--Sooner Or Later--

--Zimbabwean dollar--

The Zimbabwean dollar ($, or Z$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies) was the official currency of Zimbabwe between 1980 and 12 April 2009. ~ Although the dollar was considered to be among the highest valued currency units when it was first introduced in 1980 to replace the Rhodesian dollar at a ratio of 1:1, political turmoil and hyperinflation rapidly eroded the value of the Zimbabwe dollar to eventually become one of the least valued currency units in the world, undergoing three redenominations, and banknote denominations being issued for as high as $100 trillion.
^~
Despite attempts to control inflation by legislation and three separate redenominations in 2006, 2008 and 2009, the use of the dollar as an official currency was effectively abandoned on 12 April 2009 as a result of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe legalising the use of foreign currencies for transactions in January 2009.
^~
Foreign currencies such as the South African Rand, Botswana Pula, Pound Sterling and the United States Dollar are now used instead for all transactions in Zimbabwe, and the current policy of the government of Zimbabwe has insisted that any attempts to reintroduce Zimbabwean currency should only be considered if the industrial output improves.
^~
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwean_dollar
~
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe
~
~http://www.cato.org/zimbabwe
~
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Zimbabwe.svg
~
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Zimbabwe.svg

--坤沙~昆沙~Khun Sa~張奇夫 (17 February 1933 – 26 October 2007) The Lord of the Golden Triangle--

坤沙（昆沙，Khun Sa，泰文：ขุนส่า，1933年2月17日－2007年10月26日），中文姓名張奇夫，著名毒梟，亦是緬甸軍閥，前蒙泰軍（MTA）總指揮，因海洛因而聞名世界，原名張啟福或張祈福；張奇夫是他少年時寄學於早咩市張鳳翔老師家時，張鳳翔為他改的。1989年金三角毒品貿易達到最高峰時，昆沙控制了整個金三角地區毒品貿易的80％。美國曾懸賞200萬美元捉拿這位曾經的世界第一毒梟。1996年1月5日，昆沙向緬甸政府軍投降，隨後前往仰光，開始了被軟禁的晚年生涯，2007年10月26日，在仰光寓所病逝。
~
Khun Sa (Burmese: ခွန်ဆာ, pronounced [kʰʊ̀ɴ sʰà]; also known as Chang Chi-fu traditional Chinese: 張奇夫; pinyin: Zhāng Qífú; Thai: นายจันทร์ จางตระกูล, Chan Jangtrakul; 17 February 1933 – 26 October 2007) was a Burmese warlord. He was also dubbed the "Opium King" due to his opium trading in the so-called Golden Triangle. He was also the leader of the Shan United Army and the Mong Tai Army.
~

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khun_Sa
~
~http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/昆沙

--中国-嫦娥二号卫星发射--

嫦娥二号卫星简称嫦娥二号，也称为二号星，嫦娥二号是嫦娥一号卫星的姐妹星，由长三丙火箭发射。但是嫦娥二号卫星上搭载的CCD照相机的分辨率将更高，其它探测设备也将有所改进，所探测到的有关月球的数据将更加翔实。嫦娥二号卫星有望在2010年国庆节期间发射。
~
~http://baike.baidu.com/view/1220064.htm

--Sep. 11th 2001 9years of pain....--

The September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights.

Nearly 3000 victims and the 19 hijackers died in the attacks. According to the New York State Health Department, 836 responders have died as of June 2009. Among the 2752 victims who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers from New York City and the Port Authority. 184 people were killed in the attacks on the Pentagon. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries. In addition, there was at least one secondary death – one person was ruled by a medical examiner to have died from lung disease due to exposure to dust from the World Trade Center's collapse.

The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror: it invaded Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had harbored al-Qaeda terrorists. The United States also enacted the USA PATRIOT Act. Many other countries also strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. Some American stock exchanges stayed closed for the rest of the week following the attack and posted enormous losses upon reopening, especially in the airline and insurance industries. The destruction of billions of dollars' worth of office space caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan.

