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George Habash (Arabic: جورج حبش‎) also known by his nickname 'al-Hakim' (Arabic:الحكيم — the wise one or the doctor) (2 August 1926 – 26 January 2008) was a Marxist and Palestinian Christian who founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.<br/><br/> Habash served as Secretary-General of the Palestine Front until 2000, when ill health forced him to resign.
The old National Assembly Building, also known as Ba Đình Hall, was a large public building, located on Ba Đình Square opposite the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, in Hanoi. The building was used by the National Assembly of Vietnam for its sessions and other official functions. The hall was demolished in 2008 to make room for a new parliament house.
The old National Assembly Building, also known as Ba Đình Hall, was a large public building, located on Ba Đình Square opposite the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, in Hanoi. The building was used by the National Assembly of Vietnam for its sessions and other official functions. The hall was demolished in 2008 to make room for a new parliament house.
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist, historian, and critic of Soviet totalitarianism. He helped to raise global awareness of the gulag and the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system.<br/><br/> While his writings were long suppressed in the USSR, he wrote many books, most notably <i>The Gulag Archipelago</i>, <i>One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich</i>, <i>August 1914</i> and <i>Cancer Ward</i>. Solzhenitsyn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970 'for the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature'. He was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1974 but returned to Russia in 1994 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.<br/><br/> Solzhenitsyn died of heart failure near Moscow on 3 August 2008, at the age of 89. A burial service was held at Donskoy Monastery, Moscow, on Wednesday, 6 August 2008. He was buried the same day at the place chosen by him in the monastery's cemetery.
Su Zhu, better known by the nom de guerre Hua Guofeng (16 February 1921 – 20 August 2008), was Mao Zedong's designated successor as the paramount leader of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China.<br/><br/> Upon Zhou Enlai's death in 1976, he succeeded him as the second Premier of the People's Republic of China. Months later, Mao died, and Hua succeeded Mao as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, to the surprise and dismay of Jiang Qing and the rest of the Gang of Four. He brought the Cultural Revolution to an end and ousted the Gang of Four from political power, but because of his insistence on continuing the Maoist line, he was himself outmaneuvered a few years later by Deng Xiaoping, who forced Hua into early retirement.
Mada'in Saleh (Arabic: مدائن صالح, madāʼin Ṣāliḥ), also called Al-Hijr or Hegra (so in Greek and Latin, e.g. by Pliny, is a pre-Islamic archaeological site located in the Al-Ula sector, within the Al Madinah Region of Saudi Arabia. A majority of the vestiges date from the Nabatean kingdom (1st century CE). The site constitutes the kingdom's southernmost and largest settlement after Petra, its capital. Traces of Lihyanite and Roman occupation before and after the Nabatean rule, respectively, can also be found in situ, while accounts from the Qur’an tell of an earlier settlement of the area by the tribe of Thamud in the 3rd millennium BCE. According to the Islamic text, the Thamudis, who would carve out homes in the mountains, were punished by Allah for their persistent practice of idol worship and for conspiring to kill Saleh (an Arab prophet mentioned in the Qu'ran), the non-believers being struck by an earthquake and lightning blasts. In 2008, for its well-preserved remains from late antiquity, especially the 131 rock-cut monumental tombs, with their elaborately ornamented façades, of the Nabatean kingdom, UNESCO proclaimed Mada'in Saleh as a site of patrimony, becoming Saudi Arabia's first World Heritage Site.
