Run which won a Grammy Award. The band also produced the hit song Mull Of Kintyre.
He also recorded two famous duets with Michael Jackson - The Girl Is Mine and Say Say Say.
McCartney wrote and starred in the 1984 film Give My Regards To Broad Street which featured his hit song No More Lonely Nights. He also wrote and performed the title song to the film Spies Like Us starring Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd.
In 1991, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society commissioned a musical piece by McCartney.
McCartney took a lead role in organising The Concert For New York City in response to the events of September 11, 2001, on October 20 that year.
In 2006, McCartney marked his first performance in the Grammy Awards alongside Jay-Z and Linkin Park.
McCartney is also an accomplished painter, poet and author of children’s books.
One of Britain’s wealthiest men today, McCartney has an estimated fortune of £760 million (RM5,320).
McCartney was romantically linked to British television personality Jane Asher during his heydays (she was the sister of Peter Asher) in The Beatles. She inspired him to write the hit songs Yesterday, And I Love Her and I’m Looking Through You.
However, they broke up after five years and he married Israeli American photographer and musician Linda Eastman. She died of breast cancer in 1998.
In 2002, McCartney married model and anti-landmines campaigner Heather Mills. They were divorced in 2006.
In 2004, McCartney participated in the United States Campaign For Burma to demand the release of Burmese freedom fighter and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, currently placed under house arrest by the country’s military dictator President Than Shwe.
McCartney has achieved 29 number one singles in the United States, 20 of them with The Beatles.
He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990.
The Beatles were an English rock group from Liverpool, Britain, which lasted for 12 years beginning 1957.
Also nicknamed the Fab Four, The Beatles comprised Scotsmen John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney, and Anglo-Indians Sir George Harrison and Richard Starkey also known as Ringo Starr.
The Beatles is one of the most commercially successful bands in the history of popular music.
In the United Kingdom, The Beatles released more than 40 different singles, albums and EPs that reached number one. The group has sold more than a billion discs and tapes internationally and is the best-selling musical act of all time in the United States.
The United States’ entertainment magazine Rolling Stone has named The Beatles as the greatest musical act of all time and describes the group as the definer of the 1960s and a major influence on pop music in the following decades.
The Beatles began as The Quarrymen in March 1957. Its original members were Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. In 1960, they were joined by Lennon’s school friend Stuart Sutcliffe.
Sutcliffe was the bassist while Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were guitarists. Lennon and McCartney were the lead vocalists and lyricists.
The group became known as The Beatles in August 1960.
The Beatles’ early major influence was the United States’ King of Rock and Roll Elvis Aaron Presley. It was also influenced by Buddy Holly and his rock group The Crickets.
Sutcliffe left the band in 1961 to become an artist. Sadly, he died on April 10, 1962 as a result of complications caused by head injuries sustained in an accident two years earlier.
Pete Best, an Anglo-Indian, joined the group as drummer in 1960, when it became known as The Beatles.
The Beatles’ first gig took place in Hamburg in 1960. It was here that the American press first noticed the group. Their first hit song was a rock-remix of the traditional English song My Bonny.
In 1962, Brian Epstein, a Lithuanian-Israeli from Liverpool, became the group’s manager. Rumour has it that he and Lennon had a homosexual relationship. Epstein died of a drug overdose in 1967 when he was only 32.
Best left the group in August 1962 after persistent complaints about his lack of discipline by Harrison and Epstein. He was replaced by Richard Starkey who was also nicknamed Ringo Starr as a result of his love for rings.
The Beatles had its first major hit Love Me Do in June 1962.
The following year, The Beatles produced I Wanna Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Please Please Me and From Me To You which heralded its arrival in the United States.
The Beatles’ first TV appearance in the United States was in The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
The group’s members were awarded with MBEs (Members of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth 2 of the United Kingdom in the same year.
In 1966, the group unintentionally offended the Philippines’ murderous and corrupt President Ferdinand Chua Marcos who wanted to invite them for a meal at his palace in Manila after their concert by declining the ruthless despot’s invite.
In 1967, The Beatles became the first band to have a live telecast concert on television. 400 million people worldwide watched the group perform in Abbey Road, London.
In 1968, The Beatles became students of Hindu spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of Uttar Pradesh, India. The Punjabi Hindu teacher also called Mahesh Prasad Varma taught the group Transcendental Meditation.
Punjabi Indian influence from the guru made its way into The Beatles’ music. The group adopted the sitar as one of its musical instruments and this instrument played a key role in the hit song Norwegian Wood.
On January 30, 1969, The Beatles broke up following a live performance of its last hit song Let It Be in Savile Row, London.
After the group disbanded, all of its members went on to have successful solo careers.
Lennon became actively involved in anti-Vietnam War activism while Harrison organised a concert in New York to raise funds for flood victims in Bangladesh in 1971. Harrison was assisted by sitar legend Ravi Shankar of Punjab, India (Shankar is the father of singer-songwriter Norah Jones from the United States).
On December 8, 1980, Lennon was shot dead by Mark Chapman, apparently a deranged fan, in New York. However, many fans believe that he was killed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States for his strident opposition to the Vietnam War and his campaign to remove corrupt United States President Richard M. Nixon from power in 1974.
