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366
News Khabran / 13 more deaths reported in Syrian unrest
« on: December 25, 2011, 05:33:31 PM »
On the eve of the planned arrival of Arab League observers, 13 people died and scores were injured in volatile Syria on Sunday, according to the opposition movement.
Activists described worsening conditions in cities and towns amid what they called an intensifying government offensive. This comes at a time when security forces and allied militia fighters are supposed to be withdrawing in order to end the violence involving more than nine months of protest against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Abu Omar, an activist in the embattled city of Homs, told CNN on Sunday that attacks by government forces began Friday and were continuing non-stop in some besieged neighborhoods. He said the gunmen are shooting at anything and everything.
"You can't cross the street because of the snipers," Omar said. "They are cutting the electricity. Now I'm walking by a generator. There is no water or satellite phone. There is no more food and we have missing the most important thing, which is the bread. There is no more bread ... for children."
The Local Coordination Committees in Syria, an opposition activist network that goes by the acronym LCC, reported 13 deaths, including three children, around the country. It said five died in Homs, where government forces have besieged neighborhoods that are hotbeds of opposition to al-Assad.
Five people were killed in the western city of Deir Ezzor and one each died in Aleppo, Hama and Nawa, said an LCC statement.
"Random shelling" and heavy gunfire by government forces in Homs injured another 30 people, with 10 houses getting burned down, the LCC said.
Another opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported 124 injured in the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs, as well as an unverified number of deaths there.
According to the group, 37 security and military checkpoints have been set up in a town near Homs, and security forces arrested 26 people in another neighborhood and made them strip down to humiliate them.
CNN cannot independently verify reports of deaths and injuries in Syria. The Syrian government has restricted access to international journalists.
The opposition Syrian National Council called for the Arab League monitoring mission to go straight to Homs after it arrives in the country Monday, citing a "tight siege and the threat of military invasion" by 4,000 soldiers in addition to "non-stop bombing" of recent days.
"We face a real threat of genocide and crimes against humanity in Homs, whose residents are calling for help and warning of the imminent danger they face if the Arab League does not immediately send its observers there," said the Syrian National Council statement.
An Arab League official, speaking on condition of not being identified by name, said "close to 50" Arab League observers will arrive in Syria on Monday, and more will follow "on a need-be basis." Overall, the total mission could total nearly 100 observers, the official said.
In addition, the head of the mission, Lt. Gen. Mohamed al Dabi of Sudan, traveled to Syria on Saturday, the official said.
The observer mission is part of an Arab League initiative that calls for withdrawing the Syrian army and militias called shabiha from towns, releasing detainees and ending all forms of violence. Syria and the Arab League signed the protocol for the observer mission last week.
Despite the imminent Arab League mission, Syrian has entered its bloodiest period in a months-long uprising, raising questions about whether the observers will be able to fulfill their mission.
Government troops shelled restive neighborhoods of Homs over the weekend, with thousands of security personnel targeting Baba Amr, said Omar from Homs and Alexander Page, speaking to CNN from Cairo, where he is in touch with people in Homs.
Another activist in Homs, Abu Salim, said at least 4,000 security personnel were surrounding Baba Amr and the number was increasing. The troops dug trenches around parts of the neighborhood, a hotbed of opposition to the al-Bashir regime.
In his Christmas message to the world on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for "an end to the violence in Syria, where so much blood has already been shed." Diverse Syria is largely Sunni Muslim, but 10% of the population is Christian, the CIA World Factbook said.
The Christmas violence followed a day of bloodshed across the country, with the LCC saying 38 people were killed, including 25 in Homs.
Security forces shelled the neighborhoods of Baba Amr, Bayada, Khaldiyeh, and Karm Al-Zaitoun, and warplanes flew over the area, according to the LCC.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces assassinated Ghazi Mohammad Khaled Zugheib, former secretary general of the Homs' division of the Baath Party, and his wife, Rajaa Mohammad Khaled Bakkar. That incident occurred during a raid on their house in Baba Amr.
State-run Syrian Arab News Agency, however, blamed the killings of the two on "armed terrorist groups."
In the Baba Amr neighborhood, many of the 50,000 residents have fled out of fear or to escape worsening humanitarian conditions, Salim said.
He described a dire situation, with people targeted by government forces if they walk outside and supplies of vital medical services, fuel, heating oil and baby formula running low.
"We lack any sophisticated medical tool or equipment," Salim said. "... We only use first aid kits and tools to deal with bullet wounds. Most of the wounded end up dying. ... We do not have enough doctors or nurses to help the injured.
The attacks in Homs came a day after dual bombings struck the country's capital, Damascus. Al-Assad's government blamed terrorists inside and outside of Syria, but the opposition called the attacks the work of the regime.
On Sunday, security forces destroyed more than 50 shops in the Damascus suburb of Douma in an attempt to break an ongoing strike, the LCC said. It also reported security forces destroying shops in the Zamalka suburb.
