Inaugural President

In order to win the presidency in America, candidates must stir up the religious fervor of the voters (gay marriage/civil union) and then vocally (and in some cases visually) wear your (new) Evangelical beliefs on your sleeve. It used to be candidate vs. candidate, then party vs. party, big business vs. the common (wo)man, platform vs. platform, then region vs. region, but now none of that matters as a new America has emerged, an America in which the majority with a religious manifest rules the minority with a secular agenda.

Throughout the centuries, most of the wars have been based on religion, something all people realize to be true. Iraq is divided into a power struggle of three religious factions; the same in the former Yugoslavia; the annihilation of the Jewish people in Germany; African genocide, and let’s not forget the last 800 years in England and Ireland, to name but a few. The same thing is beginning to happen in America. We are so split between our ideals and beliefs – and religion is winning! Separation of church and state is being debated more and more often. Soon, if you’re not like everyone else, religion’s minorities will be faced with fear and uncertainty as history has proved throughout time. Proselytization will become rampant, with people converting so as to be in the majority. Missionaries will be like door to door sales(wo)men spreading their word that they are the true defenders of ‘the American Way.’

The First Amendment of the Constitution is just words. However, the actions to support it without question are what make it alive with meaning. With the division we now have in America, will it still be supported? Or will it be changed little by little by a soon-to-be lopsided, right-wing Supreme Court. No one knows, but many are fearful of what may happen, especially after the last presidential election’s surprising, or not-so-surprising, main issue.

In the presidential election of 2004, 82% of the voters said that their main concern was moral (religious) beliefs. That was more than the economy, education, the environment, terrorism, energy, and the war in Iraq. It was the number one concern in America; the basis of most people’s decision on who gets their vote. Does that make any sense when our country is filled with so many more pressing ills right now? However, in reference to it, and give it its due process, one must ask: Whatever happened to ‘live and let live?’ Whatever happened to tolerance? Whatever happened to ‘love thy brother?’ What has happened to America, the land of the free to live our lives as free, consenting adults and pursue our forefathers’ foresighted decree of ‘separation of church and state?’

Ask yourself: Why do I have to swear on the Bible in court when the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed in a federal building? What will happen next? Only time, and the actions of our President, will tell.

I’m too young for World War II, too white and well off to join the native street life, and I’ve never stepped on the back of an Iditarod dog sled, either coming or going. Never lived in a native village in the bush of Alaska or walked ninety miles through the wilderness.

But I know about them.

When my novel required me to be able to present the difficulties, dangers, and human frustrations of the protagonist who did know these things I had to find out what he went through and how he felt and thought and acted in these circumstances.

Books, and doing a portion of each of these, got me through.

I’ve never hunted bear, but I have hunted for sixty years, so hunting the bear was just one step from where I had been. I have seen hundreds of bears while hunting in Alaska, black and brown, but never had the desire to shoot one. You won’t talk to many Alaska bear hunters before you hear about a grizzly that caught and killed a black bear and ate it right there. They also kill and eat smaller brown bears. The grizzly bear is at the top of the food chain until you introduce mankind with a .300 Winchester rifle.

Then, when my protagonist decided to walk ninety miles on a trail along the Chandalar River from Arctic Village to Venetie I fell back on two hikes I have made. One was around and around a municipal track for twenty-four hours for the Walk for Life where I walked fifty-one miles. Another was to hike Resurrection Pass Trail which is either thirty-eight or forty-two miles, depending on which sign you believe, on the longest day of the year-straight through-without camping-in twenty hours. The blisters, dehydration, exhaustion, sour taste of food and water, dullness, and the experience of night travel all come to play in those. Now I’ll admit, forty-two miles isn’t ninety, and one day isn’t four or five days, but you can extrapolate from that and get to the thoughts, feelings, and conditions of someone who did it.

The book shelves in my library/den contain about eighty books on WWII, including Time/Life photo books which depict the photographer’s detail of actions in dreary weather, snow cover, and the weariness of the soldiers. I read six books about the Battle of the Bulge, the Golden Lions Division, and the end of the war in Europe. I also contacted a researcher who sent me details of the POW camps on the Rhine River, and the kind of trees (poplars and willows) that would have been blooming on May 7th, 1945 at the end of the war in Europe.

About fifteen years before I wrote the book I was a passenger in a small plane that landed at Arctic Village. The Chandalar River, the village setting, and the remoteness stayed in my mind after we dropped off a young man who was to meet one of his school teachers and kayak down the river.

There is a giant file cabinet in a writer’s mind that holds things like the smell of the dust on the road into town, the hordes of mosquitoes, the easy laughter and humor of the resident natives, the one store and the squeak of the screen door spring. These mental scenes were added to, cut up, and reassembled into the village life of my protagonist.

Most of the questions from readers come from the native street life and the Iditarod. Did I participate in each of these? No. I didn’t and don’t want to either. But I did watch and follow their actions from my car and on foot.

I have been accosted many times on the street by natives, and others, under the influence of alcohol. Even followed an intrepid attorney down a dark stairway into the bowels of the Gospel Mission looking for a certain fellow, a scene that slammed itself onto my memory for all time. And over the course of my lifetime I have watched people whose lives have been influenced by alcohol. Have seen their constant struggle to get it, hide it, deny it, and then try to clean up and either win or lose.

Usually it’s AA that brings them back to society. They provide the common knowledge, the history of addiction, and the comradeship of help to get out. There are a few who simply turn their back on it or get in places where alcohol is not available or are lifted out by love of their fellow man and/or a woman. Such is my protagonist, Bill Williams, the son of an Irish immigrant and a native woman.

