Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Barack Obama’s Family and personal life
Barack Obama together with his family and the Easter Bunny, as they wave from the South Portico of the White House to guests attending the White House Easter Egg Roll.
Main articles: Early life and career of Barack Obama and Family of Barack Obama
In a 2006 interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-United Nations", he said. "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher." Obama has seven half-siblings from his Kenyan father's family, six of them living, and a half-sister with whom he was raised, Maya Soetoro-Ng, the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband. Obama's mother was survived by her Kansas-born mother, Madelyn Dunham until her death on November 2, 2008, two days before his election to the Presidency. In Dreams from My Father, Obama ties his mother's family history to possible Native American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Obama's great-uncle served in the 89th Division that overran Ohrdruf, the first of the Nazi concentration camps to be liberated by U.S. troops during World War II.
Obama was known as "Barry" in his youth, but asked to be addressed with his given name during his college years. Besides his native English, Obama speaks Indonesian at the conversational level, which he learned during his four childhood years in Jakarta. He plays basketball, a sport he participated in as a member of his high school's varsity team.
Obama playing basketball with U.S. military at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti in 2006
Obama receiving a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey from Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who campaigned for Obama in 2008
Obama is a well known supporter of the Chicago White Sox, and threw out the first pitch at the 2005 ALCS when he was still a Senator. In 2009, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the all star game while wearing a White Sox jacket. He is also primarily a Chicago Bears fan in the NFL, but is known to also support the Pittsburgh Steelers,[218] and openly rooted for them in their victory in Super Bowl XLIII 12 days after Obama took office as President.
In June 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin. Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined his initial requests to date. They began dating later that summer, became engaged in 1991, and were married on October 3, 1992.[224] The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born on July 4, 1998, followed by a second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), on June 10, 2001. The Obama daughters attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. When they moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, the girls started at the private Sidwell Friends School. The Obamas have a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo.
Applying the proceeds of a book deal, the family moved in 2005 from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a $1.6 million house in neighboring Kenwood, Chicago. The purchase of an adjacent lot and sale of part of it to Obama by the wife of developer, campaign donor and friend Tony Rezko attracted media attention because of Rezko's subsequent indictment and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama.
In December 2007, Money magazine estimated the Obama family's net worth at $1.3 million.[231] Their 2007 tax return showed a household income of $4.2 million—up from about $1 million in 2006 and $1.6 million in 2005—mostly from sales of his books.
Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life. In The Audacity of Hope, Obama writes that he "was not raised in a religious household". He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents (whom Obama has specified elsewhere as "non-practicing Methodists and Baptists") to be detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known". He describes his father as "raised a Muslim", but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful". Obama explained how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change". He was baptized at the Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988 and was an active member there for two decades. Obama resigned from Trinity during the Presidential campaign after controversial statements made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright became public. After a prolonged effort to find a church to attend regularly in Washington, Obama announced in June 2009 that his primary place of worship would be the Evergreen Chapel at Camp David.
Obama has tried to quit smoking several times over the years and currently uses nicotine replacement therapy, though he has acknowledged that he has not quit entirely.
Main articles: Early life and career of Barack Obama and Family of Barack Obama
In a 2006 interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-United Nations", he said. "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher." Obama has seven half-siblings from his Kenyan father's family, six of them living, and a half-sister with whom he was raised, Maya Soetoro-Ng, the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband. Obama's mother was survived by her Kansas-born mother, Madelyn Dunham until her death on November 2, 2008, two days before his election to the Presidency. In Dreams from My Father, Obama ties his mother's family history to possible Native American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Obama's great-uncle served in the 89th Division that overran Ohrdruf, the first of the Nazi concentration camps to be liberated by U.S. troops during World War II.
Obama was known as "Barry" in his youth, but asked to be addressed with his given name during his college years. Besides his native English, Obama speaks Indonesian at the conversational level, which he learned during his four childhood years in Jakarta. He plays basketball, a sport he participated in as a member of his high school's varsity team.
