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Monday, June 25, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Suu Kyi's fight against oppression had high cost
Aung San Suu Kyi donned a cap and gown to receive her Civil Law Doctorate from Oxford University. Author Peter Popham discusses.
By NBC News' Tazeen Ahmad
She was already an international symbol of the fight against oppression and a unique figurehead for democracy. But, Aung San Suu Kyi --?the woman who took on Myanmar's military rulers armed with little more than the strength of her convictions -- was this week elevated to even higher status.
The end of Suu Kyi?s European tour has officially marked her arrival as a truly global political icon.?But behind the smiles and oft-witnessed stoicism that define her public persona is a story of terrible personal loss, a heart-breaking tale of personal sacrifice: Two boys who grew up without their mother and a husband who died of cancer in her absence.
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Andy Rain / EPA
Aung San Suu Kyi holds her honorary degree Tuesday at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, Britain.
It is part of the narrative that defines Suu Kyi, 67, and made her return to Europe after 24 years away even more poignant and moving.
She is the daughter of national hero Aung San, the man who secured Burma?s independence from British rule in 1947.
He was killed when Suu Kyi was just 2 years old. His death and legacy laid the foundations of her incredible future commitment to her country.
In her early 20s, she studied at Oxford University in England, where she met and fell in love with Michael Aris, the man who would become her husband. It was during this very happy marriage that Suu Kyi got what many have defined as ?her calling.?
Suu Kyi: Nobel Prize 'made me real once again'
In March 1988 her two boys, Alexander and Kim, were sleeping upstairs in their home in Oxford while she was reading quietly with Michael when a phone call came that would change their lives and Myanmar's political history forever.
Her mother was sick and needed her.
Suu Kyi packed her bags and flew back to her homeland. On arrival, she found not just a mother who was dying but a country in the midst of great political turmoil. Within months she had buried her mother and taken the lead in the non-violent struggle against a brutal military regime that was slaughtering protesters en masse.? By July 1989, she was placed under house arrest.
Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi addressed the World Economic Forum in Bangkok saying, "we just want to improve the state of Burma" and urged the international community to not be overly optimistic about her country's reform process. NBC's Ian Williams reports.
In the time that followed, Suu Kyi believed she would soon return to Oxford, but the days turned into months, the months into years. In total, she spent 24 years away from her beloved England, either in detention or unable to leave for fear of not being allowed back. She saw her sons only occasionally when the regime allowed them to visit.
Author and Journalist, Peter Popham, who has met Aung San Suu Kyi twice, wrote a biography about her called ?The Lady and The Peacock.?
"Neither she nor her husband imagined that it would lead to the destruction of the family," he said. ?Michael is on the record as saying he expected the regime to collapse before Christmas."
But many Christmases came and went and the boys turned into men, without their mother?s presence.
Earlier: Large crowds welcome Suu Kyi as she travels Thailand during world tour
A very public reunion took place last November between her and her younger son Kim, by then 33 years old. At the airport in Rangoon she cast a delicate and lonely figure but also a mother like any other desperately awaiting the arrival of her son.
Watching the video footage of it now, it's a very moving moment. Kim turns up and they smile for the cameras; she looks up proudly at her tall, handsome son. It had been 10 years since she had last seen him and she had then never met her grandchildren.
There are many conflicting rumors about her older son, Alexander, who did not attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, last weekend. Some say he has found it difficult to forgive his mother's absence.
In an ITN interview Tuesday, Suu Kyi had a pragmatic response: ?We have never spoken of forgiveness as such,? she said, ?but we also have to remember that although my sons may not have had me near them, their position was so much better than that of many young people in Burma.?
For the first time in nearly a quarter century, Myanmar's opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has left her country for a journey overseas, first to Bangkok and later to Europe. NBC's Ian Williams reports.
But what about her? Was she a mother who made a painful sacrifice for her country?
'Stubborn streak'
Popham said that she did not view this as sacrifice but more as a choice with the agreement of her sons and husband.?
"Many people wonder why she has been unable to express her feelings for the loss of her family,? he said, ?and they think that maybe this is because she is rather a cold person to whom the family doesn?t mean much, but this is a serious misunderstanding.?
Her ?stubborn streak? -- a personal trait she referred to when in London this week -- may have had a big role to play, as may have a certain lightness of being. She keeps a poker face, notable during her trip this week, but it is also interjected with moments of mischief.
All her speeches have been peppered with irreverent references and she was often caught grinning broadly; a sense of humor never seems far away.
Bono, of the band U2, a long-time supporter, told me that she combines charisma with a unique determination.
?She is still inside herself,? he said, ?And steely; there is a toughness as well as a tenderness.?
Her Buddhist meditation practice is said to have helped her during her longest and darkest moments, as has her own childhood marked with control, resolve and poise. These were coping mechanisms that got her through the last two decades.
Popham said she was always careful not to reveal what she really thought.
?She was an extremely devoted mother and housewife and the separation for years was certainly something that was never envisaged.? He continued, ?She?s never spoken about it, spoken about the pain that she undoubtedly endured because to do so would be a way of telling the military regime your strategy is working. I am suffering.?
When asked this week about the family she left behind, she was as direct and confident in her answer as ever.
"I don't feel good about it,? she said, ?but on the other hand I think that in the end one decides what one's priorities are, and one lives with one's decisions."
She?s had a quarter of a century to make peace with those decisions. Her return to the U.K. must have been overwhelmingly bittersweet.
But, long accustomed to being a woman who keeps her feelings private, in Dublin she told me simply that her trip had been ?absolutely stupendous.?
More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
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African American History in Washington DC Part II
This?is a program on African American work and life in Washington, D.C., especially in the area around the White House known as President's Park. Speakers include?Alexandra Lane, Rights and Reproductions Coordinator for the White House Historical Association, and Elizabeth Dowling Taylor, author of A Slave in the White House: Paul Jennings and the Madisons. This event took place at St. John's Church on the edge of President's Park.
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Party Poker Celebrates Canada Day With $10,000 Freeroll
This week Party Poker wrapped up its World Series of Poker 2012 satellites, but with the end of one promotion always comes the beginning of another, and this one targets players north of the U.S. border.
On July 1, 2012 Party Poker is celebrating Canada Day with a $10,000 freeroll for Canadian players. From June 17 to 30, 2012, Party Poker members from Canada need only earn 5 PartyPoints or make a deposit using the code CDFREEROLL for their seat in the event.
Canadians who don?t yet have Party Poker accounts need only sign up and make their first deposit using the code CANADADAY500 (still within the above stated promotional period). That way, you?ll get credited for your first deposit bonus as well as earning your entry into the freeroll. The welcome bonus at Party Poker is currently 100% of your first deposit up to a maximum bonus of $500. Players have 60 days to claim and clear their bonus, which for Canadian players means earning 6 times the bonus amount in PartyPoints.
In addition to Party Poker?s standard promotional terms and conditions, special terms and conditions for the Canada Day $10k Freeroll apply, starting with the requirement that all participating players be in Canada. Players from Canada residing elsewhere are not eligible, whereas players from elsewhere now residing in Canada are.
Players meeting entry eligibility requirements must still register for the event manually after meeting those requirements.
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Hamas threatens to escalate attacks on Israel
JERUSALEM (AP) ? Gaza's militant Hamas rulers threatened to escalate fighting with Israel on Saturday after airstrikes killed several gunmen in the coastal territory, and Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel wounded one person and damaged an elementary school in the country's south.
The two sides periodically clash, but this flare-up was the most serious in months. It started with an attack by a little known al-Qaida-inspired Palestinian militant group but has extended to drag in Hamas.
Hamas has largely stayed out of direct confrontation with Israel since a war more than three years ago although other factions have launched cross-border attacks.
Gaza militants fired over 30 rockets and mortar shells on Saturday alone, bringing the week's rocket tally to more than 150, according to the Israeli military.
Over a million people in southern Israel live in range of the rockets and the Israeli military has advised the residents to make sure they can get to a bomb shelter quickly.
An Egyptian official in Ramallah said that he is trying to broker a cease-fire between the Palestinian militant groups and Israel. He said he hoped calm would be restored by late Saturday. Egypt traditionally plays a mediating role between the sides.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing. Israel had no immediate official comment on the Egyptian efforts, but Hamas official Ayman Taha said his group would cease fire if Israel does. Soon after Taher spoke more rockets fired from Gaza exploded in southern Israel. It was not clear which group fired them.
A previous cease-fire reached late Tuesday did not hold long.
Military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz convened "an urgent meeting" to discuss ways of dealing with a week of persistent Palestinian attacks, a spokesman said, while Defense Minister Ehud Barak consulted with senior officials Saturday evening. There was no official statement afterward but the Israeli media reported that the decision was made "to meet fire with fire and quiet with quiet."
Israel's military said it carried out a series of airstrikes Saturday in response to the rockets. At least four militants were killed and over 20 Palestinians, both combatants and civilians, were injured, according to Gaza health official Ashraf Al Kedra.