In 1988, The Beatles was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. As solo artistes, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were inducted in 1994, 1999 and 2004, respectively.
In February 1994, Starr, McCartney and Harrison recorded Free As A Bird, a song written by Lennon and McCartney.
On November 29, 2001, Harrison died of a brain tumour. He was posthumously knighted by Queen Elizabeth 2. McCartney received his knighthood four years earlier.
McCartney and Starr, the two surviving Beatles, suffer from health problems resulting from the group’s persistent drug abuse during its heydays. However, their ailments are under control and they make occasional appearances in British and American entertainment shows, especially those which are linked to humanitarian relief.
McCartney is a tireless advocate of vegetarianism.
Throughout its relatively short career, The Beatles set a number of world records which include the following.
- Best-selling musical group of all time. Sold a billion discs and tapes worldwide.
- Group with the most number one singles.
- Most successful songwriters - Lennon and McCartney.
- Most covered song - Yesterday.
- Fastest selling single - I Wanna Hold Your Hand which sold 250,000 units in three days and a million in two weeks.
The Beatles appeared in several films, all of which featured its hit songs. The films included A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965).
From 1965-1969 the group appeared in its very own cartoon series.
Here are the biographies of the group’s individual members.
1. John Winston Lennon.
________________________
John Winston Lennon (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), who was murdered at the age of 40 in New York, is not only revered as one of the world’s greatest singers and songwriters but also as a peace activist and humanitarian, author and graphic artist.
Post-Beatles, Lennon was best remembered for his peace and humanitarian hit songs such as Woman, Give Peace A Chance and Imagine.
As a member of The Beatles and after, Lennon was also remembered for his rebellious nature and irreverent wit, and occasionally courted controversy.
Lennon has two musician sons Julian and Sean, from two marriages. Julian’s mother is Lennon’s ex-wife Cynthia Powell of Britain while Sean’s mother is John’s second wife, artist and musician Yoko Ono of Japan.
Born in Liverpool during a German air raid on Britain during World War 2, Lennon was named for his paternal grandfather John Lennon and British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
When he was five, his parents, Alfred and Julia, were divorced and the latter raised him up.
When Lennon was 17, his mother died in a car accident. Coincidentally, his bandmate Sir Paul McCartney lost his mother to breast cancer two years earlier.
Lennon and his second wife Ono formed the Plastic Ono Band shortly before The Beatles disbanded. The band recorded the album Live Peace in Toronto, Canada in 1969 and subsequently came up with hit singles Give Peace A Chance, Cold Turkey and Instant Karma.
After The Beatles disbanded, the band came up with Working Class Hero, a tribute to Sir Charles Chaplin, the great Anglo-Indian comedian and champion of the working class.
Lennon’s other hit songs in the 1970s included Happy Xmas, Woman and Imagine.
He retired in 1975, to concentrate on business. However, in 1980, he announced his comeback to the music scene. Before he could release new materials, he was assassinated by Mark Chapman outside his house in New York.
As a member of The Beatles, Lennon was once slammed by conservative and fundamentalist Christians worldwide for an off-the-cuff statement that rock music was fast becoming more popular than Christianity. He made the statement in 1966 and subsequently apologised for it.
As a writer, Lennon created his own comics about his life journey and three books containing his works of art.
Several memorials have been established to honour Lennon. Shortly after his death, the Strawberry Fields Memorial was set up in New York’s Central Park. Other notable memorials are found in Havana, Cuba, and Videy, Iceland.
Bisexual Anglo-Indian rock star and Queen lead vocalist Freddie Mercury (Frederick Bulsara) dedicated his 1982 song Life Is Real to Lennon while Sir Elton John dedicated his 1982 hit song Empty Garden to Lennon.
In 1991, Lennon received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In September 2007, musicians, poets, painters and dramatists attended the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival in the village of Durness, Scotland. The cultural event was held in Lennon’s favourite summer holiday destination during his pre-teen years.
2. Sir George Harrison.
________________________
Sir George Harrison (February 25, 1943 – November 29, 2001) was best known as The Beatles’ youngest and most reclusive member as well as the group’s innovative lead guitarist.
He also gained worldwide fame as the organiser of a rock concert to help flood victims in Bangladesh in 1971 (the first humanitarian rock concert) and as a frequent collaborator with Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar.
He formed the veterans’ rock group The Travelling Wilburys with rock greats Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne in the 1980s.
Harrison also became an actor and film-maker and collaborated with British comedians John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin and American pop queen Madonna on screen.
Of Irish-Indian ancestry, Harrison was born a Christian but died a devout Hindu.
While John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney were the main singers and songwriters of The Beatles, Harrison gradually became a respected singer and songwriter in his own right.
In fact, he became the first Beatle to achieve a Number One single, My Sweet Lord, after the band disbanded.
Harrison’s other hit songs included What Is Life, Give Me Love and Got My Mind Set On You.
The most famous film Harrison produced was The Life Of Brian which starred Cleese, Idle, Palin and himself. He also produced Time Bandits starring Anglo-Indian actor Sir Sean Connery (yes, he and Sir Roger Moore, his successor as James Bond are Anglo-Indian) and Cleese and Mona Lisa starring Anglo-Indian actors Bob Hoskins and Sir Michael Caine.
