Baghdad: Before and After

This Wednesday, March 13, 2013 photo shows a general view of Firdous Square at the site of an Associated Press photograph taken by Jerome Delay as the statue of Saddam Hussein is pulled down by U.S. forces and Iraqis on April 9, 2003. Ten years ago on live television, U.S. Marines memorably hauled down a Soviet-style statue of Saddam, symbolically ending his rule. Today, that pedestal in central Baghdad stands empty. Bent iron beams sprout from the top, and posters of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in military fatigues are pasted on the sides.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

 

Scenes from Baghdad today, ten years after the Iraq War was declared on March 19, 2003.

(Please click the photos for larger images)

This Thursday, March 14, 2013 photo shows a general view of the crossed swords monument at the site of an Associated Press photograph taken by Karim Kadim of U.S. soldiers taken on Nov. 16, 2008. The crossed-sword archways Saddam Hussein commissioned during Iraq’s nearly eight-year war with Iran stand defiantly on a little-used parade ground inside the Green Zone, the fortified district that houses the sprawling U.S. Embassy and several government offices. Iraqi officials began tearing down the archways in 2007 but quickly halted those plans and then started restoring the monument two years ago. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

In this Wednesday, March 13, 2013 photo, Iraqi policeman Ahmed Naji stands on the grounds of the Iraqi National Museum at the site of an Associated Press photograph by Murad Sezer showing a U.S. Army tank parked outside the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad on Tuesday, May 6, 2003. Tens of thousands of artifacts chronicling some 7,000 years of civilization in Mesopotamia are believed to have been looted from Iraq in the chaos which followed the the US-led invasion in 2003. Despite international efforts to track items down, fewer than half of the artifacts have so far been retrieved. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

In this Saturday, March 16, 2013 photo, motorists fill the main street in Baghdad’s busy shopping district of Karrada, at the same site of an Associated Press photo taken by Hadi Mizban on Friday, Friday, March 7, 2008 after a bombing that killed 53 people and wounded 130. Bloody attacks launched by terrorists who thrived in the post-invasion chaos are painfully still frequent, albeit less so than a few years back, and sectarian and ethnic rivalries are again tearing at the fabric of national unity. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

This Tuesday, March 12, 2013 photo shows a general view of Abu Nawas park in Baghdad, at the site of a photograph taken by Maya Alleruzzo showing Iraqi orphans playing soccer with a U.S. soldier from the Third Infantry Division in April, 2003. The park that runs along Abu Nawas Street, named after an Arabic poet, is now a popular destination for families who are drawn by the manicured gardens, playgrounds and restaurants famous for a fish called mazgouf. Ten years ago, the park was home to a tribe of children orphaned by the war and was rife with crime. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

In this Saturday, March 16, 2013 photo, shoppers walk in Baghdad’s busy shopping district of Karrada, at the same site of an Associated Press photo taken by Hadi Mizban on Monday, Sept. 29, 2008 after a bombing that killed 22 people. Bloody attacks launched by terrorists who thrived in the post-invasion chaos are painfully still frequent, albeit less so than a few years back, and sectarian and ethnic rivalries are again tearing at the fabric of national unity. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo

This Tuesday, March 12, 2013 photo shows a general view of Abu Nawas Street in Baghdad, Iraq, at the site of a photograph of Iraqi orphan Fady al-Sadik waking on the street, taken by photographer Maya Alleruzzo in April, 2003. The park that runs along Abu Nawas Street, named for an Arabic poet, is now a popular destination for families who are drawn by the manicured gardens, playgrounds and restaurants famous for a fish called mazgouf. Ten years ago, the park was home to a tribe of children orphaned by the war and was rife with crime. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Tales From Calovinia, A Story By Ahmad Ali Karim

Chapter 1 – An Attack

It was a glorious day in Calovinia. All the flowers were blooming and all the birds are singing in the gardens around the beautiful castle. King Ali of Calovinia was having a happy time talking to King Gampore from the country of Arguay. But soon, an attack by their enemy, Cinra disturbed their private gathering.

