text:
About us
Meet the team
Ipswich: 01473 214481
Norwich: 01603 617351
Chelmsford: 01245 215660
Contact us
Services for Solicitors
Services for Individuals
Services for Business
Services for Solicitors
Civil Litigation
Wills, Trusts & Probate
Civil Litigation
Contract & Commercial
Personal Injury
Planning & Environmental
Professional Negligence
Property - General
Wills, Trusts & Probate
Wills, Trusts & Probate
East Anglian Chambers has a strong team of barrister with a specialist knowledge and experience in both contentious and non-contentious work in the field of wills, trusts and probate.
The range of work covered by our specialist
Wills, Trusts and Probate
team includes:
Challenges to the validity of wills on the grounds of :
Testamentary capacity
Knowledge and approval
Fraud, forgery or undue influence
The interpretation of wills
Questions arising in the administration of the estate, including :
Identifying and realising the estate
Identifying the proper beneficiaries
Distributing the estate
Disputes between beneficiaries (e.g. charities)
Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975
Court of Protection
Lasting Powers of Attorney
Variation of the will trusts
The winding up of Lloyds members' estates
We are able to provide to your clients a detached, analytical but sympathetic assessment of the issues, practical advice on the best available remedies (including ADR as appropriate) and where necessary the drafting of proceedings and representation in the High Court or (if appropriate) in the local County Court or the Court of Protection.
To get in touch, please contact the
East Anglian Chambers
clerking team on
01473 214481
for further advice and assistence on
Wills, Trusts and Probate
Contact us
Our Wills, Trusts & Probate team
April Plant
April Plant previously worked in Legacy Administration for charities and for a time was Head of Legacies at the British Heart Foundation. In this field she was involved in all aspects of probate & trusts. She was a founding trustee and director of the Institute of...
View my profile
Graham Sinclair
Simon Redmayne
April Plant
Amrik Wahiwala
Recent Articles
A foreign problem – jurisdiction of English Courts now and post-Brexit
02 July 2018
The Supreme Court gets to grips with the 'gig economy' and employment...
13 June 2018
New GDPR-compliant Standard Contractual Terms
04 June 2018
Related news
Coming soon
07 February 2019
New printer for Law Centre
06 February 2019
ECHR rules against home schooling parents
10 January 2019
Contact us
Legal services
Contact us
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Animal Welfare
Care and Supervision Orders
Care Home Funding
Child Abduction and...
Child Contact
Civil Litigation
Consumer Credit
Contract and Commercial
Coroner's Inquest
Court Martial
Court of Protection
Criminal Law
Divorce and Finance
Domestic Abuse
Drugs and Violence
Education Law
Family Law
Family Mediation
Food Hygiene
Fraud & Theft
Health and Safety
Insolvency Law
Landlord & Tenant
Mediation / ADR
Medical Fitness to Practice
Mental Health
Motoring Law
Personal Injury
Planning & Environmental
Prison Law
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
Professional Negligence
Property Law
Public Administration
Public Inquiries
Residence Disputes
Services For The Employer
Sexual Offences
Trading Standards
Wills, Trusts and Probate
© 2019 East Anglian Chambers.
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
East Anglian Chambers is authorised by the SRA under SRA. No 369175 to provide accredited CPD courses.


text:
This week's drawing challenge is "something from the ocean".
It brought me back to these pieces, inspired by the sea, the ocean.
To see more " from the ocean", please visit the site of Veronica here
There was also a beautiful exhibition "De Zee", A Salut d'Honneur to Jan Hoet,
the Belgian founder of SMAK ( The Municipal Musem for Contemporary Art)
in Ghent, Belgium. He passed away in 2014.
You can find images of the exhibition here and here
cover of the catalogue

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I had submitted an Insurance Claim for my iPhone6 (with broken screen), alongwith all the documents on 10 FEB 2016 to F1 SERVICES GURGAON, 1st FLOOR, RAGHUNATH CHAMBERS, OPP PNB SUKHRALI, MG ROAD, GURGAON HARYANA.
My phone has mobile insurance cover by Syska Gadget Secure.
1. I have called up their Customer Service hotline at 180030027090 innumerable times and have followed up with emails but have received not a single answer as to whether my claim is accepted or rejected.
2. On top of it, every time I call, I am informed that my case has been closed as I have not submitted the documents. When I remind the customer service representative that my iPhone, along with all the documents have already been submitted on 10Feb 2016, they tell me that they will send an email to the concerned department and I will hear from them soon. But not a single time have they reverted my call with a status update.
i find it ridiculous that after close to a month I an yet to hear from them on a status of my case / ETA on resolving. I do not even know what the issue from their end is.
I think their company is running a big scam and are a bunch of thieves who are scamming consumers. And I refuse to be taken for a ride by theor organization, so i am seeking help from your forum to resolve my complaint.
Richa Awasthi
Gurgaon 122009, Haryana
Email: email@example.com
18.104.22.168 / 07/03/2016 / 8:10 pm


text:
See you soon,
This is so quaint!!! I love it!
I'm dying over that gingham table cloth. What a beautiful home! xoxo {av}
Lovely! Looks like the perfect spot to curl up with a hot chocolate on a cold and snowy day! Have a great weekend!
tall windows, lots of natural light, and plenty of blue, I'm ready to move in...beautiful..
oooh so pretty!! Love the second and third photo!
I would love a winter or vacation home like this. But that is ironic since I despise cold weather. Suppose I could use it in the summer months as a retreat.
Thank you for sharing. Have a splendid weekend!
Seems like the perfect spot to cozy up w/ family and enjoy a snow day! xo
Thank you for you comments!
Hateful comments with improper language will not be posted


text:
HIGH Domain Authority are metrics that accumulation loves and when they aren't gamed they can has a lot to do with a lot approximately a domains power. This is for that cause every single link you gain from us is a minimum DA20.
Features are:
All Links will be placed on pages with minimum TF/DA of 10/20.
All links will be do-follow high quality.
All blog comments are 100% manual linked .
Unlimited URL's and KW's.
I do not use automated software or tools.
I am professional in all my work what i do always do with 100% efficiency.
A Detailed Excel Report will be provided on work Completion.
Hurry up!! Grow up your site in Google 1st page with my best service i hope you you love it..
Don't forget my Extras.
Add extras to your order
Order Now ($5)
*includes the price of the service
User Ratings
Buyers Comments
High trust flow and domain authority Approved 15 blog comments dofollow pages is ranked 5 out of 5. Based on 8 user reviews.
$5 - In stock


text:
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
pathetic start
16 comments:
I am really sorry for you man. best of luckReplyDelete
He being a sniper, Also he happens to be doing a much better job ....ReplyDelete
The poor gentleman! But one thing is clear. He could become something better. But may be its his passion or something else.ReplyDelete
That guy is being a sniper!!Did you think that he does the job better than you?..Come on...Come up with some better ideas...Best of luck!!ReplyDelete
I think you are the great blogger.What a great article have you written.I really enjoyed reading your post.This info is really very useful to all.ReplyDelete
Thanks.... Keep Posting!!
very sad . I very worried . Now what about your works .ReplyDelete
Also he happens to be doing a much better job of working on his stuff and getting it done.ReplyDelete
But once things start to take off I plan on documenting it in detail for internet self indulgence.ReplyDelete
Thanks for all this info. Great post and so much info. I think this will help a lot of people become more informed to make decisions on where they are heading...ReplyDelete
amazon is working hard for this kind of issuesReplyDelete
it is really a good review.i like it but one thing is clear the poor gentlemen,he could become something better.ReplyDelete
The jacket was a fake and the backpack was a failure because of its general weight and bulk.ReplyDelete
Hey Ryan nice post man. I really enjoy reading your blog anad hope that your future articles will be as good as this one.ReplyDelete
Hrmm that was weird, my comment got eaten. Anyway I wanted to say that it's nice to know that someone else also mentioned this as I had trouble finding the same info elsewhere. This was the first place that told me the answer. Thanks. Sbobet IbcbetReplyDelete
I must admit that this is one great insight. It surely gives a company the opportunity to get in on the ground floor and really take part in creating something special and tailored to their needs. Sbobet Sbobet CasinoReplyDelete
With thanks for sharing your very good web siteReplyDelete
buy generic levitra 20 mg low price


text:
In firefox when designMode is set to "on", all the events for that iframe are disabled. You cannot add events to that iframe using the convensional way. Actually this makes sense since you wouldn't want to have mouse hover events or click events triggered when you set the designMode of an iframe to "on". But not been able to re-enable it while the designMode is still on is really inconvinient. I wanted to add a new feature for the sinhala transliteration for html WYSIWYG editors/RTE (Rich Text Editors). Since the transliteration happens detecting the keypress events in the control i needed to have a number of listeners on an iframe (normally all RTEs use iframe for its designMode functionality). After much searching on the net i found how to do it.
document.getElementById("my_iframe").contentWindow.addEventListener('focus', onFocussed, true)
where 'focus' is the event name and onFocussed is a event handler of the type
function onFocussed(e){
//Do something
Anyones interested my ff addon is here.
Tags: adding event to a iframe, cannot add event to a iframe with designmode on, events on a iframe, iframe designmode on event not working


text:
Signatures Submitted in Washington to Legalize Marijuana
As planned, the New Approach Washington campaign yesterday turned in over 340,000 signatures for Initiative 502 which will legalize and regulate marijuana. The initiative would allow people over 21 to buy and use small amounts of marijuana for personal use. It would also created a system of state-licensed stores and growers.
The number of signatures turned in is well in excess of the 241,153 required by law. These means the initiative is almost assured to be certified even after some duplicated and invalid signatures are thrown out.
Since New Approach Washington decided to go with the "Initiative to the Legislature" route, once the signatures have been verified the initiative will go before the state legislature. The legislature will than have three options:
- The legislature can simply pass the initiative making it law.
- They can reject or fail to act on the initiative within the set time frame, in which case the initiative will go on the ballot for the voters to directly decide on in the next election.
- Finally the legislature can propose an alternative which would also appear on the ballot along with the original initiative.
The most likely outcome will probably be that the legislature will choose not to act on the initiative so it will go before the voters in November. Recent polling indicates that if marijuana legalization goes on the ballot in Washington state, the voters will approve it.
[photo: pashabo/Shutterstock.com]


text:
Back to the Future in 2015: Marty McFly's Contact CenterCollaboration
In the 1989 movie Back to the Future II, Michael J. Fox's character Marty McFly travels to the year 2015. He sees a future with hover boards, holograms, flat-screen TVs,Read More
BYOD and Back to School…Already?Mobility
Popsicles, water balloon fights, fireflies and staying up past your bedtime. These summertime rituals haven't changed since I was a kid. What has changed is technology and the buying cycleRead More


text: Here is a list of privately operated South Bay recycling centers certified by the state to pay refunds for beverage containers covered under California's recycling program. For containers that qualify, the refunds are 5 cents for every two containers under 24 ounces and 5 cents apiece for larger ones, with some centers offering refunds by weight. Hours of operation vary. The abbreviations for materials accepted are aluminum, AL; glass, GL; plastic, PL; other metals, OM, and refillable bottles, RF. (Source: state Department of Conservation)


text:
Sandy Hollow
Join the Sandy Hollow family for a summer of learning and fun. Come share the expertise of our many years in education and day camping. Our goal is to provide our campers with a happy and meaningful summer.Contact Us
Loading the player...
Messages from Sandy Hollow Families
Dear Andy, Thank you so much for making Julian's Summer so special. We truly appreciate the example you set for our boys. We could not have asked for more. Enjoy your year.
This camp is fantastic!!! It is run by a wonderful caring family. My son attended every summer from Kindergarten until he was 13. They provide a variety of activites and special events.