Harrison wrote his first song Don’t Bother Me for The Beatles in 1963. He performed all The Beatles’ songs which he wrote and they included My Guitar Gently Weeps and Something.
Something, dedicated to Harrison’s first wife, model Patti Boyd, has been described by Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley as one of the most beautiful love songs of all time.
One of Harrison’s best friends was Welsh Canadian singer and songwriter Eric Clapton, who later married Boyd and wrote the songs Layla and Wonderful Tonight as a tribute to her.
In 1976, Harrison was hospitalised with hepatitis, but recovered from the deadly disease.
In 1980, he became the first Beatle to write an autobiography, I, Me, Mine.
He was diagnosed with lung and throat cancer in 1997, but beat the illness until it returned in 2001.
In late 1999, Harrison survived a stabbing by a stalker who sneaked into his house.
Harrison died of a brain tumour in 2001 and following an unpublicised cremation, had his ashes scattered in the Ganges River, India and several locations around the world.
Shortly before his death, he released a message which read: "Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another."
Harrison and R&B singer and actress Aaliyah Haughton (niece of R&B legend Gladys Knight) who died in a plane crash in 2001, became the first singers to score back-to-back posthumous number one hits.
Aaliyah's More Than A Woman and Harrison’s My Sweet Lord became chart toppers in January and February 2002, respectively.
Harrison married twice. His first marriage to Boyd in 1966 lasted 4 years (they remained lifelong friends). In 1978, he married Olivia Arias, a Mexican who was his secretary. They had a son, Dhani.
An accomplished gardener, Harrison restored the English manor house and grounds of Friar Park, which once belonged to businessman Sir Frank Crisp. Harrison also owned homes in Hawaii and Australia where he kept extensive tropical gardens.
Harrison was a fan of sports cars and motor racing. He was a big fan of the Mini Cooper and owned a McLaren F1 car.
Several days after his death, Harrison appeared in animated form in The Simpsons as himself. The episode titled Hunka Hunka Burns In Love was dedicated to Harrison.
3. Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr).
__________________________________
Richard Starkey Jr. (born July 7, 1940), known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is best known as the drummer for The Beatles. He was the oldest and shortest member of the band, and the last to join it.
Of English and Iranian ancestry, Starr joined the group in Hamburg, Germany in 1962, two years after he met John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir George Harrison.
Starr is credited with writing The Beatles’ songs Don't Pass Me By and Octopus' Garden among others.
Lennon used Starr's original expressions A Hard Day's Night and Tomorrow Never Knows, and turned them into Beatles songs.
Starr married Maureen Cox in 1965 and had three children. They were divorced in 1975.
One of their children, Zak Starkey is a prolific drummer who has collaborated with The Who and Oasis.
In 1980, he married Israeli-American actress Barbara Bach (who acted in his good friend Sir Roger Moore’s James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me) who acted with him in the comedy film Caveman.
Starr also performed in his former bandmates’ concerts most notably Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh in 1971.
Starr occasionally performs with his All-Star Band comprising notable British and American musicians.
Besides Caveman, Starr has also starred in The Magic Christian (with the late British actor Peter Sellers) and Son Of Dracula.
Starr has also been a television host and is best known as the narrator of children’s television series Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends.
Starr was the first Beatle to appear in The Simpsons in 1991 as himself. Harrison and McCartney have also appeared in the animated television series.
4. Sir James Paul McCartney.
_______________________________
Sir James Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) is best known as one of the two lead singers and songwriters of The Beatles, the other being John Lennon.
He is also a successful solo artiste and has worked on film scores and classical music besides rock and pop music.
McCartney is listed in the Guinness World Records as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles.
He is also a respected humanitarian who organises concerts for world peace and freedom, and a staunch vegetarianism activist.
McCartney's father James was a trumpet player and pianist, who led his own band in the 1920s.
While in The Beatles, McCartney also wrote songs for several artists most notably Mary Hopkin (Those Were The Days), Cilla Black, Badfinger and Peter Asher (World Without Love).
After The Beatles disbanded, McCartney formed his own band, Wings, which was later renamed the Paul McCartney Band. Its members included his wife Linda Eastman on keyboards and Anglo-Indian Denny Laine on guitar.
One of the band’s most famous hit songs was Band On The Run which won a Grammy Award. The band also produced the hit song Mull Of Kintyre.
He also recorded two famous duets with Michael Jackson - The Girl Is Mine and Say Say Say.
McCartney wrote and starred in the 1984 film Give My Regards To Broad Street which featured his hit song No More Lonely Nights. He also wrote and performed the title song to the film Spies Like Us starring Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd.
In 1991, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society commissioned a musical piece by McCartney.
McCartney took a lead role in organising The Concert For New York City in response to the events of September 11, 2001, on October 20 that year.
In 2006, McCartney marked his first performance in the Grammy Awards alongside Jay-Z and Linkin Park.
McCartney is also an accomplished painter, poet and author of children’s books.
One of Britain’s wealthiest men today, McCartney has an estimated fortune of £760 million (RM5,320).
