From Wikipedia.
Switzerland (Swiss Confederation) is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the capital city.
The country is situated in western Europe where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 square km.
While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are found.
Among them are the two global cities and economic centres of Zurich and Geneva.
The Swiss Confederation has a long history of armed neutrality — it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815 — and did not join the United Nations until 2002.
It pursues, however, an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world.
Switzerland is also the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to a large number of international organisations, including the second largest UN office.
On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association – although it is not a member of the European Union.
Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world by per capita gross domestic product, and has the highest wealth per adult (financial and non-financial assets) of any country.
Switzerland comprises three main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French and Italian.
The Swiss, though predominantly German-speaking, do not form a nation in the sense of a common ethnic or linguistic identity.
They are a mix of German, French and Italian.
The strong sense of belonging to the country is founded on the common historical background, shared values (federalism and direct democracy) and Alpine symbolism.
The establishment of the Swiss Confederation is traditionally dated to 1 August, 1291.
Switzerland is named for the canton Schwyz, the old centre of the confederation.
Schwyz is Alemannic (Baden Wurtemberg) German for cleared.
The country was originally part of France, despite the German-speaking majority.
Later, the country was divided between France and Germany.
The French-speaking Cantons were in France. The German-speaking cantons were in Germany.
When the Habsburgs (themselves from Baden Wurtemberg) ruled Germany from the German province Austria, they made the whole of Switzerland part of Austria.
In 1291, the cantons of Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden formed the Swiss Confederation based in Schwyz.
More cantons split from Baden Wurtemberg and France and the confederation was gradually enlarged.
In 1499, the confederation broke free from Austria and the German Empire (which was controlled by Austria).
In 1798, France invaded Switzerland. The French quit Switzerland in 1815.
During World War I, Switzerland was home to Vladimir Illych Ulyanov (Lenin) and he remained there until 1917.
In 1920, Switzerland joined the League Of Nations, which was based in Geneva.
During World War II, Switzerland interned over 300,000 refugees and the International Red Cross, based in Geneva, played an important part in evacuating them to safety.
Women were granted the right to vote in 1959 in canton elections.
It was only in 1971 that women could vote in federal elections.
In 1984, Switzerland's first female cabinet minister Elisabeth Kopp took office.
Ruth Dreifuss became the first female President in 1999.
Extending across the north and south side of the Alps, Switzerland encompasses a great diversity of landscapes and climates.
The more mountainous southern half of the country is more sparsely populated than the northern half.
The Alps are a high mountain range running across the central-south of the country, comprising about 60 percent of the country's total area.
Among the high valleys of the Swiss Alps many glaciers are found, totalling 1,063 square kilometres.
From these originate the headwaters of several major rivers, such as the Rhine, Inn, Ticino and Rhone, which flow in the four cardinal directions into the whole of Europe.
The hydrographic network includes some of the largest bodies of fresh water in Western Europe, Lake Geneva, Lake Constance and Lake Maggiore.
Switzerland has more than 1500 lakes, and contains 6 percent of Europe's stock of fresh water. Lakes and glaciers cover about 6 percent of the country.
About 100 of Switzerland's mountain peaks are close to or higher than 4,000 metres.
At 4,634 m, Monte Rosa is the highest, although the Matterhorn (4,478 m) is the most famous.
Both are located within the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais.
The more populous northern part of the country, comprising about 30 percent of the country is the Middle Land.
It has a hilly landscape, partly forested, with grazing herds, vegetable and fruit fields.
The largest lake is Lake Geneva in western Switzerland.
The Rhone River is both the main input and output of Lake Geneva.
The Swiss climate is generally temperate, but can vary from glacial conditions on the mountain tops to near Mediterranean at Switzerland's southern tip.
Summers tend to be warm and humid at times with periodic rainfall so they are ideal for pastures and grazing.
The less humid winters are in the mountains.
A weather phenomenon known as the fohn (with an identical effect to the chinook wind) can occur at all times of the year and is characterised by an unexpectedly warm wind to the north of the Alps.
The Swiss President serves a year's term and is a member of the 7-member cabinet (Federal Council).
Switzerland's most important economic sector is manufacturing.
Manufacturing consists largely of the production of chemicals, pharmaceutical goods, scientific and musical instruments.
The services sector – especially banking and insurance, tourism and international organisations – is another important industry for Switzerland.
Education in Switzerland is very diverse because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system to the cantons.
There are both public and private schools, including many private international schools.
The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons.
The biggest university in Switzerland is the University of Zurich with nearly 25,000 students.
Many Nobel prizes were awarded to Swiss scientists, for example to physicist Albert Einstein.
More recently Vladimir Prelog, Heinrich Rohrer, Richard Ernst, Edmond Fischer, Rolf Zinkernagel and Kurt Wuthrich received Nobel prizes in the sciences.
In total, 113 Nobel Prize winners in all fields were from (or based in) Switzerland and the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded 9 times to organisations residing in Switzerland.
Switzerland has one of the best environmental records among nations in the developed world.
A total of 70 percent of Swiss are from the German speaking cantons. 22 percent are from the French speaking cantons. 8 percent are from the Italian speaking cantons.
Roman Catholics form 60 percent of the population followed by Protestants at 40 percent.
Switzerland is home to many notable contributors to literature, art, architecture, music and the sciences.
Some 1000 museums are distributed throughout the country.
Among the important cultural performances held annually are the Lucerne Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival and Locarno International Film Festival.
Concentrated mountain areas have a ski resort culture in winter, and a hiking (wandering) or mountain biking culture in summer.
As the Confederation, from its foundation in 1291, was almost exclusively composed of German-speaking regions, the earliest forms of literature are in German.
In the 18th century French became the fashionable language in Bern.
