... 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.

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.

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How Credit Card Numbers Are Created?

If you thought the sprawl of 16 numbers across the front of your credit was randomly generated, think again: like any good string of numbers, an algorithm was involved in its creation.

In fact, the first couple of numbers relate to the kind of card it is: Visas start with a 4, Mastercards a 5, Amex a 34 or 37. But there's far more to it than that. In fact, we have a chap called Hans Peter Luhn to thank. Data Genetics explains:

You don’t select this last digit, it is deterministic. The exact mathematic formula for its generation was invented by Hans Peter Luhn, an engineer at IBM in 1954. Originally patented, the algorithm is now in the public domain and a Worldwide standard ISO/IEC 7812-1

Obviously, with just a single check digit, not all errors can be detected (there’s a one in ten chance of a random number having the correct check digit), but the Luhn algorithm is clever in that it detects any single error (getting a single digit wrong), such as swapping the 9 with a 6 in the above example. It also detects almost all* pair-wise switching of two adjacent numbers. These errors are typical common errors people make when transcribing card numbers, so the check digit does a good thing.

An added side benefit is that, as discussed above, there is only a one in ten chance that a randomly generated number has the correct check digit. This provides a small amount of protection from hackers or poorly educated crooks who might attempt to randomly generate and guess credit card numbers.

So there you have it: more thought went into your credit card number than you probably ever imagined. If you want more detail, read the Data Genetics article; it makes for interesting reading. [Data Genetics via Neatorama]

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'Something Really Wrong': Dead Fish

Published on Sep 4, 2012 by CTVLondon : Tens of Thousands of Dead Fish Wash Up on Lake Erie Shore.



2011-2012 Unexplained Mass Animal Die-Offs Continue Published on Sep 3, 2012 by 2012truthishere : the strange large animal die offs, occurring around the globe.

Implications for development: Leading up to World Water Week

Published on Aug 23, 2012 by ThinkBeyondTheTap : Simon Cook, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems, talks about the recent report released by the AgWater Solutions project and its implications for development.

A Good read...History Is A Weapon.

A People's History Of The United States : by Howard Zinn

Presented by History Is A Weapon.

1. Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress

2. Drawing the Color Line

3. Persons of Mean and Vile Condition

4. Tyranny is Tyranny

5. A Kind of Revolution

6. The Intimately Oppressed

7. As Long As Grass Grows Or Water Runs

8. We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God

9. Slavery Without Submission, Emancipation Without Freedom

10. The Other Civil War

11. Robber Barons And Rebels

12. The Empire and the People

13. The Socialist Challenge

14. War Is the Health of the State

15. Self-help in Hard Times

16. A People's War?

17. "Or Does It Explode?"

18. The Impossible Victory: Vietnam

19. Surprises

20. The Seventies: Under Control?

21. Carter-Reagan-Bush: The Bipartisan Consensus

22. The Unreported Resistance

23. The Clinton Presidency and the Crisis of Democracy

24. The Coming Revolt of the Guards

25. The 2000 Election and the "War on Terrorism"

 A Note and Disclaimer are below.

Return to History Is A Weapon

France's New Passion: All Things Chinese

Published on Aug 6, 2012 by VOAvideo : Not so long ago, Americans and Japanese tourists were the big spenders in France. No longer. During these summer months, France's tourism industry is courting new clients with major purchasing power: Chinese.

The Jewish Hoax - Michael Hoffman

Published on Aug 2, 2012 by 108morris108 : Michael Hoffman questions the legitimacy of anyone's claim of being a Jew.

Michael's web site is: http://www.revisionisthistory.org

London Games:

‎...the Economics & Militarization of 2012 Olympics, this once in four years dedication to the Olympian Gods and Goddesses is getting over our heads, out of our hands & emptied our coffers?

Jul 28, 2012 : London has showcased the Best of British at the Olympics opening ceremony but it's the morning after the night before. And those who aren't so happy with the games are showcasing their reasons why. They wouldn't let them anywhere near the Olympic Stadium but hundreds of protestors have gathered down the road in mile end against what they call a militarized and corporate Olympic games.

Building a movement for change!

Published on Jul 26, 2012 by RussiaToday : As the divide between people and power in the US widens, protest movements are getting more exposure than ever before. RT talks to Bill Ayers - radical activist, author and former Professor at the University of Illinois.

The medium or method proposed by this bloke (below)!

Uploaded by o1OpTiMuS1o on Mar 28, 2010 : Robert D. Steele, former spy, the son of an oil man, blows the cover off all the mess that is going on.

Nobel cuts prize money after years of overspending.

(Reuters) - The prize money given to Nobel laureates is to be cut by a fifth, the foundation behind the prestigious awards said on Monday, after a decade of overspending that has stretched its finances.

The Nobel Foundation said the money for the awards, given for excellence in the fields of science, literature and peace, would fall to 8 million Swedish crowns ($1.12 million).

The capital that forms the base for the awards was donated in the will of dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and is managed by the foundation, which was set up in 1900.

The foundation said in a statement that costs had exceeded returns from interest and investments on the capital over the past decade, making it necessary to lower the prize money from the previous 10 million crowns.

"It is the Nobel Foundation that is responsible for the prize money remaining at a high level over the long run," said Chief Executive Lars Heikensten.

"We have made the assessment that it is important to take necessary measures in good time."