During the late 19th century, all the territory stretching from Dien Bien Phu in the south to the Chinese frontier in the north formed an autonomous region called Sipsongchutai, or ‘Twelve Tai Principalities’. It was ruled over by a hereditary White Tai prince from his capital at Lai Chau and paid tribute, at one time or another, to Siam, Vietnam or China, and sometimes to all three.<br/><br/> At this time the White Tai chieftain was Kham Sing, known to the Vietnamese as Deo Van Seng. He ruled over Sipsongchutai from his capital at Lai Chau, but was old and tired, so real power had already passed to his eldest son, the fiercely independent Kham Hum, known to the Vietnamese (and to the recently arrived French) as Deo Van Tri.<br/><br/> Neither Deo Van Seng nor Deo Van Tri wanted to submit completely either to Bangkok or to Hanoi, preferring to pursue the delicate balancing act between the two that had for long years allowed continuing autonomy. But times were changing fast, maps being drawn and frontiers delimited as modern nation states came into being in mainland Southeast Asia.<br/><br/> Accordingly in 1889 Deo Van Tri signed a treaty with France making Sipsongchutai a semi-autonomous region within the French Protectorate of Tonkin – and therefore, ultimately, a part of Vietnam.
The Druk Gyalpo (Dzongkha: འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་པོ་; Wylie: brug rgyal-po; 'Dragon King') is the head of state of Bhutan. He is also known in English as the King of Bhutan. Bhutan, in the local Dzongkha language, is known as Dryukyul which translates as 'The Land of Dragons'. Thus, while Kings of Bhutan are known as Druk Gyalpo ('Dragon King'), the Bhutanese people call themselves the Drukpa, meaning 'Dragon people'.<br/><br/> The current ruler of Bhutan is the 5th Hereditary King His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who is the 5th Druk Gyalpo. He wears the Raven Crown which is the official Crown worn by the Monarchs of Bhutan. He is correctly styled 'Mi'wang 'Ngada Rimboche' ('His Majesty') and addressed ''Ngada Rimboche' ('Your Majesty').
Abhisit Vejjajiva (born 3 August 1964) is a Thai politician who was the 27th Prime Minister of Thailand between 2008 and 2011.<br/><br/> Born in England, Abhisit attended Eton College and earned bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Oxford. He was elected to the Parliament of Thailand at age 27, and promoted to Democrat Party leader in 2005, after his predecessor resigned following the party's defeat in the 2005 general election.<br/><br/> Abhisit was appointed Prime Minister of Thailand on 17 December 2008, following a Parliamentary vote after the Constitutional Court of Thailand removed Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from office. At age 44, he was the country's youngest prime minister in more than 60 years.
Phuket, formerly known as Talang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon (a corruption of the Malay Tanjung Salang, i.e. 'Cape Salang'), is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga and Krabi, but as Phuket is an island there are no land boundaries.<br/><br/> Phuket, which is approximately the size of Singapore, is Thailand’s largest island. The island is connected to mainland Thailand by two bridges. It is situated off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea.<br/><br/> Phuket formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colorful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign ship logs of Portuguese, French, Dutch and English traders. The region now derives much of its income from tourism.
Colonel Ramesh was the LTTE commander for Batticaloa and Ampara districts during the 2002 ceasefire era. It is believed he was killed in May 2009 during the last phase of the Sri Lanka Civil War.
V. Balakumaran used to be one of the two senior leaders of the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS). In 1990 he and a large portion of EROS members left the organization and joined the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He was active in LTTE's political division. On January 29, 2009, during the last phase of the Sri Lanka Civil War, Balakumaran was seriously wounded in an assault by soldiers of the Sri Lanka army. He was captured during the last hours of the civil war and held under the Prevention of Terrorism act by the Sri Lanka authorities.
The Sri Lankan Civil War began on July 23, 1983, and quickly developed into an on-and-off insurgency against the Colombo government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, and other few rebel groups, which were fighting to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island. After a 26-year military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009.
Suharto (8 June 1921—27 January 2008) was the second President of Indonesia, holding office for nearly 32 years, from 1967 until his resignation in 1998. In Indonesian literature and media, he is often referred as Pak Harto.<br/><br/> The son of Yogyakarta famers, Suharto joined the struggle for independence from the Dutch as a young man. Rising to the rank of major-general in the Indonesian army, Suharto helped lead an anti-Communist purge in 1965 that led to him and the military assuming a leading role in domestic affairs. When President Sukarno was removed from office on 12 March 1967, Suharto quickly assumed the presidency and cemented his leadership.<br/><br/> Suharto’s legacy is controversial: his rule was often autocratic and, in later years, was punctuated by allegations of nepotism and corruption. However, supporters of his ‘New Order’ administration say he managed a strong economic policy while centralizing power in what could have been a fractious Indonesian state, made up as it is of myriad islands, cultures and religions. As a staunch anti-Communist, Suharto was widely supported in the West and by his Southeast Asian neighbors.