Among the classics of Swiss German literature are Jeremias Gotthelf (1797–1854) and Gottfried Keller (1819–1890).
The undisputed giants of 20th century Swiss literature are Max Frisch (1911–91) and Friedrich Durrenmatt (1921–90), whose repertoire includes Die Physiker (The Physicists) and Das Versprechen (The Pledge), released in 2001 as a Hollywood film.
Johanna Spyri (1827-1901) is famous for the children's classic Heidi.
Prominent French-speaking writers were Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) and Germaine De Stael (1766–1817).
More recent authors include Charles Ferdinand Ramuz (1878–1947) and Blaise Cendrars (born Frederic Sauser, 1887–1961).
Many Swiss are fans of football and the national team.
Switzerland was the joint host, with Austria, of the Euro 2008 tournament.
Many Swiss also follow ice hockey and support one of the 12 clubs.
In a eight-year span, Roger Federer has won a record 16 Grand Slam singles titles, making him the most successful men's tennis player ever.
The cuisine of Switzerland is multi-faceted.
While fondue and rosti are omnipresent throughout the country, each region developed its own dishes.
Chocolate had been made in Switzerland since the 18th century.
The most popular alcoholic drink in Switzerland is wine.
The most widespread varieties are the Chasselas and Pinot Noir. The Merlot is the main variety produced in Ticino.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Nora Ephron - Iconic Filmmaker
From Wikipedia.
Nora Ephron passed away after a long illness on June 26, 2012.
Read all about her from Wikipedia.
Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American filmmaker, director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, playwright, journalist, author and blogger.
She is best known for her romantic comedies and was a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for three films: Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless In Seattle.
She sometimes wrote with her sister Delia Ephron.
Her last film was Julie & Julia.
She also co-authored the Drama Desk Award-winning theatrical production, Love, Loss, And What I Wore.
Of Israeli descent and born in New York City, she was the eldest of four siblings.
Her family left Manhattan for Beverly Hills in California when she was four.
Ephron's sisters Delia and Amy are also screenwriters.
Her sister Hallie Ephron is a journalist, book reviewer, and novelist who writes crime fiction.
Ephron's parents based Sandra Dee's character in the play and the Jimmy Stewart film Take Her, She's Mine on their 22-year-old daughter Nora and her letters to them from college.
Ephron graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1958. It was during her junior year there that she became interested in journalism.
Ephron graduated from Wellesley College in 1962 and worked briefly as an intern in the White House of President John F. Kennedy.
When New York City's newspapers suspended publication during a strike by the International Typographical Union, Ephron and some of her friends, including the young Calvin Trillin, put out their own satirical newspaper.
Ephron's parodies of New York Post columnists caught the eye of the Post's publisher, Dorothy Schiff.
When the strike was over, Schiff hired Ephron as a reporter.
The 1960s were a lively time for journalism in New York and Dorothy Schiff's Post, at that time a liberal-leaning afternoon tabloid, offered Ephron a free hand to explore her favourite city from top to bottom.
In 1966, she broke the news in the Post that Bob Dylan had married Sara Lownds in a private ceremony three months earlier.
While working at the Post, Ephron also began writing occasional essays for publications such as New York magazine, Esquire and The New York Times Magazine.
Her work as a reporter won acclaim as part of the "New Journalism" movement of the 1960s, in which the author's personal voice became part of the story.
Her humorous 1972 essay, "A Few Words About Breasts," made her name as an essayist.
As a regular columnist for Esquire, and she became one of America's best-known humorists.
Her essays, often focusing on sex, food and New York City, were collected in a series of best-selling volumes, Wallflower At The Orgy, Crazy Salad, and Scribble Scribble.
In this position, Ephron made a name for herself by taking on subjects as wide-ranging as Dorothy Schiff, her former boss and owner of the Post; Betty Friedan; and her alma mater Wellesley, which she said had turned out a generation of "docile" women."
A 1968 send-up of Women's Wear Daily in Cosmopolitan resulted in threats of a lawsuit from WWD.
While married to Carl Bernstein in the mid-1970s, at her husband and Bob Woodward's request she helped Bernstein re-write William Goldman's script for All The President's Men, because the two journalists were not happy with it.
The Ephron-Bernstein script was not used in the end, but was seen by someone who offered Ephron her first screenwriting job, for a television movie.
Ephron enjoyed her greatest writing success with When Harry Met Sally (1989), a romantic comedy directed by Rob Reiner, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
The resulting film was an enormous success, and Ephron was now established as Hollywood's foremost creator of romantic comedies.
In You've Got Mail (1998), Ephron re-united Sleepless stars Hanks and Ryan in a contemporary variation on the classic comedy, The Shop Around The Corner.
She made an unexpected foray into writing for the stage with her 2002 play Imaginary Friends, based on the turbulent rivalry of authors Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy.
She co-authored the play Love, Loss, And What I Wore (based on the book by Ilene Beckerman) with her sister, Delia.
She took another unusual tack with an offbeat big-screen adaptation of the 1960s television series Bewitched, starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell.
Ephron wrote a regular blog for the online news site The Huffington Post. Her 2010 collection of essays, I Remember Nothing, takes a humorous look at the aging process and other topics.
She was married three times.
Her first marriage, to writer Dan Greenburg, ended in divorce after nine years.
Her second was to journalist Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame in 1976.
They had two sons.
Ephron was married for more than 20 years to her third husband, screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, with whom she lived in New York City.
Nora Ephron passed away after a long illness on June 26, 2012.
Read all about her from Wikipedia.
Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American filmmaker, director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, playwright, journalist, author and blogger.
She is best known for her romantic comedies and was a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for three films: Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless In Seattle.
She sometimes wrote with her sister Delia Ephron.