text:
If you're a passionate individual who has something to say and who wants an avenue to say it, blogging might be right up your alley. Unlike Facebook, Twitter and other social media mediums, blogging gives you an entire website to do with whatever you see fit. Check out this article for some tips on how you can build a successful blog.
Ensure that you are posting very often in the blogs that you operate. At the minimum, you should aim to post one time on each blog every single day during the weekdays. Of course, posting more is always welcome. This shows your visitors that you are a very active blogger, which will make them more prone to keep visiting your blogs.
It is important that you don't over-do your use of keywords, imaging and plug-ins. These things cause search engines to lower your ranking, making your site useless. Write naturally, and make sure that your blog posts are easy to read.
Minimize the background "noise". You want your readers to focus on your words and the point you are trying to make. If your background is not somewhat plain, you will draw the readers focus from your entries. Keep your background to a light or white color without images or other distractions.
Keep your readers' attention by reducing the text blocks. If your readers see a large, ongoing length of text, they are apt to move on. This intimidates the viewers sense of comfort and ease of reading. They will anticipate a more interesting read if they see small chunks of text, that are easy on the eyes.
Providing an RSS-to-Email option is a great tip for those running a blog. This can be used so that readers have the ability to subscribe to all your latest posts without needing an RSS reader. Even today, lots of people do not use RSS, so using a RSS-to-Email service is crucial. An excellent choice for one is Feedburner.
An easy thing to do, that will assist your readers review pertinent material in your blog, is to include bullet points. These not only aid the reader in scanning, but will also break up your entry into a more easy to read piece. Make your bullets bold to enhance the ease of use as well.
Do not start a blog entry unless you are sure that you can sit down and finish the entire thing. You want to let your mind stay on task, and if you have to stop for any reason, it will be very hard to pick up where you left off.
Exercise patience and remember that a new blog doesn't become popular overnight. Even with the best advertising and link building campaign out there, it's going to take a bit of time for readers to find your blog. Additionally, until you have a reasonable amount of content, there will simply not be much available for readers to view. The longer you stick to blogging, the more content you'll accumulate, and the more readers will be interested in it.
Avoid the overuse of personal pronouns. When most of your blog is coming from an I, me or you standpoint, it can turn the reader off. You may be perceived as lecturing, pompous or just plain narcissistic. Make your writing a little less personal, but still remain approachable. It is a good balance to find.
When you are attempting to select a topic that will be the basis of your blog, you should make sure that you are interested in your topic. You can't expect to maintain a blog whose topic doesn't interest you in anyway. Selecting a topic that you love increases the chance that you'll stick with continually updating your blog, which will generate new readers.
In order to run an extremely profitable blog, you must learn how to sell to your readers. Knowing how to market and sell in your blog is the only method towards earning a consistent income. Check out tips that blogging professionals use, and apply them in your own blogs so that your profits will be increased.
Be sure to keep it simple. Blogging isn't the same as philosophy. Even if you wish to explain any complicated concepts, try your best to keep them as simple as possible. Your blog competes with many other information sources, so it needs to be as easy to understand as possible.
If you are wanting to earn some real cash with your blog, then you must keep in mind that your blog should be viewed as a business. Your blog is a promotional method that leads to a final product or service. Therefore, use promotional words that entice your readers to want to purchase something.
As long as you're serious about building a blog, the tips you have read here, can help you accomplish your goal. Blogs are low-cost and easy to set up, but you should still follow a few set formulas to accomplish the task. Pay attention to these tips and put them to action how they're written.


text:
Definition of Rhabdomes
1. rhabdome [n] - See also: rhabdome
Lexicographical Neighbors of Rhabdomes
Literary usage of Rhabdomes
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology by Museum of Comparative Zoology, John E. Cadle, Harvard University (1891)
"On page 96 he admits that the layer in which he supposed the rhabdomes originated may be a layer of nerve- fibres. Granting this interpretation, it is no ..."
2. A Manual of Zoology by Richard Hertwig (1912)
"The outer granules are the nuclei of the extremely slender epithelial cells which bear the rhabdomes (rods and cones) on their peripheral ends. ..."
3. A Text-book of the Principles of Animal Histology by Ulric Dahlgren, William Allison Kepner (1908)
"Fine nerve fibrils have been detected in the rhabdomes of ... Over the expanded ends of the rhabdomes lies the end of the lens. This is composed of several ..."
4. A Manual of Zoology by Richard Hertwig (1902)
"retinal cells; C, capsule of eye ; 7, rhabdomes of Inverted eye. ... Behind the rhabdomes comes a layer of strongly iridescent cells, the tapetum lucidum. ..."
5. The American Naturalist by American Society of Naturalists, Essex Institute (1903)
"A transverse section, showing the rosette-like appearance of the rhabdomes and ... where Oudemans ('87) described six. eye showing the rhabdomes and ..."
6. A Treatise on Zoology by Edwin Ray Lankester (1906)
"The retina really consists of a single layer of cells surmounted by rods or rhabdomes, but the latter are extremely long, so that the retina is very thick. ..."
7. A Laboratory Manual in Elementary Biology: An Inductive Study in Animal and by Emanuel Roth Boyer (1894)
"Observe the elongated angular bodies (crystalline cones) which may be still continuous with spindle-shaped structures (rhabdomes). ..."


text:
Autoshop Photoshoot
I met Jimmy on a shoot awhile back and we always talked about collaborating again. Months later, we finally did it – and it was FANfReakiNgTABLOUS! He came up with the concept and wanted to shoot as his dad's auto shop, he got us together — and organized everything. He was AMAZING! This shoot really put me on a high – our 8 hour work day paid off! =)
Another shoot is in the works… wait for it!
Photographer: Jimmy Joe
Makeup Artists: Jeannie Tran & Krysten Clark
Hairstylist: Diana Lomelin
Location: Maldonado's Auto Body Shop, Los Angeles, CA
click below for BEHiND THE SCENES
The models w/makeup artists & hairstylist
3 Responses
wait did you do the make up on the guys' chest? lucky fingers…hehe
wow how fun!! some ideas just can't come together without an awesome MUA and i think this was one of them.


text:
Well, Neo is two tears and 3 months now! Growing up to be quite a little man, he is also hitting that oh so terrible stage of being 2, and let me tell you, it's no fun.
Take today for example, I think, oh I know, we'll go into town and he can ride his balance bike through the park. Oh wow, before we even got out of the car park out of the front here, he wasn't listening, so I regrouped, explained how if he didn't listen we would turn around and go back indoors! He promises to listen. This boy talks for England, he has 10 word sentences, explains the concept of gravity, knows where the moon is, looks at it through a telescope, knows light is made of photons and a hell of a lot about electrons and Atoms, asking him to listen is something he can understand! Well, we make it through the park, he's an angel! I ask him to walk his bike around the shop, he does so! Wow, so proud of this boy!
Then we leave… uh oh…. he takes off, flying past everyone in the street, nearly knocking an old lady over "Neo, wait" I shout… "Wait, Neo… " Nothing, he's gone, passers by comment on his speed as I run after the little toe rag, I catch him, out of breath and flustered, Lift him, turn him round and tell him to head back in the direction we had originally come from because we were going home as he was not listening to me.
Oh boy, you'd think I just brought him a toy, then took it away and destroyed it in front of him, he pitched a fit, he screamed, he kicked he sounded like I was murdering a baby whale! Yea, that was him all over. I looked around at all the people just staring, then I started to walk, knowing that this loveable little monster that had just hatched would follow behind me. And that he did.
All I could hear, "That way… WAAAAHHHHHAAAHAHAHAHAAH…… That way… WAHHHAAHAHA" As he tried to ride his bike, scream, voice what he wanted and point in that direction all at one time, while tumbling off a little here and there!
He's going so slow, I urge him to hurry up, but he's having none of it, I get him home about 45 minutes later, should only be a 10 minute walk, then he carries on screaming at home. Ah the joys.
There are many great things about having him around, he can span up to 10 word sentences, which isn't bad for a newly 2 year old, though however hard we tried, we couldn't completely hide the negative word, so sometimes his choice of sentence connective is…. shocking, to say the least!
I take him to play with other kids his age a couple of times a week, on a Friday morning between 9.30 – 11.30 we go to a toddler group run by the Salvation Army, he seems to love it there, though the other day, we were standing in line waiting to get him some snack, when out of the blue he starts pushing the little girl in front of him! Oh my, I tell him to stop and apologise to the mother, she laughs, but I couldn't believe he had acted in such a manner. Then the other couple of days, sometimes a Monday and Wednesday we go to a soft play centre, he can climb around and go down slides, there is a ball pit too, so he can release a lot of that energy he has built up.
So that is him at two years old, he has a love for anything with wheels! He's a monster disguised as a gorgeous little thing sent from heaven above and he makes the days that bit more interesting!


