1- Did they have any tools to build the site?
2- What kind and how many structures are present on this site?
3- When did the Spanish conquest the Inca empire?
4- How long the Inca empire ruled?
5- When does the Machu Pichu had been discovered?
6- Why and how the terrace's system had been built?
7- What was the king's name who built this site?
8-What has been the suggestions about the site was for?
9- What the bones studies has been revealed about the Inca alimentation?
10-What kind of message or symbol represented the Machu Pichu in the Inca Cicilization?
11- Why did the Spanish never devastated and why it has been ever mentionned in the Spanish books?
12- When did Pacharari died? And what happen to his dead body?
13- What is the mummy proceed ? And with what kind of food they used and use the same technic?
14- What happened to the Machu Picchu when the Royal family died?
15- What could explain the reasons that Machu Pichu has never been destroyed or found by the Spanish?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
MYANMAR / BURMA
Myanmar is the name chose in 1989 by the military junta to cut with the colonial past. Burma was given by the British. Myanmar country's name was also used in the XIII's century and meant "the first world resident". Myanmar is under a dictature regim since 1992. Myanmar became free from the British in 1948, but they still drive on the right lane!
The capital was in Rangoon and has been moved in Pyinmana in 2005, an isolated region.
The offical money's is the Kyat but you can also use dollars.
Just to give you an idea, a public service job salary per month is 50$.
Every travellers in Myanmar will be amazed by the magic of this country and also by the hospitality. So it's hard to imagine that this country is under a dictature regim.
They are so many things to discover between history and architecture. Bagan temples, Inle lake, the Paya Shwedagon and the beach in the south.
Geography
Myanmar is 2000km /1242 miles, from the south Tenasserim peninsula to the Himalaya where you can find the Hkakobo Razi mountain. Myanmar shares borders with India, China, Laos, Bangladesh and Thailand.
The main river's name is the Irrawaddy. 1683 miles or 2710 km, it starts in the Himalayan mountains in India and cross the country north to south.
Climate
The best seasob is between October and March. April to June is very hot, specially in the center as Bagan or Mandalay. The south is more humid and exposed to monsoon, the center is more warm and dry.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan offically named Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is part of central Asia.
The capital is Kabul, and the languages are Pachto and Dari.
Afghanistan neighbors are Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzhekistan and China.This country is an Asia main's crossroad, who saw a lot of people passing his territory. In the past, antique period, Afghanistan was an important spot for the silk road, and also a obligatory passage for some famous conquerors who wanted to control India, as the terrible Gengis Khan, the amazing Alexander the great and the emperor Babur.
History
This country was persecuted by the Soviet troops invasions in 1979. The Afghan will resist badly and bravely. It's a clan and a tribal country wich means that they are very proud warriors traditionnaly and culturaly. They got rid off the soviet occupation in 1989.
In 1996, a very radical ultra religious governement named the Taliban took the control of Afghanistan country and governement.
They were kicked out in 2001 by a Internationnal coalition.
In 2004, the country became an "Islamic Republic" with a new president named Hamid Karzaï.
Of course we can't talk about this without mentionning Colonel Massoud who led the troops and the movement with all his love for his country. I respect a lot this man, he was devoted to his country and it was such a pleasure to listen him talking about
Afghanistan in some interviews. France was one of the rare countries who let him comes on their territory and let him talk on TV.
Eden garden before a land of war
Agriculture
Before the Soviet invasion, Afghanistan was an agricultural country, and famous for his fruits (watermelons, cherries, apricots, 30 kinds of grapes...) production with his good climate. Sunny in the south and humid in the north. The city of Kandahar is famous for his figs and Kabul for his blackberry. They export almost all their production in the neighbouring countries or India.
A big part of their lands are used to produce opium poppy instead of producing cereals, fruits or vegetables. Consenquently, food is rare in the market which is a paradox because they have at least to import cereals, fruits and vegetables to answers the Afghan market's demand. Then, the food is very expensive for the Afghans.
It used to be for a long time a wine producer before the Islamic regim. Before 1992 they were also a Vodka producer.
Stones and not stoning
Since Antiquity period, Afghanistan represents the principal world resource of the Lapis lazuli's stone. This stone was also used as blue pigment for the Renaissance painting period in Europe. They also got Emerald, ruby and saphire. The country give his name to a stone, the Afghanit. An emerald and lapis lazuli stones business helped the colonel Massoud to pay for the expensive war that he lead against the Taliban to buy weapons.