When I wrote about the dog sled training and racing and then the Iditarod, I pulled scenes and facts out of my head from thirty years of watching dog sled races in Alaska; read a dozen books about raising dogs, training dogs, running dogs, and various races that featured techniques learned that favored the winners.

Then, I had the wonderful experience of talking to the 1978 Iditarod Winner, Dick Mackey, who has written a book, ONE SECOND TO GLORY, that details his close win in that race. He helped me by phone through out the race segment and when I was finished, read the race portion for any errors I had made. If any remain, they are all my fault.

I also got to spend a number of hours with Norman Vaughan, who was in his mid-nineties by that time. He had previously mushed dogs in Antarctica for Admiral Byrd, in Greenland, on the Iditarod trail and in the Presidential Inaugural parade. He loved to talk about dog racing and volunteered to read my book but time caught up with him in the reading department and he never got around to it. He died this year having lived 100 years and five days.

There are a lot of ways to write about something you know nothing about, but I think you’ll find the above methods worked for me.

The mere existence of resources in a country is no guarantee they will contribute to output. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) may enable idle resources to be used. Oil production for instance, requires not only the presence of underground deposits but also the knowledge of how to find them and the capital equipment to bring the oil to the surface. Production is useless without markets and transportation facilities, which an international investor may be able to supply. Access to foreign markets, particularly the investor’s home market, may be particularly important to developing countries that lack the knowledge and resources necessary to sell there. Additionally, another less tangible aspect of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is greater resource utilization. Through exposure to new consumer products, the local labor force may develop new wants, which could encourage them to work longer and harder to acquire the additional goods and services.

MNEs’ upgrading of resources may be brought about through educating local personnel to utilize equipment, technology, and modern production methods. Even such seemingly minor programs as those promoting on-the-job safety may result in a reduction of lost worker time and machine downtime. The transference of work skills increases efficiency, thereby freeing time for other activities. Further, additional competition may force existing companies to become more efficient.

Some trade unions have claimed that there are examples of MNEs making investments, which domestic companies otherwise would have undertaken. The result may be the displacement of local entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial drive or the bidding up of prices without additional output. Such trade unions argue, for example, that by their ability to raise funds in various countries, MNEs can reduce their capital cost relative to that of local companies and apply the savings either to attract the best personnel or to entice customers from competitors through greater promotional efforts. However, evidence for these arguments is inconclusive. MNEs frequently do pay higher salaries and spend more on promotion than local companies do, but it is uncertain whether these differences result from external advantages or represent required added costs of attracting workers and customers when entering new markets. Added compensation and promotion costs may negate any external cuts advantages obtained from access to cheaper foreign capital. Additionally, in many instances, the local competition also has access to that cheaper capital.

Trade unions also contend that FDI destroys local entrepreneurial drive, which has an important effect on development. Since the expectation of success is necessary for the inauguration of entrepreneurial activity, the collapse of small cottage industries in the face of MNEs consolidation efforts may make the local population feel incapable of competing. However, the presence of MNEs sometimes may increase the number of local companies in host-countries markets since MNEs serve as a role model that local talent can emulate. Further, an MNE often buy many services, goods, and supplies locally and thus may stimulate local entrepreneurship. For example, automobile producers typically add less than half the value of an automobile at the factory, buying the remaining parts, subassemblies, and modules from suppliers. In fact, true entrepreneurs will find areas in which to compete; consequently, in any country there are success stories that can be emulated.

Another argument trade-unions use is that investors have access to high technology abroad that may use later in their home-countries. This access may prevent original developers from maintaining proprietary advantages. It may also prevent production from remaining in the country where the innovation is originated as the product moves through its life cycle. Taking advantage of the host-country’s progress may result for MNEs in developing competitive capabilities in their home-countries that are based in foreign scientific and technical investments.

Moreover, trade unions observe that MNEs absorb local capital, either by borrowing locally or by receiving investment incentives. This raises the local cost of funds and/or makes insufficient funds available to local companies. Subsidiaries have borrowed heavily in local markets and have exploited investment incentives. For example, more than 53 percent of the value of assets owned abroad by U.S. companies is financed by foreign debt. The link to the ability of local companies to finance expansion is unclear. For MNEs to have a noticeable effect on capital availability in a country, the amount of funds diverted to those investors would have to be larger in relation to the size of the capital market than is probably the case. Further, few MNEs acquire all resources locally; the additional resources brought in usually should yield a gain for the economy.

Host-countries at times have not only prohibited the entry of MNEs believed to inhibit local companies, but also restricted local borrowing by MNEs and provided incentives for them to locate in depressed areas in which resources are idle rather than scarce.

Concluding, of particular concern to many countries is the foreign purchase of local companies. The employment effects continue to be debated because of assumptions about what would have happened had the acquisition not taken place, particularly when it involves a company that is not doing well and is subsequently downsized. It is thus impossible to say for certain whether there was more or less employment because of the acquisition. For these reasons, the employment effects of FDIs have been evaluated as both negative and positive.

In his previous release Imperato stated, “”People of the United States, don’t be fooled by looks, because they only run skin deep. You need to look inside these presidential candidates and take their temperature. Look at their background. Look at what they’ve achieved, and analyze their ability to change course for the United States, and its people.”

Just 3 years ago, Democratic Candidate, Barack Hussein Obama, was a little known state senator from Illinois who, after losing a contested race for the US House of Representatives, faced a conveniently uncontested race for a seat in the United States Senate.

The Republican Frontrunner for the 2004 Illinois US Senate seat was Jack Ryan, who according to court documents filed in a 2000 divorce, took his wife to “sex clubs and asked her to engage in sexual activity in front of other patrons” (“Ex-Wife of GOP Senate Candidate Alleged Sex Club Forays”, CNN. June 22, 2004.)