Obama playing basketball with U.S. military at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti in 2006
Obama receiving a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey from Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who campaigned for Obama in 2008
Obama is a well known supporter of the Chicago White Sox, and threw out the first pitch at the 2005 ALCS when he was still a Senator. In 2009, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the all star game while wearing a White Sox jacket. He is also primarily a Chicago Bears fan in the NFL, but is known to also support the Pittsburgh Steelers,[218] and openly rooted for them in their victory in Super Bowl XLIII 12 days after Obama took office as President.
In June 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin. Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined his initial requests to date. They began dating later that summer, became engaged in 1991, and were married on October 3, 1992.[224] The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born on July 4, 1998, followed by a second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), on June 10, 2001. The Obama daughters attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. When they moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, the girls started at the private Sidwell Friends School. The Obamas have a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo.
Applying the proceeds of a book deal, the family moved in 2005 from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a $1.6 million house in neighboring Kenwood, Chicago. The purchase of an adjacent lot and sale of part of it to Obama by the wife of developer, campaign donor and friend Tony Rezko attracted media attention because of Rezko's subsequent indictment and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama.
In December 2007, Money magazine estimated the Obama family's net worth at $1.3 million.[231] Their 2007 tax return showed a household income of $4.2 million—up from about $1 million in 2006 and $1.6 million in 2005—mostly from sales of his books.
Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life. In The Audacity of Hope, Obama writes that he "was not raised in a religious household". He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents (whom Obama has specified elsewhere as "non-practicing Methodists and Baptists") to be detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known". He describes his father as "raised a Muslim", but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful". Obama explained how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change". He was baptized at the Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988 and was an active member there for two decades. Obama resigned from Trinity during the Presidential campaign after controversial statements made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright became public. After a prolonged effort to find a church to attend regularly in Washington, Obama announced in June 2009 that his primary place of worship would be the Evergreen Chapel at Camp David.
Obama has tried to quit smoking several times over the years and currently uses nicotine replacement therapy, though he has acknowledged that he has not quit entirely.
List of Presidents of the United States
1. George Washington
2. John Adams
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. James Madison
5. James Monroe
6. John Quincy Adams
7. Andrew Jackson
8. Martin Van Buren
9. William Henry Harrison
10. John Tyler
11. James K. Polk
12. Zachary Taylor
13. Millard Fillmore
14. Franklin Pierce
15. James Buchanan
16. Abraham Lincoln
17. Andrew Johnson
18. Ulysses S. Grant
19. Rutherford B. Hayes
20. James A. Garfield
21. Chester A. Arthur
22. Grover Cleveland
23. Benjamin Harrison
24. Grover Cleveland (second term)
25. William McKinley
26. Theodore Roosevelt
27. William Howard Taft
28. Woodrow Wilson
29. Warren G. Harding
30. Calvin Coolidge
31. Herbert Hoover
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt
33. Harry S. Truman
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower
35. John F. Kennedy
36. Lyndon B. Johnson
37. Richard Nixon
38. Gerald Ford
39. Jimmy Carter
40. Ronald Reagan
41. George H. W. Bush
42. Bill Clinton
43. George W. Bush
44. Barack Obama
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Mona Lisa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Italian: La Gioconda, French: La Joconde | |
 | |
| Artist | Leonardo da Vinci |
|---|---|
| Year | c. 1503–1506 |
| Type | Oil on poplar |
| Dimensions | 77 cm × 53 cm (30 in × 21 in) |
| Location | Musée du Louvre, Paris |
The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose facial expression is frequently described as enigmatic.[2][3] Others believe that the slight smile is an indication that the subject is hiding a secret. The ambiguity of the subject's expression, the monumentality of the composition, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the continuing fascination and study of the work.[1] In 1911, it was stolen and copied; the copies were sold as the genuine painting. It was recovered in 1913.[4]
If
Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Sri Lanka's Heritage
Sri Lanka possesses a rich cultural heritage spanning over 2500 years and enriched by various cultural influences from other countries, especially India. Most importantly the element of Buddhism is evident in almost every aspect of Sri Lanka's heritage and traditions.