Her last film was Julie & Julia.
She also co-authored the Drama Desk Award-winning theatrical production, Love, Loss, And What I Wore.
Of Israeli descent and born in New York City, she was the eldest of four siblings.
Her family left Manhattan for Beverly Hills in California when she was four.
Ephron's sisters Delia and Amy are also screenwriters.
Her sister Hallie Ephron is a journalist, book reviewer, and novelist who writes crime fiction.
Ephron's parents based Sandra Dee's character in the play and the Jimmy Stewart film Take Her, She's Mine on their 22-year-old daughter Nora and her letters to them from college.
Ephron graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1958. It was during her junior year there that she became interested in journalism.
Ephron graduated from Wellesley College in 1962 and worked briefly as an intern in the White House of President John F. Kennedy.
When New York City's newspapers suspended publication during a strike by the International Typographical Union, Ephron and some of her friends, including the young Calvin Trillin, put out their own satirical newspaper.
Ephron's parodies of New York Post columnists caught the eye of the Post's publisher, Dorothy Schiff.
When the strike was over, Schiff hired Ephron as a reporter.
The 1960s were a lively time for journalism in New York and Dorothy Schiff's Post, at that time a liberal-leaning afternoon tabloid, offered Ephron a free hand to explore her favourite city from top to bottom.
In 1966, she broke the news in the Post that Bob Dylan had married Sara Lownds in a private ceremony three months earlier.
While working at the Post, Ephron also began writing occasional essays for publications such as New York magazine, Esquire and The New York Times Magazine.
Her work as a reporter won acclaim as part of the "New Journalism" movement of the 1960s, in which the author's personal voice became part of the story.
Her humorous 1972 essay, "A Few Words About Breasts," made her name as an essayist.
As a regular columnist for Esquire, and she became one of America's best-known humorists.
Her essays, often focusing on sex, food and New York City, were collected in a series of best-selling volumes, Wallflower At The Orgy, Crazy Salad, and Scribble Scribble.
In this position, Ephron made a name for herself by taking on subjects as wide-ranging as Dorothy Schiff, her former boss and owner of the Post; Betty Friedan; and her alma mater Wellesley, which she said had turned out a generation of "docile" women."
A 1968 send-up of Women's Wear Daily in Cosmopolitan resulted in threats of a lawsuit from WWD.
While married to Carl Bernstein in the mid-1970s, at her husband and Bob Woodward's request she helped Bernstein re-write William Goldman's script for All The President's Men, because the two journalists were not happy with it.
The Ephron-Bernstein script was not used in the end, but was seen by someone who offered Ephron her first screenwriting job, for a television movie.
Ephron enjoyed her greatest writing success with When Harry Met Sally (1989), a romantic comedy directed by Rob Reiner, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
The resulting film was an enormous success, and Ephron was now established as Hollywood's foremost creator of romantic comedies.
In You've Got Mail (1998), Ephron re-united Sleepless stars Hanks and Ryan in a contemporary variation on the classic comedy, The Shop Around The Corner.
She made an unexpected foray into writing for the stage with her 2002 play Imaginary Friends, based on the turbulent rivalry of authors Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy.
She co-authored the play Love, Loss, And What I Wore (based on the book by Ilene Beckerman) with her sister, Delia.
She took another unusual tack with an offbeat big-screen adaptation of the 1960s television series Bewitched, starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell.
Ephron wrote a regular blog for the online news site The Huffington Post. Her 2010 collection of essays, I Remember Nothing, takes a humorous look at the aging process and other topics.
She was married three times.
Her first marriage, to writer Dan Greenburg, ended in divorce after nine years.
Her second was to journalist Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame in 1976.
They had two sons.
Ephron was married for more than 20 years to her third husband, screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, with whom she lived in New York City.
Dusty Springfield - First Lady Of British Pop And Soul
Catherine O'Brien OBE, better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield (April 16, 1939 - March 2, 1999) is regarded as the United Kingdom's First Lady Of Pop And Soul.
Her illustrious musical career stretched from the late 1950s to the 1990s.
She is one of the most successful British female performers, with 18 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 from 1964 to 1970.
She is a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and the UK Music Hall Of Fame.
International polls have named Springfield among the best female rock artistes of all time.
Born in West London (Ealing) to an Irish Catholic family, Springfield joined The Lana Sisters in 1958, then formed the pop-folk vocal trio The Springfields in 1960 with her brother Dion (Tom).
Her solo career began in 1963 with the upbeat pop hit I Only Want To Be With You.
Among the hits that followed were Wishin' And Hopin' (1964), I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (1964), You Don't Have To Say You Love Me (1966) and Son Of A Preacher Man (1968).
A fan of American pop music, she was the first public figure to bring little-known soul singers to a wider British audience, when she created and hosted the first British performances of the top-selling Motown artistes in 1965.
By 1966, she was the best-selling female singer in the world, and topped a number of popularity polls, including Melody Maker's Best International Vocalist.
She was the first British singer to top the New Musical Express readers' poll for Female Singer.
Her image, supported by a peroxide blonde beehive hairstyle, evening gowns and heavy make-up, made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties.
To boost her credibility as a soul artiste, Springfield went to Memphis, Tennessee, to record an album of pop and soul music with the Atlantic Records production team.
Released in 1969, Dusty In Memphis has been ranked among the greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone and VH1 artistes, New Musical Express readers and the Channel 4 viewers polls.
The album was also awarded a spot in the Grammy Hall Of Fame.
She returned to the Top 20 of the British and American charts in collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys on the songs What Have I Done To Deserve This?, Nothing Has Been Proved and In Private.
Interest in Springfield's early output was revived in 1994 due to the inclusion of Son Of A Preacher Man on the soundtrack of the movie Pulp Fiction.
