12-Year-Old Des Moines, IA Peace Activist Faces Trespassing Charge for Antiwar Protest at Offices of Sen. Harkin

We turn now to an antiwar mother and daughter from Des Moines, Iowa. Last week, Renee Lynn Espeland was charged with “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” after her twelve-year-old daughter Frankie Hughes refused to leave Senator Tom Harkin’s office while protesting the war funding in the current appropriations bill. This week, the Des Moines police dropped the charges against Espeland, but her daughter still faces a trespassing charge.
We turn now to an antiwar mother and daughter from Des Moines, Iowa. Last week Renee Lynn Espeland was charged with “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” after her 12-year-old daughter Frankie Hughes refused to leave Senator Tom Harkin’s office while protesting the war funding in the current Appropriations bill. Frankie Hughes was also charged with trespassing.

At the time Police Sgt David Murillo told the Des Moines Register: “I understand and fully appreciate a person’s constitutional right to free speech. However, this was a case of brining a child into a criminal arena.”

Well, this week the Des Moines police dropped the charges against Renee Espeland. Her daughter will still have to see someone in Juvenile Court over the delinquency charge of trespassing.

For more on this story we’re joined now via Democracy Now! video stream by twelve year old Frankie Hughes and her mother Renee Espeland.

Frankie Hughes, twelve-year-old who was charged with trespassing after protesting war funding at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin’s office last week.

For more on this story we’re joined now via Democracy Now! video stream by twelve year old Frankie Hughes and her mother Renee Espeland.

Renee Espeland, charged with “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” last week after her twelve-year-old daughter refused to leave a protest at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin’s office. The charge was dropped this week.



http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/15/war_protest

Turkey

Turkey is a beautiful country with many great values and long traditions. Heritage runs deep in those lands. For certain a place anyone should love to visit.




Interesting facts about turkey

Turkey’s highest peak, Mt. Ararat, was supposed to be the resting place of Noah’s Ark after the flood.

Adana, Turkey (where I visited) is on the route Mark Anthony took to Tarsus to meet Cleopatra.

97% of Turkey is in Asia, and 3% is in Europe.

Istanbul was once known as Byzantium and later as Constantinople.

99% of the population is Islam. The Turks do respect your freedom to worship as you please. However, you may not interfere with another person’s choice of beliefs. Sorry, no “spreading the word” here.

The Turkish fishing industry’s #1 catch: Anchovies!!

It is against the law to insult a Turkish citizen, the flag, the currency, and especially the country’s founder, Ataturk. These are punishable by jail! Average sentence: 2-3 years.

The automatic sentence for possession or use of heroine or cocaine: life in prison.
The current exchange rate is $1 US = 660,000 Turkish Lira. A “Million Lira Bill” is worth $1.50. (2001)
(The rate has changed to 900,000 Turkish Lire = $1 US in 2002)

Turkey covers over 300,000 square miles and is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It has a dry climate, with hot, sunny summers and cold winters. The population is 61,000,000.

The nomadic forebears of the modern Turks came out of Central Asia in the 11th Century, conquered the Arab and Byzantine Empires, and set themselves up as rulers. It was at this time Islam replaced Christianity as the principle religion of the region.

The modern Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal (later Ataturk) from a portion of the Ottoman Empire, following the empire’s collapse as a result of World War I (1914-1918). Mustafa Ataturk is revered throughout Turkey. It is his teachings and philosophies that guide modern Turkey. At the birth of the country in 1923, less than 10% of the population was literate. Now that rate is 82%. School is mandatory for children for 5 years. Unfortunately, in 1995, only 63% of children were enrolled in secondary school (middle/high school). Ataturk taught the people to be kind, honest, and hard working.

Adana and Incirlik are located in Southeast Turkey near Tarsus (see the red arrow on the map)

Notice the neighboring countries: Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. Tough neighborhood!

Source

Syria

Syria is a country located in the middle east. It borders Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, Jordan,Iraq and Turkey.

It has great history of almost all known civilization. Almost every empire somehow was involved in that land.

Geography
Area: 185,170 sq. km. (71,504 sq. mi.), including 1,295 sq. km. of Israeli-occupied territory; about the size of North Dakota.
Cities: Capital--Damascus (pop. 4 million). Other cities--Aleppo (4.2 million), Homs (1.6 million), Hama (1.4 million), Idleb (1.3 million), al-Hasakeh (1.2 million), Dayr al-Zur (1.1), Latakia (0.9 million), Dar'a (0.9), al-Raqqa (0.8), and Tartous (0.7).
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain with a double mountain belt in the west; large, semiarid and desert plateau to the east.
Climate: Mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Syrian(s).
Population (2005 est.)*: 18.6 million.
Growth rate (2005 est.): 2.45%.
Major ethnic groups: Arabs (90%), Kurds (9%), Armenians, Circassians, Turkomans.
Religions: Sunni Muslims (74%), Alawis (12%), Christians (10%), Druze (3%), and small numbers of other Muslim sects, Jews, and Yazidis.
Languages: Arabic (official), English (widely understood in major cities only), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian.
Education (2005 est.): Years compulsory--primary, 6 yrs. Attendance--97.9%. Literacy--92.5%; 87.9% male, 73.9% female.
Health (2004): Infant mortality rate--17.1/1,000. Life expectancy--68.47 yrs. male, 71.02 yrs. female.
Work force (6.1 million, 2004 est.): Services (including government); agriculture; industry and commerce.