Galyani Vadhana, the Princess of Narathiwat (Thai: กัลยาณิวัฒนา; RTGS: Kanlayaniwatthana; 6 May 1923 – 2 January 2008) was a princess of Thailand and the elder sister of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX).<br/><br/> She was also a direct granddaughter of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).
Suharto (8 June 1921—27 January 2008) was the second President of Indonesia, holding office for nearly 32 years, from 1967 until his resignation in 1998. In Indonesian literature and media, he is often referred as Pak Harto.<br/><br/> The son of Yogyakarta farmers, Suharto joined the struggle for independence from the Dutch as a young man. Rising to the rank of major-general in the Indonesian army, Suharto helped lead an anti-Communist purge in 1965 that led to him and the military assuming a leading role in domestic affairs. When President Sukarno was removed from office on 12 March 1967, Suharto quickly assumed the presidency and cemented his leadership.<br/><br/> Suharto’s legacy is controversial: his rule was often autocratic and, in later years, was punctuated by allegations of nepotism and corruption. However, supporters of his ‘New Order’ administration say he managed a strong economic policy while centralizing power in what could have been a fractious Indonesian state, made up as it is of myriad islands, cultures and religions. As a staunch ant-Communist, Suharto was widely supported in the West and by his Southeast Asian neighbors.
The komusō (虚無僧 komusō, Hiragana こむそう; also romanized komusou or komuso) were a group of Japanese mendicant monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism who flourished during the Edo period of 1600-1868.<br/><br/> Komusō were characterized by a straw basket (a sedge or reed hood named a tengai or tengui) worn on the head, manifesting the absence of specific ego. They were also known for playing solo pieces on the shakuhachi (a type of Japanese bamboo flute). These pieces, called honkyoku ('original pieces') were played during a meditative practice called suizen, for alms, as a method of attaining enlightenment, and as a healing modality.<br/><br/> The Japanese government introduced reforms after the Edo period, abolishing the Fuke sect. Records of the musical repertoire survived, and are being revived in the 21st century.
The Sri Lankan Civil War began on July 23, 1983, and quickly developed into an on-and-off insurgency against the Colombo government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, and other few rebel groups, which were fighting to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island. After a 26-year military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009.
The Sri Lankan Civil War began on July 23, 1983, and quickly developed into an on-and-off insurgency against the Colombo government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, and other few rebel groups, which were fighting to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island. After a 26-year military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009.
Nouhak Phoumsavanh or Phoumsavan (Lao: ໜູຮັກ ພູມສະຫວັນ; Thai: หนูฮัก พูมสะหวัน; April 9, 1910[1] – September 9, 2008) was a longtime Pathet Lao revolutionary and communist party official who was President of Laos from 1992 to 1998. After the death of Kaysone Phomvihane in 1992, Nouhak was elected to succeed him as President of Laos by the Supreme People's Assembly in an extraordinary session on November 25, 1992.
Abhisit Vejjajiva (born 3 August 1964) is a Thai politician who was the 27th Prime Minister of Thailand between 2008 and 2011.<br/><br/> Born in England, Abhisit attended Eton College and earned bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Oxford. He was elected to the Parliament of Thailand at age 27, and promoted to Democrat Party leader in 2005, after his predecessor resigned following the party's defeat in the 2005 general election.<br/><br/> Abhisit was appointed Prime Minister of Thailand on 17 December 2008, following a Parliamentary vote after the Constitutional Court of Thailand removed Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from office. At age 44, he was the country's youngest prime minister in more than 60 years.
Thailand: Traffic and signs on Yaowarat Road, Chinatown, Bangkok (2008). Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. It was founded in 1782 when the city was established as the capital of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, and served as the home of the mainly Teochew immigrant Chinese population, who soon became the city's dominant ethnic group.