Their ally, Torky came to help the Calovinians and together they fought the enemy but they almost lost to the very powerful Cinra. Torky sent more armies and at last they won the battle. The King of Torky ordered his infantry units named the Janissaries to attack Jupron because it was the King of Jupron who made the plan for Cinra to attack Calovinia.

In Jupron’s fort, a Jupron spy came back from Calovinia, telling the news of the incoming attack to his leader. The Jupron army leader, Date Masamone commanded his armies to prepare and sent a cavalry archer to see if the Torky’s armies had arrived.

As the cavalry rode out from the fort looking out for the enemy, he was almost shot by Torky’s Janissaries. Immediately he rode back to the fort with the bad news. He jumped from his horse and ran to tell the Date that armies from Torky were already there.

Date Masamone commanded, “One hundred skirmishers, attack now!” and off went the hundred skirmishers to the battle ground. They attacked the Janissaries but the Janissaries were too strong for them and they were defeated in no time. Jupron sent more and more armies and at the same time a big reinforcements from Torky reached the battle field .

The Juprons fought and fought until most all of their soldiers at the battle field were killed. The Date did not give up, he sent more and more armies. But the Janissaries were too strong for the Juprons. Then Date Masamone sent  out all of their archers. They almost won the battle but as a new reinforcements from Torky reached the battle field, the Torky won the battle.

The King of Torky was very happy to hear the good news. He had defeated all of his enemy except Cinra. But the King of Torky was a very wise man. He knew that he could not be really sure that there was no other enemy except Cinra because anyone could turn into an enemy in just a blink of an eye.

To be continued …

War Crimes In Syria

Now I wonder why some people want to start an unrest.

Look at what is happening in Syria now.

Lots of innocent people were injured and killed.

The Syrians are fighting other Syrians and they are killing their own people.

Why can’t they find a peaceful way to solve their problems?

Now look at what is happening in Malaysia now.

Demonstrations can lead to riots, riots can turn to a war. 

What will happen if Malaysians keep on fighting with each other?

Is this what we really want?

It is very silly to fight only because of political differences.

When this happen, it is the people and the kids who really suffer, not leaders.

May Allah protect all of us from the disaster.

Injured Syrian women arrive at a field hospital after an air strike hit their homes in the town of Azaz on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)

A Free Syrian Army fighter drags a dead man shot in Salaheddine neighborhood in Aleppo out of the line of sniper fire August 13, 2012. Free Syrian Army fighters said the man was shot dead by Syrian Army snipers. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

A Free Syrian Army fighter reacts after hearing news that his commander had been killed by tank shell in Aleppo August 14, 2012. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

A man searches among houses that were destroyed during a recent Syrian Air Force air strike in Azaz, some 47 km (29 miles) north of Aleppo, August 15, 2012. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Syrian soldiers investigate the scene after a bomb attached to a fuel truck exploded outside a Damascus hotel where U.N. observers are staying in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012. Several people were wounded, Syria’s state TV reported. TV said the explosion took place near a parking lot used by the army command, which is about 300 meters (yards) away. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)

A man reacts in front of houses destroyed during a recent Syrian Air Force air strike in Azaz, some 47 km (29 miles) north of Aleppo, August 15, 2012. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Violent Demonstrations In Egypt – Photos

””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””’

Egyptians are angry of the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

So they held demonstrations.

Demonstrations is a way to fight for something important.

But they are supposed to stop doing bad things and violence during the demonstrations because it can destroy our world.

Violence can turn into a war.

This is a disaster.

It is like what happened in Bangkok.

People were killed and injured; buildings, cars and plants were destroyed.

They should have a peaceful demonstration to say what they wanted.

And the government should listen to the people and discuss what can be done for them.

We have to take care of our Earth and lets go green.