Springfield was a lifelong friend of Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng.
She succumbed to breast cancer in 1999. Her ashes were scattered on the Cliffs Of Moher in County Clare, Ireland.
American singer and songwriter Shelby Lynne's album Just A Little Lovin' (2008) is a tribute to Springfield.
A stage musical based on her life, Dusty – The Original Pop Diva premiered in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia.
Wikipedia, Google and Yahoo.
Her illustrious musical career stretched from the late 1950s to the 1990s.
She is one of the most successful British female performers, with 18 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 from 1964 to 1970.
She is a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and the UK Music Hall Of Fame.
International polls have named Springfield among the best female rock artistes of all time.
Born in West London (Ealing) to an Irish Catholic family, Springfield joined The Lana Sisters in 1958, then formed the pop-folk vocal trio The Springfields in 1960 with her brother Dion (Tom).
Her solo career began in 1963 with the upbeat pop hit I Only Want To Be With You.
Among the hits that followed were Wishin' And Hopin' (1964), I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (1964), You Don't Have To Say You Love Me (1966) and Son Of A Preacher Man (1968).
A fan of American pop music, she was the first public figure to bring little-known soul singers to a wider British audience, when she created and hosted the first British performances of the top-selling Motown artistes in 1965.
By 1966, she was the best-selling female singer in the world, and topped a number of popularity polls, including Melody Maker's Best International Vocalist.
She was the first British singer to top the New Musical Express readers' poll for Female Singer.
Her image, supported by a peroxide blonde beehive hairstyle, evening gowns and heavy make-up, made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties.
To boost her credibility as a soul artiste, Springfield went to Memphis, Tennessee, to record an album of pop and soul music with the Atlantic Records production team.
Released in 1969, Dusty In Memphis has been ranked among the greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone and VH1 artistes, New Musical Express readers and the Channel 4 viewers polls.
The album was also awarded a spot in the Grammy Hall Of Fame.
She returned to the Top 20 of the British and American charts in collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys on the songs What Have I Done To Deserve This?, Nothing Has Been Proved and In Private.
Interest in Springfield's early output was revived in 1994 due to the inclusion of Son Of A Preacher Man on the soundtrack of the movie Pulp Fiction.
Springfield was a lifelong friend of Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng.
She succumbed to breast cancer in 1999. Her ashes were scattered on the Cliffs Of Moher in County Clare, Ireland.
American singer and songwriter Shelby Lynne's album Just A Little Lovin' (2008) is a tribute to Springfield.
A stage musical based on her life, Dusty – The Original Pop Diva premiered in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia.
Wikipedia, Google and Yahoo.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Rodney King - Icon Of Oppression
Rodney King passed away of a heart ailment on June 17, 2012.
He will always be remembered as an icon of oppression, a reminder that all is not well with non-European, especially African Americans in the Land of the Free.
Read all about him from Wikipedia.
Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965 – June 17, 2012) was the victim in a police brutality incident involving the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on March 3, 1991.
A bystander, George Holliday, videotaped much of the incident from a distance.
The footage showed seven officers surrounding the solitary King, with several LAPD officers repeatedly striking a helpless King with their batons while the other officers stood by watching, without taking any action to stop the beating.
A portion of this footage was aired by news agencies around the world, causing public outrage that increased tension between the local Black community and the LAPD and increased anger over police brutality, racism and social inequalities in Los Angeles.
Four LAPD officers were later tried in a state court for the beating.
Three were acquitted and the jury failed to reach a verdict for the fourth.
The announcement of the acquittals sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
A later federal trial for civil rights violations ended with two of the officers found guilty and sent to prison and the other two officers acquitted.
King was born in Sacramento, California, to Odessa King, who had four other children.
His father, Ronald, died at 42. King grew up in Pasadena, California.
In November 1989, King robbed a store in Monterey Park, California.
He threatened to hit the South Korean store owner with an iron bar he was carrying, then hit him with a pole.
King stole US$200 in the robbery.
He was convicted, sentenced to two years imprisonment and released after serving a year.
At the time of the beating, King was twice divorced and had three children.
On the night of March 2, 1991, King and two passengers, Bryant Allen and Freddie Helms, were driving west on Foothill Freeway (Interstate 210) in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.
Prior to driving on the Foothill Freeway, the three men had spent the night watching a basketball game and drinking at a friend's house in Los Angeles.
After being tested five hours after the incident, King's blood-alcohol level was found to be just under the legal limit.
At 12.30 am, Officers Tim and Melanie Singer, a husband-and-wife duo of the California Highway Patrol, spotted King's car speeding.
The officers then pursued King at high speed.
According to King's own statements, he refused to pull the car over because he thought a driving under the influence test would violate his parole for a previous robbery conviction.
King exited the freeway, and the chase continued through residential streets.
By this point, several police cars and a helicopter had joined in the pursuit.
After approximately 16 km, officers cornered King's car.
The first five LAPD officers to arrive at the scene were Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Rolando Solano.
Officer Tim Singer ordered King and his two passengers to exit the vehicle and lie face down on the ground.
The passengers complied and were taken into custody without incident.
King initially remained in the car. When he finally did emerge, he acted bizarrely: giggling, patting the ground and waving to the police helicopter overhead.
King then grabbed his buttocks.
Officer Melanie Singer momentarily thought he was reaching for a gun.
She drew her gun and pointed it at King, ordering him to lie on the ground. King complied.
Singer approached King with her gun drawn, preparing to make the arrest.
At this point, Sergeant Stacey Koon intervened and ordered Officer Melanie Singer to holster her weapon.
Koon then ordered the four other LAPD officers at the scene — Briseno, Powell, Solano and Wind — to subdue and handcuff King in a manner called a "swarm", a technique that involves multiple officers grabbing a suspect with empty hands.
