ANYTHING ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!: Sathya Sai baba: Master of Faith http://ping.fm/1jmS4

ANYTHING ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!: Sathya Sai baba: Master of Faith

Sathya Sai Baba was the unquestionable master of their faith, a belief that no controversy or rational disquisition could shake. While rationalists were obsessed with his miracles, his followers saw beyond them and adopted him as the guiding light of their life

From: http://ping.fm/02369

Sathya Sai baba: Master of Faith

Sathya Sai Baba was the unquestionable master of their faith, a belief that no controversy or rational disquisition could shake. While rationalists were obsessed with his miracles, his followers saw beyond them and adopted him as the guiding light of their life.Born on Nov 23, 1926 to Eswaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram in a family of humble means, Sai Baba rose to command the devotion of millions of common devotees. As happens with men of the spirit, he following included prime ministers, presidents, statemen, generals, business captains. The protocol of potentates falling at his feet was often questioned, but such is faith.From his childhood, Baba was keenly involved in divine pursuits. In 1936, At 10, he started organising a group of children to sing hymns, at which he was very good. His spiritual inclination and contemplative nature set him apart from the other children. Sai lore has it that the boy with a soulful voice was transformed into a veritable spiritual guru as the result of a scorpion sting. The boy lost consciousness for several hours and woke up reciting slokas in Sanskrit, a language he had never learned. Moreover, he declared himself an incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, the 19th century seer venerated by Hindus and Muslims alike.The boy wonder’s popularity began to spread and a small temple was built to him. He began to reign from a seat he called Prashanthi Nilayam, which today is the centrepiece of a spiritual empire. But even in those early days, Sai Baba’s vision had a secular dimension. In 1954, he began to get his flock involved in service activities by building a humble free general hospital, which today has grown into the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, where he died on Sunday.A soft-spoken man, always dressed in flowing robes of saffron or white, his popularity extended to the poorest of the poor. He often declared, “I have not come to disturb or destroy any faith, but to confirm each in his own faith, so that a Christian becomes a better Christian, a Muslim a better Muslim and a Hindu a better Hindu.”His formula to lead a meaningful life was a five-fold path of satya (truth), dharma (righteousness), shanti (peace), prema (love) and ahimsa (non-violence). Love for god, fear of sin and morality in society were his prescriptions for the world at large. But controversy has always dogged the Sai Baba, the most startling of them happening in June 1993. The stillness of Prashanthi Nilayam was shattered when an attempt on his life was made by associates, six of whom were killed.Observers say Satya Sai Baba’s following, especially foreign devotees, dwindled in recent years as a result of such controversies. But at the same time, the focus of discourse ceased to be centred around his miracles, which left him to do his work unhindered.  His followers have stayed unflinching in their devotion, gaze fixed on his message rather than his miracles.

Adolf Hitler: Most hated Man in History

Yesterday, 20th April was the birthday of great dictator.On this occasion a lets have a brief biography of this most hated man in history.

Adolf Hitler was leader of Germany during the Third Reich (1933 – 1945) and the primary instigator of both the Second World War in Europe and the mass execution of millions of people deemed to be "enemies" or inferior to the Aryan ideal. Born: April 20, 1889, died: April 30, 1945.

Adolf Hitler’s Childhood:

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, on April 20th 1889 to Alois Hitler (who, as an illegitimate child, had previously used his mother’s name of Schickelgruber) and Klara Poelzl. A moody child, he grew hostile towards his father, especially once the latter had retired and the family had moved to Linz. Alois died in 1903 but left money to take care of the family. Hitler was close to his mother, who was highly indulgent of Hitler, and he was deeply affected when she died in 1908. He left school at 16 in 1905, intending to become a painter.

Adolf Hitler in Vienna:

Hitler moved to Vienna in 1907 where he applied to the Viennese Academy of Fine arts, but was twice turned down. This experience further embittered the increasingly angry Hitler, and he remained in Vienna living off his small family inheritance and what he could make from selling his art, moving from hostel to hostel, a lonely, vagabond figure. During this period Hitler appears to have developed the world view that would characterise his whole life: a hatred for Jews and Marxists. Hitler was well placed to be influenced by the demagogy of Karl Lueger, Vienna’s deeply anti-Semitic mayor.

Adolf Hitler and the First World War:

Hitler moved to Munich in 1913 and avoided Austrian military service in early 1914 by virtue of being unfit. However, when the First World War broke out in 1914 he joined the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, serving throughout the war. He proved to be an able and brave soldier as a dispatch runner, winning the Iron Cross (First Class) on two occasions. He was also wounded twice, and four weeks before the war ended suffered a gas attack which temporarily blinded and hospitalised him. It was here he learnt of Germany’s surrender, which he took as a betrayal. He especially hated the Treaty of Versailles.