Thailand: Traffic and signs on Yaowarat Road, Chinatown, Bangkok (2008). Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. It was founded in 1782 when the city was established as the capital of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, and served as the home of the mainly Teochew immigrant Chinese population, who soon became the city's dominant ethnic group.
Miran is an ancient oasis town located on the southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert in China, along the famous trade route known as the Silk Road where the Lop Nur desert meets the Altun Shan mountains.<br/><br/> Two thousand years ago a river flowed down from the mountain and Miran had a sophisticated irrigation system. Now the area is a sparsely inhabited dusty spot with poor roads and minimal transportation in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.<br/><br/> However, archaeological excavations since the early 20th century have uncovered an extensive Buddhist monastic site from the 2nd to 5th centuries CE, as well as Miran fort which was a Tibetan settlement during the 8th and 9th centuries CE.<br/><br/> The ruins at Miran consist of a large rectangular fort, a monastery ('the Vihara' in Stein's accounts), several stupas and many sun-dried brick constructions, located relatively close to the ancient caravan track to Dunhuang, running west to east.<br/><br/> The many artifacts found in Miran demonstrate the extensive and sophisticated trade connections these ancient towns had with places as far away as the Mediterranean Sea. Archaeological evidence from Miran shows the influence of Buddhism on artistic work as early as the first century BCE. Early Buddhist sculptures and murals excavated from the site show stylistic similarities to the traditions of Central Asia and North India.
Paul Edward Theroux (born April 10, 1941) is an American travel writer and novelist, whose best known work of travel writing is perhaps <i>The Great Railway Bazaar</i> (1975).<br/><br/> He has published numerous works of fiction, some of which were made into feature films. He was awarded the 1981 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel <i>The Mosquito Coast</i>.<br/><br/> Paul Theroux has travelled extensively in and written about Asia, as well as Europe, Africa, The Americas and Oceania.
Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak (born 23 July 1953) is the sixth and current Prime Minister of Malaysia. He was sworn in to the position on 3 April 2009 to succeed Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.<br/><br/> He is the President of the United Malays National Organisation, the leading party in Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
They are known, variously, as sadhus (saints, or 'good ones'), yogis (ascetic practitioners), fakirs (ascetic seeker after the Truth) and sannyasins (wandering mendicants and ascetics). They are the ascetic – and often eccentric – practitioners of an austere form of Hinduism. Sworn to cast off earthly desires, some choose to live as anchorites in the wilderness. Others are of a less retiring disposition, especially in the towns and temples of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley.<br/><br/> If the Vale of Kathmandu seems to boast more than its share of sadhus and yogis, this is because of the number and importance of Hindu temples in the region. The most important temple of Vishnu in the valley is Changunarayan, and here the visitor will find many Vaishnavite ascetics. Likewise, the most important temple for followers of Shiva is the temple at Pashupatinath. Vishnu, also known as Narayan, can be identified by his four arms holding a sanka (sea shell), a chakra (round weapon), a gada (stick-like weapon) and a padma (lotus flower). The best-known incarnation of Vishnu is Krishna, and his animal is the mythical Garuda.<br/><br/> Shiva is often represented by the lingam, or phallus, as a symbol of his creative side. His animal is the bull, Nandi, and his weapon is the trisul, or trident. According to Hindu mythology Shiva is supposed to live in the Himalayas and wears a garland of snakes. He is also said to smoke a lot of bhang, or hashish.