As the officers attempted to do so, King physically resisted.
Seeing this, Koon ordered all of the officers to fall back.
The officers later testified that they believed King was under the influence of the dissociative drug phencyclidine (PCP).
King's toxicology results tested negative for PCP.
Sergeant Koon then ordered the officers to stand clear.
King was standing and was not responding to Koon's commands.
Koon then fired a Taser into King's back.
King groaned, momentarily fell to his knees, then stood back and yelled for almost five seconds.
As George Holliday's videotape begins, King is on the ground.
He rises and moves toward Powell.
Solano termed it a "lunge," and said it was in the direction of Koon.
At this time, taser wires can be seen coming from King's body.
As King moves forward, Officer Powell strikes King with his baton.
The blow hits King's head, knocking him to the ground immediately.
Powell hits King several additional times with his baton.
The videotape shows Briseno moving in to try and stop Powell from swinging, and Powell then backing up.
Koon reportedly yelled "that's enough".
King then rises to his knees.
Powell and Wind continue to hit King with their batons while he is on the ground.
Koon acknowledged that he ordered the baton blows, directing Powell and Wind to hit King with "power strokes."
According to Koon, Powell and Wind used "bursts of power strokes, then backed off."
The videotape shows King apparently continuing to try to get up.
Koon orders the officers to hit his joints, wrists, elbows, knees and ankles.
Finally, after 56 baton blows and six kicks, five or six officers swarm in and place King in both handcuffs and cordcuffs, restraining his arms and legs.
King is dragged on his stomach to the side of the road to await arrival of a rescue ambulance.
Several copwatch organisations were subsequently organised nationally to safeguard against police abuse, including an umbrella group, October 22 Coalition To Stop Police Brutality.
King was taken to Pacifica Hospital immediately after his arrest.
He suffered a fractured facial bone, a broken right ankle, and numerous bruises and lacerations.
At Pacifica Hospital, where King was taken for initial treatment, nurses reported that the officers who accompanied King (including Wind) openly joked and bragged about the number of times King had been hit.
In 1993, King entered an alcohol rehabilitation programme and was placed on probation after crashing his vehicle into a block wall in downtown Los Angeles.
In July 1995, he was arrested by Alhambra police, who alleged that he hit his wife with his car, knocking her to the ground.
He was sentenced to 90 days in jail after being convicted of hit and run.
On August 27, 2003, King was arrested again for speeding and running a red light while under the influence of alcohol.
He failed to yield to police officers and slammed his vehicle into a house, breaking his pelvis.
In May 2008, King checked into the Pasadena Recovery Centre in Pasadena, California, where he filmed as cast member of the second season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which premiered in October 2008.
Dr. Drew Pinsky, who runs the facility, showed concern for King's lifestyle and said that King would die unless his addiction was treated.
On April 12, 2012, King released a statement to the media regarding the Trayvon Martin shooting. King said he was "grieving for Trayvon Martin" and stated how the scream on the audio of George Zimmerman's 911 call reminded him of his own screaming during his beating by the LAPD.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Tye Soh Sim - Teacher Extraordinary
THE late Tye Soh Sim, who happens to be my aunt, was one of Ipoh's most noted educationists.
A woman of substance and strong character, she always believed that education was not merely about exams, but being well-rounded in life.
Unpretentious with restrained good taste, she was passionate about English literature, history, music and knowledge in general.
She was also a stickler for Malaysians mastering English, the language of international knowledge.
She taught in Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh after graduating in 1958 from University Malaya with a BA (Hons) and Diploma in Education.
She was later awarded a Colombo Plan Scholarship to the University of British Columbia, Canada, for an additional degree in Education.
She retired as headmistress of Methodist Girls’ School, Kuala Lumpur.
Tye Soh Sim touched the lives of many people. Her students, fellow teachers, friends and family will always remember her.
This is a summary of a tribute to Tye Soh Sim in the ACS Ipoh Alumni Association website written by Romesh Roy, son of former ACS Ipoh principal Teerath Ram.
He is also the godfather of her children Leonard and Clarice Chin, who are my cousins.
A woman of substance and strong character, she always believed that education was not merely about exams, but being well-rounded in life.
Unpretentious with restrained good taste, she was passionate about English literature, history, music and knowledge in general.
She was also a stickler for Malaysians mastering English, the language of international knowledge.
She taught in Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh after graduating in 1958 from University Malaya with a BA (Hons) and Diploma in Education.
She was later awarded a Colombo Plan Scholarship to the University of British Columbia, Canada, for an additional degree in Education.
She retired as headmistress of Methodist Girls’ School, Kuala Lumpur.
Tye Soh Sim touched the lives of many people. Her students, fellow teachers, friends and family will always remember her.
This is a summary of a tribute to Tye Soh Sim in the ACS Ipoh Alumni Association website written by Romesh Roy, son of former ACS Ipoh principal Teerath Ram.
He is also the godfather of her children Leonard and Clarice Chin, who are my cousins.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
THE LADY - A Triumph For Michelle Yeoh
A review of The Lady, by acclaimed film critic Lim Chang Moh (formerly with The Malay Mail).
Like Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady, Luc Besson's The Lady is flawed and overdrawn but it still manages to move me, hence the 2.5/4 (6/10) rating.
And just like Meryl Streep's performance transcended the script of Iron Lady, (Datuk Seri) Michelle Yeoh manages a captivating portrayal of Myanmar's activist Aung San Suu Kyi in this still-unfolding drama that saw the real Suu Kyi being elected to Parliament recently.
I don't know about the others but that scene of Yeoh facing off pointed guns of Burma's military sent goose-pimples all over my body.