The damage to the Pentagon was cleared and repaired within a year, and the Pentagon Memorial was built adjacent to the building. The rebuilding process has started on the World Trade Center site. In 2006, a new office tower was completed on the site of 7 World Trade Center. The new 1 World Trade Center is currently under construction at the site and, at 1,776 ft (541 m) upon completion in 2013, it will become one of the tallest buildings in North America. Three more towers were originally expected to be built between 2007 and 2012 on the site. Ground was broken for the Flight 93 National Memorial on November 8, 2009, and the first phase of construction is expected to be ready for the 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2011.

~

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
~
~http://airtravel.about.com/od/shoppinggiftgiving/tp/sep11movies.htm
~
~http://september11news.com/
~
~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFiEgwLQVJk

--Maximizing your mutual funds--

Buffett a wise investment

A $10,000 stake in Berkshire Hathaway in 1964 would have grown to $80 million during the Oracle of Omaha's tenure. Indexes and mutual funds are far behind.
~
~
~
~http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/MutualFunds_DC/MutualFundsDyn.aspx?cp-documentid=23607168&GT1=33016

--The World's 10 richest of the rich--

No. 1: Carlos Slim Helú / $53.5 billion / telecoms
Mexico's telecom tycoon, who pounced on privatization of the national telephone company in the 1990s, is world's richest person for first time after coming in third place last year. Net worth up $18.5 billion in a year. Recently received regulatory approval to merge his fixed-line assets into América Móvil (AMX), Latin America's biggest mobile-phone company. His construction conglomerate, Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo, builds roads and energy infrastructure.

~

Son of a Lebanese immigrant also owns stakes in financial group Inbursa (GPFOY), Bronco Drilling (BNRC), Independent News & Media, Saks (SKS) and The New York Times Co. (NYT). Newspaper company's stock popped in early March on talk Slim might buy a controlling stake; he denies the rumor. Donating $65 million to fund a research project in genomic medicine with American billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad.


No. 2: Bill Gates / $53 billion / Microsoft
Software visionary is now the world's second-richest man. Net worth still up $13 billion in a year as Microsoft (MSFT) shares rose 50% in 12 months; value of investment vehicle Cascade Investments also swelled.
~

More than 60% of fortune held outside Microsoft; investments include Four Seasons hotels, Grupo Televisa (TV) and AutoNation (AN). Stepped down from day-to-day duties at Microsoft in 2008 to focus on philanthropy. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation dedicated to fighting hunger, improving education in U.S. high schools and developing vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.

No. 3: Warren Buffett / $47 billion / investments

America's most prominent investor up $10 billion in past 12 months on surging Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) shares; says U.S. has survived "economic Pearl Harbor" but warns recovery will be slow. Shrewdly invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs (GS) and $3 billion in General Electric (GE) during 2008 market collapse. Recently acquired railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26 billion.

~

"We've put a lot of money to work during the chaos of the last two years," Buffett says. "When it's raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble."
~

Berkshire Hathaway book value was up 19.8%, to $21.8 billion, in 2009. Son of Nebraska stockbroker met value investor Benjamin Graham while studying economics at Columbia University. Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway in 1965; used company as a vehicle to invest in insurance (Geico), food (Dairy Queen), utilities (MidAmerican Energy) and, recently, green tech (electric-car maker BYD).