In addition, while Barack Hussein Obama was a political unknown in 1995, he wrote an autobiography, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.

In the book, Obama acknowledges that he used cocaine as a high school student but rejected heroin. “Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it,” he said.

Although eager to point out his marijuana, alcohol and cocaine habit, Barack Hussein Obama was quick to reject an addiction to crack cocaine.

“I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years…Not smack, though – Mickey, my potential initiator, had been just a little too eager for me to go through with that.. Said he could do it blindfolded, but he was shaking like a faulty engine when he said it…”

“Junkie. Pothead. That’s where I’d been headed; the final fatal role of the would-be black man.”

The words “Junkie” and “Pothead” are hardly the descriptions of a would-be president.

During Imperato’s previous press release he asked the American people, “Would you put your children’s lives in the hands of these candidates?”

One of the most prominent American families has been the Clintons, who are now led by 2008 Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton has a history of ignoring facts. In 2003 autobiography, Living History, Hillary Clinton commented on the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

She stated, “For me, the Lewinsky imbroglio seemed like just another vicious scandal manufactured by political opponents” (“Hillary’s ‘outrage’ at Clinton Lies”, BBC News June 4, 2003.)

Hillary Clinton said that, before Bill Clinton’s bedside confession, she had believed he had merely been foolish in paying any attention to Monica Lewinsky or any of the other allegations.

Apparently she forgot about Jennifer Flowers and her sexual allegations against Bill Clinton.

Hillary Clinton appeared on 60 Minutes with Bill Clinton in 1992 where Bill Clinton stated, “I have acknowledged causing pain in my marriage”, a guilt-free confession to the American public.

Bill Clinton was later exposed by his own voice on an audiotape telling Jennifer Flowers to deny everything.

But neither Jennifer Flowers’ audiotapes nor Bill Clinton’s DNA on Monica Lewinsky’s dress were sufficient to apprise Hillary Clinton.

Then again there was Paula Jones, Katherine Willy, and the litany of other women who had come forward with Bill Clinton’s sexual infidelity.

According to Hillary Clinton, the only mistake that was made was a public relations mistake.

In her account she acknowledges only “public relations mistakes in how we handled the growing controversy.” (“Hillary’s ‘outrage’ at Clinton Lies”, BBC News June 4, 2003.)

There was no mention of lying to the American public, and obstructing our legal system..

Hillary Clinton did acknowledge that Bill Clinton’s lies to the American people although “morally wrong but not a betrayal of the public.” (Associated Press. “Hillary Clinton Book Acknowledges Lewinsky Affair”, June 04, 2003.)

Imperato also previously asked the American people to save their hard earned money for their children and not for the hands of politicians.

Imperato stated, “This country, and its election process, have become about good looks and large pocketbooks. I say ask yourself, who is your president, or who is your next president? I ask the American people to save their money, and to give me their vote.”

In today’s Melbourne Sun, it was reported that Senator Hillary Clinton failed to disclose a family charity she operates with former president Bill Clinton that has enabled the couple to write off more than $US5 million ($6.3 million) in taxable income since 2001.

The matter has been reported to the US Senate Ethics Committee.

Among the institutions receiving grants from the Clinton Family Foundation were Yale University, where both attended law school; groups named for dead heads of state in Israel and Jordan; and a charity connected to the Arkansas businessman who helped Hillary Clinton make $100,000 on a commodities trade that caused controversy a decade ago, Internal Revenue Service reports show.

Imperato concluded his previous release with the following comments, “Forget the looks. Vote for the best and forget the rest. In my opinion, the best is someone that knows fact and solutions, someone that acts quickly and gains respect from the entire global community. America needs someone to prove to the people on a chart, like Ross Perot did, why the American people should vote for their next president. In my opinion, I should be looked at very seriously because I am the one to draw lines in sand, based on facts and solution.”

For Interviews and Media Inquiries Contact:

Press Department

Imperato For President 2008

press@imperato2008.com

www.imperato2008.com

561-833-4420

"Once again I call on the American people to recognize the request that I have been making for over one year. I have asked for our administration to cease fire in Iraq, pull back the troops to our bases, and to renegotiate with Nouri al-Maliki on behalf of our taxpayers, and our American soldiers."

Imperato supports an Iraqi oil discount program in order to offset the cost of Iraq’s liberation and reconstruction that has been incurred by the United States.

On Monday Night, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador in Baghdad, announced that the Iraqi Cabinet had approved a national oil revenue sharing plan that would involve the Sunnis, the Shiia, and the Kurds.

"Today I call on what I believe is a two sided coin. Zalmay Khalilzad has welcomed a deal that Iraq has approved, in draft, concerning oil legislation. This is great. The Iraqis approve a draft oil legislation that needs to be approved by the Iraqi Parliament identifying the split up of oil revenues in three groups, basically protecting the Sunnis, the Shiia, and the Kurds."

It was unclear what concessions led to the compromise, and the precise terms of the deal were not immediately available. The United States has been exerting considerable pressure on Iraqi leadership for months to reach the accord, and one Sunni politician said Monday night that the deal had been brokered by Khalilzad himself.

The deal also opened the door for what the Los Angeles Times called, "a bonanza for foreign oil companies", through international investment provisions in the Iraqi oil industry.

However, there was one group that Imperato felt was left out of the new Iraqi oil deal.

"Guess What. They forgot America. I stand up today to request our administration to demand an inclusion of the draft oil legislation agreement. Iraq must include the missing link, the fourth party to its oil deal, the United States of America and its taxpayers. The taxpayers must be paid back the $400+ billion it has invested in the Iraqi government.
This must be done before the parliament can even consider bringing this piece of legislation to the table. The American people need to yell loud and clear, and the administration needs to listen."