Adolf Hitler Enters Politics:

After WW1 Hitler became convinced he was destined to save Germany. In 1919, working for an army unit, he was assigned to spy on a political party of roughly 40 idealists called the German Workers Party. Instead he joined it, swiftly rose to a position of dominance (he was chairman by 1921) and renamed it the Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP). He gave the party the Swastika as a symbol and organised a personal army of ‘storm troopers’ (the SA or Brownshirts) and a bodyguard of black shirted men, the SS, to attack opponents. He also discovered, and used, his powerful ability for public speaking.

The Beer Hall Putsch:

In November 1923 Hitler organised Bavarian nationalists under a figurehead of General Ludendorff into a coup (or 'putsch'). They declared their new government in a beer hall in Munich and then 3000 marched through the streets, but they were met by police, who opened fire, killing 16. Hitler was arrested and tried in 1924, but was sentenced to only five years in prison, a sentence often taken as a sign of tacit agreement with his views. Hitler served only nine months in prison, during which he wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle), a book outlining his theories on race, Germany and Jews. It sold five million copies by 1939.

Adolf Hitler as Politician:

After the Beer-Hall Putsch Hitler resolved to seek power through subverting the Weimar government system, and he carefully rebuilt the NSDAP, or Nazi, party, allying with future key figures like Goering and propaganda mastermind Goebbels. Over time he expanded the party’s support, partly by exploiting fears of socialists and partly by appealing to everyone who felt their economic livelihood threatened by the depression of the 1930s, until he had the ears of big business, the press and the middle classes. Nazi votes jumped to 107 seats in the Reichstag in 1930.

Adolf Hitler as President and Führer:

In 1932 Hitler acquired German citizenship and ran for president, coming second to von Hindenburg. Later that year the Nazi party acquired 230 seats in the Reichstag, making them the largest party in Germany. Helped by support from conservative politicians believing they could control Hitler, he was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30th 1933. Hitler moved with great speed to isolate and expel opponents from power, shutting trade unions, removing communists, conservatives and Jews.

Later that year Hitler perfectly exploited an act of arson on the Reichstag (which some believe the Nazis helped cause) to begin the creation of a totalitarian state, dominating the March 5th elections thanks to support from nationalist groups. Hitler soon took over the role of president when Hindenburg died and merged the role with that of Chancellor to become Führer (‘Leader’) of Germany.

Adolf Hitler in Power:

Hitler continued to move with speed in radically changing Germany, consolidating power, locking up “enemies” in camps, bending culture to his will, rebuilding the army and breaking the constraints of the Treaty of Versailles. He tried to change the social fabric of Germany by encouraging women to breed more and bringing in laws to secure racial purity; Jews were particularly targeted. Employment, high elsewhere in a time of depression, fell to zero in Germany. Hitler also made himself head of the army.

World War Two and the Failure of the Third Reich

Hitler engineered territorial expansion, uniting with Austria in an anschluss, and dismembering Czechoslovakia. It was in September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland, that other nations took a stand, declaring war. This was not unappealing to Hitler who believed Germany should make itself great through war, and invasions in 1940 went well. However, arguably his fatal mistake occurred in 1941 with the invasion of Russia, through which he wished to create lebensraum, or ‘living room’. After initial success, German forces were pushed back by Russia, and defeats in Africa and West Europe followed as Germany was slowly beaten. During this time Hitler became gradually more paranoid and divorced from the world, retreating to a bunker. As armies approached Berlin from two directions, Hitler married his mistress, Eva Braun, and on April 30th 1945 killed himself.

Hitler and History

Hitler will forever be remembered for starting the Second World War, the most costly conflict in world history, thanks to his desire to expand Germany’s borders through force. He will equally be remembered for his dreams of racial purity, which prompted him to order the execution of millions of people, perhaps as high as eleven million. Although every arm of German bureaucracy was turned to pursuing the executions, Hitler was the chief driving force.

Adolf Hitler: Mentally Ill?

In the decades since Hitler’s death many commentators have concluded that he must have been mentally ill, and that if he wasn’t when he started his rule the pressures of his failed wars must have driven him mad. Given that he ordered genocide and ranted and raved it is easy to see why people have come to this conclusion, but it’s important to state that there is no consensus among historians that he was insane, or what psychological problems he may have had.

Sathya Sai baba:Health Deteriorates.

Sathya Sai Baba's condition has deteriorated further and his liver has stopped responding to medication. Baba's liver and low blood pressure is also causing his doctors anxiety. Breathing is still dependent on ventilators, haemodialysis was started on Thursday morning to assist the kidneys. But his body is not responding to any treatment.

The 86-year-old religious leader was hospitalised on March 28. Meanwhile, security has been tightened at his ashram in Puttaparthi, as lakhs of devotees poured in upon hearing the news.

The Andhra Pradesh Police has been taking all precautionary measures towards maintaining security at Puttaparthi town.

On April 4, people tried to gatecrash into the super specialty hospital. Besides, the Collector's car was stoned by an angry mob when he was entering the hospital.