Government
Type: Republic, under Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party regimes since March 1963.
Independence: April 17, 1946.
Constitution: March 13, 1973.
Branches: Executive--president, two vice presidents, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--unicameral People's Council. Judicial--Supreme Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, Court of Cassation, State Security Courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 13 provinces and city of Damascus (administered as a separate unit).
Political parties: Arab Socialist Resurrection (Ba'ath) Party, Syrian Arab Socialist Party, Arab Socialist Union, Syrian Communist Party, Arab Socialist Unionist Movement, Democratic Socialist Union Party, and some 15 very small quasi-tolerated political parties, generally considered opposition-oriented but enfeebled and reluctant to challenge the government.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.

Economy (2005 est.)
GDP (2005 nominal)*: $27.3 billion.
Real growth rate*: 2.9%.
Per capita GDP*: $1464.
Natural resources: Crude oil and natural gas, phosphates, asphalt, rock salt, marble, gypsum, iron ore, chrome, and manganese ores.
Agriculture: Products--cotton, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruits and vegetables. Arable land--32%.
Industry: Types--mining, manufacturing (textiles, food processing), construction, petroleum.
Trade: Exports--$10.2 billion: petroleum, textiles, phosphates, antiquities, fruits and vegetables, cotton. Major markets--EU, Arab countries, United States, New Independent States, Eastern Europe. Imports--$10.8 billion: foodstuffs, metal and metal products, machinery, textiles, petroleum. Major suppliers--Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, China, U.S., Japan.

*according to IMF statistics

PEOPLE
Ethnic Syrians are of Semitic stock. Syria's population is 90% Muslim--74% Sunni, and 16% other Muslim groups, including the Alawi, Shi'a, and Druze--and 10% Christian. There also is a tiny Syrian Jewish community.

Arabic is the official, and most widely spoken, language. Arabs, including some 500,000 Palestinian and up to 1.3 million Iraqi refugees, make up 90% of the population. Many educated Syrians also speak English or French, but English is the more widely understood. The Kurds, many of whom speak the banned Kurdish language, make up 9% of the population and live mostly in the northeast corner of Syria, though sizable Kurdish communities live in most major Syrian cities as well. Armenian and Turkic are spoken among the small Armenian and Turkoman populations.

Most people live in the Euphrates River valley and along the coastal plain, a fertile strip between the coastal mountains and the desert. Overall population density is about 140 per sq. mi. Education is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 11. Schooling consists of 6 years of primary education followed by a 3-year general or vocational training period and a 3-year academic or vocational program. The second 3-year period of academic training is required for university admission. Total enrollment at post-secondary schools is over 150,000. The literacy rate of Syrians aged 15 and older is 88% for males and 74%for females.

Ancient Syria's cultural and artistic achievements and contributions are many. Archaeologists have discovered extensive writings and evidence of a brilliant culture rivaling those of Mesopotamia and Egypt in and around the ancient city of Ebla. Later Syrian scholars and artists contributed to Hellenistic and Roman thought and culture. Zeno of Sidon founded the Epicurean school; Cicero was a pupil of Antiochus of Ascalon at Athens; and the writings of Posidonius of Apamea influenced Livy and Plutarch. Syrians have contributed to Arabic literature and music and have a proud tradition of oral and written poetry. Although declining, the world-famous handicraft industry still employs thousands.

Get History and more details at the source

This is the Ummayad Mosque in the heart of Damascus and Many Muslims believe it's the place where Jesus-pbuh will make his return to.

Even with it's high Muslim population, there are many Christian communities and some jewish as well. This has been the way for hundreds of years. They mostly are living in peace and on mutual agreement.

