Air Hijack

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:17:00 -0700

Indian Airlines Flight 814 (call sign IC-814) was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 en route from Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu, Nepal) to Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi, India) when it was hijacked by five Pakistani nationals on 24 December 1999. Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, a Pakistan-based terrorist group, was held responsible for the hijacking.

The aircraft was hijacked by armed gunmen shortly after it entered Indian airspace at about 17:30 hours IST. After touching down in Amritsar, Lahore and Dubai, the hijackers forced the aircraft to land in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The hijackers released 27 of 176 passengers in Dubai but fatally stabbed one and wounded several others.

India's lack of recognition of the Taliban-regime in Afghanistan complicated negotiations between Indian authorities and the hijackers. Taliban moved its well-armed fighters near the hijacked aircraft in an attempt to prevent Indian special forces from storming the aircraft. The hijacking lasted for seven days and ended after India released three Islamic militants — Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh (who was later arrested for the murder of Daniel Pearl) and Maulana Masood Azhar (who later founded Jaish-e-Mohammed).

Indian and U.S. intelligence agencies reported of credible links between the hijackers, the al-Qaida and the Taliban. The five hijackers and the three released militants were provided a safe passage by the Taliban. The dubious role played by the Taliban was widely condemned and led to further deterioration of relations between India and the Taliban.

The flight had 178 passengers most of whom were Indian nationals who were coming back to India after vacationing in Nepal.

Watch Documentary - Air Hijack - Indian Airline Flight IC814

Links; Wikipedia - Indian Airlines Flight 814

100 Greatest Discoveries - Astronomy

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:03:00 -0700

A Discovery Channel Documentary

Scientists are surprised to learn that the universe is speeding up.

1. The Planets Move (2000 B.C. – 500 B.C.)
A thousand years of observations reveal that there are stars that move in the sky and follow patterns, showing that the Earth is part of a solar system of planets separate from the fixed stars.

2. The Earth Moves (1543)
Nicolaus Copernicus places the sun, not the Earth, at the center of the solar system.

3. Planetary Orbits Are Elliptical (1605 – 1609)
Johannes Kepler devises mathematical laws that successfully and accurately predict the motions of the planets in elliptical orbits.

4. Jupiter Has Moons (1609 – 1612)
Galileo Galilei discovers that Jupiter has moons like the Earth, proving that Copernicus, not Ptolemy, is right. Copernicus believes that Earth is not unique, but instead resembles the other planets, all of which orbit the sun.

5. Halley's Comet Has a Predictable Orbit (1705 – 1758)
Edmund Halley proves that comets orbit the sun like the planets and successfully predicts the return of Halley's Comet. He determines that comets seen in 1531 and 1607 are the same object following a 76-year orbit. Halley's prediction is proven in 1758 when the comet returns. Unfortunately, Halley had died in 1742, missing the momentous event.

6. The Milky Way Is a Gigantic Disk of Stars (1780 – 1834)
Telescope-maker William Herschel and his sister Carolyn map the entire sky and prove that our solar system resides in a gigantic disk of stars that bulges in the center called the Milky Way. Herschel's technique involves taking a sample count of stars in the field of view of his telescope. His final count shows more than 90,000 stars in 2,400 sample areas. Later studies confirm that our galaxy is disk-shaped, but find that the sun is not near the center and that the system is considerably larger than Herschel's estimation.

7. General Relativity (1915 – 1919)
Albert Einstein unveils his theory of general relativity in which he proposes that mass warps both time and space, therefore large masses can bend light. The theory is proven in 1919 by astronomers using a solar eclipse as a test.

8. The Universe Is Expanding (1924 – 1929)
Edwin Hubble determines the distance to many nearby galaxies and discovers that the farther they are from us, the faster they are flying away from us. His calculations prove that the universe is expanding.

9. The Center of the Milky Way Emits Radio Waves (1932)
Karl Jansky invents radio astronomy and discovers a strange radio-emitting object at the center of the Milky Way. Jansky was conducting experiments on radio wavelength interference for his employer, Bell Telephone Laboratories, when he detected three groups of static; local thunderstorms, distant thunderstorms and a steady hiss-type static. Jansky determines that the static is coming from an unknown source at the center of the Milky Way by its position in the sky.

10. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (1964)
Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discover cosmic microwave background radiation, which they suspect is the afterglow of the big bang. Their measurements, combined with Edwin Hubble's earlier finding that the galaxies are rushing away, make a strong case for the big bang theory of the birth of the universe.

11. Gamma-Ray Bursts (1969 – 1997)
The two-decade-long mystery of gamma-ray bursts is solved by a host of sophisticated ground-based and orbiting telescopes. Gamma-ray bursts are short-lived bursts of gamma-ray photons, which are the most energetic form of light and are associated with nuclear blasts. At least some of the bursts have now been linked with distant supernovae — explosions marking the deaths of especially massive stars.

