The Day Democracy Died

I know who killed JFK

http://www.jfkmurdersolved.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Action_(film)

The Custodian

I'm a custodian

I clean up dirt

It's a dirty world

somebody's got to do it

I'm cleaning up around here

"bedazzled"

The Devil threatens revenge on God by unleashing all the tawdry and shallow technological curses of the modern age:

"All right, you great git, you've asked for it. I'll cover the world in Tastee-Freez and Wimpy Burgers. I'll fill it full of concrete runways, motorways, aircraft, television and automobiles, advertising, plastic flowers and frozen food, supersonic bangs. I'll make it so noisy and disgusting that even you'll be ashamed of yourself."

"bedazzled" 1967 Trailer

Grigori Perelman

You can read the book: Perfect Rigor

I am reading the book right now. Since I am given the opportunity by Oberon to write in this site; here you have it.

My point is that Mathematical Science appears anywhere for no particular reason. At some point in Greece, a group of free thinkers started the Western Tradition of Mathematics and Philosophy. Why Greece? Put your favorite answer here. Mine is that a brotherhood developed between a group of like minded individuals there; maybe encouraged by an open mind about homosexual love. Now jump to middle XX^th Russia. In the most unlikely place, two men fall in love: Pavel Alexandrov, and Andrey Kolmogorov .

That is as unlikely as a butterfly wing flapping: producing one of the most successful Mathematics traditions to appear on this Earth since the classic Greek period.

I believe that the ways of the World are mysterious.

Who Killed The Electric Car?

Multinational Corporate Fascism

A Corporatocracy is a form of government where corporations, conglomerates or government entities with private components, control the direction and governance of a country.

This belief has two factors: campaign finance and special interests, also includes government ownership.

First, corporations provide financial support to competing political parties and major political party candidates. This allows the corporations to hedge their bets on the outcome of an election so that they are assured to have a winner who is en-debted to them. As politicians are increasingly dependent on campaign contributions to become elected, their objectiveness on issues which concern corporate interests is compromised.

Second, in many cases former corporate executives are appointed as powerful decision makers within government institutions. They are often charged with the regulation of their former or future employers. Government employees who collude with corporations often accept high ranking positions within corporations once they have demonstrated their commitment to serve the corporate interest. These lucrative offers provide incentive for government employees to serve special interests as well as provides their new employers with access to governmental decision makers. This is known as the "revolving door" between corporations and the institutions established to regulate their behavior; and can lead to regulatory capture. (read more) (additional reading)

(Zeitgeist: Addendum) (Zeitgeist: The Movie)

Lamentations from a Lifelong Democrat

I have been a Democrat my entire adult life. I anticipated that the last election could usher in a new time in which the peoples’ interests would at last be served. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has demonstrated that this was an idle hope. It seems that powerful corporate interests continue to prevail. The needs of the vast majority of Americans, with many in serious economic difficulty, are treated as entirely secondary to the wishes of the one percent of the population that controls a disproportionate amount of the nation’s wealth.

This failure to represent the national interest is readily demonstrated by the way the entire health reform issue has been handled by the party that holds such a commanding majority in the legislative and executive branches. It took nearly a year of wasted and ludicrous maneuvering for the only meaningful aspect of the proposed legislation, the public option, to be summarily discarded based on the supposed power of the Republicans in Congress, who seem to march in mindless lock-step with their party’s reactionary principles. Now that the Democrats have finally come to the conclusion that they need to proceed via the route of reconciliation where a simple majority is required, the public option is nowhere in sight. If there is legislation passed, it seems likely that the there will once again be a mass transfer of public monies to private interests – this time it’s the health insurance companies who will reap a bountiful harvest.

I am also wondering aloud what happened to energy policy designed to help avert the eventuality of climate change. There is now serious mention of the use of clean coal, an oxymoron, and nuclear power and no real effort to control carbon dioxide emissions. I find it quite intriguing how the powerful always seem to get their way regardless of what party happens to be in power. This is certainly not our country and the politicians obviously do not serve us; although, that seems to be the prevailing rhetoric.

I strongly urge the President and the Democratic members of Congress to reconsider the course they are taking, for without meaningful reform the future of our nation remains in serious jeopardy.