It's a beautiful Place and has many great people.

afghanistan

Afghanistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان
(Persian: Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Afġānistān)
د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت
(Pashto: De Afγānistān Islāmi J̌amhuriyat)

Flag Emblem

Anthem: Milli Tharana


Capital
(and largest city) Kabul
34°31′N 69°08′E / 34.517°N 69.133°E / 34.517; 69.133
Official languages Dari (Persian), Pashto[1]
Demonym Afghan[alternatives]
Government Islamic republic
- President Hamid Karzai
- Vice President Ahmad Zia Massoud
- Vice President Karim Khalili
- Chief Justice Abdul Salam Azimi
Establishment
- First Afghan state[2] October 1747
- Independence from the United Kingdom August 19, 1919
Area
- Total 647,500 km2 (41st)
251,772 sq mi
- Water (%) 0
Population
- 2008 estimate 32,738,376 (37th)
- 1979 census 13,051,358
- Density 46/km2 (150th)
119/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
- Total $21.340 billion[3] (96th)
- Per capita $758[3] (172nd)
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
- Total $12.061 billion[3]
- Per capita $428[3]
HDI (2007) 0.345 (low) (174)
Currency Afghani (AFN)
Time zone D† (UTC+4:30)
Drives on the right
Internet TLD .af
Calling code 93
Afghanistan (pronounced /æfˈɡænɨstæn/[4]), officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia. It is variously designated as geographically located within Central Asia,[5][6] South Asia,[7][8] and the Middle East.[9] It is bordered by Iran in the south and west, Pakistan in the south and east, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast.

Afghanistan is a crossroads between the East and the West, and has been an ancient focal point of trade and migration. It has an important geostrategic location, connecting South and Central Asia and Middle East. Because of this, the land has been a target of various invaders and conquerors, as well as a source from which local powers invaded surrounding regions to form their own empires. Ahmad Shah Durrani created the Durrani Empire in 1747, which is considered the beginning of modern Afghanistan.[10] Subsequently, the capital was shifted to Kabul and most of its territories ceded to former neighboring countries. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in "The Great Game" played between the British Indian Empire and Russian Empire.[11] On August 19, 1919, following the third Anglo-Afghan war, the country regained full independence from the United Kingdom over its foreign affairs.

Since the late 1970s Afghanistan has suffered continuous and brutal civil war in addition to foreign interventions in the form of the 1979 Soviet invasion and the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban government. In late 2001 the United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). This force is composed of NATO troops that are involved in assisting the government of President Hamid Karzai in establishing the writ of law as well as rebuilding key infrastructures in the nation. In 2005, the United States and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship. In the meantime, multi-billion US dollars have also been provided by the international community for the reconstruction of the country.

A poor but Fierce Country
Afghanistan is one of the world's poorest countries, yet if history is a guide, it could be as formidable as any military foe the United States has ever faced.
According to United Nations statistics, the per-capita Gross Domestic Product in Afghanistan as of 1998 was $178 -- compared to $32,788 in the United States that year.
Afghanistan's child mortality figures are also among the worst in the world -- of every 1,000 children born, 257 never make it past the age of 5. Life expectancy is 45, 20 years less than the world average.
''Afghanistan is not at all affluent and has been knocked even further down by the wars (of the past two decades),'' said University of Georgia history professor Douglas Northrop, a Russian history specialist who lived for two years in one of Afghanistan's neighboring countries, the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan.
An environmentally degraded country, it is the world's top producer of opium, according to the CIA.
For women's rights and human rights advocates, it is also a top candidate for public enemy No. 1. After the ruling Taliban took over most of Afghanistan in 1996, its new rules included many restrictions on women. Schools for girls were shut down and women are forbidden to hold jobs.
Yet it is a country that has defeated more than one world superpower in its history -- most recently the Soviet Union, which fell apart in 1990 just 10 months after withdrawing from its 10-year war in Afghanistan.
An estimated 15,000 Soviet soldiers died fighting the U.S.-backed Afghan freedom fighters, who lost 1 million soldiers to win the war.

The Region of the Philippines

The philippines has a great deal of beautiful islands over a spread of land, very euniqe, with many different backgrounds and cultures.



The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands[9] in the western Pacific Ocean.



The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country, with a population of about 90 million people.[4][10] Its national economy is the 45th largest in the world, with an estimated 2008 gross domestic product (GDP) of over US$ 168.6 billion (nominal).[11] There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, estimate about 11% of the population.


Land area: 115,124 sq mi (298,171 sq km); total area: 115,830 sq mi (300,000 sq km)

Population (2009 est.): 97,976,603 (growth rate: 1.9%); birth rate: 26.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 20.5/1000; life expectancy: 71.1; density per sq mi: 791

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Manila, 10,677,000 (metro. area), 1,581,082 (city proper)

Other large cities: Quezon City (2000 est.), 1,669,776 (part of Manila metro. area); Cebu (2003 est.), 761,900 Provided by infoplease

A former colony of Spain, and the United States, the Philippines is one of two predominant Roman Catholic countries in Asia, the other being East Timor. There are also a number of minority religious groups, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other beliefs. Multiple ethnicities, and cultures are found throughout the islands. Ecologically, the Philippines is one of the most diverse countries in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines


A Great Site with many details about the philipines
Get it here