One of the biggest rug producers of the world
In 2005, the rug exportation reached 140 million $, which makes officially the exporattion product the most important for the country.
Opium, what's the deal?They gave a term for that, called the Narco-economy. Since the Soviet troops pullback of the country, the opium production became an important financial gain for the Afghans. 1/3 of the economy is represented by the opium traffic or Hashish. Due to the fact that it's part of the economy, it's a big conflict with the international scene.
The stoning of Soraya M.
I think this movie is a very good approach about this cultural and death penalty fact that still occures in some Islamic countries nowadays.
It's hard for occidental to admit, consider or understand. I am sure that some of our traditions or our way of living can shock those countries as much as we are shocked with those punishments or way to threat human beings or woman.
What I respect and can say about this movie or in general, is that I'm glad there is, there were and there will have some brave people who will talk about, write or make movie about all kind of persecutions and humans rights. I respect the aunt, Soraya behavior, faith and attitude and the journalist who dares everyone in the village.
I respect also the producer of the movie for his message and vision. Because when you critisize Islam you can be threat to death and have on your head what this Islam tribunals called the FATWA. This happened to many intellectuals, like as an example Salman Rushie.
Corruption is also part of the problem I guess in this movie and not only Islam punishment.
For my opinion three pictures are very important and hard in this movie. First, when her dad stoned her, second their sons and third the way Soraya stared and looked at everyone with this feeling of injustice of being a woman and not a human being in this society. Two pictures give me hope and are very pretty, are when the aunt stand in the middle of the road at the end, opening and rising her chaddor to stop the guards. It's a symbol and a revolt, plus she uncovered herself and yell what she thinks. The other nice picture is the landscape at the end about the beauty of this country, and this sensation of freedom that you can feel instead of what happened there. Yes, the world will and yes the world know, but as a famous French writer said in France, "My freedom stop when others freedom start".
Thursday, May 6, 2010
DIFFERENT ISLAMIC SECTS
INTRODUCTION :
The prophet succession gave birth to many sects movements. In spite of their disagreements and due to the fact of the civil rights, those differents movements recognize themselves unanimously as the only one and big Muslim community. Despite of their mutual exclusions and blames, the Muslim unity live ans share the same cult and most important in the same pilgrimage Islam places as, Meka, Arafa Mont and Kaaba.
Sunni Islam
The Sunni represent the Muslim majority, which means they recognize Sunna, Prophet Mahomet institution and his loyal companions, the first Califs. The Sunni are also call the Orthodoxe Muslim.
4 schools shared this religious dogma :
- The Hanifite which means "One that is inclined" (“liberal”, they accepted by the Ottoman Turks, Indian and central Asia, Azerbeidjan, Turkmenistan, Usbekistan, Kirgistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Bangladesh).
- The Chafiite, Countries in which Shafiite law is practiced; Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Irak, Kurds in Iran, nearly all of East Africa and in Indonesia.
- The Malikites, (traditionalist. They accepted only authenticatedtraditions. Countries in which Malikite law is practiced: Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain,Sudan, Upper Egypt, Lybia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and nearly all of western Africa and Spain.)
- The Hanbalite, the most fundamentalist and fanatical of the four. Hanbalites want religious Islamic
governments, not secular Arabic states. Countries in which Hanbalite law is practiced: Saudi
Arabia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The different opinions and thoughts lead a lot of fights between those schools but never ended with excommunication. Excommunication's act allowed death penalty on punished people.
The Sunni prophecy is : One God, one faith, one community. Some sunnit theorist try to promote tolerance with non Islamist, because they think that the way God will think and act. In the modern society, the sunnit appear as a powerfull harmonization and unity in the Muslim community due to the fact of his capacity to be tolerant with other religions.
Le kharijisme
The Prophet never designate any sucessor. Because of the sects or tribes diversity, this sect rise up and join the fith pillars of faith and took another road of faith far from the official and traditionnal Islam.
Kharijisme always wanted to subordinate politic with religion doctrine. This explain why this Muslim sect revolt oftenly against the politics authorities.