In Washington, White House spokesman Tony Snow called a new oil law the "key linchpin" in Iraq’s recovery because it gives "everybody a shared economic interest in working together."

There was no comment from Snow as to why the United States taxpayers were not involved in the deal.

"It is the perfect time for our President to negotiate a payback structure for the United States while the parliament of Iraq is considering approving this legislation. I cannot believe that our administration and the people of the United States are allowing our administration to lead us down a rosy path of darkness with no repayment plan in sight. This is unacceptable."

Imperato concluded his remarks with the following, "That’s why I should by your next president. I will protect the people of the United States first. I will draw the line in the sand with leaders of countries who have enjoyed the help from America and to date have not returned the favor. It’s time the American people are paid back for their help. It’s time that the American leadership negotiates in good faith with the world on behalf of the people of the United States of America."

On a chilly overcast Saturday morning on November 18, 2006, in our Nations capital, a potentially historic gathering of a few, committed, thoughtful progressive Christians gathered in the Washington Plaza Hotel.

Successful social justice movements have always been grounded in the universal ethical spiritual truths that are shared by all the worlds’ great religions.

It was progressive Christians who sought to abolish slavery and then bring into reality the founding father’s ideal of equality of all men and women during the turbulent ’60′s. We too live in a time where all things are possible, and Christians on the left who are fed up with the neo-con’s hijacking of Jesus have birthed a think tank to counter the Rove Machine.

The Institute of Progressive Christianity may well prove to be the catalyst for the highest ideals of civic discourse and the pursuit of a humane and compassionate public policy.

After the events of that day we call 9/11, the ethics, philosophy and morals of President Bush’s favorite philosopher were neglected when this Administration chose to use fear to control and manipulate public opinion: when this Administration chose unilateral action and revenge instead of looking within at the reasons why a few angry men targeted and murdered innocent people.

Since the Regan years, the Christian fundamentalist voice has been the only voice in the arenas of media, culture and politics. But the times they have a’ changed for at this most critical moment in America when the walls of separation between Church and State have crumbled, thoughtful committed Christians on the left have united to rebuild and repair that breach and offer up a more balanced approach to faith as it relates to social and political concerns.

The Institute of Progressive Christianity already is a primary linking portal on the web for uniting diverse and politically minded progressive Christian groups that have been operating unaware of one another.

“The fierce urgency of now” [Rev. MLK, Jr.] has knitted together a diverse group of Christians from many denominations and without any church affiliations in the struggle to resurrect the message, philosophy and ethics of Jesus of Nazareth who modeled forgiveness, love and nonviolence even while being nailed to a cross.

Both Christ and the Founding Father’s of America were all about liberation, tolerance, diversity and reason, not about empire building, torture or invading other countries!

The morphing of Church and State by this Administration has fostered a Christianity that Jesus would not recognize. For the first three decades after Christ walked the earth, those that loved and followed him were not called Christians, but followers of The Way.

The Way being doing what Christ taught which was one must love and forgive one’s enemies and to wake up and see that the Divine spark is already within, to care for the poor and support the oppressed. There is nothing Christian about capitalism, war or torture.

In our Nation’s capital the inaugural team for the project to reclaim the gospel message of compassion, justice and peace was attended by less than one hundred visionaries, scholars, published authors, social justice activists and a 2008 Presidential candidate. Mike Gravel, Senator from Alaska 1969-1981 seeks to empower we the people of America to become the lawmakers and wrest control from corporations who write legislation in 21st century America.

Key note speaker Naomi Wolf, feminist author, Co-founder of the Woodhull Institute and Rhodes Scholar addressed our group. “I am here as a Jew and a friend and supporter of what you are doing. You are at a formative moment and as a social critic I see the time for a mass political left movement such as this could confronts theocracy and you have a tremendous potential to take back the country.

“As a Jew, much of what I have been hearing encourages but also worries me. You must move forward without creating the same mistakes of the religious right! Fewer than a hundred people are here, but I see this could be the groundswell for the alliance of a multi-faith social justice movement.

“You are at the Crossroads! Remember checks and balances? Remember when we had three distinct branches of government?

“As a Jew, I warn you and offer a manifesto to confront the religious right. You must separate religion from politics! The idea of an enlightened religious left is essential for the national debate and the multiplicity of voices is good for democracy. The heavily funded hegemony seeking right wing causes my tribe to recollect and worry us. We Jews share a collective memory of the Crusades and Christian theocracies that were violent towards us. There is no way a Jew can see the religious right and not think of the Crusaders! Yes, violence has been chosen as the way in all religions, but nothing is more disastrous than one who has political power to torture!

“What the Founding Father’s intended was a plurality of religions, freedom for all to express their faiths, to preach privately but enact one’s ethics publicly. Ethical practice and not claiming we must do this or that, because it is what Jesus said is what is required. We need activists and energy from all faiths to be involved in the political realm. Whenever anyone say’s God said XYZ, one must ask whose God they are referring to.

“All faith traditions share Universal ethics but demagogues use fear and demonize the other. Ethical leaders lift people up; they speak to the ‘us’ and not about ‘them.’ Ethical leaders all agree on seven principals, the seven pillars of authentic faith which are: kindness, justice, truth telling, peacemaking, generosity, the equality of all people in God’s eyes for we all carry the divine spark, and that what ever we put out comes back around.
“We go astray because this core message is so simple and universal it is difficult to put into practice.

“It is easier to perform rituals than to allow our hearts to be changed and to serve God…It is more comfortable complaining than offering a solution. It is easier to criticize than doing the dirty work of creation.”

A few, thoughtful, committed progressive Christians on the left have already rolled up their sleeves and are working in the trenches at the crossroads on the road to a new course for America.

