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Believe it or not 1968 was worse

2018-07-05T21:41:51Z

JulietMcCree681:

By Maurice Isserman July 12 (Reuters) - According to the Chinese Zodiac, 1968 and 2016 are both the Year of the Monkey. But maybe we should call this the Year of the Ghost Monkey of 1968. From the presidential primaries to the convention platform battles to bloody mayhem in the streets, 1968 is the go-to, default metaphor for what we seem to be reliving. This year, like 1968, is certainly one of bitter conflict and wrenching change. And why is that a surprise? Some things don't change. A nation of several hundred million people, drawn from all over the world, can never exactly become a peaceable kingdom, a beloved community. Creeds differ, values clash; rival factions, communities and priorities compete. Harmony would be nice - and an end to bloodshed is a goal to which most Americans can subscribe. But bear in mind that it has always been through conflict that Americans have decided who they are as a nation, discarding old assumptions and redefining identity and mission. I've been thinking about one of my favorite 1960s writers, the remarkable Vietnam War correspondent Michael Herr, who died two weeks ago. He covered the Vietnam War for "Esquire" in 1967-68, and his book, "Dispatches," remains one of the greatest works about that troubled conflict. (Herr also contributed to the screenplays of two iconic Hollywood movies about the war, "Apocalypse Now" and "Full Metal Jacket.") "Dispatches" is more than a war memoir, however. It offers genuine insight into American history and the American character. "There was such a dense concentration of American energy there," Herr wrote of Vietnam in the late 1960s. "American and essentially adolescent, if that energy could have been channeled into anything more than waste and pain it would have lighted up Indochina for a thousand years." I can't think of any other American writer who has managed to pack into one sentence so much love for his country - and so much disdain for the folly in which, in that instance, it was engaged. Another passage in "Dispatches" also came to mind last week. Herr describes the first time he went on a mission with a company of Marines, and ended up caught in a fire-fight, hugging the ground for hours, "listening to it going on, the moaning and whining and the dull repetitions of whump whump whump and dit dit dit, listening to a boy who'd somehow broken his thumb sobbing and gagging, and thinking 'Oh my God, this f-ing thing is on a loop!...'" Here's last week's loop: Tuesday, "whump whump whump," black man in Louisiana pinned to the ground by police officers then shot to death. Wednesday, "dit dit dit," another black man, this time in Minnesota, shot and killed in the front seat of his car as, his girlfriend said, he tried to produce the driver's license demanded by a police officer -- she sat in the seat beside him, her young daughter in the back seat. Thursday night, "dit whump dit," five Dallas policemen targeted and murdered by a vengeful rooftop sniper, seven others wounded. Senseless death of innocent victims, brought home in [http://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result?p=disturbingly%20graphic&submit-go=Search+Y!+Answers disturbingly graphic] detail via cable news and social media. Is it apocalypse now in the streets of America? And all this in the context of recent years of fervent protest over issues of racial injustice, in a nation beset by repeated acts of violence, both random and targeted, in the midst of a presidential campaign running off the tracks, with one candidate in particular displaying an ability to stir up as much rancor and discord as possible. If history is on a loop, are we back in the world of "Dispatches"? Is this 1968 redux? Do we really have to sit through this movie again? Not likely. Fifty [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] years have indeed changed America. The country is more diverse, ethnically, racially and religiously. There is a far more substantial black middle class than in 1968. (While at the same time the problem of black poverty, and for that matter white poverty, seems more intractable than ever.) Although it's sometimes hard to remember with all the noise generated by polarizing politicians, the United States is more tolerant than it was a half century ago - when the idea that there would someday be a black president seemed impossibly remote, and the notion of gay marriage unimaginable. In 1968, the nation was still adjusting to the U.S. Supreme Court's wonderfully named decision "Loving v. Virginia," issued the previous June, which overturned laws that banned interracial marriage. Until then, nearly one-third of American states had such laws on their books. Today at least 12 percent of all new marriages in the United States unite interracial couples, and the trend is expected to expand as millennials, least concerned of all Americans about race, reach marriage age. Reminded by the Iraq invasion [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh 5 ngày 4 đêm từ Hà Nội] of the consequences of national hubris in international affairs, a lesson learned and then forgotten after Vietnam, Americans are again skeptical of "boots on the ground" scenarios for remaking the world in their own image. The fact that this skepticism, even in the absence of a draft, is shared across the generational spectrum - and is, to some extent, bipartisan - is another important difference between 1968 and today. Americans are also asking important questions about economic policies and decisions taken in Washington and corporate board rooms, that have increased income inequality to levels not seen since the 1920s. Americans as a people, many of them anyway, are more self-aware and thoughtful in this second decade of the 21st century than has been the case for some decades. It's true that the presumptive presidential candidate of the party of Abraham Lincoln wants to make America "great again" by turning back the clock to the imagined splendor of an era of racial and ethnic homogeneity. But come November, after all the shouting and posturing, there will come a great moment of clarity, when the diverse population of America votes. Speaking of clarifying moments in American history, in his first speech as president in March 1861, the first Republican president of the United States beseeched his fellow countrymen to listen to the "better angels of their nature" and avoid the looming Civil War. That did not, Lincoln assured Southerners, mean the end of slavery, at least in the short run. His appeal fell on deaf ears. But just two and a half years later, in a November 1863 address at Gettysburg, Lincoln proclaimed a "new birth of freedom," carrying on and transforming the meaning of the American experiment, in which there no longer was a place for human servitude. And, in doing so, changed the nation. History was not on a loop in the 1860s. Nor in the 1960s. In a Memphis church on April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. reflected on the possibility of his own death. He had been nearly killed by a deranged assailant in 1958, and he explained why he was glad to have survived - and not just because he loved life. "I wouldn't have been around here in 1960," King recalled, "when students all over the South started sitting in at lunch counters." What those students were doing, he said, was making America great again by setting out to challenge and change its injustices: "They were really standing up for the best in the American dream, and taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution." Lincoln and King lived in difficult times, as we do. It is in just such eras that Americans have rediscovered and refashioned the best traditions bound up in our national experience. Can we resolve in the years that follow the tumultuous election year of 2016 to listen to the better angels of our nature, and turn the dense concentration of American energy away from waste and pain - and use it instead to light our world? (Maurice Isserman) Advertisement