Cairo's historic Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifai mosques are engulfed with smoke from a nearby fire at a police station which was set ablaze during massive protests by Egyptians demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. The United States said Friday that the political unrest in Egypt "is of deep concern. (AFP Marco Longari)

CAIRO, Jan. 29, 2011 (Xinhua) — Demonstrators climb up to armed vehicles after clashes calmed down at Square Tahrir in Cairo, capital of Egypt, early on Jan. 29, 2011. Dozens of tanks entered the Square, while protestors welcomed the army and waved to the soldiers standing on tanks. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Smoke is seen above the city of Cairo after wide-spread protests early January 29, 2011. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused on Saturday to bow to demands that he resign after ordering troops and tanks into cities in an attempt to quell an explosion of street protests against his 30-year rule. REUTERS/Amr Dalsh

A protester looks at a burnt Egyptian Army armoured vehicle in downtown Cairo January 28, 2011. (REUTERS Goran Tomasevic)

An Egyptian Army armored personnel carrier is surrounded by anti-government protesters near Tahrir square in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Egyptians gather around the burning headquarters of the ruling National Democratic party (NDP) in central Cairo. Egypt's embattled President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday addressed the nation for the first time since deadly protests erupted against his regime, vowing reform but showing no sign of relaxing his decades-old grip on power. (AFP Khaled Desouki)

Egyptians demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, march in Cairo. US President Barack Obama on Friday called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to take concrete steps towards political reform, and to refrain from using violence against protesters. (AFP/Khaled Desouki)

Human-Made Disaster; People Were Killed Everywhere-Photos

People killed other people all over the world.

They use violence as a vehicle to get what they want.

This is a disaster.

We should stop hurting each other and stop destroying our Earth.

We should also stop cutting down trees and use them as weapons in fighting.

Listen to Micheal Jackson’s ‘Earth Song’ and let us try to heal the world.

These are some of the latest violence in today’s Yahoo News.

The photos are also from Yahoo News.

Mexico

Lots and lots of people were killed in Mexican drug war.

Three people were killed in a car bomb by drug seller this week.

Car bomb exploded in Mexico.

Drug gang used car bomb to attack police.

COMMERCE-CA-JULY 12, 2010: Bundles of marijuana extracted from a rail car are laid alongside tracks at part of the Union Pacific rail yard in the City of Commerce on Monday, July 12, 2010. (Christina House / POOL PHOTO)

The remains of a vehicle are cordoned off in a street in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Friday July 16, 2010. Mexican investigators ran forensic tests to determine whether drug gangs used a car bomb in an attack on police patrol trucks that killed two officers and wounded nine people on Thursday. A car bomb would mark an unprecedented escalation of Mexico's drug war and confirm long-standing fears that the cartels are turning to explosives in their fight against security forces. (AP Photo)

Pakistan

A lot of people were killed in bomb attacks  and by guns all over Pakistan.

On Saturday 18 passengers were killed in northeastern Pakistan.

Family members a person injured by a bomb blast, bring him at a local hospital in Pakistani tribal of area of Jamrud, Friday, July 16, 2010. A powerful bomb blast ripped through a busy market in an area along the Afghan border Friday, killing at least many people and wounding 15 others, a Pakistani official said.(AP photo/Qazi Rauf)

Pakistani hospital staff attend a person injured by a bomb blast, at a local hospital in Pakistani tribal of area of Jamrud, Friday, July 16, 2010. A powerful bomb blast ripped through a busy market in an area along the Afghan border Friday, killing at least many people and wounding 15 others, a Pakistani official said.(AP photo/Qazi Rauf)

Violence in Pakistan.

Can we stop hurting each other?

A boy injured in a hospital in Pakistan.

Iraq

28 people were killed in a hotel fire in Iraq’s Kurdish region.

The fire was at the ‘Hotel Soma’.

Some hotel guests jumped out from upper floors to save themselves.

More human-made disaster in Iraq.

Hotel Soma.

Fire in Hotel Soma.

Firemen trying to stop the fire

A view of fire damage at Soma Hotel in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniya, 260 km (162 miles) northeast of Baghdad July 16, 2010. The fire, possibly triggered by a gas leak, killed 30 people, including foreigners, and injured at least 22 others, police said on Friday. REUTERS/Sherko Raouf

Please stop destroying our Earth.

Please Stop Destroying Our Earth

Please tell everybody to stop destroying our Earth.

Please stop the war.

I use PowerPoint to make these pictures.

Stop Destroying Our Earth Is The Best Thing To Do

Heal The World And Stop Destroying Our Earth

STOP THE WAR

War Is A Disaster

Heal The World

Michael Jackson’s Earth Song

The ‘Earth Song’ is about the bad things some people did to the Earth.

I love the song very much because it tells us to stop destroying our Earth.

People cut down trees, killed wild animals, start forest fire and war.

The video clip shows in the rain forest of Amazon, South America people are cutting down trees.

The rain forest was beautiful before they cut down trees.

But after people cut down the trees there is no more beautiful green trees.

The video clip also shows the war in Croatia.

I can see houses that were destroyed by bomb and no green trees.

The place was so green and beautiful before the war.

Now there are war in Palestine and Afghanistan.

I saw dead elephant in Tanzania, Africa.

People killed the elephants because they want the elephants’ tasks.

Other wild animals such as zebra, giraffes, sea lions and dolphins are also in danger.

Forest fire burn the trees, animals and humans.

In the video clip Micheal Jackson was not burnt because it was not a real forest fire

We have to save our Earth from disasters.

Michael Jackson singing ‘Earth Song’

We have to stop the war, stop the fire, stop killing wild animals and stop cutting down the trees.

Bulldozer cutting down the trees

We have to save the Earth.

I think I will write a song entitled ‘Stop Destroying Our Earth’.

LKL WEB EXCLUSIVE: Jermaine Jackson On His New Mission!

Jermaine Jackson is Michael Jackson’s big brother.

He is a Muslim.

I guess he loves his brother very much.

I love to watch Michael Jackson’s singing & dancing

I love to listen to his songs too especially the ones that tell us to save the world as ‘Heal The World’.

I don’t want to see the world destroyed because people attack each other and start a war.

War is a disaster.

I am sad about the war in Palestine.

Note: Jermaine Jackson will be Larry’s exclusive guest Friday night.

The tragedy of my brother’s death is still with me.  But in his death, I have found a mission for my life.  My existence is now dedicated to spreading Michael’s message.  Michael had a unique place in the world.  He not only did good, but taught others how to do the same.  This only magnifies his loss to the world.

I want to make people aware of the humanitarian side of Michael.  I want to show them how his true emphasis wasn’t music, or performing; it was improving the world.  Understand this, and you begin to understand the essence of who my brother was.

Michael wanted to help people see the problems that are destroying our world.   That’s what he was about, and what HIS upcoming shows were about.  He was trying to teach through his lyrics, video and performance.  He wanted to use every part of himself to show us what we are capable of becoming.  His goal was to demonstrate to people that if we all just try to make world a better place, it will be.

Michael did charity work all his life – since we first started performing as the Jackson 5.   He quickly learned talent alone means nothing – it’s what you do with it that really matters.  What are you doing to make things better for other people?  In grasping this, Michael found his purpose:  Entertain and educate at the same time.

Michael grew to understand why the world is in the state it is.  He would ask “Why?” but not get trapped in trying to find reasons for each and every problem.  His aim was finding solutions.  His message was about solutions.  Michael’s day-to-day thought process was: “How do I make the world a better place?”   He dedicated his existence to responding to this question, and to giving a voice to those who can’t speak out for themselves.

Man in the Mirror, We are the World, Will You Be There – all these songs put forward a simple but powerful message: If someone is hungry, give them food, but also help them become self-sufficient.  Michael taught us that when you do good, you start with the individual, then move onto a family, a neighborhood, a village, a nation.