ANYTHING ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!: Sathya Sai baba: Miracle at Puttaparthi.

A day after Sathya Sai Central Trust member R J Ratnakar issued a statement that all was well in the trust and that they are hoping for Sai Baba's recovery, news of a 'miracle' swept through Puttaparthi on Tuesday.

From: http://ping.fm/WXOIw

Sathya Sai baba: Miracle at Puttaparthi.

A day after Sathya Sai Central Trust member R J Ratnakar issued a statement that all was well in the trust and that they are hoping for Sai Baba's recovery, news of a 'miracle' swept through Puttaparthi on Tuesday.

Around 9.30 am, devotees rushed to the house of a retired deputy tehsildar at Ganesh Circle on the outskirts of Puttaparthi, where a 4-ft idol of Sai Baba was reportedly oozing perfumed oils from its feet. TV cameramen rushed to grab the visuals and devotees thronged the house. They claimed it was a sign of Sai Baba recovering.

Devotees refused to consider that the wax idol could be melting in the sweltering heat and the oil was a resultant residue. Raheem, a sculptor, said Sai Baba had appeared in his dream last November. "He told me to make his idol and worship the same. I followed his direction," said Raheem. He had made the idol five years ago, but had kept it hidden till now.

The idol is a replica of Sai Baba complete with his thick bushy hair and saffron robes.

In the morning, Raheem's wife informed her neighbours as soon as the oil began oozing out. Soon, crowd gathered at the house. Policemen arrived to manage the swelling crowd. B Narayana Swamy, owner of the house, said he rushed when Raheem told him about it, said, "It's a miracle. It's one of Swami's marvels. After I touched the feet of the idol and smelt the perfumed oil, I began to believe Sai Baba has come back."

ANYTHING ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!: Doomsday: may 21, 2011?

he 2012 Nostradamus predictions have gained a lot of popularity, firstly because the year is coming closer and secondly his predictions seem to match predictions from other sources like the Mayan and Gnostic texts and so on. But Harold Camping thinks otherwise.

From: http://ping.fm/unmyu

Doomsday: may 21, 2011?

Breaking News! The Family Radio Worldwide evangelist Harold Camping predicts that The Judgement Day is closer than we think and has announced the exact date of rapture as May 21, 2011.

JUDGEMENT DAY?

The 2012 Nostradamus predictions have gained a lot of popularity, firstly because the year is coming closer and secondly his predictions seem to match predictions from other sources like the Mayan and Gnostic texts and so on. But Harold Camping thinks otherwise.

Camping, an 89-year-old former civil engineer-turned-biblical scholar, says he reached his conclusion after 70 years of intense study and a few incorrect interpretations like the one he made in 1994.

Nevertheless, he is now convinced that the rapture is set to happen in what he reckons is "19 weeks and a few days."

Camping came up to the conclusion with a mathematical formula using the numbers given in the Bible. He said, "Because I was an engineer, I was very interested in the numbers. I'd wonder, 'Why did God put this number in or that number in?' It was not a question of unbelief; it was a question of, 'There must be a reason for it.' "

Camping concluded that the number five equals "atonement" while 10 is "completeness" and 17 means "heaven." By using the date April 1, A.D. 33 as his starting point, he added 1,978 and came to April 1, 2011.

Then he multiplied 1,978 by 365.2422, the number of days in each solar year. Then, he realized that it's 51 days between April 1 and May 21 and added those to the sum of his multiplication total and got 722,500.

Then Camping realized that 722,500 equals five times 10 times 17 squared [(5*10*17)2]: Or, as he prefers, atonement times completeness times heaven squared.

Well, Camping’s predictions (calculations) turn correct this time or not, only the time will tell, but this surely has grabbed him a lot of attention.

Anna Hazare:Letter to Sonia Gandhi

Mrs Sonia Gandhi,
Chairperson, UPA,
10, Janpath, New Delhi

Dear Mrs Gandhi,

We entered the joint committee with the hope of jointly drafting a strong anti corruption law for the country. Your letter to me just a day before I ended my fast that there is an urgent necessity of combating graft and corruption in public life and that law in these matters must be perceptive and deliver the desired the result. However the devt of the last few days have been a cause for concern. It seems that the corrupt forces in the country have united to derail the process of drafting an effective anti corruption thru the jt committee. Together we have to defeat their designs.

One of their strategies is to smear the reputation of the civil society members in the committee. Whereas I am of the view that the public working for the public must be subjected to public scrutiny. However when blatantly false accusations are made fabricated CD are planted, then one feels hat the purpose is not an honest public scrutiny, but to tarnish the reputations. They have not even spared me,even though I have lived a simple life following a path of truth. However I am happy that despite all their efforts the vested interest could not dig out anything of substance.
..........