The United States, which has called for al-Assad to step aside and has initiated sanctions against the regime, deplored the Friday bombings, saying there was "no justification for terrorism of any kind" and expressing hope that the strike doesn't undermine the Arab League efforts.
More than 5,000 people have died since al-Assad began a brutal crackdown in mid-March on anti-government protesters calling for his ouster, the United Nations said earlier this month.
Many more deaths have since been reported. AVAAZ, a New York-based political activist group, and the LCC said more than 6,000 people have been killed.
The Syrian government has said 2,000 of its soldiers and security forces have been killed in the uprising, which it blames on "armed gangs."
The violent crackdown by al-Assad's security forces against the opposition has garnered worldwide condemnation from the European Union, the Arab League and Turkey in addition to the United States.
On Sunday, Egypt's main Islamist party, the Muslim Brotherhood, met with Russia's ambassador to Cairo to discuss the situation in Syria, according to a party official.
Esam El Arian, deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, said Ambassador Sergei Kirpichenko "expressed his country's desire to see the Syrian civilians safe in their own country."
Activists described worsening conditions in cities and towns amid what they called an intensifying government offensive. This comes at a time when security forces and allied militia fighters are supposed to be withdrawing in order to end the violence involving more than nine months of protest against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Abu Omar, an activist in the embattled city of Homs, told CNN on Sunday that attacks by government forces began Friday and were continuing non-stop in some besieged neighborhoods. He said the gunmen are shooting at anything and everything.
"You can't cross the street because of the snipers," Omar said. "They are cutting the electricity. Now I'm walking by a generator. There is no water or satellite phone. There is no more food and we have missing the most important thing, which is the bread. There is no more bread ... for children."
The Local Coordination Committees in Syria, an opposition activist network that goes by the acronym LCC, reported 13 deaths, including three children, around the country. It said five died in Homs, where government forces have besieged neighborhoods that are hotbeds of opposition to al-Assad.
Five people were killed in the western city of Deir Ezzor and one each died in Aleppo, Hama and Nawa, said an LCC statement.
"Random shelling" and heavy gunfire by government forces in Homs injured another 30 people, with 10 houses getting burned down, the LCC said.
Another opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported 124 injured in the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs, as well as an unverified number of deaths there.
According to the group, 37 security and military checkpoints have been set up in a town near Homs, and security forces arrested 26 people in another neighborhood and made them strip down to humiliate them.
CNN cannot independently verify reports of deaths and injuries in Syria. The Syrian government has restricted access to international journalists.
The opposition Syrian National Council called for the Arab League monitoring mission to go straight to Homs after it arrives in the country Monday, citing a "tight siege and the threat of military invasion" by 4,000 soldiers in addition to "non-stop bombing" of recent days.
"We face a real threat of genocide and crimes against humanity in Homs, whose residents are calling for help and warning of the imminent danger they face if the Arab League does not immediately send its observers there," said the Syrian National Council statement.
An Arab League official, speaking on condition of not being identified by name, said "close to 50" Arab League observers will arrive in Syria on Monday, and more will follow "on a need-be basis." Overall, the total mission could total nearly 100 observers, the official said.
In addition, the head of the mission, Lt. Gen. Mohamed al Dabi of Sudan, traveled to Syria on Saturday, the official said.
The observer mission is part of an Arab League initiative that calls for withdrawing the Syrian army and militias called shabiha from towns, releasing detainees and ending all forms of violence. Syria and the Arab League signed the protocol for the observer mission last week.
Despite the imminent Arab League mission, Syrian has entered its bloodiest period in a months-long uprising, raising questions about whether the observers will be able to fulfill their mission.
Government troops shelled restive neighborhoods of Homs over the weekend, with thousands of security personnel targeting Baba Amr, said Omar from Homs and Alexander Page, speaking to CNN from Cairo, where he is in touch with people in Homs.
Another activist in Homs, Abu Salim, said at least 4,000 security personnel were surrounding Baba Amr and the number was increasing. The troops dug trenches around parts of the neighborhood, a hotbed of opposition to the al-Bashir regime.
In his Christmas message to the world on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for "an end to the violence in Syria, where so much blood has already been shed." Diverse Syria is largely Sunni Muslim, but 10% of the population is Christian, the CIA World Factbook said.
The Christmas violence followed a day of bloodshed across the country, with the LCC saying 38 people were killed, including 25 in Homs.
Security forces shelled the neighborhoods of Baba Amr, Bayada, Khaldiyeh, and Karm Al-Zaitoun, and warplanes flew over the area, according to the LCC.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces assassinated Ghazi Mohammad Khaled Zugheib, former secretary general of the Homs' division of the Baath Party, and his wife, Rajaa Mohammad Khaled Bakkar. That incident occurred during a raid on their house in Baba Amr.
State-run Syrian Arab News Agency, however, blamed the killings of the two on "armed terrorist groups."
In the Baba Amr neighborhood, many of the 50,000 residents have fled out of fear or to escape worsening humanitarian conditions, Salim said.