text:
By Ikhras Friend Roqayah Chamseddine. This article first appeared on Roqayah's blog The Cynical Arab where you can find more of her articles and follow all the writings of this radical Lebanese-American journalist, and powerful Anti-Imperialist voice.*
"It is quiet common to hear high officials in Washington and elsewhere speak of changing the map of the Middle East, as if ancient societies and myriad peoples can be shaken up like so many peanuts in a jar."
— Edward W. Said
The word 'analyst', routinely fatigued by the mainstream media (MSM), has become comparable to the sound of nails against a chalk-board.
When the media finally caught on to the explosive uprisings in the Middle East they seemingly had 'experts' on Tunisia, Egypt, Libya etc. waiting in queue; in this context the term "expert" being any individual who has convienently waltzed through the most westernized boroughs or whose ventures are pock-marked with xenophobic back-wash outlining categorical divisions between "The West" and "The Arab World". Evidently, any correspondent who has spent a number of days in Cairo, Beirut et al. on a network tab while downing a falafel sandwich and a bottle of Pepsi was being described as a qualified professional – being able to spit out a number of Arabic words, in the harshest accent mind you, solidified said 'experts' proficiency on the subject.
The mainstream media enjoys its vast selection of polished orientalist's who've had an elitist 'kebab and hummus' experience, thus have supreme authority over Arab culture in its entirety.
Benevolent Imperialism and American Exceptionalism
"We must bear in mind that imperialism is a world system, the last stage of capitalism — and it must be defeated in a world confrontation. The strategic end of this struggle should be the destruction of imperialism. Our share, the responsibility of the exploited and underdeveloped of the world is to eliminate the foundations of imperialism: our oppressed nations, from where they extract capitals, raw materials, technicians and cheap labor, and to which they export new capitals — instruments of domination — arms and all kinds of articles; thus submerging us in an absolute dependance"
– Che Guevara, Message to the Tricontinental, 1967
The opportunistic and reactionary nature of the US media in terms of its coverage of foreign affairs is blatant and unashamed – in the programming of broadcasts and in the layout of foreign correspondence, even in the rhetoric used to describe the cultural differences present in each group outside the realm of their own. As of late, there is a noticeable air of American-exceptionalism behind almost every coverage in respect to the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) uprisings, especially towards Egypt.
The US media took advantage of the uprising in Egypt and so did the US Government. How else can you explain a seemingly abrupt shift in their alliance? From stern opposition to independent nationalist movements and being in bed with dictators to a sudden 'we were with you all along' type relationship with empowered Egyptians.
The alluring nature of the Arab world as portrayed by the mainstream media includes characters reminiscent of Lawrence of Arabia, T.E. Lawrence, poster boy of British Imperialism; Anderson Cooper being a crowd favorite.
Islamists, Islamism and Sectarian Uprisings
Irshad Manji, self-proclaimed "Muslim refusenik", was another in the long queue of 'experts' who made a plethora of appearances during the uprising in Egypt. Manji is one of many touting of an "Islamist" threat that according to Irshad may or may not exist:
"I do believe things will get worse in the Mideast before it gets better. I'm not saying for a minute that the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist forces will take over– they might."
– Interview with Parker Spitzer Staff. CNN, January 28, 2011
Irshad endorses the unprincipled position of adamant self-criticism of the Middle East – especially when it comes to foreign affairs. Yet Manji's hushed slant towards US hegemony is bold – laid bare for much of the world to see. "Islamist", a word stemming from term "Islamism" which was first used by the French in the 1700′s to refer to Islam, then migrating to the English language in the 1980′s, is a go-to word for many 'experts' of the Arab/Muslim stock. This word is bigotry gold and during the uprisings in the MENA region it was used more often than not.
Yet there is not a single religious element. Not a single "Islamist" threat from the Muslim Brotherhood or otherwise. The uprisings are secular in nature and presentation.
In conclusion, as Robert Fisk notes, it is "…better perhaps to ignore all the analysts and the "think tanks" whose silly "experts" dominate the satellite channels."
*Roqayah Chamseddine is a Lebanese-American journalist and international humanitarian activist; she was a member of the first Gaza Freedom March which took place in December of 2009 in Cairo, Egypt. Recently during the winter of 2010-2011 she spent one month documenting the lives of men, women and children living in the Palestinian Refugee Camps of Lebanon including the camps of Sabra and Shatila and Burj el Barajneh. She is an undergraduate student majoring in Political Science/Pre-Law and Journalism with an emphasis in International Criminal Law. She will be seeking an MA in Journalism during the coming fall. Her work has been featured in foreign and domestic news agencies such as: Al Manar, Mondoweiss, All Voices, Ikhras, Global Voices and a plethora of independent news sources where she is featured as a guest writer or frequent contributing author. She can be reached via: thecynicalarab [at] gmail.com


text:
quote: Originally posted by rifestitchYou can see Nova here:
quote: Originally posted by AlannaAs per the price of floss, I saw on Ebay yesterday that you can buy bulk lots of "DMC" a lot cheaper, but you don't get to pick which colours, and I guess you get no guaruntee as whether it really is DMC or not. What do you girls think? Worth taking the risk or not?
quote: Originally posted by TrudieIts a bit risky Allana I would not. Have a look for a ebay store called counrtycraftcreations here in Oz . They are somewhere in the Qld hinterland. I have bought a few things off Anita and she is good to deal with.
At the moment they have a special 10 dmc skeins for $6.50 and you get the 11th for free . Pretty good value but they dont have all the colour range
At least this way you know its dmc and all new and the full 8 metres !
quote: Originally posted by tdobbsAlanna I couldn't have said it better....I was writing the same exact thing when I read your post and just decided to concur.....you will love it...and when you wash linen.....ooh...so sweet.....it looks beautiful and like you truly have a work of old art on it.....just make sure your floss will not bleed....
BibliothequeGerald Murphy


text:
Hi everybody,
I think my Junkmail filter doesn't work properly. I'd like do disable it, but it keeps on moving messages to the junk mail folder.
I'd like to diable this feature because I'm using Spamihilator already and it works fine for me.
Oh, by the way, is there a way to synchronize 2 Pocomail installations on my PC and my notebook?
Thanks in advance,


text:
I think my ears are bleeding
Posted by Max | Posted on 2/12/2017 10:08:00 PM
The Woman watched the Grammy Awards tonight, which is always a bad idea, because she hears all this spiffy music with awesome singers, and then tries to sing along.
I was on her lap, curled up and warm and happy, when all the sudden this NOISE starts.
Doods. I totally growled at her.
Then I jumped down onto the floor and she kept on with the wailing, so I started yelling at her...and she laughed at me! Like it was funny!
I showed her. I left the room and refused to sit in her lap after that.


text:
In terms of technical and visual ability, I feel like I have developed well. My confidence with the camera has gown, and I feel I have a better grasp of how to make proper use of aperture settings, shutter speeds, focal lengths, and how to compose my images. I have developed a great enthusiasm for shooting in low light, with both natural and controlled light sources. My attempts at 'The Decisive Moment' however, while fun to shoot, are at best, probably rather average.
I feel I have a better grasp of what is recognised as legitimate contemporary art, in the field of photography, having read quite a few books covering the work of many recognised photographers. I am coming to understand how an image that is not at all 'a beautiful photograph' can artistically be more important, or relevant, than one that is.
This point, however, is where doubt sets in.
I am aware of the level of complex conceptualisation in much contemporary work, and it is here that I feel my own work falls short. My images could sometimes fall into the category of pictorialism, if not actually into the vernacular. I have not developed or demonstrated complex concepts in the way that my tutor would like or in the way that I have seen in the work of some of the artists I have studied. This, for me, is a point of internal conflict, and indeed, of conflict with my tutor.
While I accept the validity of many of the stated concepts being depicted by some artists, or written about by some authors, some, I can't help but reject as pretentious nonsense. As such, I can't bring myself to produce a piece of work, and explain it in a way that I think is just … please excuse my language, but I feel this word best describes how I feel about it… 'bullshit'. The descriptions or explanations given in some cases, quite literally, make me angry, and I won't be a party to that kind of thing. I need to work hard to find an acceptable middle ground here.
With this in mind, and when feedback from my tutor effectively tells me to start again from scratch, because I haven't adequately explored an aspect of the concept that was *never* actually part of my concept … I find myself in crisis.
I recognise that the course material is intentionally vague, to allow for maximum flexibility and creativity, and while I find this difficult to get used to, I can deal with it. What I can't deal with is receiving feedback that appears both contrary to the written goals of the assignment, and gives the impression that the tutor has not actually read my explanation of the concept I am trying to depict, or has simply ignored what I am saying.
It would be safe to say that when it comes to heeding my tutor's feedback and altering my assignments accordingly, I could be marked as very weak. In my defence, I can only say that I lost all faith in my tutor. To alter my work, in adherence to advice which seemed unconnected to what I was actually trying to depict, did not strike me as a good way to develop that work.
It seems ridiculous, even outrageous, for me to dismiss the feedback of my tutor, given his position, knowledge, and experience, (I'm prone to arrogance, but I'm not *that* arrogant) but I could only go on the evidence before me, and that suggested that he (more than once) either hadn't read what I had written, before providing his feedback, or simply wasn't paying attention to the details.
Suffice to say, I am very unhappy at this point. Having lost faith in the person whose feedback I should most pay attention to, I am now entirely unsure of the quality of my work, and whether I have done well, or otherwise, in completing the assignments. I can only hope I pass this module, as time constraints demand that I apply for the next two modules, before receiving the results of this one. I am nervous.


text:
Loneliness as a form of Neo-Pyrrhonian Gebrochenheit. On a possible outcome of Marquard's Postintermistic Scepticism
A brief contribution to the conference held as a homage to O. Marquard focuses on his basic, that is, sceptical stance in philosophy and life. It merely aspires to remark (not necessarily justify) that philosophy can be cultivated in various areas with various basic ingredients, and it can develop thinking in multifarious forms. Marquard's preferred form was Pyrrhonian scepticism, resulting in irony, which leads to further crossroads and contingencies showing no sign of a blessed state, just like the previous ones. Perhaps this is a result of the fact that crossroads exist, but a blessed state does not. There is no way he can tell; but he can doubt both.
postinterimistic scepticism; irony; contingence; loneliness
Full Text:PDF (Czech)
Show references Hide references
Marquard, O. Skeptische Methode im Blick auf Kant. Frankfurt a. M. 31982.
Musil, R. Muž bez vlastností I. Praha: Odeon, 1980.
Published by the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.