OMM 0910

My time is yours...
Very good, proceed...
Yes, I understand...
Yes, fine...
Yes... yes, I understand...
Yes, fine...
Excellent...
Yes...
Could you be more... specific?
You are a true believer.
Blessings of the state,
blessings of the masses.
Thou art a subject of the divine.
Created in the image of man,
by the masses, for the masses.
Let us be thankful we have an occupation to fill.
Work hard; increase production,
prevent accidents, and be happy.
Let us be thankful we have commerce.
Buy more. Buy more now. Buy more and be happy.

I'm A Lucky, Lucky Man

Dr. Edgar D. Mitchell - Apollo 14

Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, the sixth man ever to walk on the moon, has a message for all citizens of Earth: We are not alone.

"We are being visited," the 79-year-old grandfatherly "spacefarer" told 100 or so UFOlogists gathered at a National Press Club conference called by the Paradigm Research Group (motto: "It's not about lights in the sky; it's about lies on the ground").

"It is now time to put away this embargo of truth about the alien presence," said the astronaut who made the longest moonwalk in history. "I call upon our government to open up ... and become a part of this planetary community that is now trying to take our proper role as a spacefaring civilization."

(read more)

(Dr.Edgar Mitchell)

Master of the Universe

"A Fighting Man of Mars"
Frank Frazetta

One Thousand

This is post number

One Thousand!!!

Thank you

Globalove Think Tank Members

If you want to join
Globalove Think Tank
send me an e-mail.

I Lost my Password

All of us have a key to our thoughts. It is deep and therefore hard to reach. Imagine it is a password. All the thinking you have done is stored there. What happens when you lose your password?

If your thoughts do represent what happens outside of your brain, you can recover your thoughts. If they do not represent reality, who cares?

Loosing this password, may not be as bad as it seems.

Warrior For Peace

I am a Warrior

I fight for Truth

I fight for Love

I am a Warrior for Peace

Sometimes I stumble and fall

but I get back up

I am proud to be an American

Do not mistake my love of peace for weakness

I am a Warrior for Peace

Have any Peace on today?

It seems like peace is becoming something that is fashionable, but not for the right reasons. Especially with products marketed towards young women, peace must be profitable. I see peace symbols on shoulder bags with a catchy peace slogan stitched next to it. I see peace emblems on necklaces, ear rings, and bracelets. I see it all over the place, but it's worn passively, as if it were just another brand to be slathered across merchandise.

Peace is something stronger than that. Merely placing it on bags and t-shirts seems to be degrading in a manner of speaking. I'm not trying to place a negative connotation on peace being fashionable, I just want it to be fashionable for the right reasons. The people who wear the merchandise don't often understand or care about the meaning of the symbol they wear. It's more of a lifestyle choice than it's being made out to be.

Peace is something that needs to be fought for (non-violently), not reduced to a stylish flare on a handbag being carted through the local shopping mall.

Tilikum

Marine mammal trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed today at SeaWorld Orlando by a 30 year old, 5 ton orca by the name of "Tilikum".

Tilikum has been involved in two other deaths of humans in the past.

We have no business making circus clowns out of killer whales.

Captivity is abusive to these animals.

I urge everyone to boycott SeaWorld Marine Parks.

(read more)

Amartya Sen - An alternative economic paradigm

Amartya Kumar Sen was born on November 3, 1933 and is the sole recipient of the 1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on welfare economics. He is currently a Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University. He is also a fellow of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. He is known for his astute analysis of economic theory in relation to the actual realities that haunt the underprivileged in the world, such as famine, homelessness and unemployment.

Sen comes from East Bengal, India in what is now called Bangladesh. His family is very distinguished with strong roots in academia and government. As a nine-year-old boy, he witnessed the horrendous famine that devastated Bengal in 1943, in which three million people perished. He would later conclude that this terrible loss of life was unnecessary. This experience must have exerted a powerful influence upon where his future career would take him.

In his seminal work entitled, Development as Freedom, Amartya Sen claims that “enhancement of human freedom is both the main object and the primary means of development.” In his view freedom encompasses economic facilities, political freedoms, social opportunities, transparency guarantees and protective security. In his view, freedom is not simply a political attribute, but has very practical manifestations such as accessibility to adequate health care, housing, etc.

Amartya Sen, a Noble prize laureate in economics, has proposed a different model for economic development. While obviously a proponent of free trade, he envisions a very different approach to its implementation. He identifies the traditional ethics, exemplified in the policies of the IMF and World Bank, as focusing on the primacy of income and wealth. Furthermore, he defines poverty as a “deprivation of elementary capabilities which can lead to premature mortality, illiteracy and other consequences.”