12. Planets Around Other Stars (1995 – 2004)
Astronomers find a host of extrasolar planets as a result of improved telescope technology and prove that other solar systems exist, although none as yet resembles our own. Astronomers are able to detect extrasolar planets by measuring gravitational influences on stars.

13. The Universe Is Accelerating (1998 – 2000)
Unexpectedly, astronomers find that instead of slowing down due to the pull of gravity, the expansion of the universe at great distances is accelerating. If these observations are correct and the trend continues, it will result in the inability to see other galaxies. A new theory of the end of the universe based on this finding has been called the "big rip."

Chariots of the Gods

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:54:00 -0700

Chariots of the Gods (German: Erinnerungen an die Zukunft) is a 1970 German documentary film directed by Harald Reinl. It is based on the book by Erich Von Daniken concerning the ancient mysteries of the world, such as the pyramids of Egypt and Mexico, ancient cave drawings, the monuments of Easter Island, etc. and the fact that these things and modern civilization could have been influenced by extra-terrestrial visitations hundreds(or perhaps thousands) of years ago.

Watch Documentary - Chariots of the Gods

We are the Aliens

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:45:00 -0700

Clouds of alien life forms are sweeping through outer space and infecting planets with life – it may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.

The idea that life on Earth came from another planet has been around as a modern scientific theory since the 1960s when it was proposed by Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe. At the time they were ridiculed for their idea – known as panspermia. But now, with growing evidence, it's back in vogue and even being studied by NASA.

We meet the scientists on a mission to get to the bottom of the beginnings of life on Earth - from the team in Texas who are lovingly building a robotic submarine called DEPTHX to explore a moon of Jupiter, to Southern India where they are investigating a mysterious red rain which fell for two months in 2001. According to local scientist Godfrey Louis, the rain contains biological cells unlike any he had seen before – with no DNA and the ability to replicate at 300°C. Louis has come to the conclusion that the cells are extra-terrestrial in origin.

Could all this really be proof that We are the aliens?

Watch Documentary - BBC Horizon's "We are the Aliens"

Atlantis Reborn Again

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:18:00 -0700

Horizon puts Graham Hancock's controversial theories about the past to the test, dissecting his evidence for a lost civilization.

Although scientists believe they have categorically disproved the myth of Atlantis, the idea is more popular now than ever before. The latest exponent of the theory of a single lost source for all civilization, is Graham Hancock. Although he doesn't call it Atlantis, his compelling ideas about a sophisticated society destroyed in a flood 12,000 years ago seem to be based on a reworking of the original Atlantis myth, whose survivors brought culture, religion, monument-building and civilization to the rest of the world.

Graham Hancock offers various pieces of evidence to support his theory. He claims that the mysterious lost civilization left its mark in ancient monuments, which he calculates were built to mirror certain constellations of stars. His hugely popular ideas have attracted such a wide audience that they stand to replace the conventional view of the past, which is based on scientific evidence that the civilizations of the ancient world were developed independently, by different peoples, on different continents

Watch Documentary - Atlantis Reborn Again

Why do We Talk?

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:06:00 -0700

A BBC Horizon Documentary

Talking is something that is unique to humans, yet it still remains a mystery. Horizon meets the scientists beginning to unlock the secrets of speech - including a father who is filming every second of his son's first three years in order to discover how we learn to talk, the autistic savant who can speak more than 20 languages, and the first scientist to identify a gene that makes speech possible.

Horizon also hears from the godfather of linguistics, Noam Chomsky, the first to suggest that our ability to talk is innate. A unique experiment shows how a new alien language can emerge in just one afternoon, in a bid to understand where language comes from and why it is the way it is.

Watch Documentary - Why Do We Talk?

Links; BBC

Worlds Most Dangerous Drug

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:42:00 -0700

Methamphetamine is one of the hardest drugs to quit. Its abuse is ravaging rural communities and cities alike. NGC correspondent Lisa Ling goes inside this global epidemic to find out what makes meth so addictive and destructive.

Methamphetamine, also known as metamfetamine (INN), dextromethamphetamine, methylamphetamine, N-methylamphetamine, and desoxyephedrine) is a psychoactive stimulant drug. It increases alertness and energy, and in high doses, can induce euphoria, enhance self-esteem, and increase sexual pleasure.

Methamphetamine has high potential for abuse, activating the psychological reward system by increasing levels of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain. Methamphetamine is FDA approved in the United States for the treatment of ADHD and exogenous obesity, under the trademark name Desoxyn.

Watch Documentary - The Worlds Most Dangerous Drug

Links;
drugabuse.gov Wikipedia - Methamphetamine

MS 13 - World's most dangerous Gang

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:22:00 -0700

Documentary on one of America's fastest growing Street Gangs; the Mara Salvatrucha, otherwise known as MS 13

Watch now; World's most dangerous Gang

Mara Salvatrucha (commonly abbreviated as MS, Mara, and MS-13) is a criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to Central America, other parts of the United States, and Mexico.[1] The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Central Americans.