They are known, variously, as sadhus (saints, or 'good ones'), yogis (ascetic practitioners), fakirs (ascetic seeker after the Truth) and sannyasins (wandering mendicants and ascetics). They are the ascetic – and often eccentric – practitioners of an austere form of Hinduism. Sworn to cast off earthly desires, some choose to live as anchorites in the wilderness. Others are of a less retiring disposition, especially in the towns and temples of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley.<br/><br/> If the Vale of Kathmandu seems to boast more than its share of sadhus and yogis, this is because of the number and importance of Hindu temples in the region. The most important temple of Vishnu in the valley is Changunarayan, and here the visitor will find many Vaishnavite ascetics. Likewise, the most important temple for followers of Shiva is the temple at Pashupatinath. Vishnu, also known as Narayan, can be identified by his four arms holding a sanka (sea shell), a chakra (round weapon), a gada (stick-like weapon) and a padma (lotus flower). The best-known incarnation of Vishnu is Krishna, and his animal is the mythical Garuda.<br/><br/> Shiva is often represented by the lingam, or phallus, as a symbol of his creative side. His animal is the bull, Nandi, and his weapon is the trisul, or trident. According to Hindu mythology Shiva is supposed to live in the Himalayas and wears a garland of snakes. He is also said to smoke a lot of bhang, or hashish.
Vo Nguyen Giap (Vietnamese: Võ Nguyên Giáp) born 25 August, 1911, died 4 October 2013, was a Vietnamese officer in the Vietnam People's Army and a politician. He was a principal commander in two wars: the First Indochina War (1946–1954) and the Second Indochina War (1960–1975). He participated in the following historically significant battles: Lạng Sơn (1950); Hòa Bình (1951–1952); Điện Biên Phủ (1954); the Tết Offensive (1968); the Nguyên Huế Offensive (known in the West as the Easter Offensive) (1972); and the final Hồ Chí Minh Campaign (1975).<br/><br/> He was also a journalist, an interior minister in President Hồ Chí Minh’s Việt Minh government, the military commander of the Việt Minh, the commander of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), and defense minister.<br/><br/> He also served as Politburo member of the Vietnamese Communist Party. He was the most prominent military commander together with Hồ Chí Minh during the war and was responsible for major operations and leadership until the war ended.
The lingam, or linga, meaning 'mark' or 'sign', represents the penis and is an aniconic representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples. Although most Hindu sculpted images (murtis) are anthropomorphic, the aniconic Shiva linga is an important exception. The lingam is often represented with the Yoni, the aniconic symbol of the goddess.<br/><br/> Yoni (literally 'vagina' or 'womb') is the symbol of the goddess Shakti or Devi in Hinduism. Within Shaivism, the sect dedicated to the god Shiva, the yoni symbolizes his consort.
The Vishnu figure of Budhanilkantha is a 4.5 metre long, intricately carved figure depicting Vishnu sleeping on the ground of the cosmic ocean, on a 'bed' of intertwining snake bodies, which are all part of the eleven-headed giant snake Ananta, 'The Endless One'.<br/><br/> The figure probably originated in the 7th century and is hewn out of a single piece of rock. According to legend, Budhanilkantha was discovered by a farmer while ploughing his field; the plough snagged on the figure, which was buried underground, and, to the farmer’s great surprise, the figure began to bleed. Budha means 'mud' and Nila-kantha is 'Blue Throat'; Budhanilkantha is regarded as a manifestation of Vishnu (not to be confused with a better known incarnation of Vishnu as Nilakantha).
The Vishnu figure of Budhanilkantha is a 4.5 metre long, intricately carved figure depicting Vishnu sleeping on the ground of the cosmic ocean, on a 'bed' of intertwining snake bodies, which are all part of the eleven-headed giant snake Ananta, 'The Endless One'.<br/><br/> The figure probably originated in the 7th century and is hewn out of a single piece of rock. According to legend, Budhanilkantha was discovered by a farmer while ploughing his field; the plough snagged on the figure, which was buried underground, and, to the farmer’s great surprise, the figure began to bleed. Budha means 'mud' and Nila-kantha is 'Blue Throat'; Budhanilkantha is regarded as a manifestation of Vishnu (not to be confused with a better known incarnation of Vishnu as Nilakantha).