“Stand at the Crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths where the road is best. Walk in it and you will live in peace.”-Jeremiah 6:16

Tibetan mountain ranges and landscapes are home to an immense diversity of species of rare plants and birds. Tibetan forests are also famous for its tremendous spectrum of herbs for Chinese medicines. But due to the freezing temperatures and geographical altitudes, China’s tourist access to Tibet region has been very limited until recently. On July 1, 2006 Qinghai-Tibet Railroad commenced its passenger service, marking a remarkable milestone in China’s infrastructure building. This opens up a way for adventurous tourists to travel from Beijing to the remote Tibet by train with a low budget.
An estimated 90% of tourists would use the railroad to reach Lhasa, Tibet. It is an unique ground expedition across clear cascading streams, spectacular mountain ranges, and the colorful landscapes almost untouched by modern civilization. It would be the dream of urban travelers to experience nature with such a panoramic vision, indulging and rejuvenating for a true getaway from the hectic city-life.
A Centennial Dream Comes True
From its initial conception in the early 1950s, the construction of Qinghai-Tibet Railroad went through a lengthy 50 years to build. The first section of 814 km, from Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, to Golmud began operation in 1984. The Golmud-Lhasa section commenced construction in June 2001. On July 1, 2006, the 1,956-Km Qinghai-Tibet Railroad started its full-length operation. Its 2 inaugural trains, “Qing 1″ and “Tibet 2″, started service from Golmud and Lhasa separately. China President Hu Jintao labeled the project as an unbelievable achievement both in China and the World’s railway construction. This completed mission also realized a centennial dream of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the pioneer of China’s democratic revolution.
The Physical Deterrents
Geographical conditions from Golmod to Lhasa are especially harsh. Perennial icy soil as hard as steel, thick blankets of Winter snow and the high altitudes deterred and slowed down project progress through the many years of site execution. An American, Paul Theroux, prophesized that Kunlun Range was a definite impossible geographical barrier for railroad to get to Lhasa. But the inauguration of Qinghai-Tibet Railroad, now the world’s highest railroad terminating in Lhasa, has proven Theroux’s prophesy untrue.
Key Facts of Qinghai-Tibet Railroad
lQinghai-Tibet Railroad is the world’s highest.
l960 kms of its tracks are located 4,000 m above sea level.
lThe highest point is 5,072 m above sea level or 200 meters higher than the 2nd highest Peruvian railroad in the Andes.
l550 kms of the route run on frozen soil
lTanggula Railway Station is the highest railway station in the world (5,068m above sea level)
lFenghuoshan Tunnel is the world’s highest tunnel on frozen soil (4,905 m above sea level)
lIt is the world’s longest plateau railroad, extending 1,956 kms from Xining, Qinghai to Lhasa, Tibet.
lThe Golmud-Lhasa section zigzags 1,142 kms across the Tanggula and Kunlun Ranges.
lKunlun Mountain Tunnel is the world’s longest plateau tunnel built on frozen soil(1,686 m)
lThe maximum design train speeds are 100 km/h in frozen zones and 120 km/h on non-frozen areas.
Environmental Friendly
Chinese authority responded to international call for environmental friendly and sustainable development. 8% of the total development cost was set aside for conservation of environment. Recommendations by the Academy of Environment Protection were taken seriously by the Chinese government before construction. Qinghai-Tibet Railroad was credited with the honor of being the first environmental friendly railroad in the world.
Train Schedule for Tibet
Tourists can join in this rail route from several different cities in China.
1. Western Beijing Train Station to Lhasa, the whole journey is 4,064Km and takes 47 hours and 28 minutes. The ticket fee is RMB389 (USD48) for a hard seat, RMB813 (USD102) for a hard sleeper and RMB1262 (USD160) for a soft sleeper. It leaves Beijing at 21:30 every night and arrives in Lhasa at 20:58 on the third day. Another train leaves Lhasa for Beijing at 8:00 each morning and arrives in Beijing at 8:00 the third day, via Xian, Lanzhou, Xining, Golmod and Nacku.
2. Chengdu Train Station to Lhasa, the whole journey is 3,360km. The ticket fee is RMB331 for a hard seat, RMB712 for a hard sleeper and RMB1104 (USD140) for a soft sleeper. It leaves Chengdu at 18:18 on the odd days and arrives in Lhasa at 18:28 on the third day. It leaves Lhasa for Chengdu at 9:05 and arrives in Chengdu at 9:55 the third day, Via Guangyuan, Baoji, Lanzhou, Xining, Golmod and Nacku
3. Chongqing Train Station to Lhasa. The whole journey is 3,654Km The ticket fee is RMB355 for a hard seat, RMB754 for a hard sleeper and RMB1168 for a soft sleeper. It leaves Chongqing at 19:20 on the even days and arrives in Lhasa at 18:28 on the third day. It leaves Lhasa for Chongqing at 09:05 and arrives in Chongqing at 09:55 the third day, Via Guangan, Dazhou, Xian, Baoji,Lanzhou, Xining, Golmod and Nacku.
Preparing for the cold temperatures, Travelers to Tibet are advised to bring Winter clothing like ski jackets, winter coats and thermal under-wears.

For more travel resources visit http://www.1asiatravel.com
www.tropicalcaribbeantravel.com/RoyalCaribbean.html
www.1asiatravel.com/china.html
Reprint of this article is permitted by including the above live links.

Volkswagen, Europe’s largest automaker is employing a top-down approach in launching cars in India. And within the span of two years the automaker plans to bring its small car followed by what seems to be a mini car under the Maruti 800 category to India.

