background preloader

Mahatma Gandhi - Biography - Anti-War Activist

Mahatma Gandhi - Biography - Anti-War Activist
Early Life Indian nationalist leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Kathiawar, India, which was then part of the British Empire. His father, Karamchand Gandhi, served as a chief minister in Porbandar and other states in western India. His mother, Putlibai, was a deeply religious woman who fasted regularly. Young Gandhi was a shy, unremarkable student who was so timid that he slept with the lights on even as a teenager. In 1885, Gandhi endured the passing of his father and shortly after that the death of his young baby. Upon returning to India in 1891, Gandhi learned that his mother had died just weeks earlier. Spiritual and Political Leader When Gandhi arrived in South Africa, he was quickly appalled by the discrimination and racial segregation faced by Indian immigrants at the hands of white British and Boer authorities. Gandhi formed the Natal Indian Congress in 1894 to fight discrimination. The Salt March Related:  Human rights assignment

Desmond Tutu Bishop Desmond Tutu was born in 1931 in Klerksdorp, Transvaal. His father was a teacher, and he himself was educated at Johannesburg Bantu High School. After leaving school he trained first as a teacher at Pretoria Bantu Normal College and in 1954 he graduated from the University of South Africa. After three years as a high school teacher he began to study theology, being ordained as a priest in 1960. Desmond Tutu has formulated his objective as "a democratic and just society without racial divisions", and has set forward the following points as minimum demands: 1. equal civil rights for all 2. the abolition of South Africa's passport laws 3. a common system of education 4. the cessation of forced deportation from South Africa to the so-called "homelands" The South African Council of Churches is a contact organization for the churches of South Africa and functions as a national committee for the World Council of Churches. Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 1984

Freddie Mercury Biography Freddie Mercury is best known as one of the rock world's most versatile and engaging performers and for his mock operatic masterpiece, Bohemian Rhapsody. Synopsis Singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Musical Education Singer-songwriter and musician Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Moving to London with his family in the 1960s, Mercury attended the Ealing College of Art. Queen In 1973, the band released their first self-titled album, but it took two more recordings for Queen's music to really catch on. With a sound that has been described as a fusion of hard rock and glam rock, Queen had an even bigger hit the following year with their album, A Night at the Opera (1975). In addition to his talents as a singer and songwriter, Mercury was also a skilled showman. Queen's popularity continued to soar through the late 70s and early 80s. Memorable Performances Videos

Desmond Tutu - Archbishop - Biography.com Desmond Tutu is a South African Anglican cleric who is known for his role in the opposition to apartheid in South Africa. Synopsis In 1978 Desmond Tutu was appointed general secretary of the South African Council of Churches and became a leading spokesperson for the rights of black South Africans. During the 1980s he played an unrivaled role in drawing national and international attention to the iniquities of apartheid, and in 1984 he won the Nobel Prize for Peace for his efforts. Early Life Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born on October 7, 1931 in Klerksdorp, South Africa. "We knew, yes, we were deprived," he later recalled. Tutu was a bright and curious child with a passion for reading. Tutu graduated from high school in 1950, and although he had been accepted into medical school, his family could not afford the expensive tuition. Rise to Prominence Nevertheless, Tutu became increasingly frustrated with the racism corrupting all aspects of South African life under apartheid. Personal Life

Documentary List - The best documentaries to watch online The Viking Warriors The Vikings (from Old Norse víkingr) were seafaring north Germanic people who raided, traded, explored, and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia, and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th centuries. The Vikings employed wooden longships with wide, shallow-draft hulls, allowing navigation in rough seas or in shallow river waters.

Profile: Malala Yousafzai Image copyright Reuters Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai wrote an anonymous diary about life under Taliban rule in north-west Pakistan. She was shot in the head by militants for daring to go to school. Accepting the award in Oslo she said she was "humbled" and proud to be the first Pashtun and the first Pakistani to win the prize. Malala Yousafzai first came to public attention through that heartfelt diary, published on BBC Urdu, which chronicled her desire to remain in education and for girls to have the chance to be educated. When she was shot in the head in October 2012 by a Taliban gunman, she was already well known in Pakistan, but that one shocking act catapulted her to international fame. She survived the dramatic assault, in which a militant boarded her school bus in Pakistan's north-western Swat valley and opened fire, wounding two of her school friends as well. Image copyright Birmingham Hospitals Trust Passionate campaigner Media playback is unsupported on your device

Opening Dao: a documentary film on Taoism and martial arts | Life Arts Media Opening Dao Produced and directed by filmmaker and founder of Life Arts Media Gennaro Ambrosino, Opening Dao is a short documentary film on Taoism and martial arts, filmed in China in 2009. Scholars, top martial artists and monks explain the principles of the way, a treasure of wisdom that survived thousands of years. The film highlights the interconnectedness between the philosophy and the natural world and how its principles manifest in certain martial arts and meditative arts. The film contains exclusive interviews with Prof. Chad Hansen and Prof. The documentary also features a master narrative of the Dao De Ching by Edward Petherbridge, former leading actor of the Royal Shakespeare Company. “Opening Dao” – An interview with filmmaker Gennaro Ambrosino Share Comments comments Tags: Martial Arts, philosophy, spirituality, Taoism Category: Consciousness, Film Library, Films About the Author View Author Profile