Sri Lanka was a well-organized civilization thriving with vitality about five centuries before Christ. Cities, monuments, palaces, temples, monasteries, works of art are a clear demonstration of the imagination, philosophy, faith and culture of the Sri Lankans. Till date vestiges of this ancient civilization are in existence.
Sri Lanka's Heritage Sites
Sigiriya – Known as the “ eighth Wonder of the ancient world ” Sigiriya is an ancient Rock fortress located north of Sri Lanka. It has an intriguing history with astounding frescoes painted around 15 centuries ago and above all it is Asia's oldest surviving landscape garden. More...
Sri Lanka was a well-organized civilization thriving with vitality about five centuries before Christ. Cities, monuments, palaces, temples, monasteries, works of art are a clear demonstration of the imagination, philosophy, faith and culture of the Sri Lankans. Till date vestiges of this ancient civilization are in existence.
Sri Lanka's Heritage Sites
Sigiriya – Known as the “ eighth Wonder of the ancient world ” Sigiriya is an ancient Rock fortress located north of Sri Lanka. It has an intriguing history with astounding frescoes painted around 15 centuries ago and above all it is Asia's oldest surviving landscape garden. More...
මේ අප බෝසත් සමිඳුය...
සියපින් සිරිසාර ගුණෙන් පෙරුම් පුරා වඩිනා...අපමණ දුක් වෙහෙස දරා ලොවට සැපත සදනා..
නොවෙනස් පැතුමක් පෙරටුව හද මඩලෙහි රැඳෙනා..
කවුද කියන් වඩිනා මේ පින්වත් මහ මුනිඳා...
මේ අප බෝසත් මුනිඳුය සම්බුදු බව පතනා..
පෙරුම් දම් පුරා සතුටින් තුසිත ලොවේ සිටිනා...
පස්මහ බැලුමන් බලමින් මනුපියසට වඩිනා...
ලුම්බිණි සල් වනයේ දී සල් කුසුමන් පිපෙනා...
වැඩි පින්වත් පුතා කවුද සත් පියවර තබනා...
මේ අප බෝසත් සමිඳුය සම්බුදු බව පතනා...
උතුරා දරු සෙනෙහස එහි බලා සිටින අම්මා...
අල්ලා සල් අත්ත හොදින් හිනැහෙනවා අම්මා...
ඇවිදින බුදු පුතුන් බලා සෙත්පතනා අම්මා...
කවුද කියන් සතුටු පිරුණු මේ බෝසත් අම්මා...
මහමායා බිසොවයි මේ අප මුනිඳුගෙ අම්මා...
දෙව් බඹ පිරිසක් ඇතිදින් අහසේ වැඩ සිටිනා...
සිගිති පුතුට රැකවල් දෙන සුදු සේසත් දරනා...
දකුණත ඔසවා අහසට මිහිරි සරින් කියනා...
කවුරුද මේ සිගිති පුතා සිහනද පතුරුවනා...
මේ අප බෝසත් සමිඳුය සම්බුදු බව පතනා...
ලෝ සත විදිනා දුක දැක හද කම්පා වෙමිනා...
රහල් පුතුද බිම්බාව ද දෙස බලමින් වඩිනා...
සතහට සෙත් සදන සිතින් අබිණික්මන් කරනා...
මේ යොවුන් වීරයා කවුරුද අසෙකු පිටින් වඩිනා..
මේ අප බොසත් සමිදුය සම්බුදු බව පතනා...
ශ්රමණ වෙසක් ගෙන වනයේ ඝෝර තපස් රකිනා...
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ඇට පෑදී ගිය සිරැරින් පෙර මගට ම වඩිනා...
මේ විස්මිත මුනිදු කවුද අමා නිවන සොයනා...
මේ අප බෝසත් සමිඳුය සම්බුදු බව පතනා...
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බෝසෙවනේ සිසිල මතින් කුස තණ අතුරමිනා..
එළා සගල සිවුර සොදින් ඒ මත වැඩහිදිනා...
කවුරුද මහ සමණිඳු මේ විදුරසුනේ සිටිනා...
මේ අප බෝසත් මුණිඳුය සම්බුදු බව පතනා...