The foundation said it had also begun work to cut costs in administration and expenses related to the Nobel Prize celebrations, which take place every December in Stockholm and Oslo. This year's laureates will receive the reduced prize money. ($1 = 7.1626 Swedish crowns)
STOCKHOLM | Mon Jun 11, 2012  -original post 

Syrian Girl - DeMockracy is a Farce

Uploaded by 108morris108 on 30 Mar 2012 - Our Figureheads of Democracy are just that - they are not really Presidents and Prime Ministers - while Syria has similarities - it is not as bad. We also learn the difference between a Democracy and a Republic.

How the Elite Rule and their Goals

Uploaded by 108morris108 on Mar 15, 2012 - We are given the spin of wars for the resources, but in reality the goals are far more sociological.

Will the Pursuit of Happiness Make You Happy?

Uploaded by ForaTv on 6 Jan 2012 - Does the pursuit of happiness actually lead to happiness? Stanford business professor Jennifer Aaker reveals surprising data from two studies that may suggest otherwise. 

 ----- 

 A social psychologist and marketer, Jennifer is the General Atlantic Professor of Marketing at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Her research spans time, money, and happiness. She focuses on questions such as: What actually makes people happy, as opposed to what they think makes them happy? How can small acts create infectious action, and how can such effects be fueled by social media? Jennifer's work is widely published in the leading scholarly journals in psychology and marketing, and her work has been featured in a variety of media including The Economist, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Most recently she has co-authored The Dragonfly Effect: Quick Effective Powerful Ways to Harness Social Media for Impact.

War of the Worldviews : Science, Religion, and the Natural World.

Uploaded by ForaTv on 30 Dec 2011 : Physicist Leonard Mlodinow distinguishes between what he sees as the roles of science and religion in understanding the world. While some find spirituality useful for explaining some of the things science can't, he explains, problems arise when spiritual answers are given to material questions.

Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow: War of the Worldviews. Presented in collaboration with Sixth and I Historic Synagogue. In War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality, the two bestselling authors debate the most fundamental questions of human existence.

How did the universe begin? Where did life come from? Is there design in nature?

Without defending organized religion, Chopra asserts that there is design in the universe and a deep intelligence behind the rise of life. Mlodinow, CalTech physicist and the writing collaborator of Stephen Hawking, argues for the viewpoint of science, specifically of modern quantum physics.

War of the Worldviews opens the public's eyes to the fascinating frontier where knowledge and mystery converge and every assumption about life, God, and the universe are open to debate. Program moderated by Timothy Shriver, Chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics.

Physicist and author Leonard Mlodinow explores the extraordinary extent to which randomness, chance and probability influence and shape our work and everyday lives. Mlodinow was a writer for the television series MacGyver and Star Trek: The Next Generation and co-author with Stephen Hawking of the recent best-seller The Grand Design.

Complete video at:
http://fora.tv/2011/10/06/Deepak_Chopra_and_Leonard_Mlodinow_War_of_the_Worldviews

PressTV launch Hispan TV,in Spainish!

Uploaded by PressTVGlobalNews on 26 Dec 2011 - In this episode, Mahsa Mortazavi introduces a new Spanish channel, Hispan TV, which has been test-airing for a couple of weeks and will launch its 24-hour programs shortly.

Economic Projection year 2050 :

Uploaded by PremierLegend on 31 May 2011 - THE VIDEO EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE, BUT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS... THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD BANK, JAMES WOLFENSOHN, MAKES STUNNING CONFESSIONS AS HE ADDRESSES GRADUATE STUDENTS AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY. 

HE REVEALS THE INSIDE HAND OF WORLD DOMINATION FROM PAST, TO THE PRESENT AND INTO THE FUTURE. THE SPEECH WAS MAS MADE JANUARY 11TH, 2010. THE NEXT 19 MINUTES MAY OPEN YOUR MIND TO A VERY DELIBERATE WORLD. 

HE TELLS THE GRADUATE STUDENTS WHAT'S COMING, A "TECTONIC SHIFT" IN WEALTH FROM THE WEST TO THE EAST. BUT HE DOES NoT TELL THE STUDENTS THAT IT IS HIS INSTITUTION, THE WORLD BANK, THAT'S DIRECTING AND CHANNELING THESE CHANGES. 

WOLFENSOHN'S OWN INVESTMENT FIRM IS IN CHINA, POISED TO PROFIT FROM THIS "IMMINENT SHIFT" IN GLOBAL WEALTH.

'Who reigns over US polity

USA is the ruling state of the world and hence possesses the position of the global leader:
October is the 10th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, the beginning of the 2012 federal austerity budget, and the month in which demonstrations in the US have heated up. It's no longer just about corporate greed and the crooked banksters, Americans are fighting to take back and change the US political system, end policies which create a wealth divide and take back the democracy which they feel they have lost.

US government is under control of corporations.

Uploaded by presstvmobile on 8 Oct 2011 - Soon will be ours! Wake up now it's coming to our shores.

Scores of Copts leave faith over divorce laws

Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish on 1 Oct 2011 - More than 100 Coptic Christians in Egypt have left the Church in recent weeks in a dispute over its strict divorce laws. Some followers in the church are now questioning whether the canons should be changed after Pope Shenouda III restricted divorce to cases of adultery or conversion to another religion.The revision excludes justifications of impotence, abandonment, abuse and mental disability which was allowed by the 1938 Coptic bylaws.