McCartney was romantically linked to British television personality Jane Asher during his heydays (she was the sister of Peter Asher) in The Beatles. She inspired him to write the hit songs Yesterday, And I Love Her and I’m Looking Through You.
However, they broke up after five years and he married Israeli American photographer and musician Linda Eastman. She died of breast cancer in 1998.
In 2002, McCartney married model and anti-landmines campaigner Heather Mills. They were divorced in 2006.
In 2004, McCartney participated in the United States Campaign For Burma to demand the release of Burmese freedom fighter and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, currently placed under house arrest by the country’s military dictator President Than Shwe.
McCartney has achieved 29 number one singles in the United States, 20 of them with The Beatles.
He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Origin Of Countries’ Names.
Afghanistan - Land Of Horsemen in Hindi.
Albania - Land Of Mountains in Iranian.
Algeria - The Island in Arabic.
United States of America - Land Across The Sea in Welsh.
Andorra - Forested Country in Arabic.
Angola - Land Of The King in Ngola (Congo).
Antigua And Barbuda - Ancient Land (Antigua) in Spanish and Land Of Fig Trees (Barbuda) in Spanish.
Argentina - Silver Country in Spanish.
Armenia - Land Of Aryans in Iranian.
Australia - Southern Land in Italian.
Austria - Eastern Land in German.
Azerbaijan - Land Of Fire in Iranian.
Bahamas - Shallow Sea Land in Spanish.
Bahrain - Land Of Two Seas in Arabic.
Bangladesh - Land Of Tin in Bengali.
Barbados - Land Of Figs in Spanish.
Belarus - White Russia in Belarussian.
Belgium - Ancestral Land in Welsh.
Belize - Land Of Muddy Waters in Mayan.
Benin - Land Of The Edo People in Edo (Congo).
Bhutan - Land Of Tibetans in Bhutanese.
Bosnia Herzegovina - Land Of The Great River in Yugoslavian.
Brazil - Land Of Redwood in Portuguese.
Britain - Land Of Painted People in Welsh.
Brunei - Land Of Sea People in Hindi.
Bulgaria - Land Of Castles in Bulgarian.
Burkina Faso - Land Of Upright People In Mossi (Congo).
Burma - Land Of The Mighty in Burmese.
Burundi - Land Of The Kirundi People in Kirundi (Congo).
Cambodia - Land Of The Mountain People in Hindi.
Cameroon - Land Of The Shrimp River in Portuguese.
Canada - Homeland in Iroquoian (Cherokee).
Cape Verde - Green Cape in Portuguese.
Chad - Land Of The Lake in Bornu (Congo).
Chile - Land’s End in Quechua.
China - Eastern Land in Hindi.
Comoros - Islands Of The Moon in Arabic.
Congo - Land Of Hunters in Bakongo (Congo).
Croatia - Land Of Shepherds in Iranian.
Cuba - Central Land in Carib.
Cyprus - Copper Island in Greek.
Czech Republic - Land Of Warriors in Czech.
Denmark - Flat Land in Danish.
Djibouti - Land Of Palm Doormats in Afar (Ethiopian).
Dominica - Sunday Island in Spanish.
Egypt - City Beyond The Sea in Greek.
El Salvador - Land Of The Saviour in Spanish.
Eritrea - Land Of The Red Sea in Greek.
Estonia - Eastern Land in German.
Ethiopia - Land Of The Black in Greek.
Finland - Land Of The White in Swedish.
France - Land Of The Free in German.
Gabon - Land Of The Large Estuary in Portuguese.
Gambia - Land Of Commerce in Portuguese.
Georgia - Mountainous Land in Iranian.
Germany - Neighbouring Country in Welsh.
Ghana - Land Of The Black in Akan (Congo).
Greece - Land Of Light in Italian.
Guatemala - Land Of Many Trees in Mayan.
Guinea - Land Of The Black in Berber.
Guyana - Land Of Many Rivers in Arawak.
Haiti - Mountainous Land in Arawak.
Honduras - Land With Deep Waters in Spanish.
Hungary - Land Of Ten Tribes in Magyar.
India - Land Of Rivers in Iranian.
Iran - Land Of The Aryans in Iranian.
Iraq - Land Between Rivers in Arabic.
Ireland - Land Of The Aryans in Irish.
Italy - Land Of The Ox in Greek.
Jamaica - Land Of Water And Wood in Arawak.
Jordan - The Valley in Arabic.
Kazakhstan - Land Of The Free in Kazakh.
Kenya - Land Of The White Mountain in Kikuyu (Congo).
Kuwait - Fortress By The Water in Arabic.
Kyrgyzstan - Land Of 40 Tribes in Kyrgyz.
Latvia - Borderland in Latvian.
Lebanon - Land Of Snow in Arabic.
Lesotho - Land Of The Black in Sotho (Congo).
Liechtenstein - Land Of Small Stones in German.
Lithuania - Land By The Sea in Lithuanian.
Luxembourg - Little Castle in German.
Macedonia - Land Of The Mighty in Greek.
Madagascar - The End Of The Earth in Merina.
Malawi - Land Of The Flaming Lake in Malawian (Congo).