After recently announcing that it will start introducing the all new Passat as its entry vehicle in India, Volkswagen plans to launch next what it calls the A-Class, the Golf, and its derivatives. According to Pierre Bruedgam, a member of the board purchasing, Volkswagen India, “We will launch a new car every year. This year, it is the Passat sedan, a B class car, which will be launched in September. And for next year, the A Class, which comprises the Golf and its derivatives are going to be launch. It will then be followed by volume segment small car which will be offered as notchback and hatchback for 2009. In our terminology, the small car is A Zero Class. We are also looking at the A Zero Class, which is the equivalent of the Maruti 800.”

Mr. Bruedgam was in Pune for the inauguration of it’s off site office and at the same time was looking for some interested local sourcing for the e410 million, 110,000-capacity car plant at Chakan. Volkswagen India is expecting to reach the 110,000 capacity by 2009 as it launched its small car, the Golf and its derivatives.

And since India is considered to be more of a sedan market, Volkswagen India would first try to sell sedans like the Passat and then follow it up with the Golf and its derivatives. For a great part of its proposed lineup the automaker is expected to retain 55:45 ratios between diesel and petrol. Mr. Bruedgam further added, “We will begin our sourcing activities from April, first for the cars to be made here and then for the global market.”

Volkswagen officials after visiting India saw that a single purchase office may not be enough and said that they may need to open other offices in the other two auto hubs located in Delhi and Chennai. VW officials have also stated that logistics is an important consideration when sourcing for global operations if the company aims to remain competitive. They also added that Europe’s largest automaker may also get some of their metal products from India particularly for its needed volume products. And since a great number of VW cars are expected to be sold in India, the automaker would also make sure that aftersales services such as repairs are made available to the customers that is, aside from the Volkswagen Repair Manuals that goes with the vehicles.

Mr. Bruedgam also said that the localization program being employed by Volkswagen expects to obtain 50% local content hopefully at the start of production in 2009. In terms of its volumes car, the automaker is expecting an increase of 75% by the year 2011. Dr. John Chacko, a member of the board technical, VW India, said, “We will source from India for volume models like the Golf and its derivatives, where the same part can be used. VW is expanding its platform theme to a module strategy, which allows us to use the module anywhere in the world.” Other VW group companies like Audi and Skoda are also expected to source out from India.

Jerusalem-On June 26, 2006 this reporter attended a world wide satellite linked Interfaith Peace Conference at Jerusalem’s Notre Dame Cathedral. Dan Rather moderated from Washington DC and the Holy Land interfaith panel were all moderates attempting to reclaim the battlefield of ideas from extremists on both sides.

Rev. Theodore Hessburgh, President Emeritus University of Notre Dame began the evening with a pledge and a summons: “The Peace of the world begins in Jerusalem.”

Dr. Tsvia Walden, Board of Director of the Peres Center and Geneva Initiative stated, “There is a need for a third party in the negotiations that could enable both sides to trust each other. There are more people in this region interested in making concessions, they all want peace so desperately.”

The Coordinator of World Bank emergency services to the Palastinian Authority, Rania Kharma commented, “We all need to be the bridges to our leaders that justice, equality, and human rights will bring peace. Give people justice and they will reward you with peace.”

Sheik Imad Falouiji warned, “Religions must go back to their origins. God commands us to love each other and live together. This Holy Land was given to all people. This land is on fire. There is an occupation that musty be removed. The language of peace cannot succeed without justice for all.”

President Bush in his second inaugural address promised, “In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without liberty…. All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. When you stand or liberty we will stand with you.”

The Rt. Rev. Bishop Riah Abu Assal affirmed, “Peace is an act. Blessed are the peacemakers not the peace talkers. Peace is possible in the Holy Land. The root cause for the lack of peace since 1967 is the occupation. For peace to make progress in the Middle East we need to deal with the root cause…Religion was not meant to bring death. All those involved in searching for peace should commit themselves to work for justice and truth.”

On November 1, 2006, Jeff Halper, American Israeli, Founder and Coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions/ICAHD and a 2006 Noble Peace Prize nominee informed this reporter:

“It has been said that the Israeli’s do not love this land, they just want to possess it. There have been three stages to make this occupation permanent. The first was to establish the facts on the ground; the settlements. There are a quater of a million Israeli’s and four million Palestinians here. They have been forced into bantusan; trunkated mini states; prison states. It is apartheid and Bush and Hillary are both willing collaborators. In 1977, Sharon came in with a mandate, money and resources to make the Israeli presence in the West Bank irreversible. The second stage began in April 2004 when America approved the Apartheid/Convergence/Realignment Plan and eight settlement blocs. This is just like South Africa!

“The Bush Sharon letter exchange guaranteed that the USA considers the settlements non-negotiable. The Convergence Plan and The Wall create the borders and that is what defines bantusans. Congress ratified the Bush plan and only Senator Byrd of West Virginia voted no and nine House Representatives.”

With the turnover in Congress the words of Tom Paine come to mind, for in solidarity “we have it in our power to begin the world again.”

The gospel of Jesus Christ can become relevant in the 21st century if all who claim to be Christian’s follow his philosophy. Thomas Jefferson weeded out the miracle stories from the gospels and clarified the teachings of Christ in “The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth” which clarify what Christ was really all about:

To be just and justice comes from virtue which comes from the heart. To treat people the way we want to be treated. To always work for PEACEFUL resolutions, even to the point of returning violence with COMPASSION. To not judge others and bear no grudges, and those who think they know the most are the most ignorant.

“Soon after I had published the pamphlet “Common Sense” [on Feb. 14, 1776] in America, I saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion. The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.”-Tom Paine

Christ’s other name is “The Prince of Peace” and he walked and preached the good news that God is within all people. To truly follow Christ means one will rise up, [in Arabic the word is "intifada"] for the oppressed, the outcast, the widow, the orphan, the poor, the prisoner and refugees. Christ taught that we are to pursue justice, and justice is the only way to security and peace.

