Bit of Everything

ꕤ Article SOURCE as marked Skimming various Wikipedia entries, learnt a little about Herbert Samuel. Read about him before (I think), but it's all like new again. Memory's on the lame side, unfortunately.  But if I read enough, I eventually get it. Anyway, reading about him led me to learn a little more about the Middle East and about the Ottoman Empire. It's like playing with a huge jigsaw-puzzle composed of interesting past and present politics pieces ... while ignoring the everyday present. What could be better than oblivion on this conveyor-belt that is life and death? I now know that something called the 'Central Powers' existed before the turn of the 1900s: Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were the Central Powers in Europe. German Empire + Austria-Hungary (WWI supported by Ottoman Empire 1914 & Bulgaria 1915) I've read a little about Hajj Amin al-Husseini and I think he might 'stick' this time around (yes, I've encountered him in my travels before, but I didn't take much of it in ... lol). These are the Five Pillars of Islam: No. 1 Shahadah - declaration of belief oneness of god & acceptance of religious founder as messenger of god No. 2 Salat - obligatory prayer - x5 daily No. 3 Zakat - tax obligation on all Muslims (proportionate to wealth ('nasib')) - today Zakat mostly voluntary Mandatory zakat by state: - Saudi Arabia - Malaysia - Pakistan That possibly tells us which are more fundamentalist (and potentially more dangerous) Islamic states, I would think ... but I'm no expert.  That's just my gut. *refusal to pay zakat = apostate (fine, prison or death) No. 4 Sawm - fasting & sexual abstinence (on various religious dates) dawn to dusk on given days -'maghrib' is sunset - ie 'west' - therefore 'Maghreb' is probably 'west' ... yeah, I think it was. No. 5.  Hajj  -  pilgrimage (journey) to Mecca - x1 in life conditions apply (adults, if can physically do & if can support family in absence). The ' Triple Entente' is the: British, France & Russian entente = agreement / accord So it must be an agreement/alliance - evolved from a Russian-French military pact just before the turn of the 1900s (here). Not sure that I'll remember this.  I have trouble with French, although it's a lot like Latin and should therefore be easy.   For some reason, Latin makes more sense than words derived from Latin and then Old French. Not that Latin means much to me.  I'm no expert.  Just when I do the look-ups. 'Porte' / 'Sublime Porte' / 'Ottoman Porte'  (fm. French: door, gate) Port [Middle English, gate, porthole, from Old French porte, gate, from Latin porta refers to: 1. location of principal state departments in Istanbul 2. the central govt of Ottoman Empire http://www.thefreedictionary.com/port 'Porte' (as in the Ottoman government), I've came across before.  But I forgot all about the term.  Every day is a new day for me and my memory. Mehmed Ali Pasha (better known as Muhammad Ali Pasha) was an uppity power-hungry controller of Egypt on behalf of the Ottomans, gone rogue (that's my initial / early days take ... I've not read deeply) *for some weird reason, I favour 'Mehmed Ali Pasha' ... maybe because 'Muhammad Ali Pasha' almost takes me out of history and into boxing? Eyalet of Acre - 'eyalet' = province (derived from Arabic) -- Eyalet of Acre - aka Sidon Eyalet -- aka Eyalet of Safad, Beirut or Akka (Acre)  *both Safad & Akka (Acre) are in Israel now After Jews & Arabs expelled from Spain, Safad became an important Jewish religious centre - here. -- ie province of Ottoman Empire from border of Egypt -- incl. modern territory of: Israel, Palestine, Lebanon -- 'Sidon' = ancient city of Phoenicia (s/west Lebanon) Adana is now in Turkey and was formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, and it looks like every other regional power: formerly Hittite 1335 BC Persians Alexander Great Seleucids (Hellenistic empire, a divvy of Alexander the Great spoils, after his death) Romans Armenians Arabs - captured mid 600s AD recaptured by Byzantines 964 AD 1071 AD Byzantines defeated by Seljuq Turks (Battle of Manazikert) First Crusade recapture 1097 AD Armenian 1132 taken by Byzantines 1137 Armenians regain 1170 destroyed by earthquake 1268 rebuilt by Armenians ceded to Mamluk Sultan of Egypt for peace treaty Malmluk capture = Turkish settlement / eventual Ottoman capture Muhammad Ali Pasha was giving the Ottomans a thrashing (seized Syria), when they didn't honour what he demanded in return for support he gave in the Greek War of Independence / Greek revolt against Ottomans 1821-1832 - successful. Just like the French, the Ottomans couldn't be trusted either. That pissed off the Europeans for some reason (it was supposed to potentially destabilise Europe, if I remember correctly), and the following alliance stepped in: - Britain - Austria - Prussia - Russia to offer the gone-rogue quasi 'viceroy' of Egypt (not so submissive vassal of the Ottomans), a deal he decided he could refuse: Europeans demanded:  give back Syria and give back the Sultan's naval fleet (the one that defected! ... lol) etc.   