... the Chinese regime does the right thing - here?

Mandarin is the no1 language in terms of the numbers of individual speakers and they are giving less prominence to English!

English to weigh less in college entrance exams

Published on 22 Oct 2013 Reforms to the National College Entrance Examination or "gaokao" are to be carried out in major cities in China, including Beijing. The English language assessment system is the major focus of the change. The Beijing draft has triggered wide debate among the public. While many applaud the move, saying that students no longer have to face the stress of endless language tests, some oppose the idea, claiming that without the pressure of exams students' English levels will decline.

Rouhani (President of Iran) background according to Gareth Porter.

Why does Iran's Supreme Leader Trust Iranian Pres. Rouhani? Pt.2

Published on 11 Oct 2013 Gareth Porter: Rouhani earned the trust of Supreme Leader Khomeni by working along side him on a daily basis

See more videos: http://therealnews.com

President Rouhani: All powers should get rid of nuclear weapons

Published on 26 Sep 2013 | We want to hear #YourSay#! Join the discussion on hot issues everyday on @CCTVNEWS Weibo.Today's question:What do you think of President Rouhani's proposal for all powers to get rid of nuclear weapons?

The Coming Global Revolution

Published on 27 Jul 2013 | An amazing speech by Rainn Wilson on the coming global revolution that must happen in order for us to move forward as a human race.

"I think that there is another revolution coming. I'm not sure what it's going to look like, but I think it's going to be very interesting and it's going to unfold over the next 10 years."

Why Do These Women Stretch Their Necks?

Published on 29 May 2013 : Starting at an early age, women of the Padaung tribe wear a coil of brass rings around their necks. This collar, and the elongated appearance it gives their necks over time, are Padaung symbols they wear proudly. In their native Myanmar, Padaung people often faced persecution over these visible tribal symbols. Now, having relocated to a Thailand refugee camp, these Padaung women continue this centuries-old custom, memorializing the struggles of the past and maintaining a link to their tribe's history.

Food for thought! Muhammad from the view of an agnostic Jew?

Lesley Hazleton: The doubt essential to faith.

Published on 24 Jun 2013 : When Lesley Hazleton was writing a biography of Muhammad, she was struck by something: The night he received the revelation of the Koran, according to early accounts, his first reaction was doubt, awe, even fear. And yet this experience became the bedrock of his belief. Hazleton calls for a new appreciation of doubt and questioning as the foundation of faith -- and an end to fundamentalism of all kinds.

the meaning of "general personality disorder"?

Terry Holdbrooks, now named Mustafa Abdullah. Photograph: Graeme Robertson

Terry Holdbrooks arrived at Guantánamo detention camp in the summer of 2003 as a godless 19-year-old with a love of drinking, hard rock music and tattoos. By the time he left Cuba the following year, he had alienated his army colleagues, won the respect of the detainees and, most astonishingly, converted to Islam in a midnight ceremony in the presence of one of the detainees, who had become his mentor.

When I meet Holdbrooks, now 26 and named Mustafa Abdullah, he is wearing a black Muslim cap, a thick beard and long-sleeved traditional robes that almost obscure the tattoo on his right arm that reads "by demons be driven".

Holdbrooks grew up in Arizona, the only son of junkie parents who split up when he was seven years old. He was raised by his ex-hippie grandparents. Tired of being poor, determined not to follow in his parents' footsteps and keen to see the world, Holdbrooks signed up for the military. He was stationed with the 253rd Military Police Company, mostly doing administrative support work, when he was told he was to be deployed to Guantánamo.

Bilderberg 2013 - Your guide to 'The Bilderberg Group'

Published on May 30, 2013 : HELLO! We are Truthloader, and this week we are LIVE from the Bilderberg conference at the Grove Hotel in Watford. Check out our playlists, and subscribe so you don't miss out!

Bilderberg 2013 will be held at the Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire, England. It's a gathering of some of the world's most powerful and influential people. As such, Truthloader will be attending - sort of. We'll be at the new 'press area' away from the actual conference with the rest of the journalists and activists interested in what takes place there.

We wanted to make a video about who the Bilderberg are, some of the theories that surround them, and what we THINK goes on there.

CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou: Torture was official US policy

Published on 31 Jan 2013 : Former CIA agent John Kiriakou was sentenced to 30 months in prison for revealing the identity of a covert officer to a reporter. But originally he was pending charges on the violating the espionage act. Kiriakou is the first CIA official to publicly confirm the use of waterboarding and other tactics he describes as torture under the Bush administration. His supporters believe he has been unfairly targeted and punished. John Kiriakou and his attorney Jesselyn Radack join us for the details.

Are Americans racist?

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No Nukes for Scotland!

Whatever Scotland’s constitutional make-up, its electorate doesn’t want nuclear weapons

May 28, 2012 : The forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence raises questions about the kind of Scotland its people want to have. That it should be free of nuclear weapons already seems clear.

A poll published by YouGov in 2010 showed that almost 70 per cent of Scottish people were opposed to the replacement of Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system. While similar polls have shown clear majority opposition across Britain as a whole, Scotland’s record has been stronger and often more vocal.

One explanation might be that this is because Scotland has had nuclear weapons thrust upon it since the 1960s. But I don’t believe this strength of opinion is simply a ‘not in my back yard’ approach to the Trident submarines and nuclear warheads situated at HMNB Clyde.

Of course, it would be rational and sensible not to want to play host to such monstrous weapons. Not only are the potential consequences of a nuclear accident, just 25 miles from Glasgow, unthinkable, but in a hypothetical (although of course unlikely) nuclear war, Scotland would doubtless be a target.

However, there seems something deeper in Scotland’s opposition to nuclear weapons, a sentiment which has perhaps been fostered by housing them for so long. This position chimes with a similarly forward-facing international momentum which recognises that these are Cold War weapons systems which come with a crippling price tag (taxpayers’ money which could be much better spent on meeting public needs) and an unconscionable destructive power, the unleashing of which would be illegal under international law.

Indeed, Scotland’s progressive orientation has been focused on as competing parties jostle for the hearts of voters in the independence referendum. It is no surprise, for example, that Ed Miliband said that Scotland’s progressive instincts would be best nurtured if it remained part of the United Kingdom: “The Scottish people have always stood out for their strongest ideals of social justice, shown by the history of educational opportunity for all, shown by the campaign down the years for the right to work – and the opposition to the poll tax. But my case is that these ideals for Scotland can best be realised in the United Kingdom.” Alex Salmond, too, has sought to harness these progressive attitudes, stating that in an SNP-led independent Scotland the welfare state and the NHS would be championed: “An independent Scotland can be a beacon for progressive opinion south of the border and further afield – addressing policy challenges in ways which reflect the universal values of fairness and are capable of [being implemented] within the other jurisdictions of these islands, and beyond.”.

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Protest has become a social glamour? Mr. President: Free Bradley Manning!

more from source here

The information released gave us proof that many innocent people lost years of their lives in the Guantanamo Bay prison, and that the Obama Administration worked to prevent Bush Administration officials from being prosecuted for breaking international human rights laws. It also taught us how our tax money (from public coffers) goes to advocate for corporate interests and the exploitation of working people abroad--such as State Department efforts to keep the Haitian minimum wage from being raised. One of the top impacts of this information being released has been to teach regular Americans about American foreign policy. In a democracy, the public has a right and a need to know about its government.

Uploaded by Jeff Paterson on Apr 27, 2011 : Supporters of accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower Bradley Manning attend Obama 2012 fundraiser to sing protest song to the president. Later, President Obama declared Bradley guilty in a conversation with Logan Price. Recorded at the St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco CA. April 21, 2011.

The end of protest is NOT social glamour!

Little Debate About Afghan War in Election Campaign.

Published on Oct 2, 2012 by TheRealNews : Gareth Porter- Afghan war a failure, yet there is little debate about why and what to do next.

America today :

President Obama Says US Not a Nation in Decline

Intoxication Nation:



Drop Out Nation:

Democratic Deficit

Hate Activities & Hate Crimes

Free speech?

Medical Fraud?

Industrial Practice?

Expenditures?


Perpetuating a slavery system?

ACLU takes CIA to court over drone strikes

The American Civil Liberties Union will go to court on Thursday in an attempt to get the CIA to hand over documents related to President Barack Obama‘s controversial “targeted killing” programme that uses unmanned drones to strike suspected Islamic militants.

The programme has been repeatedly referenced in public by numerous senior officials, including by Obama himself and defence secretary Leon Panetta, but the spy agency has refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request from the civil liberties group because it says it will not confirm the secretive use of drones.