He has postulated a freedom-based orientation to policies geared towards economic development. The author states that, “With adequate social opportunities, individuals can effectively shape their own destiny and help each other. They need not be seen primarily as passive recipients of cunning development programs.”

This different perspective allows application not only to developing countries but also to the developed world. The fact that tens of millions of Americans lack access to adequate health care provides a striking example. A link between income and mortality can also be readily established. The life expectancy of African Americans compare to poor countries such as China, Sri Lanka, Jamaica and Costa Rica.

In this view of development, a consideration of personal liberties cannot be divorced from economic consequences. The link between income and poverty is, of course, self evident. Freedom can be seen not only as residing in so-called political freedoms, i.e. freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, but also dependent on those aspects of economic life that are fundamental to living successfully, i.e. adequate health care, housing and food, referred to as substantive freedoms. What good are political freedoms to those who expend all their energy simply trying to survive?

In this paradigm, development is seen in terms of substantive freedoms and requires an analysis of the unfreedoms that people may suffer. This differs substantially from the current operational approach of the traditional institutions. The IMF’s approach to economic development often exacerbates, or, in extreme cases, creates the very inequities that make the plight of the poor even more devastating.

Sen has devoted much of his attention to the idea of justice and from this idea he has evolved his economic perspective. He has detailed his analysis of justice in his work entitled, The Idea of Justice. He has approached the theory of justice through the diagnosis of injustice. From his perspective, understanding involves reasoning and critical examination. He stresses the roles of rationality and reasonableness in understanding the demands of justice. From his perspective, he has concluded that the implementation or evaluation of social change should focus on whether or not such change would enhance justice.

In his mind, any theory of justice must, by necessity, include a diagnosis of injustice. From this perspective, injustice may either arise systemically or stem from individual behavioral transgressions. In Sen’s mind, injustice must be evaluated at the level of the individual as well as the institutions. For example, a society that prides itself on the democratic nature of its institutions may quietly condone and neglect the poverty and hunger that is a fundamental part of the lives of some of its people. Within the paradigm that Sen has proposed, this reality is an injustice in part because it is readily open to remedy. This practical consideration of real impact on social institutions on the lives of individuals represents a radical departure in regards to the analysis of the institutions themselves. Within this point of view, the emphasis is on reasoned arguments rather than relying on articles of faith and unreasoned convictions; reasoning and justice go hand in hand.

Sen invokes the age of European Enlightenment in the 18th and 19th centuries as having a positive impact on his thinking. He describes the idea of justice from two historic perspectives. The first he refers to as “transcendental institutionalism.” This represents the point of view taken by such notable philosophers as Thomas Hobbes and Rousseau. They envisioned a perfect justice that could be realized if the institutions themselves were perfected. This approach does not, however, take into account the behaviors of ordinary people and their social interactions. Sen believes this to be a major flaw, and, in many ways, an impediment to real justice.

The other perspective he refers to as “realization-focused comparisons.” This idea focuses on actual realizations and accomplishments. In defense of this approach, he cites such well-known thinkers as Adam Smith, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. As far as Sen is concerned, “The rules may be right, but what does emerge in society – the kinds of lives that people actually live.” This lies at the heart of Sen’s thinking. This point of view can be readily summarized in Sen’s own words, “The need for an accomplishment-based understanding of justice is linked with the argument that justice cannot be indifferent to the lives that people can actually live.”

Sen proposed that reason needs to be balanced by an instinctive revulsion to cruelty and to insensitive behavior and that the remedy for bad reasoning is better reasoning. Sen was strongly influenced by John Rawls in regards to formulating his theory of justice. In Sen’s scheme, justice must include the fundamental property of fairness and the use of reason. He felt that individuals have a strong inner sense of justice and a conception of the good. The following provide some insights into his thinking, “Why should we regard hunger, starvation and medical neglect to be invariably less important than the violation of any kind of personal liberty.” In his mind, justice must encompass an actual assessment of real freedoms and capabilities.

Amartya Sen applied his conceptions of justice, freedom and the use of reason to economics (On Economic Inequality, Oxford Press, 1973), and formulated an economic paradigm that challenged the conventional approaches to economic development. His sensitivity to the plight of many of the world’s people lies at the heart of his conclusions.

Dangerous

"Tanzerin" - Otto Mueller - 1903


Believe me!

The secret of reaping

the greatest fruitfulness

and the greatest enjoyment

from life is to live dangerously!

...Friedrich Nietzsche...

