Southside Ladies Retreat...
I honestly don't think I have enough space to write all that I'd like to. It's very late right now, after midnight in fact.
I got home about an hour and a half ago. I spoke at a women's retreat in Fredericksburg, VA all weekend long. It was emotional, draining, exhausting, wild, fun, and amazing. Seriously, I am in awe of what God did.
First, He showed up personally for the ladies there. I witnessed so many personal connections and it brings me to tears of joy. I witnessed obstacles and walls breaking down in women's lives. I witnessed surrender. I witnessed revelations. All by God, for God. Yes, the ladies claimed freedom in Christ as we defeated the pirates in our lives and took hold of the treasure, God's Truth. Words cannot describe how I feel right now. Just really thankful and I give the Lord every bit of credit. I was empty and exhausted. Seriously, if y'all knew the week I had prior to this retreat, you'd understand. I had NOTHING to give. But God did. And He did. I love Him so much.
Also, this retreat served as a HUGE confirmation for me. I was doubting my calling as a speaker. I'm not like many speakers. I'm really more of a sharer of faith. I love the Lord so much I can't keep it in. Give me a weekend with a group of ladies and I explode with passion for giving your life to Christ and becoming His best friend, and relying on Him each and every day to walk with you and get your through life. I do believe it is all possible with God. I live it every day. Not always perfectly. In fact not anywhere near. But it is my relationship with the Lord that gives me the strength and desire to keep going despite my circumstances. I am nothing without Him. But I can be anything with Him. Because He does it for me. He did that this weekend in a super ultra big way.
Southside ladies, if you read this, THANK YOU for allowing God to speak to you this weekend. You all were open to hear from Him and you listened. I am seriously blown away by the stories you've shared with me how He met you this weekend. Lives were changed and I praise God for that.
Plus, the retreat was just fun. These ladies were wild and crazy. Yes, wild and crazy for Jesus! I'd tell you more about it, but what happens in Fredericksburg, stays in Fredericksburg, so if you want to find out, you'll just have to attend next year's retreat when Proverbs 31's, Sharon Glasgow will be their speaker.
Blessings and Lots of Love,
Monday, September 6, 2010
Green Earth...
The Save the Earth Foundation functions as a non-profit public benefit corporation dedicated to the expansion of environmental awareness in our society. As an organization committed to raising public environmental consciousness by supporting scientific research and educational programs, we are optimistic that our work will have a very positive impact on the efforts currently under way to solve our earth's problems.
The Save the Earth Foundation embraces overall objectives which include: enhancing the quality of our global environment for the benefit of all people and promoting a better understanding of the effects our society has on the long term health of our planet.
The Save the Earth Foundation's research endeavors center on the selection and funding of environmentally beneficial programs within our institutions of higher education. In order to achieve our objectives we are committed to the continued support of vital research programs including:
Seminars and Workshops to coordinate and concentrate the research potential of associated campuses: Such as those held in 1989 at UC Davis to merge the efforts of all nine University of California campuses and their affiliated national laboratories.
Research focusing on the consequences of global warming through large scale modeling: Like the investigation under way at Duke University in their unique Phytotron Project.
Efforts to evaluate the current state of our planet's atmosphere: Similar to the endeavors of scientists within the Climate Center at Columbia University.
Studies centering on the psychological ramifications of our deteriorating environment: Analogous to the research currently underway at UCLA's Center for the Study of the Environment and Society where their efforts focus on interactions between the environment and social processes.
With the support of people from all walks of life we are confident that the Foundation's efforts will help to reverse the environmental deterioration of our planet. Thank you for your concern with regards to our planet's future.
The Save the Earth Foundation embraces overall objectives which include: enhancing the quality of our global environment for the benefit of all people and promoting a better understanding of the effects our society has on the long term health of our planet.
The Save the Earth Foundation's research endeavors center on the selection and funding of environmentally beneficial programs within our institutions of higher education. In order to achieve our objectives we are committed to the continued support of vital research programs including:
Seminars and Workshops to coordinate and concentrate the research potential of associated campuses: Such as those held in 1989 at UC Davis to merge the efforts of all nine University of California campuses and their affiliated national laboratories.
Research focusing on the consequences of global warming through large scale modeling: Like the investigation under way at Duke University in their unique Phytotron Project.
Efforts to evaluate the current state of our planet's atmosphere: Similar to the endeavors of scientists within the Climate Center at Columbia University.
Studies centering on the psychological ramifications of our deteriorating environment: Analogous to the research currently underway at UCLA's Center for the Study of the Environment and Society where their efforts focus on interactions between the environment and social processes.
With the support of people from all walks of life we are confident that the Foundation's efforts will help to reverse the environmental deterioration of our planet. Thank you for your concern with regards to our planet's future.
history of the Nepal...