text:
But some flicks just can't wait for the printed page. Some flicks can't be contained. Some flicks plead to be unleashed on an unsuspecting viewing public as soon as possible.
Emanuele De Santi's berserk ADAM CHAPLIN: VIOLENT AVENGER is just such a flick.
When Adam (played by writer/director De Santi) discovers that his wife has been killed by the local crime boss he sets out on a mission of revenge, hell bent on killing anyone that stands in his path.
Pretty standard stuff, right?
But what separates ADAM CHAPLIN from the endless parade of flicks with similar stories (many of which are currently housed in my Netflix queue) is that we're treated to an almost non-stop parade of insanely hyper-stylized supernatural action gore in which our frequently shirtless vigilante "hero" roams the fictitious town of Heaven Valley literally pulverizing anyone even remotely involved in his wife's demise.
Oh, did I forget to mention the demon that lives in his shoulder and encourages/guides/needles him throughout his blood-soaked 90-minute rampage? How about the crime boss who wears a mask to hide a decaying face disfigured by constant doses of a drug called Neurocil 3 being pumped through his veins? Well, there's that, too.
Like a dark, disturbing slice of manga that has somehow leapt off the page and onto your tv screen, ADAM CHAPLIN mashes together every idea ever imagined by a violence-addled adolescent and fuses it with Italian religious and familial fetishizing then blends in the kind of extreme gore I thought I'd only see from the likes of Andreas Schnaas or Olaf Ittenbach.
And it totally works.
Jaw-dropping from the get-go (two heads roll within the first 30 seconds), ADAM CHAPLIN: VIOLENT AVENGER is a flick that begs to be seen with a roomful of like-minded video mutants. Sure, you might miss the nuances of such subtitled dialogue as "only hatred can lead you in this story..." but you won't care as Chaplin stomps through the Troma-esque wasteland punching his hand through the chest of a corrupt cop or throwing some Ultimate Warrior wannabe off a roof.
I'm disappointed that De Santi – who looks like the gigantic slightly mutant offspring of Beef from PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE and Jon Mikl Thor – doesn't appear to have anything in the works after this eye-popping debut. However, I was happy to hear that Giulio De Santi – who played the crime boss's son and supervised CHAPLIN's extensive visual effects – was behind the futuristic sci-fi gorefest TAETER CITY (check out the trailer below).
One can only hope the pair continue to bring this kind of outrageous sinema to our shores for many years to come! – Dan Taylor
ADAM CHAPLIN: VIOLENT AVENGER is available from Amazon.


text:
Combining a traditional gel pad with a front riser, Acavallo has designed this pad using slip resistant, shock absorbing gel. Ideal for horses with lower withers, this gel pad and rear riser forms to the shape of your saddle allowing air flow and ensuring your horse remains comfortable.
Please Note this item can take up to 10 working days to arrive with you.
We offer free standard delivery on all orders $100 and over to the USA. All orders to the USA under $100 and to Canada can be dispatched using our standard service at a cost of $19.95. All orders of in stock items usually take 3-5 working days.
Posted by Unknown on
Exceptionally nice pad was not right fit for horse bought for it did not go to waste it really helps with a high withered older horse who has lost some muscle tone due to getting older. The acavallo pads are well made and do what they say are going to do. Highly recommended.


text:
Taxi Fares
Taxis in British Columbia must charge rates that are set or approved by the Passenger Transportation Board.
Fares for all taxi services in the Province of British Columbia are strictly regulated, and are set or approved by the Passenger Transportation Board, an independent tribunal in British Columbia established under the Passenger Transportation Act. The Board's primary responsibility is to make decisions on applications relating to the licensing of passenger-directed vehicles (e.g. taxis, limousines, shuttle vans) and inter-city buses in British Columbia.
The regulations are intended to create an environment where passengers are charged reasonable and predictable fees for transportation services, and to ensure that operators maintain safe and comfortable conveyances.
Rates for Taxicab Companies
The following rates and taxi meter formula is implemented on July 7, 2012:
|Type of Rates
|Rounded Rates with 12% HST
|Taxi meter formula with 12% HST included
|$3.20 for the first 52.01 metres
|Distance (per km)
|$0.10 for each additional 52.01 metres
|Wait Time (hourly)
|$0.10 for each consecutive 10.47 seconds (or $34.4001 per hour)
For more information, please visit Passenger Transportation Board website


text:
Rental Shop
- OMC has a full rental suite with the best equipment on the market.
- Specializing in providing the newest, top of the line, gear to try out before you buy, our rental shop is updated yearly and is maintained to be in excellent shape.
- Love what you rented? No Problem! We'll credit the cost of one or two demo rentals towards the purchase of the package if you purchase within the same year of renting.
Ski Shop
- Hidden downstairs in the basement is our full featured ski shop and workroom.
- Our ski experts provide expert waxing, tuning, skin trimming, and binding installation.
- Looking to learn a bit more about the how and why of ski waxing? No problem, just ask! Our experts are happy to share information.
Demo, or Rental?
- We are all familiar with the concept of rentals. The same gear gets taken out time after time, and eventually you end up renting something your grandparents owned.
- At OMC you won't find tons of old gear hanging around, as our demo equipment is replaced every year; adding the newest offerings to our demo program, and retiring older gear.
- The differences between our rental packages (Demo / Rental) are that our Demo packages are stocked with this year's newest and most requested gear.
- If you enjoyed your rental or demo, you have the option to purchase that set of gear, or even parts of it for a discount! Try before you buy never sounded so good.
Warranty Services
- Our warranty service removes all the hassle of finding the right number to call, waiting on hold to talk to a person and trying to figuring out how to get your items back and forth to whatever manufacturer you're dealing with.
- We handle all that hassle for you. Bring us your item that's still under warranty and we'll take care of it while keeping you informed along the way.
Boot Fitting Service:
- When your boot doesn't fit right, every inch can feel like a mile. Come to the retail store to take advantage of our free diagnostic service and we can help reduce, or even remove, those aches and pains from your trip.
- Our experienced boot fitters are here to help make your trip more comfortable. Specializing in fitting AT, Tele, XC and Sidecountry boots, we can give nearly every boot a better fit.
- We offer free diagnostics, new intuition liners, thermo/heat molding, shell adjustments and liner adjustments.
- We can address hot spots, blisters and any spot that rubs your foot while on the trail or slopes. Take a minute to stop in and talk with our experts!


text:
The phinisi, a traditional two-masted sailing ship, is a wholly Bugis invention. The only place to view these ships in Makassar is at Pelabuhan Paotere.
There is a fee to enter Paotere harbour, which I can't remember, primarily because our uncle paid for us. But it was in the region of Rp 5,000 (AU$0.50) per person.
Uncle explained to us that in the olden days these wooden ships were powered solely by wind, but these days they are modernised with the help of motors. Phinisis are mainly used to transport cargo from Sulawesi to its neighbouring islands. Due to its lighter weight, in comparison to steel-constructed ships, they are able to sail in shallower waters that steel ships aren't be able to access.
The sun that day was unbelievably fierce and the air humid. My skin was crackling like a pig being spit-roasted. We didn't spend too much time looking around before deciding to quench our thirst.
There are many street-side vendors selling kelapa muda -- young coconut juice -- near the harbour, but uncle took us 15 minutes away from the hustle and bustle towards the vendors at Jalan Nusantara.
He ordered for us a coconut each. The vendor cut the tops off our coconuts and served them to us. We slurped their juices and cooled ourselves with the breeze that rustled the leaves of the trees lining the streets. When the juices had all gone into our bellies, the vendor cut the coconuts cleanly in halves so we can leisurely scrape their translucent young flesh.
Coconuts in Indonesia are somewhat different to the ones I usually get in Australia, which came from Thailand. Thai young coconut juice has a sweeter taste, whereas these ones are more like those sugarless electrolyte drinks with a mild salty aftertaste.
Kelapa muda vendors
Jalan Nusantara
Makassar SULAWESI SELATAN
location on google maps


text:
This review supplements Dreamweaver CS5 First Impressions, which I wrote just after CS5 was announced. That article explains most of the new features in Dreamweaver CS5 like other reviews, but the goal of this article is to share my experience in the field with Dreamweaver CS5 and to tell what works and what doesn't work for me.
What CSS can do for you
Dreamweaver CS5 got quite a few new features focused on making CSS easier to use, and they have changed some aspects of the way I work with CSS. I still do a lot of hand-coding and don't care to use the CSS Styles panel and its new features. I do like the Inspect button, which will put the Design view into Live View and color various properties of the CSS elements such as margins and padding. You can turn CSS rules on or off as well in the CSS Styles panel, which helps you see how the webpage is affected by specific rules and properties.
I love the Inspect feature for specific situations but most of the time my troubles with CSS happen with properties that aren't easily seen, such as position, display and float/clear. I try to do a lot of my CSS positioning without absolute positioning when I can avoid it, and CSS1 and CSS2 tricks like floats aren't really designed for the task. I wish Dreamweaver could solve these situations, but Inspect doesn't provide easy solutions.
Handling CMS-generated websites
In my "First Impressions" article I mentioned Dreamweaver CS5 handles dynamic websites generated by PHP-based content management systems (CMS). At the time I couldn't figure out how to get Dreamweaver to work with a website of mine that uses ExpressionEngine, and a little research suggests Dreamweaver CS5 actually doesn't work with ExpressionEngine. Joomla!, Drupal and WordPress are the three CMS's that Dreamweaver CS5 will handle dynamically—and there's no support for the ASP-based CMS products out there, though there aren't many.
Dreamweaver CS5 has taken an important first step toward working with dynamic websites but there's a lot more to be done. Other dynamic systems, such as e-commerce products which are coming up more and more in my work, aren't covered by Dreamweaver and I don't do anything more than the design and production in that application. If you run Joomla!, Drupal or WordPress often, then I'd purchase Dreamweaver CS5 since it works beautifully with those products. Other CMS's—like ExpressionEngine—don't gain anything new.
The Inspect button is my favorite new feature, but the redesigned Site Definition dialog box is a close second. It makes creating new sites and handling multiple remote servers and environments much easier, though I think this says more about the weaknesses of the previous interface than the strengths of the new one in Dreamweaver CS5. Improvements like these are doubly important because interfaces like the Site Definition dialog box are used very often and if they aren't well-designed they really grate on you. The other great new interface improvement from Adobe recently is the new File Import interface in Photoshop Lightroom 3, and that one proves that a lot of time and effort can be saved with a flexible and simple interface.
About the HTML5 Pack
Adobe released a Dreamweaver CS5 HTML5 extension a couple weeks ago that adds some HTML5-specific elements to Dreamweaver CS5. HTML5 has become a buzzword now that Apple is throwing it around as a replacement for Adobe Flash (which it really isn't, at least not yet). I'm sure many web designers will switch from XHTML to HTML5 and Adobe has tried to embrace HTML5 even with the uncertainty around web video and whether it threatens its Flash products.
The HTML5 Pack should be a no-brainer for designers wanting to learn HTML5. The pack includes a couple HTML5 starter layouts accessible from the New Document window, but these layouts are fairly simple and don't have many HTML5 elements other than the semantic additions such as
The disappointing thing is the HTML5 Pack won't be much help for actually learning HTML5 or CSS3—it's something that might have been better as part of the next Dreamweaver update. But I'm happy to see Adobe being proactive about HTML5, because I expect many more designers will at least try it in the near future.
Now that I've worked with Dreamweaver CS5 for months, I've concluded that its new features really bring a new focus to the application. CSS, PHP and dynamic websites are handled better than ever before, though there's a lot more to be done. I don't know if the Dreamweaver team will ever be able to get the application to work with all the CMS's out there today, but I have to hope there's some way to do it. It's more likely that Adobe will tie Dreamweaver to their new Business Catalyst product, which offers a CMS as well as CRM and other tools.
Designers should look hard at Dreamweaver CS5 before buying. CSS-intensive coders who use one of the three CMS's above would get a huge benefit and should have no problem justifying the cost for the upgrade. I use Dreamweaver CS5 in much the same way I used Dreamweaver CS4 and my benefits have been more modest, though I could probably do more with my CSS productivity. You'll have to look at your own web design workflow to judge if Dreamweaver CS5 is right for you.
Dreamweaver CS5
Adobe Systems
US$399/$199 upgrade
Rating: 8/10