Finally. . .

This Explains The How & Why Of Us Still
Going From Bad To Worse...
by George Lakoff, via CommonDreams.org

A longish article, but worth the time to read it...
“A Good Week For Science —
And Insight into Politics”

As is often true with CommonDreams...
the comments are as enlightening as the article.

Nothing else.  Just - Please - Think, as you read it.

The Medicine of Altruism

Altruism: unselfish interest in the welfare of others.

"In Tibet we say that many illness can be cured by the one medicine of love and compassion. These qualities are the ultimate source of human happiness, and need for them lies at the very core of our being. Unfortunately, love and compassion have been omitted from too many spheres of social interaction for too long. Usually confined to family and home, their practice in public life is considered impractical, even naive. This is tragic. In my view point, the practice of compassion is not just a symptom of unrealistic idealism but the most effective way to pursue the best interest of others as well as our own. The more we- as a nation, a group or as individuals - depend upon others, the more it is in our own best interests to ensure their well-being."

"Practicing altruism is the real source of compromise and cooperation; merely recognizing our need for harmony is not enough. A mind committed to compassion is like an overflowing reservoir - a constant source of energy, determination and kindness. This is like a seed; when cultivated, gives rise to many other good qualities, such as forgiveness, tolerance, inner strength and the confidence to overcome fear and insecurity. The compassionate mind is like an elixir; it is capable of transforming bad situation into beneficial ones. Therefore, we should not limit our expressions of love and compassion to our family and friends. Nor is the compassion only the responsibility of clergy, health care and social workers. It is the necessary business of every part of the human community."

The Dalai Lama

(read more)

worldpopulationbalance.org

Current global population of over 6.8 billion is already two to three times higher than the sustainable level. Several recent studies show that Earth’s resources are enough to sustain only about 2 billion people at a European standard of living. An average European consumes far more resources than any of the poorest two billion people in the world. However, Europeans use only about half the resources of Americans, on average. (read more)

The Art of Peace

"...I felt the universe suddenly quake, and that a golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body, and changed my body into a golden one. At the same time my body became light. I was able to understand the whispering of the birds, and was clearly aware of the mind of God, the creator of the universe."

"At that moment I was enlightened: the source of budo is God's love - the spirit of loving protection for all beings... Budo is not the felling of an opponent by force; nor is it a tool to lead the world to destruction with arms. True Budo is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace of the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all beings in nature."

"The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood. It is not a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to compete and better one another are making a terrible mistake. To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst thing a human being can do. The real Way of a Warrior is to prevent such slaughter - it is the Art of Peace, the power of love."........Morihei Ueshiba.

(read more)

Lead The Way

Perspective. . .

A Devastatingly Realistic Perspective...
That Does Not Allow Denial.
by The Good People of GoodPlanet.org

A 1-1/2 hour movie called...
“Home”

Proof of the complex simplistic truth of...
“It's too late for pessimism” - is now a shared reality for us all.

Bad Words

From the dictionary......

"Liberal"

[fr.L liberalis, suitable for a freeman, generous, fr. liber free]

1: of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts

2: GENEROUS, BOUNTIFUL, 3: not narrow in opinion or judgement

4: TOLERANT; also: not orthodox, 5: not conservative

also related to liberty and liberate........

maybe it's not such a bad word after all.

Bert the Turtle

Gay Marriage in Mexico City is OK

Desecha Corte recursos de tres estados contra bodas gays

Improcedente que usen este tipo de juicios otros estados para reformas del DF: ministro Sergio Valls.

"Notimex

Publicado: 19/02/2010 14:15

México, DF. El ministro de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN), Sergio Valls, desechó por notoriamente improcedentes las controversias constitucionales que presentaron tres estados contra los matrimonios entre homosexuales en el Distrito Federal.

Valls Hernández emitió los acuerdos mediante los cuales determinó que existe un motivo "manifiesto e indudable de improcedencia" que da lugar a desechar de plano las controversias constitucionales que presentaron los estados de Morelos, Guanajuato y Tlaxcala contra ese tipo de bodas en el Distrito Federal.
El ministro lo estimó así en virtud de que otros estados del país no pueden usar este tipo de juicios para impugnar reformas como las aprobadas en el Distrito Federal."

In English:

Dismisses Supreme Court objections by three states against gay marriages.

Imprudent for other states to use this type of judgment for Mexico City reforms: Supreme Court Justice Sergio Valls.