The excessive cruelty to the distinguished members of the "Maras" or "Mareros", earned them a path to be recruited by the criminal organization of Sinaloa, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, to be trained in handling weapons and counter the force from the Gulf Organization (Los Zetas), a war that rages south of the United States Border.

The Mara Salvatrucha gang originated in Los Angeles, set up in the 1980s by Salvadoran immigrants in the city's Pico-Union neighborhood who immigrated to the United States after the Central American civil wars of the 1980s.

There is some dispute about the etymology of the name (see below: Etymology). The most common belief is that Mara refers to the word for gang in Spanish slang; it is suggested that Salvatrucha refers to the Salvadoran guerrillas, the source of much of the gang's early manpower.

Originally, the gang's main purpose was to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other, more established gangs of Los Angeles, who were predominantly composed of Mexicans and African-Americans.

Many Mara Salvatrucha gang members from the Los Angeles area have been deported after being arrested. As a result of these deportations, members of MS have recruited more members in their home countries. The Los Angeles Times contends that deportation policies have contributed to the size and influence of the gang both in the United States and in Central America. In recent years the gang has expanded into the Washington, D.C. area, in particular the areas of Langley Park and Takoma Park near the Washington border have become centers of MS gang activity.

Links;
Mara Salvatrucha (Wikipedia) Knowgangs.com - Mara Salvatrucha msthirteen.com

The Hitler Family

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:53:00 -0700

2009 Channel 4 Historical Biographical Documentary

Hitler was a master maker of myths, and one of his most lasting legacies is the legend of a 'Führer without a family'. It is a myth that persists to this day.

To maintain a show of strength and invulnerability he kept his relatives hidden and even tried to destroy evidence of their existence. This documentary has tracked down some of Hitler’s living relatives who speak of what it means to live in the shadow of a dictator. There was Also, the shady half-brother, a Berlin inn keeper who tried to profit from his name wherever he could. Then there was Angela, his half-sister, who was in charge of housekeeping at his Berghof retreat and had the neighbors at the Obersalzberg chased away. And there was his niece Geli, with whom he was obsessed, but she called her uncle a ‘jailer’ and committed suicide. Hitler’s ‘favorite nephew’ was educated at an elite Nazi school. Hitler’s sister Paula wanted to marry a surgeon and mass murderer. But his most insolent relative was his English-born nephew William Patrick, who lived the life of a playboy in Berlin and extorted money from the Führer by threatening to expose family secrets. The Nazi regime was founded on a fanatical myth of racial purity. Every German had to provide a spotless lineage and the fate of those deemed ‘racially inferior’ is well known. But Hitler was obsessively secretive about his own less-than-flawless lineage.

Watch Documentary - The Hitler Family

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The Great Feast

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:36:00 -0700

Episode Six in BBC's "Nature's Great Events" Documentary series

Every summer in the seas off Alaska humpback whales, sea lions and killer whales depend on an explosion of plant life, the plankton bloom. It tranforms these seas into the richest on Earth. But will these animals survive to enjoy the great feast?

The summer sun sparks the growth of phytoplankton, microscopic floating plants which can bloom in such vast numbers that they eclipse even the Amazon rainforest in sheer abundance of plant life. Remarkably, it is these minute plants that are the basis of all life here.

But both whales and sea lions have obstacles to overcome before they can enjoy the feast. Humpback whales migrate 3,000 miles from Hawaii, and during their 3 month voyage lose a third of their body weight. In a heart-rending scene a mother sea lion loses her pup in a violent summer storm, while another dramatic sequence shows a group of killer whales working together to kill a huge male sea lion. In late summer the plankton bloom is at its height. Vast shoals of herring gather to feed on it, diving birds round the fish up into a bait ball and then a humpback whale roars in to scoop up the entire ball of herring in one huge mouthful.

When a dozen whales work together they employ the ultimate method of co-operative fishing - bubble net feeding. One whale blows a ring of bubbles to engulf the fish and then they charge in as one. Filmed from the surface, underwater and, for the first time, from the air, we reveal how these giant hunters can catch a tonne of fish every day.

Watch Documentary - The Great Feast

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The Great Flood

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:26:00 -0700

Episode Five in BBC's "Nature's Great Events" Documentary series

The great flood in the Okavango turns 4,000 square miles of arid plains into a beautiful wetland. Elephant mothers guide their families on an epic trek across the harsh Kalahari Desert towards it, siphoning fresh water from stagnant pools and facing hungry lions. Hippos battle for territory, as the magical water draws in thousands of buffalo and birds, and vast clouds of dragonflies. Will the young elephant calves survive to reach this grassland paradise?

The experienced mother elephants time their arrival at the delta to coincide with the lush grass produced by the great flood. In a TV first, the programme shows the way they use their trunks to siphon clean water from the surface layers of a stagnant pool, while avoiding stirring up the muddy sediment on the bottom with their feet.