Today in History 6 3

2018-07-05T09:48:33Z

JulietMcCree681:

Highlights in history on this date: 1788 - A party led by Lieutenant Philip Gidley King lands on Norfolk Island to establish a British settlement. 1836 [https://Www.Sportsblog.com/search?search=-%20Alamo - Alamo] mission in San Antonio, Texas, falls to Mexican army after 13-day siege in which Davy Crockett and 186 other defenders die. 1857 - The US Supreme Court rules that escaped slave Dred Scott cannot sue for his freedom because as a slave he is property, not a citizen. 1888 - Death of Louisa May Alcott, US author of Little Women, aged 56. 1899 - Felix Hoffman patents his formula for acetylsalicylic acid, which he calls aspirin. 1900 - Death of Gottfried Daimler, German motor engineer who made the first motorcycle. 1930 - Pre-packaged frozen food produced by the company set up by Clarence Birdseye goes on sale for the first time in the US. 1944 - US heavy bombers stage the first American raid on Berlin during World War II. 1945 - German city Cologne falls to US First Army in World War II. 1946 - France recognises Vietnam as free state within Indochina Federation. 1951 - Death of Ivor Novello, Welsh composer and playwright. 1953 - Georgy Malenkov succeeds the late Joseph Stalin as premier of Soviet Union. 1957 - Two former British colonies of Gold Coast and Togoland form independent West African nation of Ghana. 1965 - US Defence Department announces that 3500 Marines are being sent to South Vietnam, the first US ground combat troops committed to fighting against Communist guerrillas. 1967 - Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of former Soviet leader Josef Stalin, requests asylum at the US embassy in New Delhi. 1973 - Death of US author and 1938 Nobel Literature prize winner, Pearl Buck, who wrote The Good Earth. 1983 - Donald Maclean, a British diplomat who became a Soviet spy, dies in Moscow. 1987 - A British ferry, the Herald Of Free Enterprise, capsizes off the Belgian port Zeebrugge, drowning 193 people. 1991 - George Carey becomes Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the world's 70 million Anglicans. 1992 - A computer virus called [http://Rt.com/search/everywhere/term/Michelangelo%20strikes/ Michelangelo strikes] thousands of personal computers around the world. 1995 - The US dollar plummets to 92.70 yen, its lowest [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] level against the Japanese currency anywhere since modern exchange rates were established in the late 1940s. 1997 - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II launches the first official royal web site. 2003 - An Algerian passenger jet crashes in the Sahara Desert shortly after takeoff, killing 116 people. 2009 - North Korea threatens South Korea passenger planes amid rising tensions on Korean Peninsula, prompting some other airlines to re-route flights. 2012 - The US, Europe and other world powers announce that bargaining will begin again with Iran over its fiercely disputed nuclear efforts amid rising talk of war. 2015 - Lawyers for Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan visit the convicted drug traffickers on Nusakambangan, the Indonesian prison island where they are to be executed. 2017 - Nepalese authorities say Australian man Matthew Jones has died of apparent altitude sickness near the Mt Everest base camp. Today's Birthdays: Michelangelo, Italian renaissance artist (1475-1564); Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet (1806-1861); Valentina Tereshkova, Russian cosmonaut and first woman in [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] space (1937-); Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand opera singer (1944-); Mary Wilson, US singer of The Supremes fame (1944-); David Gilmour, British musician (1946-); Steve Vizard, Australian businessman and TV personality (1956-); Shaquille O'Neal, US basketball player (1972-). Thought For Today: Le sens commun n'est pas si commun (Common sense is not so common). - Voltaire, French author and philosopher (1694-1778). Advertisement