Malaysia - Mountainous Land in Malaysian (Malay).
Maldives - Garland Islands in Hindi.
Mali - Hippopotamus Land in Malinke (Congo).
Malta - Sanctuary in Arabic.
Mexico - Sunny Land in Nahuatl (Aztec).
Moldova - Muddy Country in German.
Monaco - Homeland in Greek.
Mongolia - Land Of The Brave in Mongolian.
Namibia - Desert Land in Khoisan.
Nauru - Land Of Beaches in Nauruan.
Nepal - The Foot Of The Mountains in Nepali.
Oman - Settlement in Arabic.
Pakistan - Land Of The Pure in Urdu.
Panama - Land Of Fish in Cueva (Mayan).
Paraguay - River Covered By Trees in Guarani.
Peru - Land Of Rivers in Quechua.
Poland - Flat Land in Polish.
Portugal - Welsh Port in Portuguese.
Rwanda - Mountainous Country in Rwandan (Congo).
Singapore - Lion City in Malaysian.
Somalia - Land Of The Black in Somali.
Spain - Hyrax Country in Arabic.
Sri Lanka - Splendid Island in Hindi.
Taiwan - Multi-Level Bay in Paiwan (Bajau).
Tanzania - Land Of Lakes And Blacks in Swahili.
Togo - Coastal Country in Ewe (Congo).
Tonga - Southern Islands in Tongan.
Tunisia - Cape Country in Arabic.
Ukraine - Borderland in Ukrainian.
Uruguay - Land Of The Shellfish River in Guarani.
Uzbekistan - Land Of The Free in Uzbek.
Vatican City - City Of Priests in Italian.
Yemen - Southern Land in Arabic.
Zimbabwe - Stone House in Shona (Congo).
Albania - Land Of Mountains in Iranian.
Algeria - The Island in Arabic.
United States of America - Land Across The Sea in Welsh.
Andorra - Forested Country in Arabic.
Angola - Land Of The King in Ngola (Congo).
Antigua And Barbuda - Ancient Land (Antigua) in Spanish and Land Of Fig Trees (Barbuda) in Spanish.
Argentina - Silver Country in Spanish.
Armenia - Land Of Aryans in Iranian.
Australia - Southern Land in Italian.
Austria - Eastern Land in German.
Azerbaijan - Land Of Fire in Iranian.
Bahamas - Shallow Sea Land in Spanish.
Bahrain - Land Of Two Seas in Arabic.
Bangladesh - Land Of Tin in Bengali.
Barbados - Land Of Figs in Spanish.
Belarus - White Russia in Belarussian.
Belgium - Ancestral Land in Welsh.
Belize - Land Of Muddy Waters in Mayan.
Benin - Land Of The Edo People in Edo (Congo).
Bhutan - Land Of Tibetans in Bhutanese.
Bosnia Herzegovina - Land Of The Great River in Yugoslavian.
Brazil - Land Of Redwood in Portuguese.
Britain - Land Of Painted People in Welsh.
Brunei - Land Of Sea People in Hindi.
Bulgaria - Land Of Castles in Bulgarian.
Burkina Faso - Land Of Upright People In Mossi (Congo).
Burma - Land Of The Mighty in Burmese.
Burundi - Land Of The Kirundi People in Kirundi (Congo).
Cambodia - Land Of The Mountain People in Hindi.
Cameroon - Land Of The Shrimp River in Portuguese.
Canada - Homeland in Iroquoian (Cherokee).
Cape Verde - Green Cape in Portuguese.
Chad - Land Of The Lake in Bornu (Congo).
Chile - Land’s End in Quechua.
China - Eastern Land in Hindi.
Comoros - Islands Of The Moon in Arabic.
Congo - Land Of Hunters in Bakongo (Congo).
Croatia - Land Of Shepherds in Iranian.
Cuba - Central Land in Carib.
Cyprus - Copper Island in Greek.
Czech Republic - Land Of Warriors in Czech.
Denmark - Flat Land in Danish.
Djibouti - Land Of Palm Doormats in Afar (Ethiopian).
Dominica - Sunday Island in Spanish.
Egypt - City Beyond The Sea in Greek.
El Salvador - Land Of The Saviour in Spanish.
Eritrea - Land Of The Red Sea in Greek.
Estonia - Eastern Land in German.
Ethiopia - Land Of The Black in Greek.
Finland - Land Of The White in Swedish.
France - Land Of The Free in German.
Gabon - Land Of The Large Estuary in Portuguese.
Gambia - Land Of Commerce in Portuguese.
Georgia - Mountainous Land in Iranian.
Germany - Neighbouring Country in Welsh.
Ghana - Land Of The Black in Akan (Congo).
Greece - Land Of Light in Italian.
Guatemala - Land Of Many Trees in Mayan.
Guinea - Land Of The Black in Berber.
Guyana - Land Of Many Rivers in Arawak.
Haiti - Mountainous Land in Arawak.
Honduras - Land With Deep Waters in Spanish.
Hungary - Land Of Ten Tribes in Magyar.
India - Land Of Rivers in Iranian.
Iran - Land Of The Aryans in Iranian.