text:
Honors Program Alumni
Your connection with the Honors Program continues long after graduation, and we hope you'll keep in touch. Please contact Jill Talley at firstname.lastname@example.com to:
- Change your mailing/e-mail addresses
- Contribute material for the class notes section of HonorsLINK
- Connect with our present students
- Ask a question or make a suggestion about the Honors Program
Don't forget to visit alumni.udayton.edu to update your information with the University, connect with your alumni chapter, learn about Reunion Weekend or make a gift.
Supporting the Next Generation of Honors Students
Donations to the University Honors Program can be made here. Please choose your designation from the pull-down menu, or if not available, indicate your preference in the option box under "Additional Information."
Patrick F. Palermo Honors Program Founders Fund provides annual support for Honors students undertaking Honors thesis projects that involve international research, service and leadership in the community, or which advance the realization of a just society.
The Daniel P. Arnold Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established to remember Berry Scholar Danny Arnold, Class of 2013, who died tragically in the summer of 2012. One of Danny's goals upon becoming established in his career in medicine was to give back to the UD community through a scholarship fund, much like Mr. Berry, who funded Danny's education at UD through the Berry Scholars program. This fund has been formed to make Danny's dream a reality. You can also support the Arnold Fund by participating in the Danny Arnold 5K Walk/Run, which occurs each fall on the campus grounds.
Thank you in advance for all support you give to the current members of the University Honors Program.


text:
2nd CPPS Malaysian Youth Public Policy Roundtable
To commemorate the 2015 International Youth Day theme entitled 'Youth Civic Engagement' and to promote young people's effective and inclusive civic eat all levels, CPPS is glad to have had the opportunity to organise an event in which young people and young leaders voiced and discussed their concerns, ideas and solutions for the issues afflicting their generation and the country as a whole. The results of the event reflect the priorities of many young people. An estimated 60 participants ranging from the student leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians, and NGOs, converged for a meaningful session of brainstorming and deliberation on issues faced by Malaysians in general. The keynote address was given by YB Senator Chong Sin Woon, Deputy Minister of Education.
Among the issues that emerged as very relevant for young Malaysians were:
a) Recognising that young people have the enterprise, resilience and optimism to contribute to the prosperity of Malaysia. By focusing on young people's strengths, we can be empowered and thrive. We should remove barriers to the participation of youths in politics: rather than organising youth parliaments, let's make the youth part of Parliament.
b) Young people's aspirations and expectations in terms of well-being and social belonging are perceived to be threatened by factors such as low wages, insufficient skills (un-employability), rising cost of living, unaffordable housing options. At the same time, they are afraid to speak out because of censorship, repression and other constraints on freedom and civic rights. Provisions within legal devices such as the Sedition Act, the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) allow the government to intimidate, detain or even prosecute young people for becoming politically engaged.
c) The participants believe that the discrimination involved in paying younger people less than older people – regardless of skill – is unacceptable. They called on employers and government to uphold meritocracy and reward effort, talent and skill over age. Meritocracy should also be the defining element in university admissions.
d) Public transport emerged as an issue that significantly affects the quality of living of young people in cities, and one which can also affect their capacity to access education and look for jobs. Therefore, participants called on government to increase the frequency, reliability, quality and affordability of public transport.
e) The rate of youth unemployment is high and young people need better education, skill development and apprenticeships to help equip them with the right tools to enter the employment market.
f) A key concern for the development of democracy and the protection of freedoms and Human Rights was the insufficient separation of powers and the ability of the executive to manipulate the judiciary. The judiciary needs to be truly independent and have the capacity to act against the other branches of the State, including the Executive Branch.
g) In the context of the 1MDB crisis, delegates agreed on the need for a reform to the political system and in particular to the rules for political financing. Transparency, accountability and strict controls on the size and origin of political donations are fundamental to ensure the viability of the Malaysian democracy.
h) Good governance needs to become more than just empty words. The principles of good governance should be taken seriously by the Malaysian government. The results of the event show that some principles of good governance are perceived as being weak in Malaysia:
Citizen-centric design of government: The entire government's only reason to exist is to serve the people, and hence governments must be judged in terms of how they contribute to improving the lives of citizens. Government should not forget what it stands for.
Accountability: In congruence with the previous point, governments need to understand that they are obliged to respond to citizens' enquiries and to justify their actions fully. A democratic government is accountable to the people who elected it because citizens are the ones in charge – they are sovereign. They set up a government to promote the public interest; therefore the government is answerable to the people.
Civil society as a counter-weight to government: No democracy can function effectively if civil society is not properly organised to keep the government in check. The development of civil society goes hand in hand with the development of democracy. For this reason, adequate support needs to be given to NGOs to enable them to operate as the 4th branch of the State (besides the executive, the judiciary and the legislative).
i) In terms of Human Rights, these have to be properly acknowledged and reaffirmed by both government and society. Malaysia has to commit itself to protecting Human Rights if it wants to be recognised as an advanced country at the forefront of civilisation. For this purpose, educating the Malaysian people about Human Rights as inherent and inalienable guarantees protecting all humans is crucial. Similarly, it is urgent that Malaysia subscribes the UN's treaties on Human Rights and Racial Discrimination. Particularly worrying is the neglect (or outright denial) of the rights of minorities, such as the LGBT community and migrants. Empirical work is needed to better understand the origins and magnitude of the problem of Human Rights violations in Malaysia.
j) Education is the greatest equaliser. So long as access to quality education remains unequal, Malaysia won't achieve the goal of being a society in which everyone has the same opportunities to succeed in life. Education goes beyond the idea of schooling: people need to learn to learn, so that they can improve and develop themselves throughout their lives.
k) Social inequalities remain a key barrier for Malaysia to become a developed nation. These inequalities are manifested in urban-rural divides, gender inequalities, and class divides. One strategic approach advanced to leverage the role of young people in addressing social inequalities is to promote the participation of young people in local government. This is, however, a two-sided issue: young people also need to be more proactive in positioning themselves in local government levels to make a difference. Adequate consultative and participatory initiatives are also needed to further address social-inequality at the local level by identifying the root causes – it is not only a matter of national politics but also a local one.
l) National Unity remains a weak spot of Malaysia. There is a strong perception among the youth that, for all the official talk on National Unity, there are many laws and policies that in fact make provoke disunity because they exacerbate racial and cultural fault lines. In other words, the institutionalised racism practised by the government undermines efforts to achieve a harmonious, cohesive society with a unified national identity. An example of the above is pro-Bumiputera discrimination. Many participants observed that non-Bumiputera Malaysians even migrate abroad because they perceive their country as being skewed against them. These are often among Malaysia's best and brightest young people. However, there was also agreement that inter-ethnic divisions are stronger on the Peninsula than in Sabah and Sarawak.
Published Date
Latest Publication
Programme Areas


text:
5 tips for your rustic wedding
Today I've prepared 5 tips that will help to organize your rustic wedding, from choosing the kind of flowers, to your wedding dress. ♥ Custom wedding invitations, always! Yes, the invitations that you send to your guests list are the first way to show them what kind of wedding you'll be celebrating. There are hundreds


text:
Have you ever eaten at an expensive restaurant out of the country and watched because the waiter sneered at your Visa or MasterCard? Traveling to far away place with strange sounding names does not must value a king's ransom. The Halliburton employees from the banned countries are being notified that travel to the U.S. is just not advisable during the travel restriction interval, the spokeswoman mentioned. Ranging from business information to present occurring, you may get them all on this channel.
When you have an EHIC and want remedy in France, you would still end up with a bill for 30% of the full value and that could be a LOT of cash, until you might have world travel insurance to help cover the prices. So, travelers have extensive choices to rent a automotive to discover the fascinating locations of the state. Right co-ordination with all concerned individuals is the key concern for a travel company Greece to kind a easy network system.
My aim has at all times been to assist more folks travel and show them travel does not must be expensive. The majority of people are unaware that an abroad travel insurance coverage, or different insurance coverage for that matter, is a legal settlement and even that … Travel More


text:
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie's annual celebration of their wedding anniversary at Manoir Bellechasse is rudely disturbed by murder.
Bellechasse, that resplendent former home of Robber Barons, is a legendary log lodge located on a lake close to the Québécois village of Three Pines, home to the Gamaches' artist friends Peter and Clara Morrow. The Gamaches' fellow guests, all relatives of Peter and Clara, include the chilly Morrow matriarch, now Mrs. Finney; her oldest son Tom and his constantly carping wife; her lovely daughter Julia, who's serving her financier husband with divorce papers in jail; and her ragtag daughter Marianna and her androgynous child Bean. As at all the best family reunions, the relatives, who rarely speak to each other, break their silence only to hurl words like knives. Their relations grow even chillier when Julia is crushed by a recently placed statue of her father and Gamache and his team call it murder. In a case reminiscent of classic Christie, sagacious, intuitive, patient Gamache finds the family and staff the only suspects, but they're more than enough. Digging into the family's background reveals many petty secrets, some nasty. Meantime, sated perhaps with attacks on each other, the Morrows turn on Gamache when they discover his father railed against World War II and became a conscientious objector.
This latest treat in the series (The Cruelest Month, 2008, etc.) will keep fans salivating in anticipation, savoring each delectable morsel and yearning for more.