One of the gen sec. of Congress party has been making many statements in the press in the last one week. I assume he has the support of the party to make such remarks. Most of these statements are factually wrong which makes one believe whether his only intention is to create confusion, mislead people and derail the ongoing discussion in jt committee. Do you personally approve of his statement??? After the jtint committee meeting, one of the ministers addressed the press saying that the meeting was good. Subsequently according to many friends in media, he held a pvt informal debriefing session at his house and falsely accused us of having succumbed to govt. pressure within the committee and that we had diluted the law. This was a completely false statement because there was no discussion at all on the law within the committee. His informal debriefing created confusion in the mind of the people across the country. It appears that his debriefing was meant to send a message to the public that we have  influenced.

ANYTHING ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!: Anna Hazare:PIL challenges legality of Lokpal committee

No one expected an easy going for the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill but it seems the road ahead is getting increasingly treacherous.

From: http://ping.fm/8DveG

Anna Hazare:PIL challenges legality of Lokpal committee

No one expected an easy going for the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill but it seems the road ahead is getting increasingly treacherous. On Monday, the very basis of existence of the 10-member joint committee which has members of civil society as members was challenged in the country’s apex court.

Advocate M L Sharma and others filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court contending that inclusion of five civil society members in the committee, which also has five ministers, is constitutionally flawed as a parliamentary committee must comprise only members of Parliament and no one else.

Hence, the petitioners are demanding that the notification on Lokpal committee be quashed.

The PIL also sought a probe into the controversial CD purportedly carrying audio clippings of a telephone conversation between committee co-chair and civil society memer Shanti Bhushan, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh about influencing a judge.

Clearly, the anti-corruption crusade is headed for a showdown not just with regards to the redrafting of the Lokpal Bill but also in view of the accompanying legal battles.

As Anna Hazare said, the battle has been won but the war will continue.

charlie-chaplin-tribute.html from blogspot.com - StumbleUpon

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in London, England, on April 16th 1889. His father was a versatile vocalist and actor; and his mother, known under the stage name of Lily Harley, was an attractive actress and singer, who gained a reputation for her work in the light opera field.

From: http://ping.fm/3Hqej

Charlie Chaplin : A Tribute

Overview of His Life

Childhood

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in London, England, on April 16th 1889. His father was a versatile vocalist and actor; and his mother, known under the stage name of Lily Harley, was an attractive actress and singer, who gained a reputation for her work in the light opera field.

Charlie was thrown on his own resources before he reached the age of ten as the early death of his father and the subsequent illness of his mother made it necessary for Charlie and his brother, Sydney, to fend for themselves.

Having inherited natural talents from their parents, the youngsters took to the stage as the best opportunity for a career. Charlie made his professional debut as a member of a juvenile group called "The Eight Lancashire Lads" and rapidly won popular favour as an outstanding tap dancer.

Beginning of his career

When he was about fourteen, he got his first chance to act in a legitimate stage show, and appeared as "Billy" the page boy, in support of William Gillette in "Sherlock Holmes". At the close of this engagement, Charlie started a career as a comedian in vaudeville, which eventually took him to the United States in 1910 as a featured player with the Fred Karno Repertoire Company.

He scored an immediate hit with American audiences, particularly with his characterization in a sketch entitled "A Night in an English Music Hall". When the Fred Karno troupe returned to the United States in the fall of 1912 for a repeat tour, Chaplin was offered a motion picture contract.
He finally agreed to appear before the cameras at the expiration of his vaudeville commitments in November 1913; and his entrance in the cinema world took place that month when he joined Mack Sennett and the Keystone Film Company. His initial salary was $150 a week, but his overnight success on the screen spurred other producers to start negotiations for his services.
At the completion of his Sennett contract, Chaplin moved on to the Essanay Company (1915) at a large increase. Sydney Chaplin had then arrived from England, and took his brother’s place with Keystone as their leading comedian.

The following year Charlie was even more in demand and signed with the Mutual Film Corporation for a much larger sum to make 12 two-reel comedies. These include "The Floorwalker", "The Fireman", "The Vagabond", "One A.M." (a production in which he was the only character for the entire two reels with the exception of the entrance of a cab driver in the opening scene), "The Count", "The Pawnshop", "Behind the Screen", "The Rink", "Easy Street" (heralded as his greatest production up to that time), "The Cure", "The Immigrant" and "The Adventurer".

Gaining independence

When his contract with Mutual expired in 1917, Chaplin decided to become an independent producer in a desire for more freedom and greater leisure in making his movies. To that end, he busied himself with the construction of his own studios. This plant was situated in the heart of the residential section of Hollywood at La Brea Avenue.
Early in 1918, Chaplin entered into an agreement with First National Exhibitors’ Circuit, a new organization specially formed to exploit his pictures. His first film under this new deal was "A Dog’s Life". After this production, he turned his attention to a national tour on behalf of the war effort, following which he made a film the US government used to popularize the Liberty Loan drive: "The Bond".