Bull hippos also converge on prime territories formed by the rising flood water. Two big bulls do bloody battle, at times being lifted out of the water by their rival. Lechwe swamp deer, zebras, giraffes, crocodiles and numerous fish and thousands of birds arrive in the delta. And, in a phenomenon never before filmed in the Okavango, thousands of dragonflies appear - seemingly from nowhere - within minutes of the flood arrival, mating and laying eggs.

As the flood finally reaches its peak, elephants and buffalo, near the end of their epic trek across the desert, face the final gauntlet of a hungry pride of lions. In a heart-wrenching sequence, a baby elephant is brought down by a lion in broad daylight.

Watch Documentary - The Great Flood

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The Great Tide

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:17:00 -0700

Episode Four of BBC's "Nature's Great Events" Documentary series

A mighty army of dolphins, sharks, whales, seals and gannets hunt down the billions of sardines along South Africa's east coast each winter. This is the Sardine Run: an underwater Armageddon, the greatest gathering of predators anywhere on the planet, and the most spectacular event in the world's oceans. From intimate moments of the creatures caught up in the run, to the dramatic finale of this spectacular event, The Great Tide is an action-packed feeding-frenzy, filmed underwater, on the ocean's surface, and in the air.

However, in recent years the sardine run has become less predictable, perhaps due to the warming effects of climate change. If the sardine run does not happen, the lives of the animals caught up in the drama hang in the balance.

Pioneering a unique boat stabilised camera mount for surface filming, the Nature's Great Events crew capture all the high octane action as the predators compete for sardines, filmed with aerial, underwater and above water cameras. Super slow motion cameras also capture the very moment gannets plunge into the water, hitting it at sixty miles an hour.

A violent winter storm is the trigger for the sardines to begin their desperate dash. They are followed by a super-pod of 5,000 dolphins and further up the coast more predators gather. A shoal of sardines 15 miles long is pushed into the shallows and aerial shots show thousands of sharks gathering to feed on them.

The climax to the sardine run is a spectacular feeding frenzy as the dolphins round the sardines up into balls on which all the predators feast. Gannets rain down in their thousands, sharks pile in scattering the fish and a Bryde's whale lunges in taking great mouthfuls of sardines.

Watch Documentary - The Great Tide

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The Great Migration

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:08:00 -0700

Episode Three of BBC's "Nature's Great Events" Documentary Series
Each year more than one million wildebeest and zebra invade the Serengeti grasslands, making it a paradise for the predators that live there. But what happens when the herds move off again? We follow the moving story of one lion family's struggle to survive until the return of the great migration.

Nature's Great Events tells the story of the epic trek of herds that follow the rains to fresh pastures, and the tale of the predators they leave behind.

The crew captures the desperate plight of a single pride of lions, revealing a different side to the Serengeti. Rather than being a predators' paradise, it is a land in constant change, with wildebeest following the rains and leaving the lions to tough it out.

The Ntudu pride has seven cubs, and is already suffering as the wildebeest leave to find fresh pastures. The four pride females struggle to find enough food for their hungry offspring.

As weeks turn to months, the pride members become more emaciated and frailer, and the number of cubs dwindles to just two.

As the herds begin to return, the plains reveal one final secret. For the first time since 1967 the Serengeti's only active volcano, Ol Doinyo Lengai, begins to billow ash and smoke. Filmed from the air, the team captures the exciting action. Fertilised by the volcanic ash over millions of years, these short grass plains are among the most productive grasslands in the world.

After months of hardship, the pride's tragic story, through sickness, drought and fire, is over as the herds return, providing plentiful food

Watch Documentary - The Great Migration

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The Great Salmon Run

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:59:00 -0700

The Great Salmon Run is the Second Episode in BBC's Nature's Great Events Documentary series

Every year grizzly bear families in North America depend for their survival on a spectacular natural event: the return of hundreds of millions of salmon from the Pacific Ocean to the mountain streams where they were born. The salmon travel thousands of miles to spawn and then die. The great run not only provides food for bears, but for killer whales, wolves, bald eagles, and even the forest itself. The question is: will the salmon return in time to keep hungry bears alive?

A mother grizzly and her cubs emerge from their den high in snowy Alaskan mountains. Filming from the air the team capture a TV first, following the bears as they negotiate a near vertical slope on their journey to the coast where they await the return of the salmon.

Meanwhile, the salmon are making their way to the to river mouths where they must swim upstream and against the current. The programme reveals how they tackle the torrents and leap over waterfalls, a feat equivalent to a human jumping over a house.

Dozens of hungry bears eagerly await the salmon that make it up river. In another TV first, underwater cameras record the ingenuity and fancy footwork they use to collect dead salmon from the bottom of deep pools.

Watch Documentary - The Great Salmon Run

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The Great Melt

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:34:00 -0700

The first in a new series (Nature's great Events) about the most dramatic wildlife spectacles on our planet.