The Vishnu figure of Budhanilkantha is a 4.5 metre long, intricately carved figure depicting Vishnu sleeping on the ground of the cosmic ocean, on a 'bed' of intertwining snake bodies, which are all part of the eleven-headed giant snake Ananta, 'The Endless One'.<br/><br/> The figure probably originated in the 7th century and is hewn out of a single piece of rock. According to legend, Budhanilkantha was discovered by a farmer while ploughing his field; the plough snagged on the figure, which was buried underground, and, to the farmer’s great surprise, the figure began to bleed. Budha means 'mud' and Nila-kantha is 'Blue Throat'; Budhanilkantha is regarded as a manifestation of Vishnu (not to be confused with a better known incarnation of Vishnu as Nilakantha).
The Vishnu figure of Budhanilkantha is a 4.5 metre long, intricately carved figure depicting Vishnu sleeping on the ground of the cosmic ocean, on a 'bed' of intertwining snake bodies, which are all part of the eleven-headed giant snake Ananta, 'The Endless One'.<br/><br/> The figure probably originated in the 7th century and is hewn out of a single piece of rock. According to legend, Budhanilkantha was discovered by a farmer while ploughing his field; the plough snagged on the figure, which was buried underground, and, to the farmer’s great surprise, the figure began to bleed. Budha means 'mud' and Nila-kantha is 'Blue Throat'; Budhanilkantha is regarded as a manifestation of Vishnu (not to be confused with a better known incarnation of Vishnu as Nilakantha).
That the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur appears so much less cluttered than its counterparts in Kathmandu and Patan is simply due to the earthquake of 1934. The earthquake devastated a large number of buildings in the square and they were never reconstructed.<br/><br/> A minor earthquake in 1988 did further damage. According to the Nepalese chronicles, Bhupatindra Malla had laid out 99 courtyards within the palace compound; in 1742, only 12 remained, and today there are but six.<br/><br/> The Vatsala Temple, a few metres southeast of the Bhupatindra Pillar, was built in 1672 CE by Jagatprakasha Malla. Its most conspicuous feature is a bell, about four feet high and set in a massive stone frame, which was added by Ranajit Malla in 1737. The bell was rung to call the faithful to the morning prayers conducted for the goddess Taleju.
They are known, variously, as sadhus (saints, or 'good ones'), yogis (ascetic practitioners), fakirs (ascetic seeker after the Truth) and sannyasins (wandering mendicants and ascetics). They are the ascetic – and often eccentric – practitioners of an austere form of Hinduism. Sworn to cast off earthly desires, some choose to live as anchorites in the wilderness. Others are of a less retiring disposition, especially in the towns and temples of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley.<br/><br/> If the Vale of Kathmandu seems to boast more than its share of sadhus and yogis, this is because of the number and importance of Hindu temples in the region. The most important temple of Vishnu in the valley is Changunarayan, and here the visitor will find many Vaishnavite ascetics. Likewise, the most important temple for followers of Shiva is the temple at Pashupatinath. Vishnu, also known as Narayan, can be identified by his four arms holding a sanka (sea shell), a chakra (round weapon), a gada (stick-like weapon) and a padma (lotus flower). The best-known incarnation of Vishnu is Krishna, and his animal is the mythical Garuda.<br/><br/> Shiva is often represented by the lingam, or phallus, as a symbol of his creative side. His animal is the bull, Nandi, and his weapon is the trisul, or trident. According to Hindu mythology Shiva is supposed to live in the Himalayas and wears a garland of snakes. He is also said to smoke a lot of bhang, or hashish.
The Kala Bhairav or Black Bhairav is a 3m-high statue depicting a sword-wielding, terror-inducing manifestation of Shiva trampling on some unfortunate victim. Local lore has it that the image was found on the Nagarjun mountain on the western rim of the Kathmandu Valley and brought to its current place by King Pratapa Malla.<br/><br/> Once the image was set up in Durbar Square, royal courtiers had to swear oaths of allegiance in front of it and witnesses in criminal cases had to testify in its presence. It was believed that anybody telling lies in front of Kala Bhairav would immediately die. Kala Bhairav also demanded blood sacrifices and until today numerous animals are slaughtered in front of the figure during the festival of Dassain.<br/><br/> Bhairava sometimes known as Kala Bhairava, is a Hindu deity, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation. He originated in Hindu mythology and is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains alike. He is worshipped in Nepal, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.
Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (born November 17, 1949 in Ca Mau province, southern Vietnam) is the Prime Minister of Vietnam. He was confirmed by the National Assembly on June 27, 2006, having been nominated by his predecessor, Phan Van Khai, who retired from office.<br/><br/> Since a party congress in January 2011, Dung has been ranked fourth in the hierarchy of the Communist Party of Vietnam, under the Party General secretary, President and the Minister of Defense.
The S-75 Dvina (Russian: С-75; NATO reporting name SA-2 Guideline) is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude, command guided, surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. Since its first deployment in 1957, it has become the most widely-deployed and -used air defense missile in history, scoring the first successful engagement of an enemy aircraft by a SAM ever, shooting down a Taiwanese RB-57D over China, on October 7, 1959 by hitting it with three V-750 (1D) missiles at an altitude of 20 km (65,600 ft).<br/><br/> This system first gained international fame when an S-75 battery, using the newer, longer range and higher altitude V-750VN (13D) missile shot down the U-2 of Francis Gary Powers overflying the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. The system was also deployed in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, where on October 27, 1962, it shot down the U-2 flown by Rudolf Anderson, almost precipitating a nuclear war.<br/><br/> Later, North Vietnamese forces used the S-75 extensively during the Vietnam War to defend Hanoi and Haiphong with some considerable success, especially during Operations Linebacker 1 and 2 in 1972. During these operations the PAVN claim 755 USAF aircraft destroyed including 34 B52 bombers, while the US admits to 159 aircraft lost including 16 B 52 bombers.
Peter Matthiessen (May 22, 1927 – April 5, 2014) was an American novelist, naturalist and travel writer A co-founder of the literary magazine <i>The Paris Review</i>, he was a three-time National Book Award winner. He was also a prominent environmental activist. His nonfiction featured nature and travel, most notably <i>The Snow Leopard</i> (1978).<br/><br/> In 2008, at age 81, Matthiessen received the National Book Award for Fiction for <i>Shadow Country</i>, a one-volume, 890-page revision of his three novels set in frontier Florida that had been published in the 1990s.<br/><br/> Matthiessen travelled extensively in and wrote about Asia, as well as the Americas, Antartica and Oceania.
The Nakasendō was one of the Five Routes constructed under Tokugawa Ieyasu, a series of roads linking the historical capitol of Edo with the rest of Japan.<br/><br/> The Nakasendō connected Edo with the then-capital of Kyoto. It was an alternate route to the Tōkaidō and travelled through the central part of Honshū, thus giving rise to its name, which means 'Central Mountain Road'. Along this road, there were sixty-nine different post stations (<i>-shuku</i> or <i>-juku</i>), which provided stables, food, and lodging for travelers.<br/><br/>
Samak Sundaravej (June 13, 1935 – November 24, 2009) was a Thai Chinese politician who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Defense in 2008, as well as the leader of the People's Power Party in 2008.
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on 23 June, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers and other few rebel groups), a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island. After a 26 year long military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009.
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (born 3 September 1936) was the second President of the Tunisian Republic. He held the office from 7 November 1987, until he was forced to step down and flee the country on 14 January 2011. Ben Ali was appointed Prime Minister in October 1987, and assumed the Presidency in November 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état from then President Habib Bourguiba, who was declared incompetent. Ben Ali was subsequently re-elected with enormous majorities at every election, the final time being 25 October 2009. Following the Tunisian Revolution, he fled to Saudi Arabia.
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (born 3 September 1936) was the second President of the Tunisian Republic. He held the office from 7 November 1987, until he was forced to step down and flee the country on 14 January 2011. Ben Ali was appointed Prime Minister in October 1987, and assumed the Presidency in November 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état from then President Habib Bourguiba, who was declared incompetent. Ben Ali was subsequently re-elected with enormous majorities at every election, the final time being 25 October 2009. Following the Tunisian Revolution, he fled to Saudi Arabia. Photo November 2008, Presidencia de la Nación Argentina.