He described a dire situation, with people targeted by government forces if they walk outside and supplies of vital medical services, fuel, heating oil and baby formula running low.
"We lack any sophisticated medical tool or equipment," Salim said. "... We only use first aid kits and tools to deal with bullet wounds. Most of the wounded end up dying. ... We do not have enough doctors or nurses to help the injured.
The attacks in Homs came a day after dual bombings struck the country's capital, Damascus. Al-Assad's government blamed terrorists inside and outside of Syria, but the opposition called the attacks the work of the regime.
On Sunday, security forces destroyed more than 50 shops in the Damascus suburb of Douma in an attempt to break an ongoing strike, the LCC said. It also reported security forces destroying shops in the Zamalka suburb.
The United States, which has called for al-Assad to step aside and has initiated sanctions against the regime, deplored the Friday bombings, saying there was "no justification for terrorism of any kind" and expressing hope that the strike doesn't undermine the Arab League efforts.
More than 5,000 people have died since al-Assad began a brutal crackdown in mid-March on anti-government protesters calling for his ouster, the United Nations said earlier this month.
Many more deaths have since been reported. AVAAZ, a New York-based political activist group, and the LCC said more than 6,000 people have been killed.
The Syrian government has said 2,000 of its soldiers and security forces have been killed in the uprising, which it blames on "armed gangs."
The violent crackdown by al-Assad's security forces against the opposition has garnered worldwide condemnation from the European Union, the Arab League and Turkey in addition to the United States.
On Sunday, Egypt's main Islamist party, the Muslim Brotherhood, met with Russia's ambassador to Cairo to discuss the situation in Syria, according to a party official.
Esam El Arian, deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, said Ambassador Sergei Kirpichenko "expressed his country's desire to see the Syrian civilians safe in their own country."
367
News Khabran / Breaking the chains: Freedom's successes
« on: December 25, 2011, 05:32:33 PM »
Since its launch in March, the CNN Freedom Project has helped shine a spotlight on all aspects of modern-day slavery and spurred action from governments, corporations and individuals.
CNN reported on sex slaves and bonded workers, children and adults caught in despair, and the inspirational against-all-odds work of individuals and organizations fighting the trade.
Nearly 2,000 people have come out of slavery, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the hundreds of stories broadcast on air and published online.
From the richest cities to the poorest villages, corruption and crime was exposed, the hidden slaves were given a voice, and in some cases were freed to try to regain normal lives.
All too often the story was wearily familiar - the most vulnerable in a society preyed on by the most wicked. But the anti-traffickers provided hope where it appeared lost. And Freedom Project gave everyone a chance to help, to join in.
There are no precise figures in the extent of modern-day slavery but the International Labor Organization and respected abolitionists like Kevin Bales and Siddharth Kara put the global number of slaves at between 10-30 million worldwide.
The United Nations estimates the total market value of human trafficking at 32 billion U.S. dollars.
In March, India's Labor Secretary Prabhat C. Chaturvedi admitted the country had an extensive bonded labor problem after watching a CNN expose on brick workers in Utter Pradesh. They were tricked into working - tempted by the prospect of more money with a 1,000 rupee ($22) ‘advance’ - and then forced to pay off a debt.
Chaturvedi denied it was slave labor but just three months later Indian authorities helped free more than 500 people who had been physically abused at another brick factory.
In Egypt’s lawless desert region migrants, from places like Somalia heading to what they believe will be a better life in Israel, are held captive by the Bedouins they hire to guide then across the Sinai. The price of freedom is often more than their families can afford and there was some evidence of captives being killed for their organs.
Just days after ‘Death in the Desert’ aired on TV and online, more than 500 people were freed.
CNN’s Dan Rivers exposed the link between shops in the first world and the slavery in the developing world.
Travelling to Cambodia, he was encouraged to track down Chanary, the trafficked daughter of a woman who had escaped her traffickers - a task that would see an angry face-off with the agency owner that attracts young workers with promises of good pay and then keeps them bonded.
A-list entertainment stars also joined the fight with Demi Moore traveling to Nepal where she met 2010 CNN Hero of the Year Anuradha Koirala and some of the thousands of women and girls Koirala’s organization has rescued from forced prostitution.
One of India’s biggest stars, Anil Kapoor, explored the despair in some Indian villages where girls are sent into prostitution by their families.
Rapper and Hollywood actor Common visited Haiti where an estimated 300,000 children are working as domestic servants.
And acclaimed director Robert Bilheimer said he believes the world could be reaching an anti-slavery tipping point after spending four years on five continents filming his ‘Not My Life’ documentary.
After the documentary CNN’s Sara Sidner followed up by reporting on a young woman in Cambodia who had been repeatedly beaten and raped. Shortly after the story aired, Cambodian authorities said they would be making arrests.
But it was not just stars who got involved. iReporters from around the globe joined in too.
In South Korea, an entire school in South Korea took a stand to end slavery.