"Notimex

Published: February 19, 2010 14:15

Mexico City. The Supreme Court Justice (SCJN) Sergio Valls, dismissed due to notoriously improcedent the constitutional controversies presented by three states against gay marriages in Mexico City.

Valls Hernandez released the decision through which he determined that there exists a "notorious and undoubtable improcedent" motive that leads to completely reject the constitutional controversies the States of Morelos, Guanajuato, and Tlaxcala presented against this type of weddings in Mexico City. The Justice decided so based on the fact that other states cannot use this type of judgements to impugnate reforms like those approved in Mexico City".

Bertrand Russell - A Legacy of Activism

Bertrand Russell was born in Wales in 1872. His parents were John and Catherine Russell (Lord and Lady Amberly), and his godfather was the English philosopher, John Stuart Mills. His grandfather, Lord John Russell (1804 – 1874) was Prime Minister of Great Britain on two separate occasions. Tragically, Russell’s parents and younger sister died when he was three years old. He subsequently lived with his paternal grandparents in England.

As a young man, he studied in Cambridge and was friends with such notables as Alfred North Whitehead, Ludwig Wittgenstein, GE Moore and John Maynard Keyes. Philosophically, Russell broke away from Hegelian Idealism and shifted his emphasis to logical and linguistic analysis.

He is renowned for his works in technical philosophy and mathematics. In 1910, he published the Principia Mathematica with his colleague, Alfred North Whitehead; this work is considered to be one of the most profound academic treatises of the twentieth century. An integral part of this master work was the concept of logicism, which holds that mathematics could be reduced to a few basic ideas and principles of logic. He is also famous for the so-called Russell’s’ Paradox or the theory of types.
What is not so well known is his lifelong battled against social injustice and state-sponsored violence. He was profoundly sensitive to the suffering of mankind. His definition of the good life is one, “Inspired by love and guided by knowledge.” In his lifetime, Russell combined his impassioned and unassailable logic with political action in defense of reason and human happiness. He was so ardent in his convictions that he was imprisoned twice by the British government.

In his working lifetime, he wrote some four hundred letters to the editor between 1904 and 1969 regarding such topics as World War II, Fascism, McCarthyism, the Cold War and the threat of Nuclear Annihilation. In addition he wrote eighty books and several thousand articles. He had a lifelong interest in the areas of social conscience and human rights. According to Russell, “Three passions simple but overwhelmingly strong have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge and an unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.”

In regards to his politics, Russell supported the principles of socialism in his book, German Social Democracy, but took issue with Marx’s idea regarding the necessity for violent revolution to supplant the status quo. In 1906, he ran for Parliament as a member of the Liberal Party and lost the election.
In 1914, he went to Harvard to teach and there he met TS Eliot, the famous poet. During his stay at Harvard, he wrote Our Knowledge of the External World, a collection of lectures published in 1914. In this book, Russell struggles with the difficulty that the individual has in comprehending the external world. He was an empiricist who incorporated the logic of mathematics into his thinking.

Russell joined the pacifist cause during World War I and was an adamant opponent of military conscription. In 1916 he was fined for pamphleteering on behalf of conscientious objectors and was dismissed from his lectureship at Cambridge. His opposition was seen as so threatening that by 1917 the government forbade him to travel abroad, and in 1918 he spent 6 months in prison for his anti-war writing; notable among these are – Why Men Fight (1916) and Justice in War Time (1917).

In the years leading up to World War II, Russell foresaw the approaching calamity in Europe. He was a strong advocate of pacifism and urged pacifism as an alternative should war come. He detailed his views in his books, Which Way to Peace published in 1936 and Power: A New Social Analysis published in 1938. In this latter work one of his conclusions was that military force or “naked power” is a fundamental aspect of human history, and is at the foundation of the monopoly of violence which we call the State. Furthermore, in his analysis, he determined that military force is used predominantly for the control of territory.

In his work entitled, Religion and Science, Russell compared the extremist and fanatical views of those who aligned themselves with communism and fascism to the religious fanaticism that retarded scientific and human progress some 300 years after Copernicus. His prescription for an escape from this mindset was individual free thought and a balance of scientific rationality and compassion. On account of his controversial views and influence, he was blacklisted and was unable to find work or publish his views. This would haunt him throughout the war.