Ottoman Empire might have been in a spot of bother, judging by the entire naval fleet defection. European alliance: fired off some projectiles from sea and took the citadel at the province of Acre ... after Muhammad Ali Pasha's forces ran off. What's the with Arabs and running from battle all the time? From what little I've read, that was pretty much their form in the subsequent contests with the Zionists, a century later. The French cannot be trusted. They were supposed to back Muhammad Ali Pasha, but they didn't come up with the goods. Mehmet Ali Pasha wasn't prepared to take on:  Britain, Prussia, Russia and Austria on his own, so he was forced to do a deal: Convention of London 1840 did a deal and signed the Convention of London 1840 ... with the proviso that his rule would be hereditary (which is unprecedented for such a post). Ottomans said OK, so Muhammad Ali Pasha got hereditary rule of of Egypt (which he'd already been ruling ... but he wanted to pass rule to family members): Egypt Sudan Hajj Amin al-Husseini -- b. Jerusalem 1897 -- Sunni Islamic -- son of Jerusalem mufti -- family of x13 Mayors of Jerusalem -- education was typical of Ottoman effendi (man of high standing) - Qur'an school (kuttub) - Ottoman govt secondary: rüshidiyye (learns Turkish) - French missionary Catholic secondary (learns French) - Alliance Israelite Universelle (non-Zionist Jewish director) -- Al-Azhar Uni Cairo (sharia / law) -- Rashid Rida, salafi intellectual = mentor -- Mecca pilgrimage at 16 years -- received honorary title of Hajj Hajj is an honorary title (presumably given to all (?) of those that make the obligatory once-in-a-lifetime Mecca journey) So far ... you can't trust: sneaky French / stood up the Egypt guy; and runaway Arab troops; ... but you can't trust the scheming British either. British told the Arabs if the Arabs revolt against the Ottomans, the British would give the independence-seeking Arabs control of their sector of the Middle East (see: McMahon-Hussein correspondence). Instead, the Brits gave the Hebrews the go-ahead to set up a homeland (Balfour Declaration 1917) ... and almost 100 years later, there's displacement, military occupation, violence, possible war crimes and frequent stabbings I had to check that date, because I thought it was a typo. That was during the First World War (1914-1918), which is well before the WWII issues.   So the British deceived and used the Arabs at a time that was crucial, and then they betrayed them by the look of things.   And that's about it, for now, I think.  Not sure if I'll be able to pick up where I left off.  Got distracted and interrupted, so I've lost the zeal. I got sidetracked checking out the Sudan, because Sudan was mentioned. Then I somehow I got stuck on the immigration thing. It looks like about a quarter of Australia's population is born overseas (here).  That's a staggering percentage. It is also potentially  a staggering security problem. An immigrant arrives in Australia every minute and 38 seconds. The Howard government (Australia) initiated a Sudanese population transfer to Australia program. Philip Ruddock (Liberal Party) gets a mention. Says Ruddock's the 'Father of the Australian Parliament'.  It sounds like a joke title.  Thought someone had hacked his Wikipedia entry. 'Money to grant visas' scandal mentioned Wikpedia  ... but Australian Federal Police found no wrongdoing & a senate inquiry said there was no way to determine influence.  So it was just a political beat-up? That horrible Julia Gillard woman was on his case.  She's the one that stabbed Rudd in the back and threw Aussie journalist Assange under a bus, the cow ... or a quail ... lol. 1990s "previous Keating Labor Government's practice of mandatory detention of asylum seekers was continued and extended" [wikipedia] Keating & Ruddock sound sensible, on that count. The Amnesty International mob gave Ruddock a hard time, but they're globalist shills who want to destroy all civilisation on the planet (West and East), so I hope Ruddock told them to shove their badge when they made the 'distancing' moves. Ruddock set up the 'Pacific Solution' preventing legal access to irregular immigrants.  Good man. Human rights groups squealed & he needed a personal security detail.  But that goes with the territory when you're dealing with the unicorn lovers and deluded, violent leftie fascists. Whoever wrote his Wikipedia page has neglected to note that Ruddock: "... launched Australia's African migration program"  [here] So all that 'tough on immigration' write-up in Wikipedia is a load of crap:  it doesn't provide the full picture. And then, look what happened: "However by 2007 the Howard government had ramped up its anti-refugee rhetoric and after a spate of violent incidents Kevin Andrews, then immigration minister, claimed Sudanese people did not fit in to Australia." [ibid, SMH] The other article (The Age, 2007) that I looked at indicated that there were concerns re social problems associated with those arrivals. Quick check of the Australian Bureau of Statistic to see what I could find showed that the Sudanese-born immigrants top the overseas-born incarceration category in Australia as at 2014, so the guy that spoke up in The Age 2007 sounds as if he may have had reason to be concerned regarding Australian government policies. F*cking mainstream media doing the we all live in a yellow submarine multikulti platforming and playing at 'balance'.  Balance, my ass.   Copper was quoted sort of smoothing things over, as if all is well.  Sure it is, mate, just look at those 2014 stats. So, yeah, it's all one big happy family:  government, law enforcement, media and shilling the liberal agenda. Sh*t, it sounds like Sweden all over again ... well, minus the gang-rapes (unless it is Sweden all over again and the Australian government and press is just better at covering?). The copper said there's nothing to worry about, it's just like the other immigration groups before them ... like the Cambodians. Cambodians rank at No. 4 in the overseas born incarceration stats 2014.  