~

~http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Forbes/the-worlds-10-richest-of-the-rich.aspx

--Cambodia-Global X--

--Tiananmen Square protests of 1989--

也許我告別 將不再回來，你是否理解？你是否明白？

也許我倒下 將不再起來，你是否還要永久的期待？

如果是這樣 你不要悲哀 共和國的旗幟上有我們血染的風采。

如果是這樣 你不要悲哀 共和國的旗幟上有我們血染的風采。

~

也許我的眼睛 再不能張開，你是否理解我沉沒的情懷？

也許我長眠 再不能醒來，你是否相信我化作了山脈？

如果是這樣 你不要悲哀，共和國的土壤裏有我們付出的愛。

如果是這樣 你不要悲哀，共和國的土壤裏有我們付出的愛。

~

如果是這樣，你不要悲哀，共和國的旗幟上有我們血染的風采。

如果是這樣，你不要悲哀，共和國的旗幟上有我們血染的風采。血染的風采。

~

In English

Perhaps I should say farewell, never to come back. Do you understand? Do you understand that?

Perhaps I should fall, never to rise again. Do you have to wait forever?

If that is that, please do not grieve, the flag of the Republic has our bloodstained glory.

If that is that, please do not grieve, the flag of the Republic has our bloodstained glory.

~

Perhaps my eyes should never open again. Do you understand my sunken emotions?

Perhaps I will sleep forever, never to wake up. Do you believe that I have been transformed into mountains?

If that is that, please do not grieve, the soils of the Republic contains the love we have given.

If that is that, please do not grieve, the soils of the Republic contains the love we have given.

~

If that is that, please do not grieve, the flag of the Republic has our bloodstained glory. Bloodstained Glory.

~
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodstained_Glory"

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 culminating in the Tiananmen Square Massacre (referred to in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident, to avoid confusion with two other Tiananmen Square protests) were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China (PRC) beginning on April 14. Led mainly by students and intellectuals, the protests occurred in a year that saw the collapse of a number of communist governments around the world.

The protests were sparked by the death of pro-market and pro-democracy official, Hu Yaobang, whom protesters wanted to mourn. By the eve of Hu's funeral, it had reached 100,000 people on the Tiananmen square. While the protests lacked a unified cause or leadership, participants were generally against the government's authoritarianism and voiced calls for economic change and democratic reform[2] within the structure of the government. The demonstrations centered on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but large-scale protests also occurred in cities throughout China, including Shanghai, which stayed peaceful throughout the protests.

The movement lasted seven weeks from Hu's death on 15 April until tanks cleared Tiananmen Square on 4 June. In Beijing, the resulting military response to the protesters by the PRC government left many civilians dead or injured. The official death toll according to the Chinese government was 200 to 300, but Chinese student associations and the Chinese Red Cross reported 2,000 to 3,000 deaths.

Following the violence, the government conducted widespread arrests to suppress protesters and their supporters, cracked down on other protests around China, banned the foreign press from the country and strictly controlled coverage of the events in the PRC press. Members of the Party who had publicly sympathized with the protesters were purged, with several high-ranking members placed under house arrest, such as General Secretary Zhao Ziyang. The violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square protest caused widespread international condemnation of the PRC government.

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989

~http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/594997

~http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/4/newsid_2496000/2496277.stm

~http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodstained_Glory

--Detroit fights to keep GM--

~

~http://www.freep.com/article/20090530/NEWS06/905300419

~

~http://www.detnews.com/article/20090530/AUTO01/905300327/UAW-members-accept-GM-deal?imw=Y

--Chrysler Hopes For Friday OK to Sell Assets to Fiat--

U.S. automaker Chrysler hopes to end a third day of bankruptcy court hearings on Friday with approval to sell most of its operations to a group led by Italy's Fiat, although opponents are likely file immediate appeals.

~

Chrysler wants to sell most of its assets to a "New Chrysler" owned by Fiat, labor unions and the U.S. and Canadian governments, in exchange for $2 billion paid to its lenders.

~

Unwanted plants and businesses will remain in bankruptcy court to settle outstanding claims and liabilities.

~

~

~http://www.cnbc.com/id/30998029

~

~http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/05/29/20090529chrysler-ON.html

--Stadio Olimpico in Rome--27th May 2009--

GRAND FINALE 2008-2009

~

The UEFA Champions League 2008–09 is the 54th edition of Europe's premier club football tournament and the 17th edition under the current UEFA Champions League format.