His next commercial venture was the production of a comedy dealing with the war. "Shoulder Arms", released in 1918 at a most opportune time, proved a veritable mirthquake at the box office and added enormously to Chaplin’s popularity. This he followed with "Sunnyside" and "A Day’s Pleasure", both released in 1919.
In April of that year, Chaplin joined with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith to found the United Artists Corporation. B.B. Hampton, in his "History of the Movies" says:

"The corporation was organized as a distributor, each of the artists retaining entire control of his or her respective producing activities, delivering to United Artists the completed pictures for distribution on the same general plan they would have followed with a distributing organization which they did not own. The stock of United Artists was divided equally among the founders. This arrangement introduced a new method into the industry. Heretofore, producers and distributors had been the employers, paying salaries and sometimes a share of the profits to the stars. Under the United Artists system, the stars became their own employers. They had to do their own financing, but they received the producer profits that had formerly gone to their employers and each received his share of the profits of the distributing organization."

However, before he could assume his responsibilities with United Artists, Chaplin had to complete his contract with First National. So early in 1921, he came out with a six-reel masterpiece : The Kid

The Kid (1921)

The kid in which he introduced to the screen one of the greatest child actors the world has ever known - Jackie Coogan. The next year, he produced "The Idle Class", in which he portrayed a dual character.
Then, feeling the need of a complete rest from his motion picture activities, Chaplin sailed for Europe in September 1921. London, Paris, Berlin and other capitals on the continent gave him tumultuous receptions. After an extended vacation, Chaplin returned to Hollywood to resume his picture work and start his active association with United Artists.
Under his arrangement with U.A., Chaplin made eight pictures, each of feature length, in the following order:

The Masterpiece Features

(Notice : the comments on each films are taken from the articles of David Robinson which we strongly recommend to read by followoing the link since they have many more insites on his life)

A Woman of Paris (1923)

was a courageous step in the career of Charles Chaplin. After seventy films in which he himself had appeared in every scene, he now directed a picture in which he merely walked on for a few seconds as an unbilled and unrecognisable extra – a porter at a railroad station. Until this time, every film had been a comedy. A Woman of Paris was a romantic drama. This was not a sudden impulse. For a long time Chaplin had wanted to try his hand at directing a serious film. In the end, the inspiration for A Woman of Paris came from three women. First was Edna Purviance, who had been his ideal partner in more than 35 films. Now, though, he felt that Edna was growing too mature for comedy, and decided to make a film that would launch her on a new career as a dramatic actress.

The Gold Rush (1925)

Chaplin generally strove to separate his work from his private life; but in this case the two became inextricably and painfully mixed.

Searching for a new leading lady, he rediscovered Lillita MacMurray, whom he had employed, as a pretty 12-year-old, in The Kid Still not yet sixteen, Lillita was put under contract and re-named Lita Grey.
Chaplin quickly embarked on a clandestine affair with her; and when the film was six months into shooting, Lita discovered she was pregnant. Chaplin found himself forced into a marriage which brought misery to both partners, though it produced two sons, Charles Jr and Sydney Chaplin.

The Circus (1928)

"The Circus" won Charles Chaplin his first Academy Award – it was still not yet called the ‘Oscar’ – he was given it at the first presentations ceremony, in 1929. But as late as 1964, it seemed, this was a film he preferred to forget. The reason was not the film itself, but the deeply fraught circumstances surrounding its making.

Chaplin was in the throes of the break-up of his marriage with Lita Grey; and production of The Circus coincided with one of the most unseemly and sensational divorces of twenties Hollywood, as Lita’s lawyers sought every means to ruin Chaplin’s career by smearing his reputation.
As if his domestic troubles were not enough, the film seemed fated to catastrophe of every kind [...]
In the late 1960s, after the years spent trying to forget it, Chaplin returned to "The Circus" to re-release it with a new musical score of his own composition. [...] It seemed to symbolize his reconciliation to the film which cost him so much stress.

City Lights (1931)

"City Lights" proved to be the hardest and longest undertaking of Chaplin’s career. By the time it was completed he had spent two years and eight months on the work, with almost 190 days of actual shooting. The marvel is that the finished film betrays nothing of this effort and anxiety. Even before he began City Lights the sound film was firmly established.
This new revolution was a bigger challenge to Chaplin than to other silent stars. His Tramp character was universal. His mime was understood in every part of the world. But if the Tramp now began to speak in English, that world-wide audience would instantly shrink.
Chaplin boldly solved the problem by ignoring speech, and making City Lights in the way he had always worked before, as a silent film. However he astounded the press and the public by composing the entire score for "City Lights".

The premieres were among the most brilliant the cinema had ever seen. In Los Angeles, Chaplin’s guest was Albert Einstein; while in London Bernard Shaw sat beside him. "City Lights" was a critical triumph. All Chaplin’s struggles and anxieties, it seemed, were compensated by the film which still appears as the zenith of his achievement and reputation.