Hamas' military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, vowed to escalate the fighting.
"If the last rounds were not enough to deliver the message ... we are ready to crush the enemy and to curb its arrogance and to respond to aggression in a strong way," the group said in a statement released Saturday afternoon.
A few hours later an Israeli airstrike killed a Gaza militant riding a scooter. The Popular Resistance Committees, a Hamas-allied militant group that often fires rockets at Israel, said he was a member. Witnesses said the force of the explosion caused a wall of a nearby building to collapse, injuring several people. The Israeli military said they targeted the militant as he was preparing to launch rockets.
In an earlier attack the same day, an Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian militant as he rode his motorcycle in Gaza. Several buildings used by Hamas, which rules the coastal territory, were also damaged.
The Israeli military said it hit "terror sites" and that it holds Hamas accountable for any attacks originating from the Gaza Strip.
Also, an Israeli was seriously wounded when a Gaza rocket smashed through a factory roof. Rockets from Gaza also hit a school in the Israeli border town of Sderot. The school was closed for the weekend so no one was hurt but the building was damaged. Several other Israelis were injured in Palestinian rocket attacks this past week.
"We have been enduring years of relentless Palestinian escalations and this is just one of them," said David Buskila, mayor of the Israeli border town Sderot where the school was hit. "We trust the Israeli military and government to restore calm," he said.
The spike in violence began Monday when two gunmen infiltrated into Israel along its border with Egypt's Sinai peninsula and killed an Israeli Arab construction worker who was part of a crew building a border security fence meant to avert such attacks. Later, a little known al-Qaida-inspired group, the Mujahedeen Shura Council of Jerusalem, claimed responsibility for the attack and identified the gunmen as an Egyptian and a Saudi.
Since then, Gaza gunmen have fired barrages of rockets and mortar rounds at Israel, wounding several Israelis and damaging apartment buildings. Israel has carried out airstrikes on militant targets that killed at least 12 Palestinians and wounded dozens so far.
Meanwhile, Gaza health official Ashraf Al Kedra said a boy was killed in a playground during an airstrike Saturday morning in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it had not attacked that area.
Military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich later called the allegation a "false rumor" and said that according to intelligence information, the boy was killed by "ordinance belonging to one of the terror groups." Palestinian rockets often misfire and explode inside Gaza.
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The fundamental Considerations for Picking out a Professional Tax ...
June 24th, 2012 by admin | Print
Another tax months are upon us and taxpayers are deciding the very best avenue for preparation of these returns. The general public choose professional tax preparer services to tackle the responsibility of properly completing and filing their returns.
Needless to say, many taxpayers already have relationships with tax practitioners. But deciding on a new taxes preparer is normal because making a switch is easy. Plus, unlicensed small tax practices have to stop operating by recent legal requirements. Tax preparers face mandates for CPE courses and renewal fees for Preparer Tax Identification Numbers.
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Superb advice a tax preparer can render to prospective clients is pointing out the value of examining their prior year returns. Many people think they?ve simple tax statements but they really have plenty of complicated considerations. By seeing should they understand every line on their tax forms, they could measure the advantages of a specialist with tax preparer certification. Expertise in distinctive tax areas is specially important.
Tax professionals often must stress value of preparer knowledge. Way too many taxpayers are worried with price rather than accuracy. About 200 dollars isn?t unreasonable for an accurate tax return. But an inferior fee is justified in the event the return isn?t complete or accurate. People providing tax services without accuracy guarantees are cheap for any reason. Individuals that desire to assure all earnings are correctly reported and all available tax credits are calculated will select a true tax professional with a proper license and training.
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In addition to accuracy guarantees, pricing, and professional credentials, tax practitioners distinguish themselves in alternative methods. Examples are providing extended work hours and year-round operation.
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Illinois fugitives arrested in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A manhunt that began with a deadly shooting in Illinois ended Saturday in the eastern New Mexico city of Tucumcari.
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested 20-year-old Carlton Neely and 22-year-old James Edward Johnson outside a truck stop early Saturday morning without incident after spotting one of the men buying food inside.
Murder warrants were issued for the men on June 15 in Illinois after the Marshals Service said the two men shot at least four people, killing one.
The Marshals Service said the pair fled to California, and investigators were able to track them to Arizona and then New Mexico.
After authorities combed Tucumcari area hotels for the men, a deputy saw Edwards buying food at a truck stop and notified his colleagues outside.
They're awaiting extradition back to Illinois.
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