Following the Second World War, the prospect of annihilation of human civilization with the advent of the atomic bomb and Cold War politics dominated his writing and thinking for the remainder of his life. He collaborated with Einstein and together they issued the Russell-Einstein Manifesto on July 9, 1955. In it they state,
_______________________________________________________

“In the tragic situation which confronts humanity, we feel that scientists should assemble in conference to appraise the perils that have arisen as a result of the development of weapons of mass destruction, and to discuss a resolution in the spirit of the appended draft.

We are speaking on this occasion, not as members of this or that nation, continent, or creed, but as human beings, members of the species Man, whose continued existence is in doubt. The world is full of conflicts; and, overshadowing all minor conflicts, the titanic struggle between Communism and anti-Communism.

Almost everybody who is politically conscious has strong feelings about one or more of these issues; but we want you, if you can, to set aside such feelings and consider yourselves only as members of a biological species which has had a remarkable history, and whose disappearance none of us can desire.

We shall try to say no single word which should appeal to one group rather than to another. All, equally, are in peril, and, if the peril is understood, there is hope that they may collectively avert it.

We have to learn to think in a new way. We have to learn to ask ourselves, not what steps can be taken to give military victory to whatever group we prefer, for there no longer are such steps; the question we have to ask ourselves is: what steps can be taken to prevent a military contest of which the issue must be disastrous to all parties?”
_______________________________________________________

Russell was also the President of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Committee of 100. He both advocated and practiced civil disobedience, and as a consequence of his activism was arrested at the age of 89. During the Cuban missile crisis that nearly resulted in nuclear Armageddon, Russell exchanged telegrams with Premier Khrushchev and President Kennedy pleading that they step back from the brink of nuclear war.
Even at the age of 91 (1963), he remained active and founded the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation advocating world peace and human rights. Nine heads of state were sponsors of this foundation including Prime Minister Nehru of India. He was also an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and initiated an International War Crimes Tribunal in accordance with the principles set down by the Allies at Nuremburg.

He died in 1970. Bertrand Russell was both a renowned man of letters (he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1950) and a man of conscience and deep moral conviction. He left a remarkable legacy of thought and action that remains relevant to this day.

Why is China afraid of the Dalai Lama?

President Obama met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalia Lama for more than an hour today in the Map Room of the White House, a move signaling Obama's solidarity with Tibet's quest for human rights and his willingness to irritate the communist Chinese government.

Following the meeting, the Dalai Lama told reporters he spoke to Obama about human rights and promoting religious harmony. The Dalai Lama says he has admired America since his childhood as a champion of "democracy, freedom and human value." He also praised Obama for "always showing his genuine concern" for Tibet.

Obama made no public remarks at the meeting. White House reporters were not permitted to photograph the president and the 74-year-old exiled Buddhist monk. The White House released a photo of the meeting later today.

The Dalai Lama, who, like Obama, has won a Nobel Peace Prize, left China for India in 1959 and has built a global following for Tibetan human rights. He leads a government in exile in Dharamsala, India.

Every U.S. president dating back to George Herbert Walker Bush has met the Dalai Lama.

Almost a year ago, the Dalai Lama accused China of turning Tibet into "Hell on earth." His holiness advocates autonomy for Tibet. Some younger Tibetans have been prodding the Dalai Lama to press for independence. China, which rules the rugged Tibetan region with stern military might, rejects autonomy and independence.

In a statement released by the White House, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama "stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China."

Gibbs said Obama also praised the Dalai Lama's "commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government. " Obama has prodded both sides in the struggle to re-open dialogue. Talks between envoys for China and Tibet resumed in January, something Gibbs said Obama "was pleased to hear about."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denounced the meeting.

"China resolutely opposes the visit by the Dalai Lama to the United States, and resolutely opposes U.S. leaders having contact with the Dalai Lama," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.

Obama told Chinese leaders last fall he intended to meet with the Dalai Lama. Obama did not see his holiness during an extensive trip to the US in September of 2009, a move interpreted as an attempt to curry favor with Chinese leaders.

Gibbs said today Obama and the Dalai Lama "agreed on the importance of a positive and cooperative relationship between the United States and China.”

Before speaking to reporters briefly outside the White House, the Dalai Lama used his hand to imprint the image of a tiger in a snow bank outside the Briefing Room. The Chinese New Year, the year of the tiger, began Feb. 14. (fox news)

Mossad

Beware of men with tennis racquets.

Mossad has often come under criticism for perceived excessive actions against Israel's enemies. It has been criticized for carrying out assassinations, abductions and torture. It has also been accused of violating international law. (read more)