Modern Times (1936)

Chaplin was acutely preoccupied with the social and economic problems of this new age. In 1931 and 1932 he had left Hollywood behind, to embark on an 18-month world tour. In Europe, he had been disturbed to see the rise of nationalism and the social effects of the Depression, of unemployment and of automation.

He read books on economic theory; and devised his own Economic Solution, an intelligent exercise in utopian idealism, based on a more equitable distribution not just of wealth but of work.
In 1931 he told a newspaper interviewer, “Unemployment is the vital question . . . Machinery should benefit mankind. It should not spell tragedy and throw it out of work”.

The Great Dictator (1940)

When writing "The Great Dictator" in 1939, Chaplin was as famous worldwide as Hitler, and his Tramp character wore the same moustache. He decided to pit his celebrity and humour against the dictator’s own celebrity and evil. He benefited – if that is the right word for it, given the times – from his “reputation” as a Jew, which he was not – (he said “I do not have that pleasure”).
In the film Chaplin plays a dual role –a Jewish barber who lost his memory in a plane accident in the first war, and spent years in hospital before being discharged into an antisemite country that he does not understand, and Hynkel, the dictator leader of Ptomania, whose armies are the forces of the Double Cross, and who will do anything along those lines to increase his possibilities for becoming emperor of the world. Chaplin’s aim is obvious, and the film ends with a now famous and humanitarian speech made by the barber, "speaking Chaplin’s own words":/en/articles/29 .

Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

The idea was originally suggested by Orson Welles, as a project for a dramatised documentary on the career of the legendary French murder Henri Désiré Landru – who was executed in 1922, having murdered at least ten women, two dogs and one boy.
Chaplin was so intrigued by the idea that he paid Welles $5000 for it. The agreement was signed in 1941, but Chaplin took four more years to complete the script. In the meantime the irritating distractions of a much-publicised and ugly paternity suit had been compensated by his brilliantly successful marriage to Oona O’Neill.

In the late 1940s, America¹s Cold War paranoia reached its peak, and Chaplin, as a foreigner with liberal and humanist sympathies, was a prime target for political witch-hunters. This was the start of Chaplin’s last and unhappiest period in the United States, which he was definitively to leave in 1952.

Limelight (1952)

Not surprisingly, then, in choosing his next subject he deliberately sought escape from disagreeable contemporary reality. He found it in bitter-sweet nostalgia for the world of his youth – the world of the London music halls at the opening of the 20th century, where he had first discovered his genius as an entertainer.

With this strong underlay of nostalgia, Chaplin was at pains to evoke as accurately as possible the London he remembered from half a century before and it is clear from the preparatory notes for the film that the character of Calvero had a very similar childhood to Chaplin’s own. Limelight's story of a once famous music hall artist whom nobody finds amusing any longer may well have been similarly autobiographical as a sort of nightmare scenario.
Chaplin’s son Sydney plays the young, talented pianist who vies with Calvero for the young ballerina’s heart, and several other Chaplin family members participated in the film. It was when on the boat travelling with his family to the London premiere of Limelight that Chaplin learned that his re-entry pass to the United States had been rescinded based on allegations regarding his morals and politics.
Chaplin therefore remained in Europe, and settled with his family at the Manoir de Ban in Corsier sur Vevey, Switzerland, with view of lake and mountains. What a difference from California. He and Oona went on to have four more children, making a total of eight.

A King in New York

With A King in New York Charles Chaplin was the first film-maker to dare to expose, through satire and ridicule, the paranoia and political intolerance which overtook the United States in the Cold War years of the 1940s and 50s. Chaplin himself had bitter personal experience of the American malaise of that time. [...]
To take up film making again, as an exile, was a challenging undertaking. He was now nearing 70. For almost forty years he had enjoyed the luxury of his own studio and a staff of regular employees, who understood his way of work. Now though he had to work with strangers, in costly and unfriendly rented studios. [...] The film shows the strain.

In 1966 he produced his last picture, “A Countess from Hong Kong” for Universal Pictures, his only film in colour, starring Sophia Loren and Marlon Brando. The film started as a project called Stowaway in the 1930s, planned for Paulette Goddard. Chaplin appears briefly as a ship steward, Sydney once again has an important role, and three of his daughters have small parts in the film. The film was unsuccessful at the box office, but Petula Clark had one or two hit records with songs from the soundtrack music and the music continues to be very popular.

Last Years

Chaplin’s versatility extended to writing, music and sports. He was the author of at least four books, "My Trip Abroad", "A Comedian Sees the World", "My Autobiography", "My Life in Pictures" as well as all of his scripts. An accomplished musician, though self-taught, he played a variety of instruments with equal skill and facility (playing violin and cello left-handed).
He was also a composer, having written and published many songs, among them: "Sing a Song"; "With You Dear in Bombay"; and "There’s Always One You Can’t Forget",
"Smile", "Eternally", "You are My Song", as well as the soundtracks for all his filmsCharles Chaplin was one of the rare comedians who not only financed and produced all his films (with the exception of "A Countess from Hong Kong"), but was the author, actor, director and soundtrack composer of them as well.
He died on Christmas day 1977, survived by eight children from his last marriage with Oona O’Neill, and one son from his short marriage to Lita Grey.