Body language: Photo of Merkel Trump captures G-7 tensions

2018-07-05T07:14:13Z

JulietMcCree681:

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - One viral photo is telling it all about tensions at the G-7 summit. A picture of U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel displaying less-than-friendly body language is turning out to be a defining image of the contentious meeting of the Group of Seven leaders of the world's advanced economies. The picture, snapped Saturday by German government photographer Jesco Denzel, shows a standing Merkel with her hands firmly planted on a table staring down at Trump, who is seated with his arms folded and eyes glaring. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stands next to Trump, also with folded arms, as French President Emmanuel Macron leans in next to Merkel. In this photo made available by the German Federal Government, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump, seated at right, during the G7 Leaders Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Saturday, June 9, 2018. (Jesco [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] Denzel/German Federal Government via AP) The photo was tweeted by Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert. Shortly afterward, the White House issued a separate photo showing a sitting Trump speaking as Merkel, Abe [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh] and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listen. The BBC parsed the picture by identifying all nine individuals in it, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is barely visible, and Larry Kudlow, head of Trump's National [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] Economic Council as well as several Japanese officials and U.S. national security adviser John Bolton. Another image of the same gathering however suggests a more relaxed interaction, with Merkel smiling and Trump making eye contact. The G-7 - an informal annual summit of democracies with highly developed economies - took place Friday and Saturday in the Quebec resort town of Charlevoix in Canada, which holds the rotating leadership this year. Saturday's picture was not the first awkward moment between Trump and Merkel, who makes no secret of her disagreement with the American leader's approach on trade, his rejection of the deal to limit Iran's nuclear program and his decision to take the United States out of the global Paris deal to fight climate change. Merkel's March 2017 visit to the White House was marked by Trump either not hearing or ignoring her offer to shake hands in the Oval Office. A subsequent visit in April this year warranted only a working lunch for the German leader, several days after fellow EU leader Macron got the full, formal state [http://Www.Travelpod.com/s/dinner%20treatment dinner treatment] from Trump. The Charlevoix G-7 summit was marked by sharp disagreements over Trump's decision to impose higher import taxes on aluminum and steel imports. The measure hits EU trading partners even though the main target is overcapacity at state-backed Chinese producers, who Europe and the U.S. have long complained have flooded markets with cheap steel. The G-7 summit participants managed to patch over their disagreements and agree to disagree on some issues in a joint final statement. Yet after leaving the summit, Trump tweeted that he would instruct U.S. officials not to endorse the G-7 statement, after objecting to comments from summit host Trudeau. Advertisement

Holocaust survivor who tended to Anne Frank dies aged 95

2018-07-02T14:57:19Z

JulietMcCree681:

Gena Turgel, a Holocaust survivor who comforted diarist Anne Frank at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp months [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] before its liberation, has died at the age of 95. Britain�s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, said Ms Turgel died on Thursday. [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh 5 ngày 4 đêm từ Hà Nội] The [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh 5 ngày 4 đêm] Holocaust Educational Trust said Ms Turgel dedicated her life to sharing her story of surviving the [http://www.squidoo.com/search/results?q=Jewish%20ghetto Jewish ghetto] in Krakow, Poland and the German Nazi camps at Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Bergen-Belsen. The Queen and Gena Turgel It was in a hospital at Bergen-Belsen that Ms Turgel cared for Anne Frank as the teenager was dying of typhus. She once told the BBC: �I washed her face, gave her water to drink, and I can still see that face, her hair and how she looked.� After the Second World War, Ms Turgel married one of the camp�s British liberators, Norman Turgel, earning her the nickname �The Bride of Belsen�. Advertisement

Explore Ha Long Bay with Indochina Sails cruise ship

2018-07-02T08:21:04Z

JulietMcCree681:

Ha Long bay is very picturesque with many magnificent landscapes and seascapes. Nowadays it sparkles even more with the appearance of big sea sails printed with the letters Indochina Sails. � In the immense atmosphere permeated with sunlight and wind, one suddenly feels lonely. In the distance, ranges of mountains emerge from the sea. � The Indochina Sails cruise ship moves gently towards Bai Tu Long Bay. � In the luxurious dining room, every one looks out through the big windows. The European and Asian dishes are delicious, prepared by outstanding chefs and served up by a professional staff. The cruise ship moves out towards the centre of the bay. Hon Trong Mai (Male and Female Chicken island) appears before us. This island attracts a great number of visitors and is the pre-eminent symbol of Vietnamese tourism. � Vung Vieng fishing village is more beautiful in the weak sunlight of dusk. The Indochina Sails cruise ship drops anchor so that tourists can visit the village. The sunlight gleaming on the sea looks like an oil painting, but is formed entirely by the hand of nature. � Staying overnight on the Indochina Sails cruise ship is a memorable experience. This is not only because one floats in one of the most remarkable natural wonders of the world. [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] It is also due to the cozy and luxurious cabins on Indochina Sails cruises. Though the buffet has finished, everyone wants to stay on deck and enjoy the stunning scenery. The melodious light music, played in the traditional style, creates an unforgettable atmosphere. � *Further information: - Indochina Sails are the newly built wooden junks designed in the contemporary traditional Vietnamese style - The cruise ship has spacious cabins and suites with large private bathrooms, a big sun deck, elegant dining room (32 seats), bar, beauty spa, massage, kayaking and entertainment. This luxury is enhanced by the professional manner of the friendly and enthusiastic management and staff. - At the present time 3 Junks are operating in Halong Bay, namely Indochina Sails I with 14 cabins, Indochina Sails II with 15 cabins and Valentine with 5 cabins. By the end of October 2008 an addition to the fleet is expected, namely Indochina Sails III with 15 luxury cabins. � *Services: - Excellent local cuisine - Vietnamese and International buffets [https://www.rewards-insiders.marriott.com/search.jspa?q=-%20International - International] Wine and Drinks List - Daily light Music Performances - Cruise Itinerary and Program - [https://www.rewards-insiders.marriott.com/search.jspa?q=In-house In-house] English speaking [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] Guide - Kayaking and Snorkeling - Movie nights, Board Games and night fishing �Summer Promotion from 1st to August 30th, 2008:For US$180/person/twin shared, you can stay in a luxurious cabin of Indochina Sails on Halong bay. The package includes shuttle bus return from Hanoi to Halong bay, kayaking on Halong bay, entrance and sight seeing fees, Vietnamese buffet lunch and dinner, International breakfast buffet, you can also enjoy BBQ seafood dinner and the International wine tasting with a wide selection of wine from Spain, Chile, US and Italy

Inner Journey Expeditions promotes big saving tours in Indochina

2018-07-01T14:31:15Z

JulietMcCree681:

Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City Convenient Landing Packages Inner Journey Expeditions offers a convenient landing package for travellers looking for an easy arrival into Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam including hotel, daily breakfast, return airport transfers and one month single entry visa on arrival service. Director, Angela Kent, says �this is an ideal travel package for holiday travellers who want to explore this vibrant city on their own or business travellers looking for an affordable, all-in-one package staying at centrally located hotels in District 1�. A four-day Ho Chi Minh City Stay starts from AUD$216 person, twin share staying in 3-star hotel, deluxe room. Travellers can upgrade to the luxury five-star option and pay AUD$396 per person, twin share. These prices are valid for travel between 01 July and 30 September 2010. Travel to Vietnam with a group of five friends and get BIG SAVINGS Travel with a group of five friends or more and Vietnam travel specialist, Inner Journey Expeditions will discount the tour price by 10% when you book and travel in Vietnam before 30 September 2010. Inner Journey Expeditions arranges private tours ideal for a group of friends or family wanting to share their holiday that suits their own time frame and style of travel. The group has their own private transport and driver, local guide, hotels, sightseeing and most meals. With a private tour, the group can sightsee as much as they want, or choose more free time to relax and experience Vietnam independently. � Laos a New Yoga Tour [http://www.houzz.com/?search=Destination Destination] Travel specialist, Inner Journey Expeditions launches the first ever Yoga Retreat in Laos held in UNESCO World Heritage town, Luang Prabang on 3rd November 2010. The retreat runs over 10 days and combines yoga, meditation, philosophy with Lao culture including textile weaving course, trekking to minority villages, elephant rides and a cooking class. Yoga classes [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh] are led by an experienced teacher from Byron Bay, Australia, a popular �mecca� for yoga. Inner Journey Expeditions Director, Angela Kent says �Laos is the newest destination to offer Yoga tours and retreats. Holding a retreat in Laos makes perfect sense as the Lao culture is grounded in Buddhism which is reflected in some of the teaching of Yoga.� Participants do not have to have years of yoga practice, but a small amount of experience would be beneficial to make the most of this amazing experience. Cambodia Temples and Buddhist Monastery Tour Inner Journey Expeditions offers a unique six day Cambodia Temples and Monastery tour that combines an introduction to Buddhism and monastic life with the must see Temples of Angkor for travellers looking for a spiritual and educational experience. Travellers meet with local monks and learn about Buddhist philosophy, they [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] wake up in a monastery to the sounds of drums and are introduced to meditation practice and daily life. According to Director Angela Kent, �Spiritual and educational tourism is a fast growing niche in the travel industry. Some travellers are looking for more than just the major attractions and urban activities, they want to scratch below the surface of the country they are visiting and learn about the culture and traditions from an experiential level�. Departing from Siem Reap, prices start from AUD$735 per person and includes 3 nights in Siem Reap, 1 night in a Buddhist Monastery, 1 night on a home stay on a floating village on the Tonle Sap lake, 2 day Angkor Temple pass, Buddhism and meditation course, sightseeing, local guide, most meals and transfers. More information, contact: Angela Kent, Director PO Box 2467, Parap, Darwin, N.T. Australia Phone: +61 400 806 039 URL: website Angela Kent on info@ije.com.au

Prince Henrik husband of Danish monarch dies aged 83

2018-06-30T12:17:25Z

JulietMcCree681:

Prince Henrik, the French-born husband of Danish monarch Queen Margrethe, has died at the age of 83, Denmark�s palace has said. A [https://Www.Sportsblog.com/search?search=statement statement] on the royal house�s [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] website said the prince died in his sleep late on Tuesday, with the queen at his side. Henrik, who publicly vented his frustration at not being the social equal of his wife or their son, was made prince consort when Margrethe acceded to the throne in 1972. The flag at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen flies at half-mast (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/AP) The jovial prince was known for being frank and forthright. The palace said last week that his health had �seriously worsened� and that Olympic official Crown Prince Frederik was rushing home from the Winter Games in South Korea. He had been transferred earlier on Tuesday from a Copenhagen hospital to the family�s residence north of the capital, �where he wishes to spend his last moments,� the royal palace had said. A later statement said Henrik, who had been diagnosed with dementia last year, died in his sleep at 11.18pm and that his two sons were also at his side. In one of the world�s oldest kingdoms that prides itself on having a stable royal house with no scandals, Henrik caused one in August 2017 by announcing that when he died he did not want to be buried next to Margrethe in the cathedral where the remains of Danish royals have [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh 5 ngày 4 đêm] gone for centuries. Denmark�s Prince Henrik pictured in 2011 (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) The queen already had a specially designed sarcophagus waiting for the couple. Born on June 1 1934, in south-western France to parents with the noble titles of count and countess, Henri Marie Jean [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] Andre de Laborde de Monpezat married Denmark�s future queen in 1967. Henri became Henrik and converted to Denmark�s state Lutheran Church. However, he found it difficult to fit in with Denmark�s egalitarian lifestyle. He was titled prince consort, the husband of a reigning queen but not a king, and he was not in the line of succession - his oldest son Frederik being the heir. In the mid-1980s, Henrik publicly said he wanted a pay cheque instead of relying on the queen, who gets annual allowances. The law was eventually changed to give him roughly 10% of the annual allocation Parliament makes to royals each year. In a 2002 interview, Henrik again stunned Danes by saying he felt he had been pushed aside in his own home, not only by his wife but also by his son. This followed the annual royal new year�s reception for foreign diplomats, where Frederik had been host because his mother was unavailable due to a broken rib. �For many years I have been number two,� Henrik told Danish tabloid BT. �I have been satisfied with that role, but after so many years in Denmark I don�t suddenly want to become number three and become some kind of wearisome attachment.� Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark with Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh after the Danish couple�s arrival at Windsor Castle (PA) Henrik lived his first five years in French Indochina. He graduated from universities in Paris, learned Mandarin and Vietnamese and spent a year at the Hong Kong University from 1958-1959. After his move to Denmark, Henrik, a keen pianist, was active in different organisations and wrote poetry, memoirs and books, including a coffee table book on French gastronomy in 1999. Margrethe and Henrik also owned a chateau in south-western France where they [http://realitysandwich.com/?s=retreated retreated] every summer. As a member of Denmark�s royal family, he held honorary ranks of general in the Danish army and air force, and was an admiral in the navy. In September 2017, the palace announced that Henrik had undergone tests at Copenhagen�s university hospital. The diagnosis was dementia and �the extent of the cognitive failure is greater than expected,� the palace said. In January, he was admitted to a hospital with a lung infection. Henrik is survived by his wife, sons Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, and eight grandchildren. Advertisement