Others made efforts to educate their own communities that slavery was not history but a modern horror that can be tackled.
And iReporters in 32 countries, from Nigeria to Sweden to Indonesia, made symbolic paper airplanes to spread the word about human slavery.
At Wyndham hotels, Mary Falvey, executive vice president of human resources, says that the hotel chain is training all employees to recognize sex traffickers and their victims.
Some of the biggest voices in the anti-slavery movement have added their weight to the Freedom Project.
Trafficking expert Siddharth Kara explained the juju oaths which keep Nigerian women tied to their captors through fear as they are trafficked to rich European nations.
He also explained the steps anyone can take to combat human trafficking in their own community wherever they live.
Across the world attitudes are changing. With that comes change in law enforcement, too.
In some countries young women forced to sell sex are considered victims of trafficking rather than prostitutes.
In India, women rescued by Anuradha Koirala are given medical and mental help and work training. In California, pimps are arrested as traffickers if they sell underage girls for sex.
And in Barcelona, police showed CNN how they cracked two Chinese trafficking rings – one for the sex trade and one that used people in sweat shops making fake designer goods and another.
In cracking the sex ring 39 people were arrested and 30 women freed. In busting the sweat shop operation 150 people were arrested and 450 victims freed.
Isabel’s story of a childhood destroyed by domestic slavery sparked outrage in her native Taiwan.
In 2012 the Freedom Project will continue shining a light in the dark corners, pushing for change and highlighting the anti-slavery fight.
CNN reported on sex slaves and bonded workers, children and adults caught in despair, and the inspirational against-all-odds work of individuals and organizations fighting the trade.
Nearly 2,000 people have come out of slavery, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the hundreds of stories broadcast on air and published online.
From the richest cities to the poorest villages, corruption and crime was exposed, the hidden slaves were given a voice, and in some cases were freed to try to regain normal lives.
All too often the story was wearily familiar - the most vulnerable in a society preyed on by the most wicked. But the anti-traffickers provided hope where it appeared lost. And Freedom Project gave everyone a chance to help, to join in.
There are no precise figures in the extent of modern-day slavery but the International Labor Organization and respected abolitionists like Kevin Bales and Siddharth Kara put the global number of slaves at between 10-30 million worldwide.
The United Nations estimates the total market value of human trafficking at 32 billion U.S. dollars.
In March, India's Labor Secretary Prabhat C. Chaturvedi admitted the country had an extensive bonded labor problem after watching a CNN expose on brick workers in Utter Pradesh. They were tricked into working - tempted by the prospect of more money with a 1,000 rupee ($22) ‘advance’ - and then forced to pay off a debt.
Chaturvedi denied it was slave labor but just three months later Indian authorities helped free more than 500 people who had been physically abused at another brick factory.
In Egypt’s lawless desert region migrants, from places like Somalia heading to what they believe will be a better life in Israel, are held captive by the Bedouins they hire to guide then across the Sinai. The price of freedom is often more than their families can afford and there was some evidence of captives being killed for their organs.
Just days after ‘Death in the Desert’ aired on TV and online, more than 500 people were freed.
CNN’s Dan Rivers exposed the link between shops in the first world and the slavery in the developing world.
Travelling to Cambodia, he was encouraged to track down Chanary, the trafficked daughter of a woman who had escaped her traffickers - a task that would see an angry face-off with the agency owner that attracts young workers with promises of good pay and then keeps them bonded.
A-list entertainment stars also joined the fight with Demi Moore traveling to Nepal where she met 2010 CNN Hero of the Year Anuradha Koirala and some of the thousands of women and girls Koirala’s organization has rescued from forced prostitution.
One of India’s biggest stars, Anil Kapoor, explored the despair in some Indian villages where girls are sent into prostitution by their families.
Rapper and Hollywood actor Common visited Haiti where an estimated 300,000 children are working as domestic servants.
And acclaimed director Robert Bilheimer said he believes the world could be reaching an anti-slavery tipping point after spending four years on five continents filming his ‘Not My Life’ documentary.
After the documentary CNN’s Sara Sidner followed up by reporting on a young woman in Cambodia who had been repeatedly beaten and raped. Shortly after the story aired, Cambodian authorities said they would be making arrests.
But it was not just stars who got involved. iReporters from around the globe joined in too.
In South Korea, an entire school in South Korea took a stand to end slavery.
Others made efforts to educate their own communities that slavery was not history but a modern horror that can be tackled.
And iReporters in 32 countries, from Nigeria to Sweden to Indonesia, made symbolic paper airplanes to spread the word about human slavery.
At Wyndham hotels, Mary Falvey, executive vice president of human resources, says that the hotel chain is training all employees to recognize sex traffickers and their victims.
Some of the biggest voices in the anti-slavery movement have added their weight to the Freedom Project.
Trafficking expert Siddharth Kara explained the juju oaths which keep Nigerian women tied to their captors through fear as they are trafficked to rich European nations.
He also explained the steps anyone can take to combat human trafficking in their own community wherever they live.