Iraq - Land Between Rivers in Arabic.
Ireland - Land Of The Aryans in Irish.
Italy - Land Of The Ox in Greek.
Jamaica - Land Of Water And Wood in Arawak.
Jordan - The Valley in Arabic.
Kazakhstan - Land Of The Free in Kazakh.
Kenya - Land Of The White Mountain in Kikuyu (Congo).
Kuwait - Fortress By The Water in Arabic.
Kyrgyzstan - Land Of 40 Tribes in Kyrgyz.
Latvia - Borderland in Latvian.
Lebanon - Land Of Snow in Arabic.
Lesotho - Land Of The Black in Sotho (Congo).
Liechtenstein - Land Of Small Stones in German.
Lithuania - Land By The Sea in Lithuanian.
Luxembourg - Little Castle in German.
Macedonia - Land Of The Mighty in Greek.
Madagascar - The End Of The Earth in Merina.
Malawi - Land Of The Flaming Lake in Malawian (Congo).
Malaysia - Mountainous Land in Malaysian (Malay).
Maldives - Garland Islands in Hindi.
Mali - Hippopotamus Land in Malinke (Congo).
Malta - Sanctuary in Arabic.
Mexico - Sunny Land in Nahuatl (Aztec).
Moldova - Muddy Country in German.
Monaco - Homeland in Greek.
Mongolia - Land Of The Brave in Mongolian.
Namibia - Desert Land in Khoisan.
Nauru - Land Of Beaches in Nauruan.
Nepal - The Foot Of The Mountains in Nepali.
Oman - Settlement in Arabic.
Pakistan - Land Of The Pure in Urdu.
Panama - Land Of Fish in Cueva (Mayan).
Paraguay - River Covered By Trees in Guarani.
Peru - Land Of Rivers in Quechua.
Poland - Flat Land in Polish.
Portugal - Welsh Port in Portuguese.
Rwanda - Mountainous Country in Rwandan (Congo).
Singapore - Lion City in Malaysian.
Somalia - Land Of The Black in Somali.
Spain - Hyrax Country in Arabic.
Sri Lanka - Splendid Island in Hindi.
Taiwan - Multi-Level Bay in Paiwan (Bajau).
Tanzania - Land Of Lakes And Blacks in Swahili.
Togo - Coastal Country in Ewe (Congo).
Tonga - Southern Islands in Tongan.
Tunisia - Cape Country in Arabic.
Ukraine - Borderland in Ukrainian.
Uruguay - Land Of The Shellfish River in Guarani.
Uzbekistan - Land Of The Free in Uzbek.
Vatican City - City Of Priests in Italian.
Yemen - Southern Land in Arabic.
Zimbabwe - Stone House in Shona (Congo).
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
About The Vietnam War - US Aggression In Nusantara
Thanks, Wikipedia.
The Vietnam War occurred from 1959 to 1975. It was the United States' naked aggression against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and was conducted by American Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy (who was in the process of cutting back troops when he was killed), Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
The war was fought between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam headed by Presidents Ho Chi Minh (1945-1969) and Le Duan (1969-1986) and the United States' collaborationist regime called the Republic of Vietnam which consisted of war criminals who collaborated with both the French and Japanese colonialists.
It ended with the defeat of the Americans and their quislings.
A total of 15 million tons of ammunition was used on the Vietnamese people by the American invaders and the bombs that dropped on the country exceeded those dropped for the whole of World War II.
The American army also poisoned Vietnam with chemicals and diseases, the effects of which torment the Vietnamese people until today.
About 6.5 million people died, 1.5 million of which were soldiers in combat.
Ho Chi Minh, who liberated Vietnam from French and Japanese colonialism in 1945, and set up the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, was initially friends with the Americans.
Ho was a big fan of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt, as well as the Soviet Union's founder President Vladimir Ulyanov or Lenin and China's first Communist President Mao Zedong.
Ho was sorely let down by the Americans when President Harry Truman sided with France in having Vietnam partitioned into North Vietnam, headed by Ho, and South Vietnam, headed by the French-backed and discredited Vietnamese monarch Emperor Bao Dai.
The division, orchestrated by the United Nations, was supposed to be temporary, and elections were to be held on both sides of the divide within a year in 1955.
Both the French and Americans had gauged popular support and found that Ho had the backing of the majority in the southern zone.
This did not look good for the West, which detested Socialists and Communists outside their borders.
In defiance of the United Nations plan, the French and Americans made the division of Vietnam permanent.
The southern zone was christened the independent Republic of Vietnam and given independence by the Americans and French.
Bao Dai was replaced by yet another French and Japanese collaborator Ngo Dinh Diem, an aristocrat of the Emperor's court.
Ho created an autonomous government in the southern zone called the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam or Vietcong in short.
It was headed by the non-Communist Nguyen Huu Tho and the Communist Nguyen Van Linh, who would become Vietnam's third President in 1986.
Linh was also called the Vietnamese Mikhail Gorbachev because he relaxed Le Duan's harsh command economy upon coming to power after his mentor's death.
The forces of Tho and Linh had the support of the majority of South Vietnamese and outsmarted the American occupation forces and their puppets most of the time.