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Japan Nuclear Crisis:TEPCO still working on plan to end crisis

The operator of Japan's crippled nuclear plant said on Wednesday it was still working on a detailed plan to end the country's nuclear crisis a month after it began, as tests showed radiation levels in the sea near the plant had spiked.
Engineers moved a step closer to emptying highly radioactive water from one of the six crippled reactors, which would allow them to start repairing the cooling system crucial to regaining control of the reactors.
Japan's nuclear safety agency said the latest tests showed radiation nearly doubled last week, to 23 times above legal limits, in the sea off Minamisoma city near the plant.
A series of strong aftershocks this week has rattled eastern Japan, slowing the recovery effort at the Fukushima Daiichi plant due to temporary evacuations of workers and power outages.
The beleaguered president of operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) (9501.T) said the situation at the nuclear plant, wrecked by a 15-metre tsunami on March 11, had stabilised.
But TEPCO president Masataka Shimizu said the firm was still preparing a blueprint to end the crisis, now rated on a par with the world's worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
"As instructed by Prime Minister Kan we are working out the specific details of how to handle the situation so they can be disclosed as soon as possible," a relaxed-looking Shimizu told a news conference in Tokyo.
Shimizu has been largely absent from the recovery operation, spending time in hospital and only visiting the area on Monday. He refused to comment on public calls for his resignation, and again apologised to the Japanese people for the crisis.
"We are making the utmost effort to bring the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi to a cold shutdown and halt the spread of radiation," he said.

TEPCO's Tokyo head office has been the target of angry protests over the nuclear crisis and authorities took no chances on Wednesday, with riot trucks and security officers guarding the front gate during the news conference.
Latest data shows much more radiation leaked from the Daiichi plant in the early days of the crisis than first thought, prompting officials to rate it on a par with the Chernobyl disaster.
But experts were quick to point out the two crises were vastly different in terms of radiation contamination.
There have been fears of contamination among Japan's neighbours, but China said the impact there had been small, noting the radiation was just one percent of what it had experienced from Chernobyl.
The toll of the disaster is rising. More than 13,000 people have been confirmed dead, and on Wednesday the government cut its outlook for the economy, in recession for almost 15 years, for the first time in six months.
"The biggest risks, or uncertain factors for the economy, are when power supplies will recover, whether the nuclear situation will keep from worsening," Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano said.

WorD IlluSions

This one is pretty strange. Just look at the words below. Doesn't make any sense, does it? Now sit back and try to read the text. The text will explain itself.

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What do you read here? Most people will read evil, but some will see the good in life at the first time.

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Somewhat simular to the previous illusion. When you don't see the womans reflection in the mirror, you'll read hate. But when you see her reflection, you'll see her true self.

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When looking at the following illusion, you'll probably read the word Life. But when you look closer, you'll see the characters are pretty messed up.

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Another double word illusion. Most people will see the word "Me" in brown directly. Only few will think about others the first time and see the other word.

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The following illusion looks like a couple of blocks don't doing anything. Can you see the words within these blocks? Try closing your eyes just a little bit, looking through your eyelashes.

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This is a double word illusion that fits exactly in this topic. Which two words are spelled here?

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Read the text in the triangle below out loud.

Did you read I love Paris in the springtime? If so, you're wrong. Look again and check what is really spelled.

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In this illusion you'll read the word Teach and the reflection of it. Can you read the second word (the reflection) too?

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The following four illusions show faces of people. The faces are created with words, showed both sides of the person. Can you see what person it is and which words they're spelled in?

Scintillation Grid

Try counting the tiny black dots.

Japan nuclear Crisis: At par with Chernobyl.

Japan raised the severity of its nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to a level 7 from 5, putting it on par with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

The rating reflects the initial severity of the crisis not the current situation which has seen radiation levels drop dramatically.

The operator of the crippled nuclear plant said that they are concerned that the radiation leakage could eventually exceed that of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Japan is struggling to regain control of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated its northeast on March 11, and is facing a major humanitarian and economic crisis.

The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) ranks nuclear incidents by their severity from 1 to a maximum of 7.

Here are some comments on the higher rating:

HIDEHIKO NISHIYAMA, A DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL AT JAPAN'S NUCLEAR and INDUSTRIAL SAFETY AUTHORITY (NISA)

We think it's very different from the accident in Chernobyl. First of all, the emission of radioactive substances is about 10 percent of the amount of Chernobyl. In the case of Chernobyl, 29 people died due to rapid absorption of massive radiation. That's not the case in Fukushima.