Across the world attitudes are changing. With that comes change in law enforcement, too.
In some countries young women forced to sell sex are considered victims of trafficking rather than prostitutes.
In India, women rescued by Anuradha Koirala are given medical and mental help and work training. In California, pimps are arrested as traffickers if they sell underage girls for sex.
And in Barcelona, police showed CNN how they cracked two Chinese trafficking rings – one for the sex trade and one that used people in sweat shops making fake designer goods and another.
In cracking the sex ring 39 people were arrested and 30 women freed. In busting the sweat shop operation 150 people were arrested and 450 victims freed.
Isabel’s story of a childhood destroyed by domestic slavery sparked outrage in her native Taiwan.
In 2012 the Freedom Project will continue shining a light in the dark corners, pushing for change and highlighting the anti-slavery fight.
369
News Khabran / Jazzy B talking about Yo Yo Honey Singh's International Villager
« on: December 24, 2011, 11:47:15 PM »372
News Khabran / Sikh delegation's meet postponed to Jan 3
« on: December 24, 2011, 11:07:13 AM »
AMRITSAR: While a delegation of Sikhs from Italy has come to Amritsar to clarify its stand on complaints of disrespect of Guru Granth Sahib, its meeting with the Sikh high priests has been postponed to January 3.
The delegation led by national Sikh Dharam Parchar Committee president Harwant Singh Daduwal had arrived from Italy to submit its clarification on the complaint lodged by SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh about the non-cooperation and misbehavior of the society in distribution of 450 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib in Italy.
"We are yet to decide is we should stay back or leave for Italy. Our leave is till December 27," said Harwant Singh on Friday. In April, SGPC shipped 450 birs on the request of gurdwaras in Italy. The birs were sent to Mumbai in a specially-fabricated vehicle, and to Italy by ship under the aegis of the panj pyaras (five beloved ones).
Upon return, Dalmegh Singh had filed a complaint with jathedar of the Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh against the committee, following which the jathedar had summoned Harwant Singh Daduwal to appear before the Sikh clergy.
Jathedar said that the delegation of Sikhs from Italy had met him but due to unavoidable circumstances, they postponed their meeting to January 3.
He said that he had told them that they need not to come in large numbers, instead send one or two persons to submit their clarification or hear the Sikh clergy's decision. Daduwal reiterated that the society had made all arrangements for distribution of the saroops, but the "SGPC's office bearers and employees roamed on the roads carrying the saroops with them". This "carelessness" had hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs in Italy. He said," While ardas was on, SGPC's delegation was busy gossiping."
The delegation led by national Sikh Dharam Parchar Committee president Harwant Singh Daduwal had arrived from Italy to submit its clarification on the complaint lodged by SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh about the non-cooperation and misbehavior of the society in distribution of 450 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib in Italy.
"We are yet to decide is we should stay back or leave for Italy. Our leave is till December 27," said Harwant Singh on Friday. In April, SGPC shipped 450 birs on the request of gurdwaras in Italy. The birs were sent to Mumbai in a specially-fabricated vehicle, and to Italy by ship under the aegis of the panj pyaras (five beloved ones).
Upon return, Dalmegh Singh had filed a complaint with jathedar of the Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh against the committee, following which the jathedar had summoned Harwant Singh Daduwal to appear before the Sikh clergy.
Jathedar said that the delegation of Sikhs from Italy had met him but due to unavoidable circumstances, they postponed their meeting to January 3.
He said that he had told them that they need not to come in large numbers, instead send one or two persons to submit their clarification or hear the Sikh clergy's decision. Daduwal reiterated that the society had made all arrangements for distribution of the saroops, but the "SGPC's office bearers and employees roamed on the roads carrying the saroops with them". This "carelessness" had hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs in Italy. He said," While ardas was on, SGPC's delegation was busy gossiping."
373
News Khabran / New Air Jordans still incite shopper violence 9 years after player's retirement
« on: December 24, 2011, 11:04:26 AM »
most nine years into the basketball legend's retirement, a new version of Michael Jordan athletic shoes can still send fans into a mad frenzy: Stores nationwide were the scenes of violence and police officer injuries Friday, authorities said.
In Richmond, California, police investigated a gunshot fired outside a mall where the latest version of shoes named after Jordan went on sale for about $180 a pair Friday morning, police told CNN affiliate KGO.
A 24-year-old Richmond man was taken into custody in connection with the gunfire, said police Lt. Lori Curran.
"It appears right now it may have been just a negligent discharge," Curran said.
Even as early as 1990, a new pair of Air Jordans was so coveted that youngsters became violent in stealing the shoes. Jordan and his Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships in the 1990s.
Thursday evening in Austin, Texas, three Foot Locker stores each drew 1,000 people for a midnight sale of the new Air Jordan Retro XI, replicas of a 1996 version of the shoe, and police shut down one mall when two police officers were injured, CNN affiliate KVUE reported. Police said each store had only 150 pairs of the shoes, the station reported.