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ඇතෙකු පිට නැගී මරු එයි සේනාව ද රැගෙනා...
වටකොට මේ සමිඳාණන් හිරි හැර වද කරනා...
මහා වීර මුනිඳු කවුද මෙහි නො සැලී සිටිනා...
මේ අප බෝසත් මුණිඳුය සම්බුදු බව පතනා...
බැහැර කරන්නට මුනිඳු ව මරුව මොර දී එන්නේ...
සේනාවන් වටකරගෙන බුදු මග වලකන්නේ...
මුනිදුන් දකුණත තබමින් මිහිකත අමතන්නේ...
මේ එඩිතර මුනිඳු කවුද මිහිකත හඩවන්නේ...
මේ අප බෝසත් මුනිඳුය විදුරසුනේ ඉන්නේ...
වසවත් මරු බියපත් වී පැරද පලා යන්නේ...
දසබිම්බර මාර සෙනග දසඅත විසිරෙන්නේ...
මුනිඳුට ජය අත් වෙනවා දෙවියන් තුටු වන්නේ...
ලොව දිනනා මුනිඳු කවුද ජය පිට ජය වන්නේ...
අප ගේ ගෞතම මුනිඳු ය විදුරසුනේ ඉන්නේ...
දෙව්ලොව දෙවියන් සතුටින් දිවසලු සොලවන්නේ...
මුනිඳු ගෙ ජය ගැන කියමින් දිව මල් වගුරන්නේ...
බෝසෙවනේ සිටි මුනිඳුන් මැදුම් මගේ යන්නේ...
මේ විස්මිත මුනිඳාණන් කවුද කියාපන්නේ..
මේ අප ගෞතම මුනිඳුය බුදු වෙන්ට යි යන්නේ...
පෙරයම ගෙවෙනා විට සිත හොදින් එකග වන්නේ...
සසරේ ගතකළ දිවි මග එකිනෙක සිහි වන්නේ..
ගෙවුනු අතීතය දකිනා නුවණකි මතු වන්නේ...
මහා නුවණැති මුනිඳු කවුද විදුරසුනේ ඉන්නේ...
මේ අප ගෞතම මුනිඳු ය බුදු වෙන්ට යි යන්නේ..
ලෝ සත ඉපදෙන මැරෙනා අයුරුය විමසන්නේ...
කළකම් පළ දෙමින් සතුන් සසර පුරා යන්නේ...
භවයෙන් ගොඩ එන්නට බැරි ලෝ සත දකිමින්නේ...
මහා නුවණැති මුනිඳු කවුද දිවැස් ලබා ගන්නේ...
මේ අප ගෞතම මුනිඳු ය බුදු වෙන්ට යි යන්නේ...
හේතු සකස් වෙන විට ලොව දුක ම යි සැකසෙන්නේ...
ඒ හේතුන් නැති වෙන විට දුක නැති වී යන්නේ...
දුකේ හේතු නසන මුනිඳු දුකින් මිදී ගන්නේ...
මහා නුවණැති මුනිඳු කවුද නිවන යි ලැබ ගන්නේ...
මේ අප ගෞතම මුනිඳු ය බුදු බව ලැබ ගන්නේ..
වෙසගේ සද රැස් දහරින් සිසිලස පතුරමිනා...
බෝ පත් සැලෙමින් මුනිඳුට සෙවනැලි සුව සදනා...
අමා නිවන් සුව විදිමින් සුව සේ වැඩ හිදිනා...
කවුරුද මේ මුනිඳාණන් බුදු රැස් විහිදුවනා...
අප ගෞතම මුනිඳු ය මේ සම්බුදු බව ලබනා..
අප ගෞතම මුනිඳු ය මේ සම්බුදු බව ලබනා...
අප ගෞතම මුනිඳු යි මේ සම්බුදු බව ලබනා.. .
පූජනීය පින්වත් කිරිබත්ගොඩ ඤාණානන්ද ලොකු ස්වාමීන් වහන්සේ ගේ රචනයකි..
Courtesy : mahamevnawa.blogspot.com
more....
Courtesy : mahamevnawa.blogspot.com
more....
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