The summer melt of Arctic ice, opening up nearly three million square miles of ocean and land, provides opportunities for millions of animals, including beluga whales, families of Arctic foxes, vast colonies of seabirds, and the fabled Arctic unicorn, the narwhal.

For polar bears, however, it is the toughest time of year. Why? How will they survive?

A mother polar bear and her cub make their first journey together onto the sea ice. They are looking for ringed seals, their favourite prey. It is a serious business but the cub just wants to play. The melting ice makes it harder for them to hunt and threatens their survival.

In a unique aerial sequence, the migration of narwhal with their distinctive unicorn-like tusks is filmed for the first time. The whales' journey is risky as they travel along giant cracks in the ice. If the ice were to close above them, they would drown.

Hundreds of beluga whales gather in the river shallows. They rub themselves on smooth pebbles in one of the most bizarre summer spectacles.

Guillemot chicks take their first flights from precipitous sea cliff nests to the sea 300 metres below. They attempt to glide to safety but many miss their target. Their loss is a bonus for the hungry Arctic fox family waiting below.

As the melt comes to an end the bears gather, waiting for the sea to freeze again. Two 400kg males square up to each other to spar.

Watch Documentary - The Great Melt

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Wild China - Tides of Change

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:05:00 -0700

From the eastern end of the Great Wall, China's coast spans 14,500km and more than 5,000 years of history. This is a place of huge contrasts: futuristic modern cities jostling with traditional seaweed-thatched villages, ancient tea terraces and wild wetlands where rare animals still survive.
Here Chinese white dolphins, red-crowned cranes, deadly vipers, giant sturgeon and sabre-wielding monkeys struggle to eke out a living faced by competition from 700 million people, widespread pollution and over-fishing. How China is managing such conflicting pressures has lessons for us all.

Watch Documentary - Wild China - Tides of Change

Features China's 14,500km coastline,home to 700 Million people.Despite decades of rapid urban development.,it is still an important migration route for birds. Endangered red-crowned cranes depart their northern breeding grounds to overwinter at Yancheng saltmarsh,the largest coastal wetland in China. Shedao Island is an important stopover on the migration route, but the resident Shedao Island pitvipers,stranded by rising sea levels, lie in ambush in the branches. All along the coast, traditional forms of cultivation allow wildlife & people to live side by side.Crops vary from seaweed & cockles in the north to prawns further south,allowing birds such as whooper swans & black-faced spoonbills to prosper.Kejia tea-growers & Hui'an women harvesting oysters are also shown.China's rivers & seas are heavily polluted.Sewage & fertiliser washed into the Bohai Gulf cause plankton blooms,attracting jellyfish, which in China are a commercial catch.In the Yangtze estuary,the migrations of creatures such as Yangtze sturgeon & mitten crabs are being impeded by upstream dams.In the tropical S.China Sea,where coral reefs are under threat,whale sharks are rare visitors.Other rare creatures filmed include Pere David's deer & Chinese white dolphins.On Hainan island,macaques are shown jumping into a hotel swimming pool, epitomising the uneasy coexistence of wildlife & people in China, & the challenge of continuing its traditional harmonious relationship with nature.

Wild China - Land of the Panda

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:54:00 -0700

Episode Five in the BBC Science and Nature series "Wild China"
China's heartland with its Han people is the centre of a 5,000-year-old civilization. This land contains the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, and Beijing's Olympic Stadium and is home to some of China's most charismatic creatures such as the giant panda, golden snub-nosed monkey, and golden takin.

China has undergone significant development in the past 50 years, bringing many environmental problems. The programme explores the deep, complex and often extraordinary relationship between the Chinese peoples, their environment and its creatures, and finds out what it means for the future of China.

Watch Documentary - Wild China - Land of the Panda

This Fourth episode features central China,home to the Han Chinese.They're the largest ethnic group on Earth ,& their language Mandarin the most widely spoken.This looks at how the relationship between people & wildlife has changed over time.Ancient Chinese beliefs placed great importance in the harmonious co-existence of man & nature.At the beginning of China's period of rapid economic growth,this ideal was largely forgotten.A number of political references contrast the more enlightened environmental policies of the current gov't with those under Chairman Mao, which led to widespread degradation.The Chinese alligator & crested ibis are 2 species saved from extinction by direct intervention.Other animals have benefited from ancient spiritual beliefs & customs which live on, promoting respect & reverence for wildlife:the yellow weasels & Mandarin ducks of Beijing are 2 such creatures.However,wildlife is still threatened by illegal poaching for food & traditional medicine.West of Beijing lie the fertile lands of the N.China Plain & the Loess plateau,source of the Yellow River.Increased demand for water has changed the river's flow, & soil erosion causes dust storms w/c reach the capital.Further west,the Qinling Mt.'s are a refuge for some of China's rarest species including the takin,golden snub-nosed monkey & giant panda. Giant panda courtship & mating is shown, filmed for the first time in the wild.In the colourful lakes of Jiuzhaigou, unique fish swim amongst forests preserved underwater

Wild China - Beyond the Great Wall

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:44:00 -0700

China's emperors built the Great Wall to keep their kingdom safe from the hostile barbarians to the north. This is a land of warrior tribes, bizarre wildlife and extreme weather, but also of vast and breathtaking evergreen forests, grassy plains and sweeping desert dunes, rich with history.