One of the officers was taken to a hospital after he was rushed by the crowd and suffered bruises and a rolled ankle, KVUE said. Police are reviewing surveillance tapes to find the assailant, police said, according to the station.
"It's been crazy," one woman shopper named Andrea told KVUE, adding that officers threatened to use mace on crowds. "People have been trying to run over the officers to get in the building."
At a suburban Seattle mall Friday, police used pepper spray to bring order to an unruly crowd of 2,000 shoppers seeking the new shoe, said Mike Murphy of the Tukwila, Washington, Police Department.
The Seattle area store wasn't prepared to handle such a large crowd, Murphy said. CNN affiliate KIRO reported that crowds lined up Thursday night for the sale, which started at 4 a.m. Friday.
In Lithonia, Georgia, police took four people into custody after a mall's doors were damaged, CNN affiliate WSB reported. Also, police questioned a mother who witnesses said left her kids, ages 2 and 5, in a car as she went into the mall to buy the shoes, WSB reported.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, police were called to three malls after crowds became rowdy, CNN affiliate WCNC reported. At one mall, customers pried open a door at 6 a.m. Friday, and one person was arrested for resisting an officer, the station reported.
In Taylor, Michigan, a Detroit man was charged with attempting to incite a riot after 300 people became unruly waiting for the mall to open Friday morning, police Cmdr. Mary Sclabassi told CNN.
In Louisville, Kentucky, public safety dispatchers said they received a report of 75 to 100 people in a fight over the shoes at a mall, CNN affiliate WDRB reported.
In Indianapolis, Indiana, police dispatchers said officers at the mall were "having problems" after the shoes apparently sold out, and additional officer were sent to help manage the crowd of about 300 people, CNN affiliate WISH said. The crowd ripped doors off their hinges, police said, according to WISH.
On Friday afternoon, eBay was featuring new pairs of the Air Jordan Retro XI selling between $219.99 and $510.
In Richmond, California, police investigated a gunshot fired outside a mall where the latest version of shoes named after Jordan went on sale for about $180 a pair Friday morning, police told CNN affiliate KGO.
A 24-year-old Richmond man was taken into custody in connection with the gunfire, said police Lt. Lori Curran.
"It appears right now it may have been just a negligent discharge," Curran said.
Even as early as 1990, a new pair of Air Jordans was so coveted that youngsters became violent in stealing the shoes. Jordan and his Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships in the 1990s.
Thursday evening in Austin, Texas, three Foot Locker stores each drew 1,000 people for a midnight sale of the new Air Jordan Retro XI, replicas of a 1996 version of the shoe, and police shut down one mall when two police officers were injured, CNN affiliate KVUE reported. Police said each store had only 150 pairs of the shoes, the station reported.
One of the officers was taken to a hospital after he was rushed by the crowd and suffered bruises and a rolled ankle, KVUE said. Police are reviewing surveillance tapes to find the assailant, police said, according to the station.
"It's been crazy," one woman shopper named Andrea told KVUE, adding that officers threatened to use mace on crowds. "People have been trying to run over the officers to get in the building."
At a suburban Seattle mall Friday, police used pepper spray to bring order to an unruly crowd of 2,000 shoppers seeking the new shoe, said Mike Murphy of the Tukwila, Washington, Police Department.
The Seattle area store wasn't prepared to handle such a large crowd, Murphy said. CNN affiliate KIRO reported that crowds lined up Thursday night for the sale, which started at 4 a.m. Friday.
In Lithonia, Georgia, police took four people into custody after a mall's doors were damaged, CNN affiliate WSB reported. Also, police questioned a mother who witnesses said left her kids, ages 2 and 5, in a car as she went into the mall to buy the shoes, WSB reported.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, police were called to three malls after crowds became rowdy, CNN affiliate WCNC reported. At one mall, customers pried open a door at 6 a.m. Friday, and one person was arrested for resisting an officer, the station reported.
In Taylor, Michigan, a Detroit man was charged with attempting to incite a riot after 300 people became unruly waiting for the mall to open Friday morning, police Cmdr. Mary Sclabassi told CNN.
In Louisville, Kentucky, public safety dispatchers said they received a report of 75 to 100 people in a fight over the shoes at a mall, CNN affiliate WDRB reported.
In Indianapolis, Indiana, police dispatchers said officers at the mall were "having problems" after the shoes apparently sold out, and additional officer were sent to help manage the crowd of about 300 people, CNN affiliate WISH said. The crowd ripped doors off their hinges, police said, according to WISH.
On Friday afternoon, eBay was featuring new pairs of the Air Jordan Retro XI selling between $219.99 and $510.
374
Shayari / sikh shayari
« on: December 24, 2011, 10:53:08 AM »
Many Sikhs today began to mount pressure on the Uttaranchal government to reconstruct a 450-year-old Gurdwara Gyan Godhri which was demolished during 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
"The administration is offering land at an alternative site but the Sikhs will never agree to this."