~

The final will be played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27 May 2009. It is the eighth time the European Cup final has been held in Italy and the fourth time it has been held at the Stadio Olimpico. Manchester United are the defending champions.

~

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League_2008-2009

~

~http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/index.html

~

~

--North American Union....One World Government??--

--带我回家.....??--

--Maeklong. Thailand - The market on the railway tracks--

Maeklong - the market on the railway tracks

At the fishing village of Maeklong (Samut Songkram) the railway line runs through a thriving market. Watch as the vendors pull back their poles and awnings and remove their produce from the tracks as the train approaches. After the train has passed, the market will revert back - sprawled all over the railway tracks.

~

~http://www.kophuket.com/phuket/info/thailand.html#maeklong

~

~http://www.kophuket.com/phuket/info/travel.html

--Own Your Place in Cambodia--

American Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief for Cambodia (AAfC) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia.
~
Founded in 1993 by American journalist Bernie Krisher, AAfC operates interlinked programs across Cambodia in the areas of education, health, rural development, and technology.
~
~
Build a village school in Cambodia with your name on it!!!
~
AAfC's largest project, the Rural Schools Project, has helped build over 400 enriched primary and lower secondary schools in rural Cambodia since 1999. In this program, donors sponsor the construction of a school in a village that currently lacks one. Donors pay US$13,000 for a school, with matching funds provided by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, through partnership with Cambodia's Social Fund and Ministry of Education. After the school is constructed, donors are strongly encouraged to enrich the lives of students by funding improvments for their school. School improvements include English and computer teachers, computers powered through solar panels, Internet access through a satellite dish or GPRS system, a well or water filter, a school nurse, a vegetable garden, and a bookcase of books.
~
~
~http://www.cambodiaschools.com/

--United crowned champions 2008/2009--

Manchester United are Premier League champions for an 11th time after drawing 0-0 with Arsenal at Old Trafford. The title was sealed in uninspiring style - they did not have a single shot on target - though that will not concern Sir Alex Ferguson and his players.

~

~

~http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=244531&league=ENG.1&cc=4716

--DOPE.....--

--Sichuan earthquake anniversary--

Parents of victims told not to hold memorials
~
Parents of the children who died during last year's earthquake in Sichuan have been threatened with imprisonment if they hold memorials for their dead on May 12th, the one year anniversary of the disaster.
~
The government has released figures stating that 5,335 school children died when the 7.9
magnitude earthquake hit the south-western province. Most perished when their schools collapsed.
~
Anger over the number of children killed and the government's failure to hold an inquiry into the reason why almost 12,000 schools were destroyed or damaged has been rising ahead of the sensitive first anniversary of the earthquake, which left 70,000 dead and another 18,000 missing.
~
In an attempt to silence protests, some parents have been detained in so-called 'black jails', or unofficial prisons, for up to 21 days. Now, though, they have been threatened with longer jail terms if they attempt to commemorate their children.
~
"The police visited me earlier this week and said that if we stage a memorial, then we won't just be temporarily detained, but we might go to prison for a few years," said Luo Guoming.
~
Mr Luo had been planning to hold a memorial on May 12th for his 16-year-old daughter Luo Dan at the site of the Juyuan Middle School near Dujiangyan, along with some of the other parents of the estimated 300 children who died when the school collapsed last May. But the land where the school once stood is now surrounded by barbed wire and parents and journalists have been forbidden from approaching it'.
~
~
~http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/5294397/Sichuan-earthquake-anniversary-Parents-of-victims-told-not-to-hold-memorials.html

--A budget cure: Marijuana taxes?--

In this desperate economy, some argue that legalizing and taxing marijuana could plug multibillion-dollar holes in federal and state coffers.

~

~http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/StockInvestingTrading/a-budget-cure-marijuana-taxes.aspx?gt1=33002