The movie opens showing Suu Kyi as a toddler when her father General Aung San is assassinated in 1947. The story then moves to the United Kingdom of 1988 where we find Suu Kyi, her Oxford academic husband Dr Michael Aris (David Thewlis) and her two sons, Kim (Jonathan Raggett) and Alex (Jonathan Woodhouse) living 'ordinary' lives until a phone call from Burma changes everything.
Suu Kyi is told that her mother is warded with a stroke and when she flies to Burma to see her, she finds herself in the middle of the nation's political upheaval followed by a violent military crackdown by General Ne Win (Htun Lin).
When the military ruler bows to demands for democracy, Suu Kyi is asked by her father’s supporters to stay back in Rangoon and lead the new National League for Democracy. The rest of Suu Kyi's life has been well documented in the newspapers - and the plight of Burma (or Myanmar) is still unravelling.
One of the most glaring flaws is the 'blank' over Suu Kyi's youth and romantic life from the Fifties to 1988.
Did her education/social involvements or environment help to define her political will later in life? How did she meet Michael?
The movie is supposed to be a biography on the life of Myanmar's version of Gandhi and Mandela - and it is a shame that such a huge part of her life is conveniently left out.
Other lesser flaws are the slipshod portrayal of minor characters like the generals and soldiers who appear to be caricatures rather than real people.
Also, Michael's problems in bringing up the kids himself is glossed over with just a scene showing Lucinda Philips (Susan Woolridge) coming over to help cook a better meal.
Rebecca Frayn's screenplay offers nothing new about Suu Kyi's non-political life and very few insights into the country's politics other than showing Ne Win barking orders at his aides.
Suu Kyi's political smarts are expressed in such pearls of wisdom as "Democracy will only work if we include everybody" and other platitudes written boldly in brush strokes.
The love story between Suu Kyi and 'Mikey' is the most compelling element in the movie and ultimately, Yeoh and Thewlis win us over with their performance as a loving couple who share a dream and are willing to make sacrifices to achieve it.
Despite its flaws, this movie is bound to heighten world interest in Suu Kyi and her quest.
Definitely a triumph for Michelle Yeoh.
Like Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady, Luc Besson's The Lady is flawed and overdrawn but it still manages to move me, hence the 2.5/4 (6/10) rating.
And just like Meryl Streep's performance transcended the script of Iron Lady, (Datuk Seri) Michelle Yeoh manages a captivating portrayal of Myanmar's activist Aung San Suu Kyi in this still-unfolding drama that saw the real Suu Kyi being elected to Parliament recently.
I don't know about the others but that scene of Yeoh facing off pointed guns of Burma's military sent goose-pimples all over my body.
The movie opens showing Suu Kyi as a toddler when her father General Aung San is assassinated in 1947. The story then moves to the United Kingdom of 1988 where we find Suu Kyi, her Oxford academic husband Dr Michael Aris (David Thewlis) and her two sons, Kim (Jonathan Raggett) and Alex (Jonathan Woodhouse) living 'ordinary' lives until a phone call from Burma changes everything.
Suu Kyi is told that her mother is warded with a stroke and when she flies to Burma to see her, she finds herself in the middle of the nation's political upheaval followed by a violent military crackdown by General Ne Win (Htun Lin).
When the military ruler bows to demands for democracy, Suu Kyi is asked by her father’s supporters to stay back in Rangoon and lead the new National League for Democracy. The rest of Suu Kyi's life has been well documented in the newspapers - and the plight of Burma (or Myanmar) is still unravelling.
One of the most glaring flaws is the 'blank' over Suu Kyi's youth and romantic life from the Fifties to 1988.
Did her education/social involvements or environment help to define her political will later in life? How did she meet Michael?
The movie is supposed to be a biography on the life of Myanmar's version of Gandhi and Mandela - and it is a shame that such a huge part of her life is conveniently left out.
Other lesser flaws are the slipshod portrayal of minor characters like the generals and soldiers who appear to be caricatures rather than real people.
Also, Michael's problems in bringing up the kids himself is glossed over with just a scene showing Lucinda Philips (Susan Woolridge) coming over to help cook a better meal.
Rebecca Frayn's screenplay offers nothing new about Suu Kyi's non-political life and very few insights into the country's politics other than showing Ne Win barking orders at his aides.
Suu Kyi's political smarts are expressed in such pearls of wisdom as "Democracy will only work if we include everybody" and other platitudes written boldly in brush strokes.
The love story between Suu Kyi and 'Mikey' is the most compelling element in the movie and ultimately, Yeoh and Thewlis win us over with their performance as a loving couple who share a dream and are willing to make sacrifices to achieve it.
Despite its flaws, this movie is bound to heighten world interest in Suu Kyi and her quest.
Definitely a triumph for Michelle Yeoh.
About The Brahmo Samaj
Wikipedia.
Brahmo Samaj is the societal component of the Brahmo movement which is also called the Adi Dharm.
It was one of the most influential religious movements responsible for the making of modern India.
It was conceived at Kolkata in 1830 by Debendranath Tagore and Ram Mohan Roy as reformation of the prevailing Brahmanism of the time and began the Bengal Renaissance of the 19th century pioneering all religious, social and educational advances of the Hindu community in the 19th century.
The Brahmo Samaj literally denotes communities of men who worship Brahman.
In practice, a Brahmo Samaj is an assembly of all sorts and descriptions of people without distinction, meeting publicly for the sober, orderly, religious and devout adoration of "the (nameless) unsearchable Eternal, Immutable Being who is the Author and Preserver of the Universe."
On 20 August, 1828 the first assembly of the Brahmo Sabha (progenitor of the Brahmo Samaj) was held at the North Calcutta house of Feringhee Kamal Bose. This day is celebrated by Brahmos as Bhadrotsab ("Bhadro celebration"). These meetings were open to all Brahmins and there was no formal organisation or theology as such.