The legendary Silk Road drew traders and their camels across the deserts in search of fabulous wealth, and fierce Mongolian horsemen conquered the known world. Today, nomadic tribesmen still race horses and hunt with golden eagles, while tiny hamsters and Asia's last wild horses struggle to survive in the world's most northerly desert.

Watch Documentary - Wild China - Beyond the Great Wall

This episode looks at the lands north of China's Great Wall. Here,nomadic tribes from a variety of ethnic groups still roam,but their traditional ways of life are changing as people move to modern cities.In ancient Manchuria,the last Hezhe fisherman still cast their nets beneath the thick ice of the frozen Black Dragon River.The forests here support wild boar,w/c forage for walnuts in winter,& the last remaining wild Siberian tigers in China.Ewenki reindeer herders came from Siberia hundreds of years ago:now,only 30 remain.Further west lie the rolling Mongolian steppe grasslands,& at Bayan Bulak,the livestock of Mongolian horsemen share the pastures & wetlands breeding demoiselle cranes & whooper swans.Continuing westwards,the land becomes increasingly hot & dry,turning first to arid grasslands roamed by rare goitered gazelles,& then to the Taklamakan Desert,the world's largest shifting sand desert.Here stand ruined towns,a legacy of the Silk Road,& many yardangs, sand-sculpted rock formations. Underground irrigation canals at Turfan oasis enable grapes to be cultivated,& red-tailed gerbils are quick to take advantage. Kazakh nomads spend the summer in the Tian Shan before descending to the Junggar Basin, an arid land bordering the Gobi Desert, to overwinter. Here their livestock shares the meagre pasture with the last wild horses on earth. A Kazahk demonstrates the 6000-year-old tradition of hunting with golden eagles. The closing scenes show the Harbin Ice Festival.

Wild China - Tibet

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:29:00 -0700

BBC Science and Nature Documentary

The Tibetan plateau covers a quarter of China – an area the size of Western Europe. This vast, windswept wilderness is one of the world's most remote places, defined by the glacier-strewn Himalayas. It's also home to some incredible wildlife such as the rare chiru, brown bears, wild yaks and the highest-living predators on Earth. There are more large creatures here than anywhere else in China.

Defined by over a thousand years of Buddhism, Tibet has a unique culture that has nurtured remarkable beliefs. The programme discovers why this landscape and ancient culture is the life support system for much of the planet.

Watch Documentary - Wild China - Tibet

The Tibetan Plateau is the subject of the third episode.It covers 1/4 of China's land area,but just 2.5 million people live there,the majority Tibetan Buddhists.Their religion mixes traditional Buddhism with older shamanic beliefs,& its teachings have instilled a respectful attitude to wildlife.Rare species such as black-necked cranes & Tibetan eared pheasants can benefit directly from co-existence w/ people.Meltwaters from Tibet's 35,000 glaciers form large freshwater lakes including Qinghai & Manasarovar.Nesting birds here include great crested grebes & bar-headed geese.The plateau is a high altitude desert swept by freezing winds,but is also home to China's biggest concentration of large animals.Argali sheep are shown descending hillsides to their winter grazing sites.In the Changtang,chiru are filmed congregating in the rutting season,& wild yaks are only found in the remotest areas.Predators include the elusive snow leopard & the Tibetan fox,filmed profiting from a bear's attempts to hunt pika.Life even clings on in the most extreme environments;the slopes of Everest are home to a species of jumping spider,whilst the unique hot spring snake survives at 4,500m by warming its body in thermal springs.The Saga Dawa festival takes place at sacred Mt. Kailash & draws pilgrims of many faiths.Tibet is a fragile ecosystem;its glaciers are melting,& this will have a profound effect on the future for billions of people who depend on waters flowing from the plateau

Wild China - Shangri La

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:08:00 -0700

BBC Science and Nature Documentary

China is a vast country with an astonishingly diverse landscape. Through unprecedented access, this six-part series reveals the little-known natural treasures and secret wildlife havens of China's wildest regions.