text:
Medieval China
Classical Music/Opera Listings
New York Times - Jan 11 5:19 PMCLASSICAL.Save
U.S. airstrike failed to kill terror suspects in Somalia
Baltimore Sun - Jan 12 4:37 AMNAIROBI, Kenya // None of the three al-Qaida suspects believed to be hiding in southern Somalia was killed by a U.S. airstrike this week, a senior U.S. official said yesterday. The attack Sunday night by an Air Force AC-130 gunship killed eight to 10 people believed to have ties to al-Qaida. Previous reports from other U.S. and Somali sources had suggested that suspects in the deadly bombings of ...Save
Should we still be in Iraq?
Ridgecrest Daily Independent - Jan 12 9:06 AMWith everything that's been going on in our country, should we still be trying to save Iraq or should we be concentrating on saving our selves?Save
Opening today
Akron Beacon Journal - Jan 12 12:30 AMRatings as appeared in Beacon Journal film critic and wire-service reviews: =Weak =Mediocre =Worth Seeing =Shouldn't Be Missed ALPHA DOG --Save
Here is an article on Medieval China.
The history of China is detailed by historical records dating as far back as 16th century BC. China is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. Turtle shells with markings reminiscent of ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty (商朝) have been carbon dated to around 1500 BC. These records suggest that the origins of Chinese civilization started with city-states in the Yellow River valley. The year 221 BC is commonly used as the date when China became unified under a large kingdom or empire. Successive dynasties developed systems of bureaucratic control that would allow the Emperor of China to control the large territory that would become known today as China.
The forced imposition of a common system of writing by the Qin Dynasty (秦) Emperor in the 3rd century BC and the development of a state ideology based on Confucianism in the 2nd century BC, marked the foundation of what is now termed the Chinese civilization. Politically, China is said to have alternated between periods of political unity and disunity, to be occasionally conquered by external groups of people, some eventually being assimilated into the Chinese population. Cultural and political influences from many parts of Asia, carried by successive waves of immigration and extensive expansion and assimilation, merged to create the image of Chinese culture today.
What is now China was inhabited, possibly more than a million years ago, by Homo erectus. The archaeological site of Xihoudu (西侯渡) in Shanxi Province is the earliest record of use of fire by Homo erectus, which is dated 1.8 million years ago. The excavations at Yuanmou and later Lantian show early habitation. Perhaps the most famous specimen of Homo erectus found in China is the so-called Peking Man (北京人) found in 1923. Two pottery pieces were unearthed at Liyuzui Cave in Liuzhou, Guangxi (广西) Province dated 16,500 and 19,000 BC.[1] Early evidence for proto-Chinese millet agriculture is carbon-dated to about 7,000 BC, and associated with the Jiahu (贾湖) site, which is also the earliest site of playable music instruments, earliest stage of Chinese language writing system (still under debate) and earliest wine production in world. Jiahu is the early stage of Peiligang culture (裴李崗文化) of Xinzheng county (新鄭縣), Henan (河南省), of which only 5% has been excavated as of 2006. With agriculture came increased population, the ability to store and redistribute crops, and to support specialist craftsmen and administrators. In late Neolithic times, the Huang He (黃河) valley began to establish itself as a cultural center, where the first villages were founded; the most archaeologically significant of those was found at Banpo (半坡), Xi'an (西安).
The early history of China is complicated by the lack of a written language during this period coupled with the existence of documents from later time periods attempting to describe events that occurred several centuries before. The problem in some sense stems from centuries of introspection on the part of the Chinese people which has blurred the distinction between fact and fiction in regards to this early history. By 7000 BC, the Chinese were farming millet, giving rise to the Jiahu culture. Later Yangshao culture was superseded by the Longshan culture around 2500 BC. Archaeological sites such as Sanxingdui (三星堆) and Erlitou (二里頭) show evidence of a Bronze Age civilization in China. The earlist bronze knife was found at Majiayao (马家窑) in Qinhai province dated 3000BC.
The earliest comprehensive history of China, the Historical Records (史記) by Sima Qian (司馬遷), a renowned Chinese historiographer of the 2nd century BC and the Bamboo Annals, begins perhaps about 2800BC, with an account of the Five Emperors (三皇五帝). These rulers were semi-mythical sage-kings and moral exemplars, and one of them, the Yellow Emperor (黃帝), is said to be the ancestor of the Chinese people.
Sima Qian relates that the system of inherited rulership was established during the following early period called the Xia Dynasty (夏朝), and that this model was perpetuated in the recorded Shang (商) and Zhou (周) dynasties. It is during this period of the Three Dynasties (Chinese: 三代; pinyin: sāndài) that the historical China begins to appear.
Sima Qian and Bamboo Annals(竹书纪年)'s account dates the founding of the Xia Dynasty (夏朝) to 4,200 years ago, but this date has not been corroborated.
There were 17 kings of 14 generations during Xia Dynasty from Yu the Great to Jie of Xia according to Sima Qian and other records in the later Qin Dynasty.
The Shang and Zhou people had existed with Xia Dynasty since the beginning of Xia. They were Xia's State (诸侯). The exact time length of the Xia Dynasty is hard to define now, but mainly focused on two options, either 431 years or 471 years.
Most Chinese archaeologists connect the Xia to excavations at Erlitou in central Henan province, where a bronze smelter from around 2000 BC was unearthed. Early markings from this period, found on pottery and shells, have been alleged to be ancestors of modern Chinese characters. Proof of Xia's existence still requires further archaeological discovery. With few clear written records match the Shang oracle bones or the Zhou bronze vessel writings, the Xia era remains poorly understood. Most modern knowledge about the Xia dynasty is speculation based on what is known about later periods.
The earliest discovered written record of China's past dates from the Shang Dynasty (商朝) in perhaps the 13th century BC, and takes the form of inscriptions of divination records on the bones or shells of animals—the so-called oracle bones (甲骨文). Archaeological findings providing evidence for the existence of the Shang Dynasty, c 1600–1046 BC is divided into two sets. The first set, from the earlier Shang period (c 1600–1300 BC) comes from sources at Erligang (二里崗), Zhengzhou (鄭州) and Shangcheng. The second set, from the later Shang or Yin (殷) period, consists of a large body of oracle bone writings. Anyang (安陽) in modern day Henan has been confirmed as the last of the nine capitals of the Shang (c 1300–1046 BC). There were 31 kings from Tang of Shang to King Zhou of Shang of Shang Dynasty and it is the longest dynasty in Chinese history.
Chinese historians living in later periods were accustomed to the notion of one dynasty succeeding another, but the actual political situation in early China is known to have been much more complicated. Hence, as some scholars of China suggest, the Xia and the Shang can possibly refer to political entities that existed concurrently, just as the early Zhou (successor state of the Shang), is known to have existed at the same time as the Shang.
Written records found at Anyang confirm the existence of the Shang dynasty. However, Western scholars are often hesitant to associate settlements contemporaneous with the Anyang settlement with the Shang dynasty. For example, archaeological findings at Sanxingdui suggest a technologically advanced civilization culturally unlike Anyang. The evidence is unconclusive in proving how far the Shang realm extended from Anyang. The leading hypothesis is that Anyang, ruled by the same Shang in the official history, coexisted and traded with numerous other culturally diverse settlements in the area that is now referred to as China proper.
By the end of the 2nd millennium BC, the Zhou Dynasty (周朝) began to emerge in the Yellow River valley, overrunning the Shang. The Zhou appeared to have begun their rule under a semi-feudal system. The Zhou were a people who lived west of Shang, and the Zhou leader had been appointed "Western Protector" by the Shang. The ruler of the Zhou, King Wu, with the assistance of his uncle, the Duke of Zhou, as regent managed to defeat the Shang at the Battle of Muye. The king of Zhou at this time invoked the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to legitimize his rule, a concept that would be influential for almost every successive dynasty. The Zhou initially moved their capital west to an area near modern Xi'an, near the Yellow River, but they would preside over a series of expansions into the Yangtze River valley. This would be the first of many population migrations from north to south in Chinese history.
In the 8th century BC, power became decentralized during the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋時代), named after the influential Spring and Autumn Annals. In this period, local military leaders used by the Zhou began to assert their power and vie for hegemony. The situation was aggravated by the invasion of other peoples from the northwest, such as the Qin, forcing the Zhou to move their capital east to Luoyang. This marks the second large phase of the Zhou dynasty: the Eastern Zhou. In each of the hundreds of states that eventually arose, local strongmen held most of the political power and continued their subservience to the Zhou kings in name only. Local leaders for instance started using royal titles for themselves. The Hundred Schools of Thought (諸子百家) of Chinese philosophy blossomed during this period, and such influential intellectual movements as Confucianism (儒家), Taoism (道家), Legalism (法家) and Mohism (墨家) were founded, partly in response to the changing political world. The Spring and Autumn Period is marked by a falling apart of the central Zhou power. China now consists of hundreds of states, some only as large as a village with a fort.
After further political consolidation, seven prominent states remained by the end of 5th century BC, and the years in which these few states battled each other is known as the Warring States Period (戰國時代). Though there remained a nominal Zhou king until 256 BC, he was largely a figurehead and held little real power. As neighboring territories of these warring states, including areas of modern Sichuan (四川)and Liaoning (遼寧), were annexed, they were governed under the new local administrative system of commandery and prefecture (郡縣). This system had been in use since the Spring and Autumn Period and parts can still be seen in the modern system of Sheng & Xian (province and county, 省縣). The final expansion in this period began during the reign of Ying Zheng (嬴政), the king of Qin. His unification of the other six powers, and further annexations in the modern regions of Zhejiang (浙江), Fujian (福建), Guangdong (廣東) and Guangxi (廣西) in 214 BC enabled him to proclaim himself the First Emperor (Qin Shi Huangdi, 秦始皇帝).
Historians often refer to the period from Qin Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty as imperial China. Though the unified reign of the Qin (秦) Emperor lasted only twelve years, he managed to subdue great parts of what constitutes the core of the Han Chinese homeland and to unite them under a tightly centralized Legalist government seated at Xianyang (咸陽)(in modern Xi'an). The doctrine of legalism that guided the Qin emphasized strict adherence to a legal code and the absolute power of the emperor. This philosophy, while very effective for expanding the empire in a military fashion, proved unworkable for governing it in peace time. The Qin presided over the brutal silencing of political opposition, including the event known as the burning and burying of scholars. This would be the impetus behind the later Han Synthesis incorporating the more moderate schools of political governance.
The Qin Dynasty is well known for beginning the Great Wall of China, which was later augmented and enhanced during the Ming Dynasty (明朝). The other major contributions of the Qin included unifying the legal code, written language, and currency of China after the tribulations of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods. Even something as basic as the length of axles for carts had to be made uniform to ensure a viable trading system throughout the empire. [2]
The Han Dynasty (漢朝) emerged in 202 BC. It was the first dynasty to embrace the philosophy of Confucianism, which became the ideological underpinning of all regimes until the end of imperial China. Under the Han Dynasty, China made great advances in many areas of the arts and sciences. Emperor Wu (Han Wudi 漢武帝) consolidated and extended the Chinese empire by pushing back the Xiongnu (匈奴) (sometimes identified with the Huns) into the steppes of modern Inner Mongolia (內蒙古), wresting from them the modern areas of Gansu (甘肅), Ningxia (寧夏) and Qinghai (青海). This enabled the first opening of trading connections between China and the West, the Silk Road (絲綢之路).
Nevertheless, land acquisitions by elite families gradually drained the tax base. In AD 9, the usurper Wang Mang (王莽) founded the short-lived Xin ("New") Dynasty (新朝) and started an extensive program of land and other economic reforms. These programs, however, were never supported by the land-holding families, for they favored the peasant and lesser gentry, and the instability they produced brought on chaos and uprisings.
Emperor Guangwu (光武帝) reinstated the Han Dynasty with the support of land-holding and merchant families at Luoyang (洛陽), east of Xi'an. This new era would be termed the Eastern Han Dynasty (東漢). Han power declined again amidst land acquisitions, invasions, and feuding between consort clans and eunuchs. The Yellow Turban Rebellion (黃巾之亂) broke out in 184, ushering in an era of warlords. In the ensuing turmoil, three states tried to gain predominance in the Period of the Three Kingdoms (三國). This time period has been greatly romanticized in works such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義).
Though three groups were reunited temporarily in 278 by the Jin Dynasty, the contemporary non-Han Chinese (Wu Hu, 五胡) ethnic groups controlled much of the country in the early 4th century and provoked large-scale Han Chinese migrations to south of the Chang Jiang. In 303 the Di people rebelled and later captured Chengdu, establishing the state of Cheng Han. Under Liu Yuan the Xiongnu rebelled near today's Linfen County and established the state of Han Zhao. His successor Liu Cong captured and executed the last two Western Jin emperors. Sixteen kingdoms is a plethora of short-lived non-Chinese dynasties that from 303 came to rule the whole or parts of northern China. Many ethnic groups were involved, including ancestors of the Turks, the Mongolians, and the Tibetans. Most of these nomadic peoples, relatively few in number, had to some extent been Sinicized long before their ascent to power. In fact, some of them, notably the Ch'iang and the Xiong-nu, had already since late Han times been allowed to live in the frontier regions within the Great Wall.
The Sui Dynasty (隋朝), which managed to reunite the country in 589 after nearly four centuries of political fragmentation at which time the north and south had developed independently, played a role more important than its length of existence would suggest. In the same way that the Qin rulers of the 3rd century BC had unified China after the Warring States Period, so the Sui brought China together again and set up many institutions that were to be adopted by their successors, the Tang. Like the Qin, however, the Sui overstrained their resources and fell. And also as in the case of the Qin, traditional history has judged the Sui somewhat unfairly; it has stressed the harshness of the Sui regime and the megalomania of its second emperor, giving very little credit for its many positive achievements.
On June 18, 618, Gaozu (唐高祖) took the throne, and the Tang Dynasty (唐朝) was established, opening a new age of prosperity and innovations in arts and technology. Buddhism, which had gradually been established in China from the first century, became the predominant religion and was adopted by the royal family and many of the common people.
Chang'an (長安) (modern Xi'an), the national capital, is thought to have been the world's biggest city at the time. The Tang and the Han are often referred to as the most prosperous periods of Chinese history.
The Tang, like the Han, kept the trade routes open to the west and south and there was extensive trade with distant foreign countries and many foreign merchants settled in China.
From about 860 the Tang Dynasty began to decline due to a series of rebellions within China itself, and in the previously subject Kingdom of Nanzhao (南詔) to the south. One of the warlords, Huang Chao (黃巢), captured Guangzhou (廣州) in 879, killing most of the 200,000 inhabitants including most of the large colony of foreign merchant families there. In late 880 Luoyang surrendered to him and on 5 January, 881 he conquered Changan. The emperor Xizong (唐僖宗) fled to Chengdu and Huang established a new temporary regime, which was eventually destroyed by Tang forces. However, another time of political chaos followed.
The period of political disunity between the Tang and the Song, known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (五代十国), lasted little more than half a century, from 907 to 960. During this brief era, when China was in all respects a multistate system, five regimes succeeded one another rapidly in control of the old Imperial heartland in northern China. During this same time, 10 more stable regimes occupied sections of southern and western China, so the period is also referred to as that of the Ten Kingdoms (十国).
In 960, the Song Dynasty (960-1279) (宋朝) gained power over most of China and established its capital in Kaifeng (汴京/開封), starting a period of economic prosperity, while the Khitan Liao Dynasty (契丹族遼國) ruled over Manchuria and eastern Mongolia. In 1115 the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) (女真族金國) emerged to prominence, annihilating the Liao Dynasty in 10 years. It also took power over northern China and Kaifeng from the Song Dynasty, which moved its capital to Hangzhou (杭州). The Southern Song Dynasty also suffered the humiliation of having to acknowledge the Jin Dynasty as formal overlords. In the ensuing years China was divided between the Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty, and the Tangut Western Xia (西夏). Southern Song experienced a period of great technological development which can be explained in part by the military pressure that it felt from the north.
The Jin Empire was defeated by the Mongols, who then proceeded to defeat the Southern Song in a long and bloody war, the first war where firearms played an important role. During the era after the war, later called the Pax Mongolica, adventurous Westerners such as Marco Polo travelled all the way to China and brought the first reports of its wonders to Europe. In China, the Mongols were divided between those who wanted to remain based in the steppes and those who wished to adopt the customs of Han Chinese.
Kublai Khan (忽必烈/元世祖), grandson of Genghis Khan (成吉思汗), wanting to adopt Han Chinese customs, established the Yuan Dynasty (元朝). This was the first dynasty to rule the whole of China from Beijing (北京) as the capital. Beijing had been ceded to Liao in AD 938 with the 16 Prefectures of Yan Yun (燕雲十六州). Before that, it had been the capital of the Jin, who did not rule all of China.
There was strong sentiment, among the populace, against the rule of the "foreigner" (known as Dázi 韃子), which finally led to peasant revolts. The Mongolians were pushed back to the steppes and replaced by the Ming Dynasty (明朝) in 1368.
During Mongol rule, the population had dropped by 40 percent, to an estimated 60 million. Two centuries later, it had doubled. Urbanization thus increased as the population grew and as the division of labor grew more complex. Large urban centers, such as Nanjing and Beijing, also contributed to the growth of private industry. In particular, small-scale industries grew up, often specializing in paper, silk, cotton, and porcelain goods. For the most part, however, relatively small urban centers with markets proliferated around the country. Town markets mainly traded food, with some necessary manufactures such as pins or oil.
Despite the xenophobia and intellectual introspection characteristic of the increasingly popular new school of neo-Confucianism, China under the early Ming Dynasty was not isolated. Foreign trade and other contacts with the outside world, particularly Japan (倭國), increased considerably. Chinese merchants explored all of the Indian Ocean, reaching East Africa with the voyages of Zheng He (鄭和, original name Ma Sanbao 馬三保).
Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋) or (Hong-wu, 洪武皇帝/明太祖), the founder of the dynasty, laid the foundations for a state interested less in commerce and more in extracting revenues from the agricultural sector. Perhaps because of the Emperor's background as a peasant, the Ming economic system emphasized agriculture, unlike that of the Song and the Mongolian Dynasties, which relied on traders and merchants for revenue. Neo-feudal landholdings of the Song and Mongol periods were expropriated by the Ming rulers. Great landed estates were confiscated by the government, fragmented, and rented out. Private slavery was forbidden. Consequently, after the death of Emperor Yong-le (永樂皇帝/明成祖), independent peasant landholders predominated in Chinese agriculture. These laws might have paved the way to removing the worst of the poverty during the previous regimes. The laws against the merchants and the restrictions under which the craftsmen worked remained essentially as they had been under the Song, but now the remnants of the older foreign merchant class also fell under these new Ming laws. Their influence quickly dwindled.
The dynasty had a strong and complex central government that unified and controlled the empire. The emperor's role became more autocratic, although Zhu Yuanzhang necessarily continued to use what he called the "Grand Secretaries" to assist with the immense paperwork of the bureaucracy, including memorials (petitions and recommendations to the throne), imperial edicts in reply, reports of various kinds, and tax records. It was this same bureaucracy that later prevented the Ming government from being able to adapt to changes in society, and eventually led to its decline.
Emperor Yong-le strenuously tried to extend China's influence beyond its borders by demanding other rulers send ambassadors to China to present tribute. A large navy was built, including four-masted ships displacing 1,500 tons. A standing army of 1 million troops (some estimate as many as 1.9 million) was created. The Chinese armies conquered Annam (安南) while the Chinese fleet sailed the China seas and the Indian Ocean, cruising as far as the east coast of Africa. The Chinese gained influence over Turkestan. Several maritime Asian nations sent envoys with tribute for the Chinese emperor. Domestically, the Grand Canal was expanded, and proved to be a stimulus to domestic trade. Over 100,000 tons of iron per year were produced. Many books were printed using movable type. The imperial palace in Beijing's Forbidden City reached its current splendor. The Ming period seems to have been one of China's most prosperous. It was also during these centuries that the potential of south China came to be fully exploited. New crops were widely cultivated, and industries such as those producing porcelain and textiles flourished.