The Christian population of the Holy Land has decreased from 20% of the total population to less than 1.3% since 1948. 90% of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land never even meet any Palestinian Christians; thus they are known as The Forgotten Faithful.

Prior to 1948, 70% of West Jerusalem was Palestinian. From ’48 to ’67, Jerusalem was divided into Israeli West Jerusalem and Palestinian East under Jordan’s control. When Israel captured and occupied the West Bank in 1967, the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem were also redefined. Israel annexed the greater Jerusalem area but did not ‘adopt’ the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem as Israeli citizens.

Today, Palestinians living in Jerusalem are classified differently from those in the West Bank. They are called permanent residents, they can vote in local elections but not in Israeli national elections. Most do not bother to vote as a statement against the occupation.

Today, West Jerusalem in nearly 100% Jewish. The Palestinians in East Jerusalem pay the same taxes as those on the West side, but receive only 8% of the total municipal budget. Orthodox Jews pay no taxes. Palestinians make up 1/3 of the total Jerusalem population, but pay over 40% of the taxes. One is immediately aware when one walks from the East to the West that one is truly in two different worlds. On the West side of town there are many parks, the roads and streets are well maintained and sanitation pick up is predictable. Twenty-six of the thirty-one City Council members of Jerusalem are Orthodox Jews. The East side of Jerusalem resembles the lower east side of New York.

While the Israeli government considers Jerusalem the capitol of Israel no foreign country does. There are no international embassies in Jerusalem, except for a fundamentalist International Christian Zionist one.

The Wall that was begun after the Second Intifada/Rise Up, has expanded the municipal boundaries established in 1967 and the Israeli settlements/colonies are growing unabated.

According to International Law all the settlements are illegal and the world is silent. In the 1930′s Ben Gurion said that the settlements will define the boundaries of Israel.

In 1973, Ariel Sharon told Winston Churchill III, “We’ll make a pastrami sandwich of them. We’ll insert a strip of Jewish settlement, in between the Palestinians, then another strip of Jewish settlement, right across the West Bank, so that in 25 years time, neither the United Nations, nor the United States, nobody, will be able to tear it apart.”

But all things are possible and miracles do occur.

God has always spoken through Jewish prophets and Jeff Halper is one. On November 1, 2006 he informed this reporter, “Israel has set up a matrix of control; a thick web of settlements guaranteed to make the occupation permanent by establishing facts on the ground. Israel denies there is an occupation, so everything is reduced to terrorism. It is our job to insist upon the human rights issue, for occupied people have International Law on their side.”

While International Law guarantees the rights of the occupied to rise up with violence against their occupiers. But, prophetic organizations such as ICAHD, Anarchist’s Against the Wall, International Solidarity Movement and Sabeel all promote Creative Nonviolence.

Jeff stated, “When Jerusalem was controlled by Jordan, the East side was 6 sq. km. Since 1967, Israel has added 64 km. The West side was 38 sq. km until ’67 and is now 108 sq. km’s. Israel plans to develop 17 settlements. Israeli policy is to maintain a 72% Jewish and 28% Arab population. Palestinians cannot get building permits to build upon their legally owned land. The Arab land has been re-zoned as green space, and the green space will be re-zoned for the settlements.

“Every single Palestinian home in Jerusalem has a demolition order. The entire West Bank has been zoned as agricultural land by Israel, and that will also be re-zoned again for more settlements.

“It has been said that the Israeli’s do not love this land, they just want to possess it. There have been three stages to make this occupation permanent. The first was to establish the facts on the ground; the settlements. There are a quater of a million Israeli’s and four million Palestinians here. They have been forced into bantusans; trunkated mini states; prison states. It is apartheid and Bush and Hillary are both willing collaborators. In 1977, Sharon came in with a mandate, money and resources to make the Israeli presence in the West Bank irreversible. The second stage began in April 2004 when America approved the Apartheid/Convergence/Realignment Plan and eight settlement blocs. This is just like South Africa! The Bush Sharon letter exchange guaranteed that the USA considers the settlements non-negotiable. The Convergence Plan and The Wall create the borders and that is what defines bantusans.Congress ratified the Bush plan and only Senator Byrd of West Virginia voted no and nine House Representatives.”

Orwellian doublespeak has also been employed in the USA to turn the illegal colonies into “neighborhoods”. A new highway has already begun to link all the settlements. The Eastern Ring Road will have bridges for Israelis but is just another wall against the Palestinians. The settlements-and all settlements are considered illegal under international law- will ring around the Old City of Jerusalem.

Jeff concluded with, “I don’t just have a political problem with this Judiaization of the Old City, it is ecologically and environmentally offensive.”

I add it also is spiritually impoverished. The raping and pillaging of what is claimed holy ground refutes and denies the biblical meaning of dominion. The ancients understood dominion meant to nurture, love and protect and the destruction of Palestinian homes, the stealing of their legal property, their water is an abomination.

On May 14, 1948 The Declaration of the establishment of Israel stated:

“One the day of the termination of the British mandate and on the strength of the United Nations General Assembly declare The State of Israel will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel: it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion it will guarantee freedom of religion [and] conscience and will be faithful to the Charter of the United Nations.”

“What does God require? He has already told you o’man! Be just, be merciful and humble.”-Micah 6:8

“The greatest menace to freedom is an inert people.”-Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis

The “fierce urgency of now”-Rev. MLK, Jr should compel we the people of the United States to rise up and demand Congress hold President Bush to the promise in his Second Inaugural Address:

“In the long run, there is no justice without FREEDOM. There can be no human rights without LIBERTY. All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for liberty, we stand with you.”