Le chiisme
Same as the kharijisme, this sect appeared after the Prophet's death. For them the sucessor should be Mahomet son in law, named Ali.
The Imam's training are very important because it's the secret knowledge's heritage from Mahomet given to Ali.
In addition of the 3 theologies belief affirmed by the Sunni Islam, Chiism add a fourth one, which is the Imamat, to achieve Mahomet's work and revelation. God is unique, Mahomet is the Prophet, God will establish his judgment at the end of the world and God chose the Imam same way as he chose the prophet, giving him the same rights, execept the Revelation's one. The Imam is inspired by God in all the decisions he needs to take. The Imams succeed to one to another one, and their numbers is undefined. It is on this number'sfact that the Chiites community argue and disagree. Because of that, this movement split in two groups : The Duodecimains Chiites who recognize the legitimacy of twelves Imans, and the Ismaeliens which recognize only seven.
Even if the Chiisme are strongly opposed to the Sunni, they recognize Sunna authority. Chiisme count plenty of tiny sects. They go from moderate sects to very extremist sects, on a religious or politic level aswell.
Conclusion
The unity and faith in one God is actually the main problem for all those sects. The dream is a come-back of all those men in the same community. Which happens one's in a year with the Mecca Pilgrimage.
The gathering of all those believers, is showing what will be the gathering of all the men during the last judgment in front of God, at the end of the humanity.
The prophet succession gave birth to many sects movements. In spite of their disagreements and due to the fact of the civil rights, those differents movements recognize themselves unanimously as the only one and big Muslim community. Despite of their mutual exclusions and blames, the Muslim unity live ans share the same cult and most important in the same pilgrimage Islam places as, Meka, Arafa Mont and Kaaba.
Sunni Islam
The Sunni represent the Muslim majority, which means they recognize Sunna, Prophet Mahomet institution and his loyal companions, the first Califs. The Sunni are also call the Orthodoxe Muslim.
4 schools shared this religious dogma :
- The Hanifite which means "One that is inclined" (“liberal”, they accepted by the Ottoman Turks, Indian and central Asia, Azerbeidjan, Turkmenistan, Usbekistan, Kirgistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Bangladesh).
- The Chafiite, Countries in which Shafiite law is practiced; Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Irak, Kurds in Iran, nearly all of East Africa and in Indonesia.
- The Malikites, (traditionalist. They accepted only authenticatedtraditions. Countries in which Malikite law is practiced: Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain,Sudan, Upper Egypt, Lybia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and nearly all of western Africa and Spain.)
- The Hanbalite, the most fundamentalist and fanatical of the four. Hanbalites want religious Islamic
governments, not secular Arabic states. Countries in which Hanbalite law is practiced: Saudi
Arabia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The different opinions and thoughts lead a lot of fights between those schools but never ended with excommunication. Excommunication's act allowed death penalty on punished people.
The Sunni prophecy is : One God, one faith, one community. Some sunnit theorist try to promote tolerance with non Islamist, because they think that the way God will think and act. In the modern society, the sunnit appear as a powerfull harmonization and unity in the Muslim community due to the fact of his capacity to be tolerant with other religions.
Le kharijisme
The Prophet never designate any sucessor. Because of the sects or tribes diversity, this sect rise up and join the fith pillars of faith and took another road of faith far from the official and traditionnal Islam.
Kharijisme always wanted to subordinate politic with religion doctrine. This explain why this Muslim sect revolt oftenly against the politics authorities.
Le chiisme
Same as the kharijisme, this sect appeared after the Prophet's death. For them the sucessor should be Mahomet son in law, named Ali.
The Imam's training are very important because it's the secret knowledge's heritage from Mahomet given to Ali.
In addition of the 3 theologies belief affirmed by the Sunni Islam, Chiism add a fourth one, which is the Imamat, to achieve Mahomet's work and revelation. God is unique, Mahomet is the Prophet, God will establish his judgment at the end of the world and God chose the Imam same way as he chose the prophet, giving him the same rights, execept the Revelation's one. The Imam is inspired by God in all the decisions he needs to take. The Imams succeed to one to another one, and their numbers is undefined. It is on this number'sfact that the Chiites community argue and disagree. Because of that, this movement split in two groups : The Duodecimains Chiites who recognize the legitimacy of twelves Imans, and the Ismaeliens which recognize only seven.
