why dave bergman is neat

Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO, but ushered in a period of ethnic unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003. The Republic of Congo is one of Africa's largest petroleum producers with significant potential for offshore development.

# posted by Eric : 11:26 PM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me.

Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit
und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater denn durch
mich.

Jésus lui dit: Je suis le chemin, la vérité, et la
vie. Nul ne vient au Père que par moi.

Gesú gli disse: «Io sono la via, la verità e la vita;
nessuno viene al Padre se non per mezzo di me.

--Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida --le contestó
Jesús--. Nadie llega al Padre sino por
mí.

# posted by Eric : 9:45 AM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Sei stille dem HERRN und warte auf ihn; erzürne dich nicht über den, dem sein Mutwille glücklich fortgeht.

Garde le silence devant l'Éternel, et espère en lui; Ne t'irrite pas contre celui qui réussit dans ses voies, Contre l'homme qui vient à bout de ses mauvais desseins.

Sta' in silenzio davanti all'Eterno e aspettalo; non affliggerti per colui che prospera nelle sue imprese, per l'uomo che segue i suoi malvagi disegni.

Guarda silencio ante el Señor,
y espera en él con paciencia;
no te irrites ante el éxito de otros,
de los que maquinan planes malvados.

# posted by Eric : 11:35 PM  1 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

aber die auf den HERRN harren,
kriegen neue Kraft, daß sie auffahren
mit Flügeln wie Adler, daß sie laufen
und nicht matt werden, daß sie
wandeln und nicht müde werden.

Mais ceux qui se confient en l'Éternel
renouvellent leur force.
Ils prennent le vol comme les aigles;
Ils courent, et ne se lassent point,
Ils marchent, et ne se fatiguent point.

ma quelli che sperano nell'Eterno
acquistano nuove forze,
s'innalzano con ali come aquile,
corrono senza stancarsi
e camminano senza affaticarsi.

pero los que confían en el Señor
renovarán sus fuerzas;
volarán como las águilas:
correrán y no se fatigarán,
caminarán y no se cansarán.

# posted by Eric : 11:13 PM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

THE SEXES

Traditional Attitudes Toward Segregation of the Sexes

With the notable exception of the Westernized and secularized upper and middle classes, Iranian society before the Revolution practiced public segregation of the sexes. Women generally practiced use of the chador (or veil) when in public or when males not related to them were in the house. In the traditional view, an ideal society was one in which women were confined to the home, where they performed the various domestic tasks associated with managing a household and rearing children. Men worked in the public sphere, that is, in the fields, factories, bazaars, and offices. Deviations from this ideal, especially in the case of women, tended to reflect adversely upon the reputation of the family. The strength of these traditional attitudes was reflected in the public education system, which maintained separate schools for boys and girls from the elementary through the secondary levels.

The traditional attitudes on the segregation of women clashed sharply with the views and customs of the secularized upper and middle classes, especially those in Tehran. Mixed gatherings, both public and private, were the norm. During the Pahlavi era the government was the main promoter of change in traditional attitudes toward sexual segregation. It sought to discourage veiling of women at official functions and encouraged mixed participation in a variety of public gatherings. The result was to bring the government into social conflict with the Shia clergy, who sought to defend traditional values.

Impact of Western Ideas on the Role of Women

Among the ideas imported into Iran from the West was the notion that women should participate in the public sphere. The Pahlavi government encouraged women to get as much education as possible and to participate in the labor force at all levels. After 1936, when Reza Shah banned the chador, veiling came to be perceived among the minority of elite and secular middle-class women as a symbol of oppression. Before the Revolution, Iranian society was already polarized between the traditionally minded majority and a minority of involved women who were dedicated to improving the status of women. As early as 1932, Iranian women held a meeting of the Oriental Feminine Congress in Tehran at which they called for the right of women to vote, compulsory education for both boys and girls, equal salaries for men and women, and an end to polygyny. In 1963 women were given the right to vote and to hold public office.

Data as of December 1987

# posted by Eric : 11:09 PM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness
         And Your praise all day long.

Und meine Zunge soll reden von deiner Gerechtigkeit und dich täglich preisen.

Et ma langue célébrera ta justice, Elle dira tous les jours ta louange.

La mia lingua celebrerà la tua giustizia e canterà la tua lode tutto il giorno.

Con mi lengua proclamaré tu justicia,
y todo el día te alabaré.

# posted by Eric : 11:31 PM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

RELIGIOUS LIFE

The overwhelming majority of Iranians--at least 90 percent of the total population--are Muslims who adhere to Shia Islam. In contrast, the majority of Muslims throughout the world follow Sunni Islam. Of the several Shia sects, the Twelve Imam (see Glossary) or Twelver (ithna- ashari), is dominant in Iran; most Shias in Bahrain, Iraq, and Lebanon also follow this sect. All the Shia sects originated among early Muslim dissenters in the first three centuries following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in A.D. 632 (see Islamic Conquest , ch. 1).

The principal belief of Twelvers, but not of other Shias, is that the spiritual and temporal leadership of the Muslim community passed from Muhammad to Ali and then sequentially to eleven of Ali's direct male descendants, a tenet rejected by Sunnis. Over the centuries various other theological differences have developed between Twelver Shias and Sunnis.

[...]

Christians

Iran's indigenous Christians include an estimated 250,000 Armenians, some 32,000 Assyrians, and a small number of Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant Iranians converted by missionaries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Armenians are predominantly urban and are concentrated in Tehran and Esfahan; smaller communities exist in Tabriz, Arak, and other cities. A majority of the Assyrians are also urban, although there are still several Assyrian villages in the Lake Urmia region. Armenians and Assyrians were recognized as official religious minorities under the 1906 constitution. Although Armenians and Assyrians have encountered individual prejudice, they have not been subjected to persecution. During the twentieth century, Christians in general have participated in the economic and social life of Tehran. The Armenians, especially, achieved a relatively high standard of living and maintained a large number of parochial primary and secondary schools.