Malala Yousafzai - Children's Activist, Women's Rights Activist As a young girl, Malala Yousafzai defied the Taliban in Pakistan and demanded that girls be allowed to receive an education. She was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012, but survived and went on to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Synopsis Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora, Pakistan. Early Life On July 12, 1997, Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, Pakistan, located in the country's Swat Valley. Initial Activism Yousafzai attended a school that her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, had founded. In early 2009, Yousafzai began blogging for the BBC about living under the Taliban's threats to deny her an education. With a growing public platform, Yousafzai continued to speak out about her right, and the right of all women, to an education. Targeted by the Taliban Malala and her family learned that the Taliban had issued a death threat against her because of her activism. The shooting left Malala in critical condition, so she was flown to a military hospital in Peshawar.

Five Great Films about Buddhism To complement a piece of mine about the “10 Worst Buddhist Movie Characters” that our mighty editor posted to this fine publication some time ago, I would like to re-post another piece I originally wrote for my blog. This one is on “Five Great Films about Buddhism”. These are all movies about Buddhist subjects that I find especially powerful and recommendation-worthy. And, please, if you have recommendations share them with us in the comments! 5. Part of a triumvirate of documentaries made between 2003 and 2005 by virtuoso filmmaker Werner Herzog (who was Oscar-nominated this year for his astounding Encounters at the End of the World), Wheel of Time isn’t the unqualified masterpiece that his 2005 effort Grizzy Man is, but it’s still pretty terrific. 4. Last year, I blogged (here and here) about the recent film The Dhamma Brothers, which documents a ten-day meditation retreat undertaken by thirty-six prisoners at a maximum security prison in Alabama. 3. (View the trailer here.) 2. 1.

Collaborating for Indigenous Rights 1957-1973 The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations: film locations around the world If you ever wondered ‘Where did they film that?’, or you want to visit the filming locations of your favourite movie, you’ll find original photographs, trivia, links with essential details of travel and hotels in this essential travel guide. Simply navigate by film title or browse the name of your favourite actor or director. >>> As we welcome our 20 MILLIONTH visitor in May 2016, you may have noticed fewer regular updates recently. >>> Here's just one of the classic locations we're adding. In the meantime, if you’re planning a location trip and want to find a hotel, click here to compare prices – just enter your destination and travel dates, and let the search engine find the best deal for you.

Eleanor Roosevelt "What other single human being has touched and transformed the existence of so many? She walked in the slums and ghettos of the world, not on a tour of inspection, but as one who could not feel contentment when others were hungry." — Adlai E. Stevenson Eleanor Roosevelt has been called one of the 20th century's most influential women. She was a wife, mother, teacher, first lady of New York, first lady of the country, newspaper columnist, author, world traveler, diplomat, and seasoned politician. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, into one of the oldest and wealthiest families in New York. Not long afterward, her mother died suddenly of diphtheria. When Eleanor was 15, her grandmother decided to send her to Allenswood, a boarding school in England. After three years at Allenswood, Eleanor returned to New York. Upon her "coming out" in 1902, several young men started to court her. Franklin proposed in November 1903. In 1906, the Roosevelt's first child, Anna, was born.

Collaborating for Indigenous Rights 1957-1973 Petitions were an effective way of mobilising support for Indigenous civil rights, and were used throughout the period leading up to the 1967 Referendum. The Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship ran a petition campaign in 1957 which was launched at a huge meeting in the Sydney Town Hall on 29 April that year. New Deal for Aborigines, flyer Flyer advertising the meeting in the Sydney Town Hall at which the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship's petition was launched.Source: Faith Bandler and Len Fox, The Time Was Ripe: A History of the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship (1956-1969), Alternative Publishing Co-operative, Chippendale, 1983 This petition was the brainchild of Jessie Street, who had drawn it up with Brian Fitzpatrick of the Council for Civil Liberties and lawyer Christian Jollie-Smith. Petition Aboriginal Australian Fellowship 1957Source: Women's Intgernational League for Peace and Freedom, MS 9377, State Library of Victoria Why focus on the Constitution? Further resources People

Nelson Mandela & the Fight Against Apartheid To the Teacher: Nelson Mandela's death on December 5, 2013, is being marked by people around the world. Mandela, the former president of the Republic of South Africa and Nobel Peace laureate, spent more than 40 years—27 of them in prison—as a central figure in the struggle against South Africa's brutal and restrictive racial regime called apartheid. In 1994, shortly after the fall of apartheid, Mandela was elected President of South Africa in a multiracial, democratic election, making him the country's first black president. Mandela has been an inspirational figure to people around the world—especially to proponents of racial justice and equality. Student Reading 1: Apartheid and Its Opponents Because of the injustices it perpetuated, the apartheid system gave rise to a broad resistance movement. All people, irrespective of the national group they belong to and irrespective of the color of their skin, who have made South Africa their home, are entitled to live a full and free life.

Related: