The early Christian community distinguished between the identification of the date of Jesus’ birth and the liturgical celebration of that event. The actual observance of the day of Jesus’ birth was long in coming. In particular, during the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus. Numerous Church ... Read More »
The rest of America may be agonizing over the security implications of taking in those fleeing the twin horrors of Bashar al-Assad and ISIS. But Syrian refugees are being welcomed with open arms in Hamtramck, Michigan – America’s first and only majority Muslim city. Once 90 percent Polish Catholic, the blue-collar enclave just outside Detroit has been transformed by successive ... Read More »
Located in the heart of Vienna, just behind the Parkring, Palais Coburg Residenz offers views over the park, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the old city. A stately palace dating back to 1844, it was turned into a hotel in 2003. Behind the recently restored neoclassical façade, it combines historical ambiance and skillfully incorporated medieval features with contemporary design elements, and ... Read More »
In a major step forward, Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte hypothetically stated his stance on homosexuality for the royals. He was of the opinion that any king or queen could marry a person of the same sex to ascend to the throne. It is to be noted that the Netherlands parliament acknowledged same-sex marriage in 2001. However, it was ... Read More »
Reza Fallah, an Iranian oil official under the Shah, died Dec. 5 at his home in Windsor, England, according to reports from London. He was 73 years old. Mr. Fallah was deputy chairman of the Iran’s National Oil Company from 1974 to 1979, when he followed Shah Mohammed Riza Pahlevi into exile. Earlier he managed the Abadan oil refinery after ... Read More »
The Dutch king has revealed that for more than two decades he has, alongside his royal duties, held down a part-time second job. In a newspaper interview published on Wednesday, King Willem-Alexander said that he recently ended his role as a regular “guest pilot” after 21 years on KLM’s fleet of Fokker 70 planes and before that on Dutch carrier ... Read More »
A Persian Beauty, Princess Tiffany Pahlavi Lonsdale, great granddaughter of late Reza Shah Bozorg. Their oldest son, H.I.H Prince Aabdolreza, was married to beautiful Lady, Pari Sima Zand who gave birth to two children, Princess Sarvenaz and Prince Kamyar. Princess Sarvenaz later married an English gentleman, Sir Lonsdale. They were blessed with a beautiful daughter named Tiffany who grow up ... Read More »
Although lobbying can be a positive force in democracy, it can also be a mechanism for powerful groups to influence laws and regulations at the expense of the public interest. This may result in undue influence, unfair competition and policy capture, to the detriment of effective policy making. While many countries are addressing lobbying related risks, practices to influence public ... Read More »
The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 1267, creating the so-called al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee, which links the two groups as terrorist entities and imposes sanctions on their funding, travel, and arms shipments. The UN move follows a period of ascendancy for al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, who guided the terror group from Afghanistan and Peshawar, Pakistan, ... Read More »
Parents want to raise their children to be polite and do the right thing and appreciate what they have, but that doesn’t always seem to happen when kids grow up in the lap of luxury. There are certain behaviors that rich kids exhibit on a regular basis that no one seems to bat an eyelash at, but most people would ... Read More »