Japan s tiny refugee community urges Tokyo to open doors wider

2018-06-29T22:07:51Z

JulietMcCree681:

By Kiyoshi Takenaka YOKOHAMA, Japan, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Hitoshi Kino, a bespectacled clerical employee at a university near Tokyo, doesn't stand out. Only a slight Vietnamese accent betrays his past, as he speaks in Japanese about being stranded on a rickety boat in waters off his war-torn homeland in 1980, starving with 32 others and left by pirates with nothing but his underpants. Kino, who was then Ky Tu Duong, is one of more than 11,000 refugees that Japan took in over the three decades to 2005 in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, under a little-remembered open-door policy which has never been repeated on such a scale. Now, Kino and other "boat people" who have resettled in Japan believe Tokyo should again open its doors and let in some of today's asylum seekers, including those from Syria, not just for those in distress but for Japan's sake as well "Japan should open up a little to them to align itself with the international community," Kino, who became a Japanese citizen in mid-1980s, said over Chinese dumplings and stir-fry at a restaurant near his home west of Tokyo. "It could be just 100, or 50. But it would be better than doing nothing." Japan took just 11 of 5,000 asylum-seekers last year, or 0.2 percent, the lowest acceptance rate in the club of rich nations, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. In contrast, France took 22 percent and Germany 42 percent. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered nearly $2 billion to help other nations manage the flood of refugees from Syria's civil war, but his government has virtually shut the door on those fleeing Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War Two. This month's attacks in Paris, in which 130 people were killed in mass shootings and [http://www.britannica.com/search?query=suicide%20bombings suicide bombings] blamed on Islamic State, could make any public discussion of accepting refugees into Japan even [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] more difficult. The government's reluctance to accept refugees shows that opening up to immigration is still politically unpalatable, despite an alarming shrinkage in the country's population. After the 2011 nuclear disaster caused by earthquake and tsunami, "foreigners scrambled to leave Japan. But few of us former refugees fled", Kino said. "Japan helped us and took care of us. We would not desert such a country." Indochina refugees speak not only of gratitude toward their adopted country but also of difficulties they have faced trying to fit into society, which prides itself on its homogeneous culture. Foreigners make [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] up only 2 percent of the population. On the job, [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] some Japanese "assume we don't understand things easily and we are not smart", said Hoai Takahashi, another refugee from Vietnam who changed his name from Hoang Drong Hoai. "They even say things like 'This job should not be left to these people,' in our very presence." Banri Kawai, formerly Nguyen Van Ry, works at a facility in eastern Japan that houses five former Vietnamese refugees with mental illness. He said they had been bullied by their Japanese seniors at work. "They lost sleep and developed mental conditions," he said after attending Sunday service with Takahashi at a Catholic church north of Tokyo. Chrisna Ito, who arrived in Japan at the age of 15, says she was rebuked at a factory dorm for using the communal bath before others had finished. She assumed they thought she was dirty because her skin was darker than that of a typical Japanese. Ito, a 43-year-old nursery school worker who was Cheth Chan Chrisna before fleeing Cambodia, had to start working at the rubber factory to support her family after six months of language and other adjustment training. It was only after she married and had children - now in high school and college - that she fulfilled her aspiration to go to junior high and high school. Asked how she feels about the government support she received, Ito reflected for a moment. "I am grateful. But at the same time, I cannot help wondering if Japan could have done a little better." (Additional reporting by Thomas Wilson; Editing by William Mallard and Mark Bendeich) Advertisement