The occupation forces and their collaborators resorted to the all-too-familiar war crimes of torture, murder and rape to enforce their rule.
Bao Dai's and Diem's successors General Nguyen Khanh and General Nguyen Van Thieu indulged in rape and murder on a large scale.
The war gradually became a burden on the American military-industrial complex and the economy.
It resulted in mass protests by peace-loving citizens, who were later joined by returning soldiers who had become disillusioned with the insanity of the war.
The Americans and their puppets surrendered on April 30, 1975 to Vietnamese President Le Duan.
Vietnam's victory owed not only to its superior military strategies but also assistance from China, North Korea and the Soviet Union.
Sadly, China abandoned Vietnam when American President Richard Nixon and Chinese President Mao Zedong met in 1972.
The American invaders were aided by South Koreans, Taiwanese, Australians, Thais, Filipinos, New Zealanders and British.
The Vietnam War occurred from 1959 to 1975. It was the United States' naked aggression against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and was conducted by American Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy (who was in the process of cutting back troops when he was killed), Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
The war was fought between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam headed by Presidents Ho Chi Minh (1945-1969) and Le Duan (1969-1986) and the United States' collaborationist regime called the Republic of Vietnam which consisted of war criminals who collaborated with both the French and Japanese colonialists.
It ended with the defeat of the Americans and their quislings.
A total of 15 million tons of ammunition was used on the Vietnamese people by the American invaders and the bombs that dropped on the country exceeded those dropped for the whole of World War II.
The American army also poisoned Vietnam with chemicals and diseases, the effects of which torment the Vietnamese people until today.
About 6.5 million people died, 1.5 million of which were soldiers in combat.
Ho Chi Minh, who liberated Vietnam from French and Japanese colonialism in 1945, and set up the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, was initially friends with the Americans.
Ho was a big fan of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt, as well as the Soviet Union's founder President Vladimir Ulyanov or Lenin and China's first Communist President Mao Zedong.
Ho was sorely let down by the Americans when President Harry Truman sided with France in having Vietnam partitioned into North Vietnam, headed by Ho, and South Vietnam, headed by the French-backed and discredited Vietnamese monarch Emperor Bao Dai.
The division, orchestrated by the United Nations, was supposed to be temporary, and elections were to be held on both sides of the divide within a year in 1955.
Both the French and Americans had gauged popular support and found that Ho had the backing of the majority in the southern zone.
This did not look good for the West, which detested Socialists and Communists outside their borders.
In defiance of the United Nations plan, the French and Americans made the division of Vietnam permanent.
The southern zone was christened the independent Republic of Vietnam and given independence by the Americans and French.
Bao Dai was replaced by yet another French and Japanese collaborator Ngo Dinh Diem, an aristocrat of the Emperor's court.
Ho created an autonomous government in the southern zone called the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam or Vietcong in short.
It was headed by the non-Communist Nguyen Huu Tho and the Communist Nguyen Van Linh, who would become Vietnam's third President in 1986.
Linh was also called the Vietnamese Mikhail Gorbachev because he relaxed Le Duan's harsh command economy upon coming to power after his mentor's death.
The forces of Tho and Linh had the support of the majority of South Vietnamese and outsmarted the American occupation forces and their puppets most of the time.
The occupation forces and their collaborators resorted to the all-too-familiar war crimes of torture, murder and rape to enforce their rule.
Bao Dai's and Diem's successors General Nguyen Khanh and General Nguyen Van Thieu indulged in rape and murder on a large scale.
The war gradually became a burden on the American military-industrial complex and the economy.
It resulted in mass protests by peace-loving citizens, who were later joined by returning soldiers who had become disillusioned with the insanity of the war.
The Americans and their puppets surrendered on April 30, 1975 to Vietnamese President Le Duan.
Vietnam's victory owed not only to its superior military strategies but also assistance from China, North Korea and the Soviet Union.
Sadly, China abandoned Vietnam when American President Richard Nixon and Chinese President Mao Zedong met in 1972.
The American invaders were aided by South Koreans, Taiwanese, Australians, Thais, Filipinos, New Zealanders and British.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Words Of Wisdom From Malcolm X (Malik Shabbazz)
"Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it."
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Akademi Fantasia By The Seasons
Here are the Principals and contestants of each season of Akademi Fantasia.
Contestants are arranged from first to last place.
Season 1.
_________
Principal
__________
Freddie Fernandez (composer and producer).
Students
_________
Vincent Chong Ying-Cern, Khairul Nizam Mohamad Wahi, Ahmad Azizi Mohamad, Siti Harnizah Tahar, Nurlizawaty Ismail, Sahri Sarip, Nurul Hana Che Mahazan, Rosmayati Sidik, Rueben Thevandran, Suriati Abu Bakar, Adi Fashla Juraimi and Azzariah Suaymi.
Season 2.
_________
Principal
__________
Ramli M. S. (composer and producer).
Students
_________
Ahmad Zahid Baharuddin, Linda Nanuwil, Muhammad Aizam Mat Saman, Farah Diana Anuar, Yusrizan Usop, Wan Muhammad Khair Wan Azami, Asma Abdul Ghani, Nurullah Abdul Hamid, Zarina Zainoordin, Anding Indrawani Zaini, Fitri Zainal Abidin and Edlin Datuk Abdul Rahim.