The new, republican Constitution of 1979 also recognized the Armenians and Assyrians as official religious minorities (see Constitutional Framework , ch. 4). They are entitled to elect their own representatives to the Majlis and are permitted to follow their own religious laws in matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Other Christians have not received any special recognition, and there have been a number of incidents of persecution of Iranian Anglicans. All Christians are required to observe the new laws relating to attire, prohibition of alcohol, and segregation by sex at public gatherings. Christians have resented these laws because they have infringed on their traditional religious practices. In addition, the administration of the Armenian schools has been a source of tension between Christians and the government. The Ministry of Education has insisted that the principals of such schools be Muslims, that all religion courses be taught in Persian, that any Armenian literature classes have government approval, and that all female students observe hejab inside the schools.

Data as of December 1987

# posted by Eric : 11:29 PM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
         And delivered me from all my fears.

Da ich den HERRN suchte, antwortete er mir und errettete mich aus aller meiner Furcht.

J'ai cherché l'Éternel, et il m'a répondu; Il m'a délivré de toutes mes frayeurs.

ho cercato l'Eterno, ed egli mi ha risposto e mi ha liberato da tutti i miei spaventi.

Busqué al Señor, y él me respondió;
me libró de todos mis temores.

# posted by Eric : 11:44 PM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

Government: Islamic Republic under Constitution of 1979, with
Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini as  faqih (see Glossary)
for life and ultimate decision maker. Executive branch included
elected president, responsible for selecting prime minister and
cabinet, which must be approved by parliament, or Majlis (see
Glossary),  elected legislative assembly. Judiciary independent of
both executive and Majlis. Council of Guardians, consisting of six
religious scholars appointed by faqih and six Muslim lawyers approved
by Majlis, ensured conformity of legislation with Islamic law.

Politics: Islamic Republican Party, created in 1979, dissolved in 1987
because its factions made it unmanageable. Iran Freedom Movement, a
nonreligious political party, existed in 1987 but had been intimidated
into silence. Opposition political parties existed in exile abroad:
monarchists, democrats, Kurds, Islamic groups, and Marxists. Regime
stressed mass political participation through religious institutions,
such as mosques, rather than political parties. Factories, schools,
and offices had Islamic associations similar to mosque voluntary
associations. Fervent religious zeal and support for the Revolution
promoted by the Pasdaran (Pasdaran- e Enghelab-e Islami, or Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, or Revolutionary Guards).

Administrative Divisions: Country divided into twenty-four provinces
(ostans), each under a governor general (ostandar); provinces
subdivided into counties (shahrestans), each under a governor
(farmandar). Most administrative officials appointive and answerable
to central Ministry of Interior. In addition, each county had clerical
imam jomeh chosen from among county senior clergy. Imam jomeh served
as representative of faqih.

Foreign Affairs: Policy of Islamic revolutionary government based on
export of Islamic revolution and liberation of Islamic and Third World
countries generally. Other major policy was independence from both
West and East, especially United States, the "Great Satan," and Soviet
Union, the "Lesser Satan." War with Iraq, which began in 1980, had
been very costly in men and matériel. War ended with Iran's acceptance
of a cease- fire in July 1988.

Data as of December 1987

# posted by Eric : 8:48 PM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

Iran

GEOGRAPHY

Size: Land area of about 1,648,000 square kilometers; sovereignty claimed over territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles.

Topography: Large Central Plateau surrounded on three sides by rugged mountain ranges. Highest peak Mount Damavand, approximately 5,600 meters; Caspian Sea about 27 meters below sea level.

SOCIETY

Population: Preliminary results of October 1986 census listed total population as 48,181,463, including approximately 2.6 million refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq. Population grew at rate of 3.6 percent per annum between 1976 and 1986. Government figures showed 50 percent of population under fifteen years of age in 1986.

Education: School system consists of five years of primary (begun at seven years of age), three years of middle school, and four years of high school education. High school has three cycles: academic, science and mathematics, and vocational technical. Government announced 11.5 million students in above school system in academic year 1986-87; percentage of school age population in school not published. Postrevolution decrease in university enrollments, particularly percentage of women students, which declined from 40 percent in prerevolutionary period to 10 percent in 1984. Number of students abroad also declined.

Health: Iranian Medical Association reported 12,300 doctors in 1986; 38,000 additional doctors needed to provide population with minimally adequate health care. Most medical personnel located in large cities. High infant mortality rate. Gastrointestinal, parasitic, and respiratory diseases other chief causes of mortality.

Languages: Persian official language and native tongue of over half the population. Spoken as a second language by majority of the remainder. Other Indo-European languages, such as Kirmanji (the collective term in Iran for the dialects spoken by Kurds), as well as Turkic languages and Arabic also important.

Religion: Shia Islam official religion with at least 90 percent adherence. Also approximately 8 percent Sunni Muslims and smaller numbers of Bahais, Armenian and Assyrian Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians.

Data as of December 1987

# posted by Eric : 11:05 PM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

Oh, my baby, when you're dying
Believe the healing of His hand
Here in Heaven we will wait for your arrival
Here in Heaven you will finally understand
Here in Heaven we will wait for your arrival
Here in Heaven you will finally understand

Worry not my daughters,
Worry not my sons
Child, when life don't seem worth livin'
Come to Jesus and let Him hold you in His arms

# posted by Eric : 8:19 PM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)

Early to rise and early to bed makes a male healthy, wealthy and dead.
--James Thurber

# posted by Eric : 12:29 AM  0 comments (you got somethin' to say about that?)