Michael always looked for the good in people, but he also wanted people to understand him, and what he was here for.  This made the ridicule he endured so much harder to bear.  How can someone who gave so much, be the subject of so much hate?  Why is it, the more blessed we are, the tougher our times are destined to be?

My brother wasn’t a threat to anyone.  He was at peace, and his peaceful state was a blessing from God.  Michael was given the rare talent to entertain, sing and perform.  But the true blessing God gave him was the ability to use his talents to do good for others.  Michael’s songs inspired us to do better.  That was his true gift.

We still feel Michael’s loss.  But what will happen as time passes? What will happen to Michael’s real purpose for being?  Who can carry on Michael’s work selflessly, without ulterior motive?  Nations and governments are capable of good deeds, but those good deeds are too often done to exert control over others.  Michael never wanted to control anybody, he only wanted to spread happiness and joy.

Michael supported over 30 different charities.  Most people, even the most generous, focus their efforts on just a handful.  But Michael was different.  He would personally check every charity he supported.  He’d examine their track records make sure they did what they said they would do.

Michael’s generosity extended beyond the charities he supported.  When a girl needed a liver transplant and no one wanted to pay for it, Michael took care of it.  No fanfare, no publicity.  There are so many cases like this!  Many of them, I myself, am just beginning to learn about.

Every time Michael traveled to another country, he would devote time to visiting hospitals, orphanages, cancer patients.  That was his calling.  In every corner of the globe, this was his routine.  The world needs to know this is who he was.  Because while there were always cameras following him, the media didn’t tell the story of his caring and compassion.  They only wanted to sensationalize him.

Michael didn’t care if we knew everything he did for people, because God knows.  God knows his intentions, and knows the results.  I know my brother is in a very secure, serene, peaceful place.  When we live on earth, we are judged not only by who we are, but also by what we do for others.  When we leave, we take the good and bad deeds with us.  Michael took nothing but  good deeds with him.

Michael and I were raised to believe there is a Supreme Being.  Having success told us God had a plan for us.  Michael used his success in a positive way.  He knew that it’s not what you get from others, it’s what you do for others.  We all achieve things in life, but the greatest achievement is doing God’s work.  Michael was a man of God because he was doing His work. Eternal life is the ultimate reward from God – and Michael has eternal life

Pirates release Malaysian tugboat after seven months

(CNN) — Somali pirates have released a Malaysian tugboat and 11 crew members after holding them for more than seven months, an international business group reported Monday.

The tug taken by pirates on December 16 has been released and is en route to a “safe location,” according to ICC Commercial Crime Services — the anti-crime arm of the International Chamber of Commerce.

The ICC said it will not release additional information until the boat and crew have reached their destination and are out of harm’s way.

It was unclear whether a ransom had been paid and it was not immediately known when the ship was released.

The waters off Somalia are rife with pirate activity, despite increased measures by military forces and shipping companies to ward off attacks.

Heavily armed pirates have struck the busy Indian Ocean shipping lanes and the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

They have captured dozens of vessels and hundreds of hostages, making off with millions of dollars in ransom money.

Pirates attack people in the seas and oceans.

I think there are too much crime in the world now.

If I can go to the United Nations, I’ll tell all the people to stop the crimes and wars and ‘make the world a better place’ like what Michael Jackson sang in his song,’Heal The World’.

Crime and war are disaster.

Somalia Pirate Ship

U.S. Celebrates as President Obama Vows New Era

President Obama

Barrack Obama becomes the new U.S. president yesterday.

President Obama is the U.S. 44th president.

President Obama is a smart politician.

He won lots of elections.

The U.S. 43rd president was George W. Bush.

When George W. Bush was the U.S. president, there were lots of wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine.

U.S. presidents live at the White House in Washington DC.

The U.S. first president was George Washington.

I hope President Obama will go to the United Nations meetings to stop the wars.

I think war is very,very,very,very,very bad and a disaster.

President Barrack Obama's Inauguration ceremony