So this must be some kind of ritual? lol Apparently, there's 150 nationalities in just one town (as at 2007), so by the end of 2016, it'll probably be the full deck of 196 possible nationalities. Reading the immigration articles tends to freak me out after a while.  Especially now that I've read a run of the migrant gang-rape cover-up and slap-on-the-wrist articles in Europe. There's a definite fear-factor and sense that we cannot rely on politicians to ensure our safety, because we now know they won't.  Look at Rotherham (Yorkshire), look at Cologne mob sex assaults, and look at more of  the same at Stockholm, and note the damage and the cover-ups.  Or, if you prefer, look at medical deaths and screw ups. And, no, it's not Putin's fault:  it's your government's. I cant help wondering how much is being covered up by the media, how dangerous our environment might really be.  Look at what happened to the Lee Rigby guy in England and the broad daylight mother and son IKEA murders in Sweden. How long before Westerners are randomly attacked day in day out, like the Israelis?  Irrational all-aboard policies create seriously dangerous environments for unsuspecting Westerners, who don't know the danger they're in.  That's frightening. After reading the 2007 material, I read a 2012 article on irregular immigration in Israel. Reading that, I wished I could be a Zionist, because it feels like such a safe environment.  As in, the desire and the determination of the Israeli politicians to protect their own, and the interests of their own.  Israeli politicians are really looking after Israelis, no matter what.  The Israelis aren't full of sh*t.  Israelis follow through.   The West is the antithesis of that kind of solidarity and protection.  The West abandons their own. Once you get over being pissed off  that Sweden has become Israel's dumping ground resettlement program destination for irregular immigration (which Israel threatened to deport or imprison as at 2012), one can see a certain twisted humour in the brain-dead Swedish politician acquiescence to accept destruction and self-destruction. Somebody seriously needs to do a non-PC, 'Yes Minister,' kind of comedy show on the entire immigration bandwagon ... the slimy, filthy, lying photo-op politicians making propaganda appearances with refugees (while helping creating more refugees); dirtbag newspaper editors constructing their propaganda campaigns; the hijacked full of sh*t left that's just another colour of spineless neocon-serving fraud; the cucked & infiltrated right; the scheming take-over merchants & government political policing ops;  neocon serving NGO parasites delivering pious sermons; warmonger-serving feminists setting all the world right with bombs & feminist superpowers; the deluded and violent lefties harassing some poor bastard that simply wants to live in the country he was born in; the social media intelligentsia shilling campaigns; Christian grannies without a clue, waving candles; the human rights lawyers who have their heads up their arses;  the liberal-left  intelligentsia fraudsters laughing all the way well-to-do suburbs; the scumbag, lying propaganda-spinning rape cover-up media belittling dissenters and the working-classes; the stasi, televised witch-hunt, stalking & harassment of dissenters; the makers of bogan-meets-refugee TV shows; and imagine the hilarity of all those impossible to deport cases ...like, rapist meets Jesus. It'll be a scream! We can laugh insanely as the real world and the fictional comedy world simultaneously destructs. Whoopie, who gives a damn  ... we're all gonna die!! Never gonna happen in the mainstream, unless it's angled to push the liberal/globalist agenda. Reading the immigration news, I freaked out that there is no longer any refuge at all, anywhere at all in the world, for European people. That was followed by a depressive slump, like someone had just pulled the plug or something. Country Joe & the Fish Yeah, c'mon on all you big strong men Uncle Sam needs your help again He's got himself in a terrible jam Way down yonder in Vietnam So put down your books and pick up a gun We're gonna have a whole lot of fun And it's 1, 2, 3, what're we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn Next stop is Vietnam And it's 5, 6, 7, open up the pearly gates Well there ain't no time to wonder why Whoopee! We're all gonna die Well c'mon generals, let's move fast Your big chance has come at last Gotta go out and get those Reds The only good Commie is one who's dead And you know that peace can only be won When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come Chorus Well c'mon on Wall Street Don't be slow Why this is war a-go-go There's plenty good money to be made By supplin' the Army with the tools of the trade Just hope and pray that if we drop the bomb They drop it on-the Vietcong  Chorus Well c'mon mothers throughout this land Pack your boys off to Vietnam C'mon pops, don't hesitate Send 'em off before it's too late Be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box And it's 1, 2, 3, what're we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Someone in Australia dies every three point something minutes.   That does my head in. Life is a conveyor-belt to an eternity of nothing and it's all for nought. It's Australia Day tomorrow. Wonder what kind of liberal nonsense propaganda's gonna be broadcast to the 150 varieties of sheeple?  ꕤ