As a result the ACLU has gone to court to argue that the CIA cannot deny the existence of a programme that has been so widely reported, including in great detail in off-the-record briefings by administration and agency officials. Jameel Jaffer, the deputy legal director of the ACLU, said: “It is preposterous. The assertion that this programme is a secret is nothing short of absurd.

source original here |  Sept 19, 2012

NATO denounces Taliban 'propaganda'

Published on Sep 6, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish : Taliban fighters claim they've forced NATO troops to retreat from one of their bases in Afghanistan's Wardak province. But NATO says the claims of success in are Taliban propaganda. Al Jazeera's Jennifer Glasse reports from Kabul.

Previously Citizen Smith, today Citizen Khan?

BBC facing investigation for Muslim sitcom ‘disrespectful’ to Islam

UK broadcaster BBC is facing an investigation after launching a controversial sitcom about a Muslim family. The show sparked outrage over its treatment of ethnic and religious issues.

Citizen Khan is a comedy show from BBC1 about the Muslim community in Birmingham and began its run on Monday August 27. The network has received over 700 complaints saying the programme caused offence and insulted Muslims and Islam according to metro.co.uk. 

Media critics complained the show strengthens stereotypes about the Muslims. The Independent writer Arifa Akbar labeled it "not just outdated, but lazy and offensive."

The UK media regulator Ofcom is considering a formal investigation to see if any broadcasting rules have been broken after receiving 20 complaints about the show.

BBC sitcom Citizen Khan accused of being disrespectful to Muslims and Islam to face investigation (Image from www.bbc.co.uk)

The sitcom mocks the head of the Khan family, who overestimates his own importance and place in the community and business world.  

According to BBC synopsis "Mr Khan is a loveable larger than life character, with strong opinions and big dreams… Things would be so much easier if everyone just listened to him and followed his lead, but his obsessively house-proud wife and two feisty daughters usually have other ideas."

Defending the show the BBC said that a new comedy always provoked "differing reactions". 

"Citizen Khan has made a very positive start, launching successfully with 3.6million viewers,”  a BBC spokesman is quoted by The Daily Mail as saying. “New comedy always provokes differing reactions from the audience. The characters are comic creations and not meant to be representative of the community as a whole.”

British Muslim Adil Ray, is the man behind the show and plays the leading role of Mr Khan told This Is Staffordshire:"The biggest, most important, thing you can do is laugh at yourself… If you can laugh at yourself, it doesn't matter what anybody says to you as you're laughing already."

“My own cultural outsider's view is that Citizen Khan pays British Muslims perhaps the highest compliment television can bestow, which is treating them like any other creed and people by subjecting them to a gentle domestic sitcom in the tradition of My Family,” Mark Lawson of the Guardian wrote in defense of the series.

The show also prompted debate among Twitter users; opinions are split.

31 Aug, 2012   |  source here  >>

Young Americans Turn to Old-Fashioned Domestic Lifestyle.

Published on Aug 24, 2012 by VOAvideo : An increasing number of Americans are growing their own food, making their own clothes and generally embracing the domestic lifestyle of their grandparents' generation. VOA's Julie Taboh reports that although there are no statistics yet, some experts say this do-it-yourself movement has been gaining momentum among the under-40 population.

the Bundle story : Journey of secondhand clothes & shoes.

Published on Aug 23, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish : Al Jazeera series "Rags to Riches" explores how one person's rubbish can be another person's treasure.Every year, more than half a billion dollars' worth of second hand clothes are sent out of the US, and many of those items end up in developing countries.

Yet few people know how their old clothes get to the needy.

George Galloway sacked as political columnist for rape remarks

Holyrood paper editor Mandy Rhodes ends contract after Respect MP fails to apologise for rape definition

 guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 August 2012

George Galloway: editor said it was impossible for Respect MP to continue as columnist following his 'alarming' comments about rape. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

George Galloway has been sacked as a columnist on the Scottish political magazine Holyrood after he refused to retract his widely condemned remarks about the rape charges facing Julian Assange.

Mandy Rhodes, the editor of Holyrood, said the Respect party MP's remarks that Assange was guilty of just "bad manners" by failing to ask permission to have sex with a sleeping woman, had left her "frankly gobsmacked".

Rhodes said she had not always agreed with Galloway's views in the past but had respected his integrity, his role as an "effective thorn in the side of the establishment", and his stance on Iraq.

However, she said it was impossible for him to continue his column following his remark that having sex with a sleeping woman was "not rapeas anyone with any sense can possibly recognise it" if she had already had sex with that man.

"There is no excuse, ever, for sex without consent, and regardless of the details of the Assange case, Galloway's comments and inappropriate language about rape per se are alarming," Rhodes said in a statement on the magazine's website.

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