Modern Nepal was created in the latter half of the 18th century when Prithvi Narayan Shah, the ruler of the small principality of Gorkha, formed a unified country from a number of independent hill states. The country was frequently called the Gorkha Kingdom, the source of the term "Gurkha" used for Nepali soldiers.
After 1800, the heirs of Prithvi Narayan Shah proved unable to maintain firm political control over Nepal. A period of internal turmoil followed, heightened by Nepal's defeat in a war with the British from 1814 to 1816. Stability was restored after 1846 when the Rana family gained power, entrenched itself through hereditary prime ministers, and reduced the monarch to a figurehead. The Rana regime, a tightly centralized autocracy, pursued a policy of isolating Nepal from external influences. This policy helped Nepal maintain its national independence during the colonial era, but it also impeded the country's economic development.
In 1950, King Tribhuvan, a direct descendant of Prithvi Narayan Shah, fled his "palace prison" to newly independent India, touching off an armed revolt against the Rana administration. This allowed the return of the Shah family to power and, eventually, the appointment of a non-Rana as prime minister. A period of quasi-constitutional rule followed, during which the monarch, assisted by the leaders of fledgling political parties, governed the country. During the 1950s, efforts were made to frame a constitution for Nepal that would establish a representative form of government, based on a British model.
Democracy Develops
In early 1959, King Mahendra issued a new constitution and the first democratic elections for a national assembly were held. The Nepali Congress Party, a moderate socialist group, gained a substantial victory in the election. Its leader, B.P. Koirala, formed a government and served as Prime Minister.
Declaring parliamentary democracy a failure 18 months later, King Mahendra dismissed the Koirala government and promulgated a new constitution on December 16, 1962. The new constitution established a "partyless" system of panchayats (councils) which King Mahendra considered to be a democratic form of government closer to Nepalese traditions. As a hierarchical structure progressing from village assemblies to a Rastriya Panchayat (National Parliament), the panchayat system enshrined the absolute power of the monarchy and kept the King as head of state with sole authority over all governmental institutions, including the Cabinet (Council of Ministers) and the Parliament.
King Mahendra was succeeded by his 27 year-old son, King Birendra, in 1972. Amid student demonstrations and anti-regime activities in 1979, King Birendra called for a national referendum to decide on the nature of Nepal's government--either the continuation of the panchayat system with democratic reforms or the establishment of a multiparty system. The referendum was held in May 1980, and the panchayat system won a narrow victory. The King carried out the promised reforms, including selection of the prime minister by the Rastriya Panchayat.
Movement To Restore Democracy
In 1990, the political parties again pressed the King and the government for change. Leftist parties united under a common banner of the United Left Front and joined forces with the Nepali Congress Party to launch strikes and demonstrations in the major cities of Nepal. This "Movement to Restore Democracy" was initially dealt with severely, with more than 50 persons killed by police gunfire and hundreds arrested. In April, the King capitulated. Consequently, he dissolved the panchayat system, lifted the ban on political parties, and released all political prisoners.
An interim government was sworn in on April 19, 1990, headed by Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as Prime Minister presiding over a cabinet made up of members of the Nepali Congress Party, the communist parties of Nepal, royal appointees, and independents. The new government drafted and promulgated a new constitution in November 1990, which enshrined fundamental human rights and established Nepal as a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch. International observers characterized the May 1991 elections as free and fair in which the Nepali Congress Party won 110 seats out of 205 to form the government.
In mid-1994, the Parliament was dissolved due to dissension within the Nepali Congress Party. The subsequent general election, held November 15, 1994, gave no party a majority. The 1994 elections resulted in a Nepali Congress Party defeat and a hung Parliament, with a minority government led by the United Marxist and Leninist Party (UML); this madeÊNepal the world's first communist monarchy, with Man Mohan Adhikary as Prime Minister.ÊThe next 5 years saw five successive unstable coalition governments and the start of a Maoist insurgency.
Following the May 1999 general elections, the Nepali Congress Party once again headed a majority government after winning a clear majority (113 out of 205). But the pattern of short-lived governments persisted. There were three Nepali Congress Party Prime Ministers after the 1999 elections: K.P. Bhattarai (5/31/99-3/17/00); G.P. Koirala (3/20/00-7/19/01); and Sher Bahadur Deuba (7/23/01-10/04/02).
On June 1, 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra reportedly shot and killed his father, King Birendra; his mother, Queen Aishwarya; his brother; his sister; his father's younger brother, Prince Dhirendra; and several aunts, before turning the gun on himself. After his death two days later, the late King's surviving brother Gyanendra was proclaimed King.
In FebruaryÊ1996 the leaders of the Maoist United People's Front had begun a violent insurgency, waged through killings, torture, bombings, kidnappings, extortion, and intimidation against civilians, police, and public officials in more than 50 of the country's 75 districts. Approximately 10,000 police, civilians, and insurgents have been killed in the conflict since 1996. The government and Maoists held peace talks in August, September, and November of 2001, but they were unsuccessful, and the Maoists resumed their violent insurgency. Shortly after the 2001 peace talks failed, King Gyanendra declared a state of emergency and the Parliament approved this declaration by a two-thirds vote. On the recommendation of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, the King dissolved the House on May 22, 2002.