"We want to worship at the same place where Guru Nanak gave his holy message against meaningless rituals. We have revenue rec...
"The administration is offering land at an alternative site but the Sikhs will never agree to this."
"We want to worship at the same place where Guru Nanak gave his holy message against meaningless rituals. We have revenue rec...
375
Shayari / pyaar ch "haan"
« on: December 24, 2011, 10:51:47 AM »
pyaar ch "haan"...... "haan" nai hundi.... "naa" ... "naa" nai hundi....
pyaar ch bas bewafaai hundi e.....
pyaar ch bas bewafaai hundi e.....
376
Shayari / tenu ki dasaa main ki dasaa
« on: December 24, 2011, 10:51:05 AM »
tenu ki dasaa main ki dasaa... kismat d ghuman-keri ni.....
jihnu rabb ginnya main pal pal, jihde naa d maala feri ni,
saanu ki pta c lag daultaa de piche, banegi khuda d khudaaai sohniye...
mannya k lode da husan tere kol,, par ode nalo jyaada bewafaai sohniyee...
jihnu rabb ginnya main pal pal, jihde naa d maala feri ni,
saanu ki pta c lag daultaa de piche, banegi khuda d khudaaai sohniye...
mannya k lode da husan tere kol,, par ode nalo jyaada bewafaai sohniyee...
377
Shayari / yaara teri yaad, haye teri yaad
« on: December 24, 2011, 10:49:27 AM »roaye teri yaad, haye teri yaad
hassaye teri yaad, haye teri yaad
dil parchaye teri yaad, haye teri yaad
dil tarpaye teri yaad, haye teri yaad
sharaab pilaye teri yaad, haye teri yaad
nashe ch layawe teri yaad, haye teri yaad
Sunil nu pal pal mukave teri yaad, haye teri yaad....
۩▬▬●moneysingh●▬▬๑۩
378
News Khabran / 2012 End-of-the-World Countdown Based on Mayan Calendar Starts Today
« on: December 22, 2011, 07:16:29 PM »
We’re one year away from Dec. 21, 2012, the date that the ancient Mayan Long Count calendar allegedly marked as the end of an era that would reset the date to zero and signal the end of humanity.
But will it?
There have been many end of times predictions over the years. Christian radio host Harold Camping faced widespread ridicule when his predictions that the world would end twice this year – on May 21, and then on Oct. 21 – failed to materialize.
But in the flurry of doomsday predictions – there have been similar dire warnings about the world coming to an end from various cultures, including Native Americans, the Chinese, Egyptians and even the Irish — the supposed Mayan prophecy seems to have held the most sway with believers.
The Mayan civilization, which reached its height from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D., had a talent for astronomy. Advanced mathematics and primitive astronomy flourished, creating what many have called the most accurate calendar in the world.
The Mayans predicted a final event that included a solar shift, a Venus transit and violent earthquakes.
Their Long Count calendar begins in 3,114 B.C., marking time in roughly 394-year periods known as Baktuns. Thirteen was a significant, sacred number for the Mayas, and they wrote that the 13th Baktun ends on Dec. 21, 2012.
The doomsday theories stem from a stone tablet discovered in the 1960s at the archaeological site of Tortuguero in the Gulf of Mexico state of Tabasco that describes the return of a Mayan god at the end of a 13th period.
“The Maya are viewed by many westerners as exotic folks that were supposed to have had some special, secret knowledge,” said Mayan scholar Sven Gronemeyer. “What happens is that our expectations and fears get projected on the Maya calendar.”
Gronemeyer, of La Trobe University in Australia, compares the supposed Mayan prophecies to the “Y2K” hype, when people feared all computer systems would crash when the new millennium began on Jan. 1, 2000.
For some reason, Gronemeyer says, people have ignored evidence that dates beyond 2012 were recorded.
The blogosphere exploded with more speculation when Mexico’s archaeology institute acknowledged on Nov. 24 a second reference to Dec. 21, 2012, on a brick found at other ruins.
“Human beings seem to be attracted by apocalyptic ideas and always assume the worst,” Gronemeyer said.
Believers have taken the end-of-the world fears to the Internet with hundreds of thousands of websites and blogs. Yet others are capitalizing on the heightened interest. Films depicting the end of the world – including the 2009 movie, “2012″ – are contributing to the mounting hype as well as to misinformation, experts say.
In southern Mexico, the heart of Maya territory, a yearlong celebration is planned.
Mexico’s tourism agency expects to draw 52 million visitors by next year only to the regions of Chiapas, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Campeche. All of Mexico usually lures about 22 million foreigners in a year.
It’s selling the date, the Winter Solstice in the coming year, as a time of renewal. Many archeologists argue that the 2012 reference on a 1,300-year-old stone tablet only marks the end of a cycle in the Mayan calendar.
“The world will not end. It is an era,” said Yeanet Zaldo, a tourism spokeswoman for the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, home to Cancun. “For us, it is a message of hope.”
