... 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.

US shutdown explained: A dummies guide to the political crisis

Published on Oct 17, 2013 | Find out exactly what caused the 16 day shutdown, what affect it had on America, how it was resolved and whether it could happen again. Report by Anna Collinson.

Philanthropic Colonialism : The Charitable-Industrial Complex

By PETER BUFFETT | Published: July 26, 2013

I HAD spent much of my life writing music for commercials, film and television and knew little about the world of philanthropy as practiced by the very wealthy until what I call the big bang happened in 2006. That year, my father, Warren Buffett, made good on his commitment to give nearly all of his accumulated wealth back to society. In addition to making several large donations, he added generously to the three foundations that my parents had created years earlier, one for each of their children to run.

Early on in our philanthropic journey, my wife and I became aware of something I started to call Philanthropic Colonialism. I noticed that a donor had the urge to “save the day” in some fashion. People (including me) who had very little knowledge of a particular place would think that they could solve a local problem. Whether it involved farming methods, education practices, job training or business development, over and over I would hear people discuss transplanting what worked in one setting directly into another with little regard for culture, geography or societal norms.

Often the results of our decisions had unintended consequences; distributing condoms to stop the spread of AIDS in a brothel area ended up creating a higher price for unprotected sex.

But now I think something even more damaging is going on.

source

Pants - Jessica Oreck

Published on 2 Apr 2013 - TEDEducation | From 4th Century Roman Saint Pantaleon to the trousers we wear on our legs, Jessica Oreck details the story of the word 'pants.'

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.

British human rights activist sued for 10 million dollars in Thailand

Migrants work in poor conditions in Thailand

Published on 24 Jun 2013 : British human rights activist Andy Hall has worked to help improve conditions for migrant workers in Thailand for years.

Now, he is being sued for 10 million dollars by a fruit processing company in the outskirts of capital Bangkok, after he contributed to an NGO report accusing the company of several rights violations including using child labour.

Hall says that migrants work for below the legal minimum wage, their passports get confiscated and there are reports of forced overtime work. There is a lot of evidence displaying that Thailand has a big problem when it comes to the treatment of migrant workers. Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay reports from Bangkok.

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.

Beirut Bounces Back

Published on 11 Jan 2013 : Fifteen years of civil war left Lebanon's capital, Beirut, a bombed out, pock-marked city in the early 1990s, but some 20 years later, Beirut is back. VOA Moscow Correspondent James Brooke traveled to the city and talks with On Assignment's Doug Bernard about its renaissance.

Much easier to hide corruption in an autocratic state?

China's 'Princelings' Create a Name for Nepotism.

Published on 14 Dec 2012 : China's booming economy has some experts predicting it could surpass the U.S. economy as the world's largest by 2030. Many people have become recently rich in China, but none have become as fabulously wealthy as the so-called "princelings" -- the children of high party officials.

Catalonia : Will Spain split up?

Catalonia seeks secession from Spain

Published on Nov 24, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish The Spanish region of Catalonia is to hold elections on Sunday that could determine whether it eventually breaks away from the rest of the country. Artur Mas, the region's president, called the poll two years early after failing to negotiate a new financial deal with Madrid. The idea of separating has gained popularity in the last few years, with the region's economy - which accounts for more than a fifth of Spain's income - a key factor.

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.

Restrict Foreign Ownership?

US farmers scramble to buy Brazil's farmland

Published on Sep 29, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish : Phil Corzine, a fourth-generation farmer from Illinois, is living the American dream, but it's happening on dusty soy farms in the interior of Brazil, rather than the cornfields of Iowa.

Corzine, 53, owns or manages seven farms in Goias and Tocantins states in the agricultural heartland of Brazil.

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?

The Rotten Side of Apple

SEGMENT SYNOPSIS:

Abby reveals the ugly side of Apple, sweat-shop labor, and the surveillance capabilities of the iPhone5.

ABOUT BRAINWASH UPDATE:

Pundits on the mainstream media toe sensationalism to garner ratings. On this segment Abby Martin exposes the rhetoric and calls out the propaganda peddlers.

ABOUT BREAKING THE SET:

A brand new show on the RT Network hosted by Abby Martin. There are way too many rules set in society that prop up the establishment -- an establishment that works to divide and conquer the people. 'Breaking the Set' seeks to smash through the Left/Right Paradigm set in the media and political establishment to find the middle ground: the truth. It is a show that cuts through that pre-established narrative which tells the people what to think and what to care about.

Published on Sep 25, 2012 by breakingtheset : Abby Martin reveals t he rotten side of Apple, with the release of the iPhone 5

Rising corn costs are a high price to pay

Published on Sep 9, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish : America's corn harvest may be under way, but a summer drought has withered away much of the nation's expected yield.As a result, the price of corn is up as much as 40 per cent over last year.That's a problem because corn is a key ingredient in almost everything, from ketchup to coca-cola.

What's next : Criminalizes 911 deniers?

National 9/11 Museum at Standstill as Anniversary Nears.

Published on Sep 5, 2012 by VOAvideo : Eleven years after the September 11 terror attacks leveled the World Trade Center, work on a museum at the site, which was to open on the anniversary this year, has stopped - because of financial and power disputes. At the same time, family members of some of the victims are fighting the museum's plan to preserve unidentified human remains in an underground repository.