Season 3.
_________
Principal
__________
M. Nasir (composer, producer and artiste).
Students
_________
Asmawi Ani, Felix Agus, Amylea Azizan, Marsha Milan Londoh, Yazer Yusof, Zulkefli Mohamad Idir, Asiah Tunakma Abdullah, Norashikin Abdul Rahman, Nik Aidil Nik Zamri, Amylia Azlan, Reza Mohamad, Idayu Yaakob, Fuad Razlan Azri and Elliza Abdul Razak.
Season 4.
_________
Principal
__________
Ramli Sarip (composer, producer and artiste).
Students
_________
Faizal Ramly, Lotter Edin, Farhan Azizan, Hazwan Haziq Rosebi, Velvet Aduk, Amirul Azwan Ghazali, Shamsul Hirdi Muhammad Muhid, Nor Salima Habibi, Nur Azilah Seeron, Rich Gimbang, Karen Tan Lee Suan and Nordawati Daud.
Season 5.
__________
Principal
__________
Roslan Aziz (producer).
Students
_________
Nor Syarmilla Jirin, Ebi Kornelis Firdaus Yaimal, Aswad Jaafar, Heliza Helmi, Candra Clement, Shawal Ruslan, Gadaffi Datuk Ismail Sabri, Aizat Datuk Amdan, Hasfarizal Ayub, Aryanna Najwa Ahmad, Nonny Nadirah Zainuddin, Farha Jasmen, Fatin Yahya, Shafiq Ramadzan, Adyana Kholid and Wan Nurul Zhana Wan Hanizan.
Season 6.
_________
Principal
_________
Ramli M. S. (composer and producer).
Students
_________
Stacy Anam, Idris Zaizizi, Nubhan Ahamad, Khairul Nizam Baharom, Nadia Hasnan, Stanly David, Alif Razali, Hairina Abdul Halim, Siti Norsaida Tarudin, Faisal Abdullah, Naim Salmi, Lufya Omar, Ika Rahim and Yana Omar.
Contestants are arranged from first to last place.
Season 1.
_________
Principal
__________
Freddie Fernandez (composer and producer).
Students
_________
Vincent Chong Ying-Cern, Khairul Nizam Mohamad Wahi, Ahmad Azizi Mohamad, Siti Harnizah Tahar, Nurlizawaty Ismail, Sahri Sarip, Nurul Hana Che Mahazan, Rosmayati Sidik, Rueben Thevandran, Suriati Abu Bakar, Adi Fashla Juraimi and Azzariah Suaymi.
Season 2.
_________
Principal
__________
Ramli M. S. (composer and producer).
Students
_________
Ahmad Zahid Baharuddin, Linda Nanuwil, Muhammad Aizam Mat Saman, Farah Diana Anuar, Yusrizan Usop, Wan Muhammad Khair Wan Azami, Asma Abdul Ghani, Nurullah Abdul Hamid, Zarina Zainoordin, Anding Indrawani Zaini, Fitri Zainal Abidin and Edlin Datuk Abdul Rahim.
Season 3.
_________
Principal
__________
M. Nasir (composer, producer and artiste).
Students
_________
Asmawi Ani, Felix Agus, Amylea Azizan, Marsha Milan Londoh, Yazer Yusof, Zulkefli Mohamad Idir, Asiah Tunakma Abdullah, Norashikin Abdul Rahman, Nik Aidil Nik Zamri, Amylia Azlan, Reza Mohamad, Idayu Yaakob, Fuad Razlan Azri and Elliza Abdul Razak.
Season 4.
_________
Principal
__________
Ramli Sarip (composer, producer and artiste).
Students
_________
Faizal Ramly, Lotter Edin, Farhan Azizan, Hazwan Haziq Rosebi, Velvet Aduk, Amirul Azwan Ghazali, Shamsul Hirdi Muhammad Muhid, Nor Salima Habibi, Nur Azilah Seeron, Rich Gimbang, Karen Tan Lee Suan and Nordawati Daud.
Season 5.
__________
Principal
__________
Roslan Aziz (producer).
Students
_________
Nor Syarmilla Jirin, Ebi Kornelis Firdaus Yaimal, Aswad Jaafar, Heliza Helmi, Candra Clement, Shawal Ruslan, Gadaffi Datuk Ismail Sabri, Aizat Datuk Amdan, Hasfarizal Ayub, Aryanna Najwa Ahmad, Nonny Nadirah Zainuddin, Farha Jasmen, Fatin Yahya, Shafiq Ramadzan, Adyana Kholid and Wan Nurul Zhana Wan Hanizan.
Season 6.
_________
Principal
_________
Ramli M. S. (composer and producer).
Students
_________
Stacy Anam, Idris Zaizizi, Nubhan Ahamad, Khairul Nizam Baharom, Nadia Hasnan, Stanly David, Alif Razali, Hairina Abdul Halim, Siti Norsaida Tarudin, Faisal Abdullah, Naim Salmi, Lufya Omar, Ika Rahim and Yana Omar.
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