During the Ming dynasty was the last construction on the Great Wall. While the Great Wall had been built in earlier times, most of what is seen today was either built or repaired by the Ming. The brick and granite work was enlarged, the watch towers were redesigned, and cannons were placed along its length.
The Qing Dynasty (清朝, 1644–1911) was founded after the defeat of the Ming, the last Han Chinese dynasty, by the Manchus (滿族). The Manchus were formerly known as the Jurchen and invaded from the north in the late seventeenth century. Even though the Manchus started out as alien conquerors, they quickly adopted the Confucian norms of traditional Chinese government. They eventually ruled in the manner of traditional native dynasties.
The Manchus enforced a 'queue order' forcing the Han Chinese to adopt the Manchu queue and Manchu-style clothing. The Manchus had a special hair style: the "queue". They cut hair off the front of their heads and made the remaining hair into a long pigtail. The traditional Chinese clothing, or Hanfu (漢服) was also replaced by Manchu-style clothing. Qipao (bannermen dress, 旗袍) and Tangzhuang (唐裝), usually regarded as traditional Chinese clothing nowadays, are actually Manchu-style clothing. The penalty for not complying was death.
Emperor Kangxi (康熙皇帝/清聖祖) ordered the creation of the most complete dictionary of Chinese characters ever put together at the time. Under Emperor Qianlong, the compilation of a catalogue of the important works on Chinese culture was made.
The Manchus set up the "Eight Banners" system (八旗制度) in an attempt to avoid being assimilated into Chinese society. The "Eight Banners" were military institutions, set up to provide a structure with which the Manchu "bannermen" were meant to identify. Banner membership was to be based on traditional Manchu skills such as archery, horsemanship, and frugality. In addition, they were encouraged to use the Manchu language, rather than Chinese. Bannermen were given economic and legal privileges in Chinese cities.
Over the next half-century, the Manchus consolidated control of some areas originally under the Ming, including Yunnan (雲南). They also stretched their sphere of influence over Xinjiang (新疆), Tibet (西藏) and Mongolia (蒙古).
During the 19th century, Qing control weakened. China suffered massive social strife, economic stagnation, and Western penetration and influence. Britain's desire to continue its opium trade with China collided with imperial edicts prohibiting the addictive drug, and the First Opium War (鴉片戰爭) erupted in 1840. Britain and other Western powers, including the United States, thereupon forcibly occupied "concessions" and gained special commercial privileges. Hong Kong (香港) was ceded to Britain in 1842 under the Treaty of Nanking (南京條約). In addition, the Taiping Rebellion (太平天國) (1851-1864) and the Boxer Rebellion (義和團之亂) occurred in this century. In many ways the rebellions and the treaties the Qing were forced to sign with the imperialist powers are symptomatic of the inability of the Chinese government to respond adequately to the challenging conditions facing China in the 19th century.
The two Opium wars and the opium trade were costly outcomes for the Qing dynasty and the Chinese people. The Qing imperial treasury was declared bankrupt twice arising from indemnities incurred in the Opium wars and the large outflow of silver due to the opium trade (in tens of billions of ounces). China suffered two extreme famines exactly twenty years after each opium war in the 1860s and 1880s, and the Qing imperial dynasty was ineffective in helping the population. Socially these events had a profound impact as it challenged the hegemony that the Chinese had enjoyed in Asia for centuries. As a result, the country was in a state of turmoil.
A large rebellion, the Taiping Rebellion, involved around a third of China falling under control of the Taiping Tianguo, a quasi-Christian religious movement led by the "Heavenly King" Hong Xiuquan. Only after fourteen years were the Taipings finally crushed - the Taiping army was destroyed in the Third Battle of Nanking in 1864. In total between twenty million and fifty million lives were lost, making it the second deadliest war in human history.
The Qing officials were slow to adopt modernity and suspicious of social and technological advances that they viewed as a threat to their absolute control over China. As an example, gunpowder had been widely used by the army of the Song and Ming Dynasties, then was forbidden by the Qing rulers after they took over China.citation needed] Therefore, the dynasty was ill-equipped to handle the Western encroachment. Western powers did intervene militarily to quell domestic chaos, such as the Taiping Rebellion and the anti-imperialist Boxer Rebellion (義和團起義). General Gordon, later killed in the siege of Khartoum, Sudan, was often credited with having saved the Qing dynasty from the Taiping insurrection.
By the 1860s, the Qing Dynasty had put down the rebellions at enormous cost and loss of life. This undermined the credibility of the Qing regime and, spearheaded by local initiatives by provincial leaders and gentry, contributed to the rise of warlordism in China. The Qing Dynasty under the Emperor Guangxu (光緒皇帝/清德宗) proceeded to deal with the problem of modernization through the Self-Strengthening Movement (自強運動). However, between 1898 and 1908 the Empress Dowager Cixi had the reformist Guangxu imprisoned for being 'mentally disabled'. The Empress Dowager (慈禧太后), with the help of conservatives, initiated a military coup, effectively removed the young Emperor from power, and overturned most of the more radical reforms. He died one day before the death of the Empress Dowager (some believe Guangxu was poisoned by Cixi). Official corruption, cynicism, and imperial family quarrels made most of the military reforms useless. As a result, the Qing's "New Armies" were soundly defeated in the Sino-French War (1883-1885) and the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895).
At the start of the 20th century, the Boxer Rebellion threatened northern China. This was a conservative anti-imperialist movement that sought to return China to old ways. The Empress Dowager, probably seeking to ensure her continued grip on power, sided with the Boxers when they advanced on Beijing. In response the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China. Consisting of British, Japanese, Russian, Italian, German, French, US and Austrian troops, the alliance defeated the Boxers and demanded further concessions from the Qing government.
Frustrated by the Qing court's resistance to reform and by China's weakness, young officials, military officers, and students—inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) —began to advocate the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and creation of a republic. A revolutionary military uprising, the Wuchang Uprising, began on October 10, 1911 in Wuhan (武漢). The provisional government of the Republic of China (中華民國) was formed in Nanjing on March 12, 1912 with Sun Yat-sen as President, but Sun was forced to turn power over to Yuan Shikai (袁世凱) who commanded the New Army and was Prime Minister under the Qing government, as part of the agreement to let the last Qing monarch abdicate (a decision he would later regret). Yuan Shikai proceeded in the next few years to abolish the national and provincial assemblies and declared himself emperor in 1915. Yuan's imperial ambitions were fiercely opposed by his subordinates, and faced with the prospect of rebellion, Yuan abdicated and died shortly after in 1916, leaving a power vacuum in China. His death left the republican government all but shattered, ushering in the era of the "warlords" when China was ruled by shifting coalitions of competing provincial military leaders.
A little noticed event (to the rest of the world) in 1919 would have long-term repercussions for the rest of Chinese history in the 20th century. This was the May Fourth Movement (五四運動). This movement began as a response to the insult imposed on China by the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I but became a protest movement about the domestic situation in China. The discrediting of liberal Western philosophy amongst Chinese intellectuals was followed by the adoption of more radical lines of thought. This in turn planted the seeds for the irreconcilable conflict between the left and right in China that would dominate Chinese history for the rest of the century.
In the 1920s, Sun Yat-Sen established a revolutionary base in south China, and set out to unite the fragmented nation. With Soviet assistance, he entered into an alliance with the fledgling Communist Party of China (CPC, 中國共產黨). After Sun's death from cancer in 1925, one of his protégés, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), seized control of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party or KMT, 國民黨) and succeeded in bringing most of south and central China under its rule in a military campaign known as the Northern Expedition (北伐). Having defeated the warlords in south and central China by military force, Chiang was able to secure the nominal allegiance of the warlords in the North. In 1927, Chiang turned on the CPC and relentlessly chased the CPC armies and its leaders from their bases in southern and eastern China. In 1934, driven from their mountain bases such as the Chinese Soviet Republic (中華蘇維埃共和國), the CPC forces embarked on the Long March (長征) across China's most desolate terrain to the northwest, where they established a guerrilla base at Yan'an in Shanxi Province (陝西省延安市).
During the Long March, the communists reorganized under a new leader, Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung, 毛澤東). The bitter struggle between the KMT and the CPC continued, openly or clandestinely, through the 14-year long Japanese invasion (1931-1945), even though the two parties nominally formed a united front to oppose the Japanese invaders in 1937, during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) portion of World War II. The war between the two parties resumed following the Japanese defeat in 1945. By 1949, the CPC occupied most of the country. (see Chinese Civil War)
Chiang Kai-shek fled with the remnants of his government to Taiwan in 1949 and his Nationalist Party would control the island as well as a few neighboring islands until democratic elections in the late 1990's. Since then the political status of Taiwan has always been under dispute.
With the proclamation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) (中華人民共和國) on October 1, 1949, China was divided once again, into the People's Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland and the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan and several outlying islands of Fujian (福建省), with the two governments each regarding itself as the one true government of China and denouncing the other as illegitimate. Since the 1990s, the ROC has been pushing to gain international recognition, while the People's Republic of China vehemently opposes foreign involvement, and insists that foreign relations not deviate from the One-China policy.
Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Cambodia · China (People's Republic of China (Hong Kong · Macau) · Republic of China (Taiwan)) · Cyprus · East Timor · Georgia · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Israel (See also Palestinian territories) · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Korea (North Korea · South Korea) · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nepal · Oman · Pakistan · Philippines · Qatar · Russia · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Turkey · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | History of China