The “war on terror” must be fought at the root and all roads lead to Jerusalem.

The Orlando Magic officially entered the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1989. Led by a local businessman, Jimmy Hewitt and former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Pat Williams, the Magic hired Matt Guokas as the team’s first coach. The inaugural team compiled a record of 18-64 with players including Reggie Theus, Scott Skiles (now current coach of the Chicago Bulls), Terry Catledge, Sam Vincent, Otis Smith (now current general manager of the Magic), and Jerry Reynolds. In the club’s first draft in 1989, the Magic chose Nick Anderson with the 11th pick in the first round.

The club’s first game was on November 4, 1989, at the Orlando Arena (O-Rena). Despite playing a hard-fought game, the visiting New Jersey Nets won 111- 106. The Magic’s first victory came 2 days later, as the Magic defeated the New York Knicks 118-110.

In the 1990 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic selected Dennis Scott with the fourth overall pick. Scott, known as a sharpshooter, helped the Magic compile a 31-51 record. Combined with the fast-paced energy style of Skiles, who was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player at the end of the season, the Magic heralded the NBA’s most improved record that season. 1992 was a disappointing season for the Magic, who struggled through a 17-game losing streak.

The club’s history was changed dramatically with the 1992 NBA Draft. With the first overall pick, the Magic selected big-man Shaquille O’Neal from Louisiana State University. O’Neal, a 7-1 center, made an immediate impact on the Magic, leading the club to a 41-41 record. The Magic again were the NBA’s most improved franchise, and O’Neal garnered All-Star starter status and the Rookie of the Year award. However, the Magic missed that year’s playoffs, because they were tied with the Indiana Pacers for the 8th (and final) playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and because the Pacers owned the tiebreaker.

Missing out on the playoffs had a silver lining: despite having the NBA’s best non-playoff record (and thereby the least chance of gaining the top draft pick with only one ball in the lottery machine), the Magic once again won the NBA draft lottery. In the draft, the Magic selected Chris Webber, but traded him to the Golden State Warriors for the number three pick, guard Anfernee Hardaway (known as “Penny” Hardaway) and three future first-round draft picks. Prior to the draft, Guokas stepped down as head coach, and Brian Hill was promoted to become the Magic’s second coach. Also, General Manager Pat Williams was replaced by John Gabriel.

With the lethal combination of O’Neal and Hardaway, the Magic became a dominant team in the NBA, compiling the first 50 win season in franchise history with a 50-32 record. The Magic were in the playoffs for the first time, ranked the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the underdog Pacers team swept the Magic 3-0 in the first round, thus ending the Magic’s season.

However, in the 1994-95 season, the Magic’s sixth season, after acquiring rebounder Horace Grant as a free agent from the Chicago Bulls, Orlando compiled a 57-25 record, best in the East and winning the Atlantic Division title. In the playoffs, the Magic defeated the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and the Indiana Pacers, advancing to the NBA Finals. The Houston Rockets, though, ended Orlando’s dream of a championship by sweeping Orlando 4-0 in the Finals to take the crown.

In the 1995-96 season, the Magic again dominated the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division with a 60-22 record, led by O’Neal and Hardaway. However, the Magic were seeded number two, behind the amazing 72-10 record the Chicago Bulls accumulated under Michael Jordan. In the playoffs, after the Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando met the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals. The combination of Jordan, Scottie Pippen and rebounder Dennis Rodman as well as Toni Kukoc was too much for the Magic, and Orlando was swept 4-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.

In the offseason, in a huge blow to the Magic franchise, O’Neal left as a free agent to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the Magic still managed to compile a 45-37 record, led by Hardaway, Darrell Armstrong, the team’s emotional leader, and newly-acquired free agent Rony Seikaly. In the playoffs, the Magic came close to stunning the heavily favored Miami Heat in the first round, extending the series to a classic game five, even after losing the first two games. In the middle of the season, though, urged by player discontent, management fired coach Brian Hill and named Richie Adubato as interim coach for the rest of the season.

The Magic then hired Chuck Daly to be head coach for the 1997-98 season. In addition, Hall of Famer Julius Erving joined the Magic’s front office, giving Orlando immense hope for a successful season. However, the season was hampered by injuries, as Hardaway sat out the majority of the season . Anderson, combined with newly acquired free agent Bo Outlaw, led the team to a respectable 41-41 record, just out of reach of the NBA playoffs. In addition, Rony Seikaly was traded during the season to the New Jersey Nets for three role players and a future draft pick.

In 1998-99, with the acquisition of Matt Harpring and Michael Doleac and a healthy Hardaway and Anderson, the Magic tied for the Eastern Conference’s best record in the lockout-shortened season, 33-17. Armstrong again led the team emotionally, winning the NBA’s Sixth-Man and Most Improved Player awards. In addition, Orlando also acquired NBA great Dominique Wilkins, along with brother Gerald, who were past their primes but were both still very good. In the playoffs, though, the Magic were seeded number 3 because of tiebreakers and faced the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers, led by Allen Iverson, upset the Magic 3-1 in the first round.

In 1999, the Magic, under General Manager John Gabriel, who was later named Executive of the Year, hired rookie-coach Doc Rivers. Gabriel dismantled the previous team trading their only remaining superstar Anfernee Hardaway to the Phoenix Suns for Danny Manning (who never donned a Magic uniform), Pat Garrity and two future draft picks. The Magic were then a team virtually comprised of all no name players and little experience which included team captain Armstrong, Bo Outlaw and a young Ben Wallace, along with Coach Rivers led the Magic to a 41-41 record, barely missing out on the playoffs. At the end of the season Rivers was named Coach of the Year by the NBA. This year was characterized by the slogan “Heart and Hustle”, as the team was known for its hard-working style.