Even if the Chiisme are strongly opposed to the Sunni, they recognize Sunna authority. Chiisme count plenty of tiny sects. They go from moderate sects to very extremist sects, on a religious or politic level aswell.
Conclusion
The unity and faith in one God is actually the main problem for all those sects. The dream is a come-back of all those men in the same community. Which happens one's in a year with the Mecca Pilgrimage.
The gathering of all those believers, is showing what will be the gathering of all the men during the last judgment in front of God, at the end of the humanity.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
PALESTINE - Promised Land?
ID:Capital : Administrative centers : Ramallah (West Bank), Gaza (Gaza Strip); Jerusalem is the proclaimed capital of Palestine
Governement : Semi - presidential / Parliamentary democracy
President : Disputed between Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah Leader) and Aziz Duwaik
Established : 1994, May 4th
Population : 4,136,540
Try to make a long story short!
Palestine is a territory that includes Israel's territory. After 1921, after a British mandate, Palestine's territory was located between the Jourdan river and the Mediterranean sea. This territory includes part of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
Ten million people live between Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, about five million (49%) identify as Palestinian and one million of those are citizens of Israel.The name State Palestine given to this part of territory was proclaimed by Alger in 1988. This is still very controversial because of the Israely-Palestinian conflicts for the land and the creation of a real state. Four million are residents of the West Bank and Gaza which are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority.
Oslo accords signed in 1994 gave small territories to Palestine, as Cisjordania and Gaza, and recognized the Palestinian National Authority.
Gaza represented by the Hamas since 2006 (Extremist and radical Islamist group who fight for their land independance). It used to be represented by the Fatah.
94 countries recognize Palestine as a state and 11 countries do not recognize Palestine as a state but give it a diplomatic Status.
Conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians started long time ago, when Israelites lived in and around Palestine. Then the conflict became an extension of those religious battles.
Palestine Land of religions
Promised land for the Jewish, Saint Land for the Christians, Sacred land after Meca for the Islamic, Palestine, and Jerusalem are very important regarding religions. Land of the mains cults are in this area, like Jericho, Bethlem, Jerusalem, Carmel Mount, Tiberiad lake...
So what?
The U.N try to settle a side by side territory between Palestinian states and Jerusalem. In my opinion it was an utopia to think that evrything would be fine when thousands of Jewish arrived on the Arabic Territory after the Holocaust. Israel proclaimed their independence in 1948 and took three quarters of the Palestinian land, including part of Jerusalem.
The United Nations asked Israel to give back part of the land to the Palestinians Authority, but Israel never listened to it, and are still controlling this territory. Isreal wants to keep this part because this land and area are very good for growing fruits and vegetables. Also, they are very powerfull because of the help of the united states and all the lobbys!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
FIGOLLI'S MALTESE EASTER COOKIES
I choose this receipe because my gandmother baked this for us every year for easter. It's a almond biscuit with a lemon flavor. She used to make them with a doll pattern and an egg for face or the belly and my brother always got the fish pattern with egg for the body. This receipe is all my childhood and I didn't know it was from Malta andmy grandmother's country before I making research for this topic.
Easter Recipes: Figolli
Ingredients - Pastry
480 grams (or 1 lb and 0.93 oz) flour
120 grams (or 4.23 oz) sugar
300 grams (or 10.58 oz) margarine
2 eggs
Grated orange zest
Ingredients - Filling
200 grams (or 7.05 oz) ground almonds
150 grams (or 5.29 oz) sugar
Icing sugar
2 egg whites
Easter eggs
Water
Method
Start out with the pastry. Rub the flour and margarine to a sandy texture. Then mix the eggs, sugar and orange zest. Add these to the flour and make a dough. It is important to leave it to set for about an hour before using it.
Now for the filling. Put the sugar in a deep pan and cover it with water. Bring to the boil. Add the almonds and mix well. Leave the mixture to set.
Roll out the pastry. Use fancy shape cutters and cut the pastry into different shapes. You have to cut 2 pieces of each shape. Put the first piece of the pastry on a baking sheet, and spread some of the almond mixture in the centre. Wet the edges with water, and put the other piece of the pastry on top of it. Press the edges firmly to seal. You will now have the figolli ready for baking.
Bake them in a moderate oven for some 30 minutes. Allow the figolli to cool.
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