On 8 January, 1830 influential progressive members of the closely related Kulin Brahmin clan of Tagore (Thakur) and Roy (Vandopadhyaya) executed the Trust deed of Brahmo Sabha for the first Adi Brahmo Samaj (place of worship) on Chitpore Road (now Rabindra Sarani), Kolkata, India with Ram Chandra Vidyabagish as first resident superintendent.
On 23 January, 1830 the Adi Brahmo premises was publicly inaugurated (with about 500 Brahmins and 1 British present). This day is celebrated by Brahmos as Maghotsab (Magh celebration).
In November 1830 Rammohun Roy left for the United Kingdom.
The affairs of Brahmo Sabha were effectively managed by Trustees Dwarkanath Tagore and Pandit Ram Chandra Vidyabagish, with Dwarkanath instructing his diwan to manage affairs.
By the time of Rammohun's death in 1833 near Bristol (UK), attendance at the Sabha dwindled.
On 6 October, 1839 Debendranath Tagore, son of Dwarkanath Tagore, established Tattvaranjini Sabha which was shortly thereafter renamed the Tattwabodhini (Truth-Seekers) Sabha. Initially confined to immediate members of the Tagore family, in 2 years it mustered over 500 members.
In 1843, Debendranath Tagore and 20 others were formally invited into the Trust of Brahmo Sabha.
In 1861 the Brahmo Samaj opened its doors to non-Bengalis around India.
It has more than 20,000 members today.
Brahmos believe in social reform, including abolition of the caste system and dowry system, emancipation of women and improving the educational system.
Brahmo Samajists have no faith in any scripture as literal authority.
Brahmo Samajists have no faith in Avatars.
Brahmo Samajists denounce polytheism and idol-worship.
Brahmo Samajists are against caste restrictions.
Brahmo Samajists make faith in the doctrines of Karma and Rebirth optional.
On God: There is always Infinite Singularity – immanent and transcendent Singular Author and Preserver of Existence – He who is manifest everywhere and in everything, in the fire and in the water, in the smallest plant to the mightiest oak.
On Being: Being is created from Singularity. Being is renewed to Singularity. Being exists to be one (again) with Loving Singularity.
On Intelligent Existence: Righteous actions alone rule Existence against Chaos. Knowledge of pure Conscience (light within) is the One (Supreme) ruler of Existence with no symbol or intermediary.
On Love: Respect all creations and beings but never venerate (worship) them for only Singularity can be adored.
We believe:
That faith in a Supreme Being and in Existence after Death is natural to man.
That we regard the relation between God and men to be direct and immediate.
That we do not believe in the infallibility of any man or any scripture.
Whatever book contains truths calculated to ennoble the soul or elevate the character is a Brahmo's scripture, and whoever teaches such truths is his teacher and guide.
We regard the fourfold culture of man's intellect, conscience, affections, and devotion as equally important and equally necessary for his salvation.
We consider love of God and doing the will of God as equally imperative in the routine of a Brahmo's life.
We regard the culture of faith at the sacrifice of reason, or the culture of reason at the sacrifice of faith as equally defective, and as fruitful sources of evil in the religious world.
We regard the worship of one God as the highest of a Brahmo's duties and as the best of means to improve the soul and the neglect of it as a way to spiritual death.
We look upon the enjoyment of uncontrolled authority by a single individual in any religious community as a calamity, and far from looking upon freedom of thought as reprehensible, we consider it to be desirable, and regard it as a safe-guard against corruption and degeneracy.
We regard the belief in an individual being a way to salvation, or a link between God and Man, as a belief unworthy of a Theist, and those who hold such belief as unworthy of the Brahmo name.
We consider it to be blasphemy and an insult to the Majesty of Heaven to claim Divine inspiration for any act opposed to the dictates of reason, truth, and morality.
The Brahmo stands for the following (as laid down in the Trust Deed of the Brahmo Samaj):
Followers shall love Him and do His will and worship the One Absolute, the Creator, Preserver, Destroyer who is the giver of all Good in this world and the next, who is All knowing, All Pervading, Formless and Beneficent;
Followers shall not adore any created thing, thinking it to be the Supreme One;
Followers should perform good deeds - and it is through these good deeds one can serve God;
He is the One, Alone and Absolute;
The Samaj is to be a meeting ground for all sects for the worship of the One True God;
No object of worship or a set of men shall be reviled or contemptuously spoken of or alluded to in any way;
No graven image statue or sculpture carving painting picture portrait or the likeness of anything shall be admitted within;
No object animate or inanimate that has been or is or shall hereafter become or be recognised as an object of worship;
No sacrifice offering oblation of any kind or thing shall ever be permitted;
Promote, charity, morality, piety, benevolence, virtue and strengthen the bonds of union between men of all religions and creed.
In the beginning was the one God, none else, and naught but He, the Creator of all things.
He is the True, the Good, the Infinite.
He is the Eternal Lord of the universe, the All - knowing, All - pervading, All - protecting, the Almighty.
He is the Formless, Changeless, Self - contained and Perfect.
In his worship lies our good, in this world and in the next.
To love Him and do His will - this is His true worship.
Brahmo Samaj is the societal component of the Brahmo movement which is also called the Adi Dharm.
It was one of the most influential religious movements responsible for the making of modern India.
It was conceived at Kolkata in 1830 by Debendranath Tagore and Ram Mohan Roy as reformation of the prevailing Brahmanism of the time and began the Bengal Renaissance of the 19th century pioneering all religious, social and educational advances of the Hindu community in the 19th century.
The Brahmo Samaj literally denotes communities of men who worship Brahman.