Thursday April 21

2018-06-29T09:44:43Z

JulietMcCree681:

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The junta rules the country for seven years. 1972 - Two U.S. Apollo 16 astronauts spend seven hours exploring highlands of the Moon. 1975 - South Vietnam's President Nguyen van Thieu resigns, denounces United States as untrustworthy, and names successor to seek negotiations with Communist forces sweeping across country. 1977 - Pakistan's Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto assumes emergency powers and imposes martial law on three major cities in crackdown on opponents trying to force his resignation; the musical "Annie" opens on Broadway. 1980 - Rosie Ruiz is the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon, but she is disqualified when officials discover she jumped into the race about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the finish. 1986 - Soldiers attack rebel camp in Philippines, and 41 people are killed; a vault in Chicago's Lexington Hotel linked to Al Capone is opened during a live TV special hosted by Geraldo Rivera. Except for a few bottles and a sign, the vault is empty. 1987 - Suspected Tamil Tiger separatists explode powerful bomb at height of rush hour near main bus station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing as many as 150 people. 1989 - Thousands of students, shouting for democracy and human rights, march from campuses to converge on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. 1990 - Moscow expands its energy embargo of Lithuania to include shipments of food, metal and industrial parts, in effort to get the republic to revoke declaration of independence. 1991 - Soviet hard-liners launch a petition drive for a Parliament session to impose a national state of emergency and take President Mikhail Gorbachev to task over worsening ethnic and economic troubles. 1993 - The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis Garcia Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution. 1994 - Bosnian Serb artillery bombards the Muslim enclave of Gorazde in the heaviest assault of a three-week offensive. 1995 - Iran lines up with Egypt and Syria to try to link the future of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to a [http://Blogs.realtown.com/search/?q=dismantling dismantling] of Israel's reported nuclear arsenal. 1996 - Rebels in a military complex in Monrovia, Liberia, release more foreigners while African peacekeeping troops fan out in the capital to police a truce. 1997 - The first Chinese Army soldiers march into Hong Kong in preparation for the handover of the British colony to China on July 1. 1998 - South Korea drops efforts to get compensation from Japan for women held as sex slaves during World War II, and says it will pay surviving women. 2001 - Leaders at the 34-nation Americas summit debate whether to criticize Haitian elections that restored President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power last year and mired the hemisphere's poorest and most unstable nation in another political morass. 2002 - Bombings in the southern Philippines, where Muslim rebel groups are fighting for a separate homeland, kill 14 people and wound 55 others. 2005 - A blast kills at least 51 people as it rips through an explosives manufacturing plant at a mine in the heart of Zambia's copper belt. 2006 - Haitians vote in a legislative election billed as the final step in the often-delayed process to bring back democracy to the poorest nation in the Americas. 2007 - Thousands of Bhutanese practice for democracy in mock elections, lining up at polling stations to select dummy political parties in the latest step toward shedding nearly 100 years of absolute monarchy in the secluded Himalayan country. 2008 - Pakistan orders the release of pro-Taliban leader Sufi Muhammad from six years in custody in return for an agreement from his group to renounce violence. Muhammad had sent thousands to battle the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. 2009 - European researchers say they not only found the smallest planet ever, Gliese 5810 e, but also realize that a neighboring planet discovered earlier, Gliese 581 d, was in the prime habital zone for potential life. 2010 - An explosion rocks a BP offshore oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and eventually leading to the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. 2011 - Japan seals off a wide area around a radiation-spewing nuclear power plant to prevent tens of thousands of residents from sneaking back to the homes they quickly evacuated, some with little more than a credit card and the clothes on their backs. 2012 - An infusion of hundreds of billions of dollars will give the International Monetary Fund a badly needed boost to tackle Europe's prolonged debt crisis. But global finance officials send a strong message that struggling governments must speed reforms. 2013 - Serbia's ruling parties pledge to support a landmark agreement to normalize relations with former province Kosovo that could end years of tensions and put both states on a path to European Union membership. Today's Birthdays: Charlotte Bronte, English novelist (1816-1855); Anthony Quinn, Mexican-born actor (1915-2001); Queen Elizabeth II of England (1926--); Elaine May, U.S. entertainer-writer (1932--); Omotoso Kole, Nigerian writer (1943--); Iggy Pop, [http://De.Pons.com/�bersetzung?q=English%20punk&l=deen&in=&lf=en English punk] singer (1947--); Patti LuPone, U.S. actress/singer (1949--); James McAvoy, actor (1979--); Michael Franti, U.S. singer/rapper (1966--). Thought For Today: I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it - Stephen Leacock, Canadian economist and humorist (1869-1944). Advertisement