In the case of Fukushima, we had an explosion due to leaked hydrogen, blowing the roof off a building but the reactor containment vessel and reactor pressure vessel remains in the original shape, despite some leaks. In the case of Chernobyl, they could not keep working after the accident due to massive leaks of radioactive substances. In Fukushima, we still have engineers working to resolve the situation.

MURRAY JENNEX, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

I think raising it to the level of Chernobyl is excessive. It's nowhere near that level. Chernobyl was terrible -- it blew and they had no containment, and they were stuck.

Their containment has been holding, the only thing that hasn't is the fuel pool that caught fire. I don't see those as the same event. If they want to do that, that's fine. I think they're being overly pessimistic.

KENJI SUMITA, OSAKA UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

Raising the level to a 7 has serious diplomatic implications. It is telling people that the accident has the potential of causing trouble to our neighbours.

I think a level 7 is very extreme.

JAPAN'S NUCLEAR INDUSTRY AND SAFETY AGENCY (NISA)

According to the INES rating procedure, a provisional rating is given at the onset of an accident. The rating remains on a provisional status until the accident is deemed over, when a final rating is given upon analysis by a committee of experts. As for Daiichi the problems are still ongoing. This is a preliminary assessment, and is subject to finalisation by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

ANYTHING ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!: Japan: Tsunami warning Issued

Japan temporarily issued tsunami warnings for parts of the north-east coast on Monday following a powerful aftershock exactly a month after a magnitude-9 earthquake created huge waves that killed an estimated 28,000 people.

From: http://ping.fm/eZSac

Japan: Tsunami warning Issued

Japan temporarily issued tsunami warnings for parts of the north-east coast on Monday following a powerful aftershock exactly a month after a magnitude-9 earthquake created huge waves that killed an estimated 28,000 people.

NHK, the public broadcaster, warned of tsunami up to 2 metres high on the coast of Ibaraki prefecture after the magnitude-7.1 quake.

Although the waves were estimated to be much smaller than those that devastated Japan's north-east coast on 11 March, the meteorological agency warned people in Ibaraki to evacuate to higher ground. The warnings were later lifted.

The aftershock came as the government announced it was widening the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant due to high levels of accumulated radiation and rising fears about the long-term effects on residents' health.

The government's chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, said the current 20km evacuation zone would be extended to five other communities, including the village of Iitate, which lies 40km from the plant.

The village's 5,000 residents were told to prepare to leave their homes, although the evacuation would not take place immediately as radiation levels presented no immediate threat to health.

The Asahi newspaper said the zone would be widened to 30km in some areas, depending on wind direction, adding that residents would be given about a week to prepare.

"We have made a new decision about evacuations based on data analysis of accumulated radiation exposure information," Edano told a news conference. "There is no need to evacuate immediately."

About 70,000 people living within 20km of Fukushima Daiichi have already been evacuated, and another 130,000 living inside a band 20-30km away have been told to leave voluntarily or remain indoors due to disruption to supply lines and services.

Engineers at the plant say that although progress has been made in containing radioactive water that has built up beneath reactors, they are still no closer to restoring damaged cooling systems.

Until repairs are made they cannot cool overheated fuel rods that could cause a major leak of radiation if they go into full meltdown.

The government had ignored pressure from the International Atomic Energy Agency and environmental groups to widen the evacuation zone. The US has advised its citizens not to go within 80km of the plant.

Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for Japan's nuclear safety agency, apologised for the anxiety caused by radiation leaks, and warned that the cooling systems could take months to repair.

"It's still difficult to give a timeline regarding when we can resolve the problem," Nishiyama said. "We are very sorry for the evacuees who are anxious to see the problem resolved."

The governor of Fukushima prefecture, Yuhei Sato, criticised the decision first to ask people in the area to stay indoors, then to consider leaving and now to prepare for evacuation. "Residents are very confused about what to do," he said.

Earlier, Sato refused to meet the president of the plant's operator, Tokyo Electrical Power, Masataka Shimizu, who had travelled to Fukushima to apologise to the prefecture's people.

The tsunami warning was a chilling reminder of the events of a month ago, which were marked across the country by a moment's silence at 2.46pm.

More than 14,000 people are still missing, and 152,000 survivors are living in evacuation centres.

Reflecting on the damage to his prefecture, which is also at the centre of the nuclear power crisis, Sato said: "My chest has been ripped open by the suffering and pain that this disaster has caused the people of our prefecture. I can't find the words to express my sorrow."

The prime minister, Naoto Kan, placed a message in newspapers in several countries, including Britain, China and the United States, thanking the international community for its support.

Kan said the generosity shown towards Japan in its time of need demonstrated the human capacity for kizuna, or bonds of friendship, and vowed that Japan would emerge a stronger nation.

"We deeply appreciate the kizuna our friends from around the world have shown and I want to thank every nation, entity, and you personally, from the bottom of my heart," he said.