Wild China episode 2 - Shangri La

Episode Two profiles the rich biodiversity of south-western Yunnan province.Forming the eastern boundary of the Himalaya,the Hengduan Mt.'s have buckled into a series of parallel ridges running north-south.The Nujiang River is one of a succession of deep gorges that carve their way through the mt.'s.In summer,monsoon rainclouds from the Indian Ocean are funnelled up the valleys, creating a unique climate in w/c species from the tropics can flourish at a more northerly latitude.Yunnanâ€™s 18,000 plant species, of w/c 3,000 are found nowhere else, attracted Western botanists & explorers such as Joseph Rock. In the snowbound forests surrounding the pilgrimage site of Kawakarpo (6740m),rare Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys are filmed feeding on lichen. In the Gaoligong Mt.'s, tropical & alpine plants grow side by side. Birdlife filmed here includes sunbirds feeding on epiphytes & the courtship display of a Temminck's tragopan. The fruiting trees attract bear macaques & black giant squirrels, whilst Chinaâ€™s 250 remaining wild Asian elephants forage below. A bamboo bat colony is filmed at their roost inside a single stem;each bat is the size of a bumblebee.A giant elephant yam flower is pollinated by carrion beetles at night. Black crested gibbons are filmed in the forests of Wuliangshan.The people of Yunnan include the Dai, Hani & Jino tribes, each of whom regard the forests as sacred & harvest them sustainably,but modern times are bringing new threats such as rubber plantations & tourism

Watch Documentary; Wild China - Shangri La

Links;
BBC Science and Nature

Yogis of Tibet

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 10:18:00 -0800

Since the invasion of Tibet over 50 years ago, China has systematically destroyed the Tibetan culture. One of the most profound losses is the tradition of the great master yogis. The entire system which supported these fascinating mind masters has been inexorably eliminated. In order to record these mystical practitioners for posterity, the filmmakers were given permission to film heretofore secret demonstrations and to conduct interviews on subject matter rarely discussed. This profound historical, spiritual and educational film will someday be the last remnant of these amazing practitioners.

Pic left -Milarepa - cave dwelling hermit sage and yogic master of the Tibetan Vajrayana lineage.

Watch Documentary - Yogis of Tibet

The Blue Buddha

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 10:08:00 -0800

The Blue Buddha - Lost Secrets of Tibetan Medicine

Twelve hundred years ago the people of Tibet developed a comprehensive medical system. They understood how the mind affects the body. They knew subtle ways of changing the body's chemistry with medicines made from plants and minerals. They blessed their medicines in lengthy rituals. And they encoded this knowledge in a series of elaborate paintings called thangkas. Blue Buddha: Lost Secrets of Tibetan Medicine traces the odyssey of traditional Tibetan medicine from it's roots in ancient Tibet, to a worldwide interest in it's traditional medical wisdom.

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We meet several leading physicians in India, as the program introduces us to the basic concepts of this ancient system of healing. We also trace the fate of the 77 thangkas that comprise the Atlas of Tibetan Medicine, the great mnemonic device that encodes the entire system of healing. From the snows of Siberia and the Himalayas to the vital culture of Tibet in exile, in Dharamsala, India, this is a stunning look at where Tibetan medicine has come from. Blue Buddha: Lost Secrets of Tibetan Medicine focuses on the life of a Buddhist monk and a doctor who practices traditional Tibetan medicine in Siberia. It hasn't always been easy. At times he's been hounded by the KGB and forbidden to leave the country. Through it all he's kept his faith in the power of Buddhist medicine. This documentary follows Tuvan Lama, in his role as vital member of this remote community, as he treats his patients, conducts traditional rituals and passes on this vast medical heritage to the next generation. Just as Buddhism informs the rituals of this community, Tuvan Lama believes Buddhism and Tibetan Medicine go together, as they are inseparable. He believes one has to know the foundation of Buddhism in order to understand the foundations of the medicine. To his mind, it needs to be understood with the body, the mind, and the soul."
CBC

The Boy With Divine Powers

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 09:12:00 -0800

This Rare Documentary covers the story of the "Buddha Boy" in Nepal.

Ram Bahadur Bomjon (Sanskrit: राम बहादुर बामजान) (born c. 9 April 1990, sometimes spelt Bomjan, Banjan, or Bamjan), and also known as Palden Dorje (his monastic name), is from Ratanapuri village, Bara district, Nepal and is believed to be enlightened. It has been claimed by some of his supporters that he is the reincarnation of the Buddha, but Ram himself has denied this. Many Buddhist practitioners agree that he could not be, as the Buddha has entered nirvana and cannot be reborn.

He drew thousands of visitors and media attention by spending months in meditation. Nicknamed the Buddha Boy, he began his meditation on 16 May 2005. He reportedly disappeared from the hollow tree where he had been meditating for months on 16 March 2006, but was found by some followers a week later. He told them he had left his meditation place, where large crowds had been watching him, "because there is no peace". He then went his own way and reappeared elsewhere in Nepal on 26 December 2006, but left again on 8 March 2007. On 26 March 2007, inspectors from the Area Police Post Nijgadh in Ratanapuri found Bomjon meditating inside a bunker-like ditch seven feet square.

On 10 November 2008, Bomjon reappeared in Ratanapuri and spoke to a group of devotees in the remote jungle.