Explore Ha Long Bay with Indochina Sails cruise ship

2018-06-28T12:02:43Z

JulietMcCree681:

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Active Travel Shop ATS one of Active Travel Asia ATA sister sites is a first class online travel shop for international independent travelers

2018-06-26T13:48:25Z

JulietMcCree681:

Active Travel Shop (ATS), one of Active Travel Asia (ATA) sister sites is a first class online travel shop for international independent travelers. ATS offers all travel related services including travel packages, flight, car rental, hotel reservations and tour operations to independent travelers to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. ATS guarantees to offer travelers the competitive rates at the premium service quality level in the market. Indochina Sails is the biggest company to offer a new standard for luxury cruising Halong Bay and now widely known as the number one choice for discerning travellers, operating a fleet of four newly built wooden junks designed in time-honoured traditional style, with contemporary and luxurious cabins and facilities. ATS offers free Vietnam tourist Visa services which travelers can choose to apply Visa on Arrival Vietnam, or just take the Visa Approval Letter sent by ATA and apply at Vietnamese Embassies and Consulates in traveler�s country. Please refer to Vietnam Embassies at website To apply Vietnam tourist Visa, please download the guideline and follow step by step at website Travelers refer to Special Summer Promotion on Halong bay on Indochina Sails websites at website for more information. In this summer promotion, travelers will enjoy the gastronomic BBQ Seafood and summer wines in the most luxury cruises as well as kayaking and swimming in Halong bay, Natural World Heritage of Vietnam with special promotion rates. This promotion is valided from [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] 1st May- 30 Sept 2009 for 02 days or 03 days package tours in Halong Bay. INCLUDED - Superior Double/Twin (Twin shared) - Shuttle bus returns Hanoi - Halong Bay � Hanoi - International Wine Tasting - A select list of wines from around the world - 01 hour [http://search.ft.com/search?queryText=free%20Kayaking free Kayaking] on Halong Bay - Candlelight Buffet Dinner with many dishes from the BBQ including a large selection of local seafood - Welcome Drink - Entrance and Sightseeing Fees. - Luxury en-suite air-conditioned Cabins - Vietnamese Set Lunch Menu - International Breakfast Buffet - Onboard Insurance - Tax and Service Charges EXCLUDED Visa Arrangements Massage Service Beverages Tips and Personal Expenses All other services not clearly mentioned above TERMS AND CONDITIONS Cruise rates based on group of two adults Advance reservation required Supplement cabins for normal walk-in rate without extras Other terms and conditions apply Available on Indochina Sails I and II only Contact ATS at: shop@activetravelshop.com or Indochina Sails: info@indochinasails.com Note: - Active Travel Asia only offers free Vietnam tourist visa services for travelers who book Indochina Sails Summer Promotion - This offer is exclusive of Visa Stamp fee at Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam International Airport. - This offer is valid [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh] until September [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh] 30, 2009 and applied only to new bookings. - This promotion is not combined with any other promotions. Other Special Promotions on ATA�s sister sites: Active Travel Asia (ATA): website Active Travel Vietnam (ATV): website Active Travel Cambodia (ATC): website and Indochina Sails offer free Vietnam Tourist Visa services for Hanoi Halong Bay package tours

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2018-06-20T19:02:14Z

JulietMcCree681:

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2018-06-20T19:02:08Z

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