In practice, a Brahmo Samaj is an assembly of all sorts and descriptions of people without distinction, meeting publicly for the sober, orderly, religious and devout adoration of "the (nameless) unsearchable Eternal, Immutable Being who is the Author and Preserver of the Universe."
On 20 August, 1828 the first assembly of the Brahmo Sabha (progenitor of the Brahmo Samaj) was held at the North Calcutta house of Feringhee Kamal Bose. This day is celebrated by Brahmos as Bhadrotsab ("Bhadro celebration"). These meetings were open to all Brahmins and there was no formal organisation or theology as such.
On 8 January, 1830 influential progressive members of the closely related Kulin Brahmin clan of Tagore (Thakur) and Roy (Vandopadhyaya) executed the Trust deed of Brahmo Sabha for the first Adi Brahmo Samaj (place of worship) on Chitpore Road (now Rabindra Sarani), Kolkata, India with Ram Chandra Vidyabagish as first resident superintendent.
On 23 January, 1830 the Adi Brahmo premises was publicly inaugurated (with about 500 Brahmins and 1 British present). This day is celebrated by Brahmos as Maghotsab (Magh celebration).
In November 1830 Rammohun Roy left for the United Kingdom.
The affairs of Brahmo Sabha were effectively managed by Trustees Dwarkanath Tagore and Pandit Ram Chandra Vidyabagish, with Dwarkanath instructing his diwan to manage affairs.
By the time of Rammohun's death in 1833 near Bristol (UK), attendance at the Sabha dwindled.
On 6 October, 1839 Debendranath Tagore, son of Dwarkanath Tagore, established Tattvaranjini Sabha which was shortly thereafter renamed the Tattwabodhini (Truth-Seekers) Sabha. Initially confined to immediate members of the Tagore family, in 2 years it mustered over 500 members.
In 1843, Debendranath Tagore and 20 others were formally invited into the Trust of Brahmo Sabha.
In 1861 the Brahmo Samaj opened its doors to non-Bengalis around India.
It has more than 20,000 members today.
Brahmos believe in social reform, including abolition of the caste system and dowry system, emancipation of women and improving the educational system.
Brahmo Samajists have no faith in any scripture as literal authority.
Brahmo Samajists have no faith in Avatars.
Brahmo Samajists denounce polytheism and idol-worship.
Brahmo Samajists are against caste restrictions.
Brahmo Samajists make faith in the doctrines of Karma and Rebirth optional.
On God: There is always Infinite Singularity – immanent and transcendent Singular Author and Preserver of Existence – He who is manifest everywhere and in everything, in the fire and in the water, in the smallest plant to the mightiest oak.
On Being: Being is created from Singularity. Being is renewed to Singularity. Being exists to be one (again) with Loving Singularity.
On Intelligent Existence: Righteous actions alone rule Existence against Chaos. Knowledge of pure Conscience (light within) is the One (Supreme) ruler of Existence with no symbol or intermediary.
On Love: Respect all creations and beings but never venerate (worship) them for only Singularity can be adored.
We believe:
That faith in a Supreme Being and in Existence after Death is natural to man.
That we regard the relation between God and men to be direct and immediate.
That we do not believe in the infallibility of any man or any scripture.
Whatever book contains truths calculated to ennoble the soul or elevate the character is a Brahmo's scripture, and whoever teaches such truths is his teacher and guide.
We regard the fourfold culture of man's intellect, conscience, affections, and devotion as equally important and equally necessary for his salvation.
We consider love of God and doing the will of God as equally imperative in the routine of a Brahmo's life.
We regard the culture of faith at the sacrifice of reason, or the culture of reason at the sacrifice of faith as equally defective, and as fruitful sources of evil in the religious world.
We regard the worship of one God as the highest of a Brahmo's duties and as the best of means to improve the soul and the neglect of it as a way to spiritual death.
We look upon the enjoyment of uncontrolled authority by a single individual in any religious community as a calamity, and far from looking upon freedom of thought as reprehensible, we consider it to be desirable, and regard it as a safe-guard against corruption and degeneracy.
We regard the belief in an individual being a way to salvation, or a link between God and Man, as a belief unworthy of a Theist, and those who hold such belief as unworthy of the Brahmo name.
We consider it to be blasphemy and an insult to the Majesty of Heaven to claim Divine inspiration for any act opposed to the dictates of reason, truth, and morality.
The Brahmo stands for the following (as laid down in the Trust Deed of the Brahmo Samaj):
Followers shall love Him and do His will and worship the One Absolute, the Creator, Preserver, Destroyer who is the giver of all Good in this world and the next, who is All knowing, All Pervading, Formless and Beneficent;
Followers shall not adore any created thing, thinking it to be the Supreme One;
Followers should perform good deeds - and it is through these good deeds one can serve God;
He is the One, Alone and Absolute;
The Samaj is to be a meeting ground for all sects for the worship of the One True God;
No object of worship or a set of men shall be reviled or contemptuously spoken of or alluded to in any way;
No graven image statue or sculpture carving painting picture portrait or the likeness of anything shall be admitted within;
No object animate or inanimate that has been or is or shall hereafter become or be recognised as an object of worship;
No sacrifice offering oblation of any kind or thing shall ever be permitted;
Promote, charity, morality, piety, benevolence, virtue and strengthen the bonds of union between men of all religions and creed.
In the beginning was the one God, none else, and naught but He, the Creator of all things.
He is the True, the Good, the Infinite.
He is the Eternal Lord of the universe, the All - knowing, All - pervading, All - protecting, the Almighty.
He is the Formless, Changeless, Self - contained and Perfect.
In his worship lies our good, in this world and in the next.
To love Him and do His will - this is His true worship.
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