For those who are thinking about how to spend what could be their last year on earth, here’s another message of hope: According to recent research, the mythological date of the “end of days” may be off by 50 to 100 years.
To convert the ancient Mayan calendar to the Gregorian (or modern) calendar, scholars use a numerical value (called the GMT). But Gerardo Aldana, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has said the data supporting the widely-adopted conversion factor may be invalid.
Aldana isn’t the only detractor.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration – yes, that’s NASA – has also weighed in on the issue.
The agency’s scientists posted answers to the most popular questions about the end-of-times theory associated with the prophecy.
“Remember the Y2K scare? It came and went without much of a whimper because of adequate planning and analysis of the situation. Impressive movie special effects aside, Dec. 21, 2012, won’t be the end of the world as we know,” the 2009 web page post says.
The answers addressed questions about whether there were any known threats to the Earth and the truth about the calendar.
One of answers posted was to the question of the possible approach of Nibiru (or Planet X or Eris), a supposed wayward planet that is said could pose a threat to Earth. The answer was a definitive rejection of the idea.
“Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax,” scientists wrote. “There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.”
But will it?
There have been many end of times predictions over the years. Christian radio host Harold Camping faced widespread ridicule when his predictions that the world would end twice this year – on May 21, and then on Oct. 21 – failed to materialize.
But in the flurry of doomsday predictions – there have been similar dire warnings about the world coming to an end from various cultures, including Native Americans, the Chinese, Egyptians and even the Irish — the supposed Mayan prophecy seems to have held the most sway with believers.
The Mayan civilization, which reached its height from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D., had a talent for astronomy. Advanced mathematics and primitive astronomy flourished, creating what many have called the most accurate calendar in the world.
The Mayans predicted a final event that included a solar shift, a Venus transit and violent earthquakes.
Their Long Count calendar begins in 3,114 B.C., marking time in roughly 394-year periods known as Baktuns. Thirteen was a significant, sacred number for the Mayas, and they wrote that the 13th Baktun ends on Dec. 21, 2012.
The doomsday theories stem from a stone tablet discovered in the 1960s at the archaeological site of Tortuguero in the Gulf of Mexico state of Tabasco that describes the return of a Mayan god at the end of a 13th period.
“The Maya are viewed by many westerners as exotic folks that were supposed to have had some special, secret knowledge,” said Mayan scholar Sven Gronemeyer. “What happens is that our expectations and fears get projected on the Maya calendar.”
Gronemeyer, of La Trobe University in Australia, compares the supposed Mayan prophecies to the “Y2K” hype, when people feared all computer systems would crash when the new millennium began on Jan. 1, 2000.
For some reason, Gronemeyer says, people have ignored evidence that dates beyond 2012 were recorded.
The blogosphere exploded with more speculation when Mexico’s archaeology institute acknowledged on Nov. 24 a second reference to Dec. 21, 2012, on a brick found at other ruins.
“Human beings seem to be attracted by apocalyptic ideas and always assume the worst,” Gronemeyer said.
Believers have taken the end-of-the world fears to the Internet with hundreds of thousands of websites and blogs. Yet others are capitalizing on the heightened interest. Films depicting the end of the world – including the 2009 movie, “2012″ – are contributing to the mounting hype as well as to misinformation, experts say.
In southern Mexico, the heart of Maya territory, a yearlong celebration is planned.
Mexico’s tourism agency expects to draw 52 million visitors by next year only to the regions of Chiapas, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Campeche. All of Mexico usually lures about 22 million foreigners in a year.
It’s selling the date, the Winter Solstice in the coming year, as a time of renewal. Many archeologists argue that the 2012 reference on a 1,300-year-old stone tablet only marks the end of a cycle in the Mayan calendar.
“The world will not end. It is an era,” said Yeanet Zaldo, a tourism spokeswoman for the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, home to Cancun. “For us, it is a message of hope.”
For those who are thinking about how to spend what could be their last year on earth, here’s another message of hope: According to recent research, the mythological date of the “end of days” may be off by 50 to 100 years.
To convert the ancient Mayan calendar to the Gregorian (or modern) calendar, scholars use a numerical value (called the GMT). But Gerardo Aldana, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has said the data supporting the widely-adopted conversion factor may be invalid.
Aldana isn’t the only detractor.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration – yes, that’s NASA – has also weighed in on the issue.
The agency’s scientists posted answers to the most popular questions about the end-of-times theory associated with the prophecy.
“Remember the Y2K scare? It came and went without much of a whimper because of adequate planning and analysis of the situation. Impressive movie special effects aside, Dec. 21, 2012, won’t be the end of the world as we know,” the 2009 web page post says.
The answers addressed questions about whether there were any known threats to the Earth and the truth about the calendar.
One of answers posted was to the question of the possible approach of Nibiru (or Planet X or Eris), a supposed wayward planet that is said could pose a threat to Earth. The answer was a definitive rejection of the idea.
“Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax,” scientists wrote. “There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.”