Watch Documentary; The Boy With Divine Powers

Bomjon is a member of the Tamang community, of which a majority practices Vajrayana Buddhism. Bomjon's story gained popularity because it resembled a legend from the Jataka Nidanakatha about Gautama Buddha's enlightenment, so much so that some devotees claimed Ram was the reincarnation of a Buddha. However, on 8 November 2005 Dorje arose and said, "Tell the people not to call me a Buddha. I don't have the Buddha's energy. I am at the level of a rimpoche." A rimpoche is a teacher, which indicates he believes he has achieved a significant amount. He said that he will need six more years of meditation before he may become a Buddha.

According to his followers, Bomjon may have reached the stage of a Bodhisattva,a person on the path to attaining full enlightenment or buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. According to the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, there were innumerable Buddhas before him and infinite Buddhas to come. Proponents also claim that Bomjon might also be Maitreya Bodhisattva, the predicted successor to the historical Buddha. Scholars doubt the claims of his supporters. Mahiswor Raj Bajracharya, president of the Nepal Buddhist Council, has said, "We do not believe he is Buddha. He does not have Buddha's qualities"

His mother's name is Maya Devi Tamang, the same first name as Buddha's mother. It is reported that his mother fainted when she found out that her son intended to meditate for an indefinite period.

Those who have called him the "reincarnation of Buddha" have been criticised. Gautama Buddha taught that after parinirvana there is no more rebirth, therefore it is impossible to be a "reincarnation of Buddha", but it is possible to be another Buddha, another who has attained, or will attain, enlightenment. His disavowal of any claim to be a reincarnation of the Buddha accords with the beliefs of Theravada Buddhism, which holds that Buddhahood implies the end of the cycle of rebirth.
After about ten months of meditation, Bomjon went missing on 11 March 2006. He gave no explanation, and some believed he had been abducted. His followers theorized that he went deeper into the woods to look for a quieter place to meditate.
Police abandoned a search for him after the likelihood of foul play was eliminated. Suspecting money laundering, the authorities froze the bank account of the local committee managing the crowds, which had gathered more than Rs. 600,000, but they found no evidence.

On 19 March, a group of Bomjon's followers met with him about 2 miles (3 kilometers) southwest of his meditation site. They say they spoke to him for thirty minutes, during which Bomjon said, "There is no peace here," and that he would return in six years, which would be in 2011 or 2012. He left a message for his parents telling them not to worry. On 25 December 2006, villagers in Bara district spotted Bomjon meditating. He was carrying a sword for protection in the jungle, reminding reporters that "Even Gautama Buddha had to protect himself," and claimed to have eaten nothing but herbs in the interim.

He reiterated his six year commitment to Buddhist devotion, and said he would allow people to come and observe him, as long as they remained at some distance and didn't bother him. When a reporter pointed out that pilgrims to his meditation site would be making donations in his name, he asked for the donations to not be abused or used for commercial purposes.A new wave of visitors came to see him and pray at his new meditation spot.[9][10] On 8 March 2007 he left Bara district again to find a quieter place to meditate.

On 26 March 2007, Inspector Rameshwor Yadav of the Area Police Post Nijgadh, found Bomjon inside a bunker-like ditch seven feet square. A police team under Yadav's command had gone to the place after word had spread of Bomjon meditating underground. "His face was clean and hair was combed well," Yadav said. According to him, the bunker had been cemented from all sides and fitted with a tiled roof. Indra Lama, a local deployed as Bomjon's caretaker since the beginning of his intensive meditation, said the bunker was prepared per Bomjon's request. "After granting audience a week ago, he expressed his desire to meditate inside the ground; so we built it," he said.
Read On at wikipedia..Preaching in Hallori jungle...

Himalayas - Science Of The Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 08:49:00 -0800

Light At The Edge Of The World:Himalayas The Science Of The Mind
Buddhism asks the fundamental question: What is life and what is the point of existence?

Wade Davis goes on an anthropological and spiritual journey into the Himalayas of Nepal to learn the deepest lesson of Buddhist practice. Parts of this documentary feature H.H.Trulshik Rinpoche and Matthieu Ricard.

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Amongst White Clouds

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 08:36:00 -0800

A Documentary about Buddhist Hermit traditions in the chinese woods.

American director Edward A. Burger takes us on his unforgettable journey into the hidden lives of China's forgotten Zen Buddhist hermit tradition. "Amongst White Clouds is a look at the lives of zealot students, gaunt ascetics and wise masters living in isolated hermitages dotting the peaks and valleys of China's Zhongnan Mountain range." The Zhongnan Mountains have been home to recluses since the time of the Yellow Emperor, some five thousand years ago. Many of China's most realized Buddhist masters attained enlightenment in this very range! And now? It is widely thought that this tradition was all but wiped out by the twists and turns of history. "Amongst White Clouds" shows us this is not the case. One of only a few foreigners to have lived and studied with these hidden sages, Burger reveals to us their tradition, their wisdom, and the hardship and joy of their everyday lives.

With both humor and compassion, these inspiring and warm-hearted characters challenge us to join them in an exploration of our own suffering and enlightenment in this modern world.

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