In a sudden turn of events on October 4, 2002, King Gyanendra removed Prime MinisterÊDeuba and assumed executive power. The entire Council of Ministers was also dissolved, and the November 13, 2002 elections to the dissolved House of Representatives was stalled following the royal order. After a week-long consultation with the leaders of various political parties, on October 11, 2002 the KingÊappointed Lokendra Bahadur Chand as Prime Minister with a five-point directive that included creating an environment of peace and security as well as holding elections to the local bodies and the House of Representatives.
In a major development after Chand assumed the premiership,Êthe government andÊMaoistsÊon January 29, 2003 declared a cease-fire.ÊThis marked the secondÊcease-fire with the Maoists; the first cease-fire, in 2001, had been broken by the Maoists.ÊThe 2003 cease-fire includedÊan agreement to undertake initiatives to resolve the Maoist problem through dialogue and bring the Communist Party of Nepal/Maoist back into mainstream politics. After the announcement of the 2003 cease-fire, the Chand government held two rounds of peace talks with the Maoists, in April and May.ÊBut in its effort to end the political instability, it failed to secure the support of the leading political parties.ÊIn the face of growing pressure from political parties and their mass movement, Chand resigned from his post on May 30, 2003, after more than 7 months in power.
The King appointed Surya Bahadur Thapa as the new Prime Minister on June 4, 2003 amidst opposition from the major political parties. Another round of peace talks was held in mid-August 2003, but on August 27, 2003 the Maoists broke the cease-fire. Thapa resigned in May 2004 as a result of political pressures. In June 2004, the King reinstated formerly dismissed Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister. Prime Minister Deuba has publicly stated that his main priorities are holding elections and resolving the Maoist insurgency. Deuba has established a four-party government, but the House remains dissolved pending elections
After 1800, the heirs of Prithvi Narayan Shah proved unable to maintain firm political control over Nepal. A period of internal turmoil followed, heightened by Nepal's defeat in a war with the British from 1814 to 1816. Stability was restored after 1846 when the Rana family gained power, entrenched itself through hereditary prime ministers, and reduced the monarch to a figurehead. The Rana regime, a tightly centralized autocracy, pursued a policy of isolating Nepal from external influences. This policy helped Nepal maintain its national independence during the colonial era, but it also impeded the country's economic development.
In 1950, King Tribhuvan, a direct descendant of Prithvi Narayan Shah, fled his "palace prison" to newly independent India, touching off an armed revolt against the Rana administration. This allowed the return of the Shah family to power and, eventually, the appointment of a non-Rana as prime minister. A period of quasi-constitutional rule followed, during which the monarch, assisted by the leaders of fledgling political parties, governed the country. During the 1950s, efforts were made to frame a constitution for Nepal that would establish a representative form of government, based on a British model.
Democracy Develops
In early 1959, King Mahendra issued a new constitution and the first democratic elections for a national assembly were held. The Nepali Congress Party, a moderate socialist group, gained a substantial victory in the election. Its leader, B.P. Koirala, formed a government and served as Prime Minister.
Declaring parliamentary democracy a failure 18 months later, King Mahendra dismissed the Koirala government and promulgated a new constitution on December 16, 1962. The new constitution established a "partyless" system of panchayats (councils) which King Mahendra considered to be a democratic form of government closer to Nepalese traditions. As a hierarchical structure progressing from village assemblies to a Rastriya Panchayat (National Parliament), the panchayat system enshrined the absolute power of the monarchy and kept the King as head of state with sole authority over all governmental institutions, including the Cabinet (Council of Ministers) and the Parliament.
King Mahendra was succeeded by his 27 year-old son, King Birendra, in 1972. Amid student demonstrations and anti-regime activities in 1979, King Birendra called for a national referendum to decide on the nature of Nepal's government--either the continuation of the panchayat system with democratic reforms or the establishment of a multiparty system. The referendum was held in May 1980, and the panchayat system won a narrow victory. The King carried out the promised reforms, including selection of the prime minister by the Rastriya Panchayat.
Movement To Restore Democracy
In 1990, the political parties again pressed the King and the government for change. Leftist parties united under a common banner of the United Left Front and joined forces with the Nepali Congress Party to launch strikes and demonstrations in the major cities of Nepal. This "Movement to Restore Democracy" was initially dealt with severely, with more than 50 persons killed by police gunfire and hundreds arrested. In April, the King capitulated. Consequently, he dissolved the panchayat system, lifted the ban on political parties, and released all political prisoners.
An interim government was sworn in on April 19, 1990, headed by Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as Prime Minister presiding over a cabinet made up of members of the Nepali Congress Party, the communist parties of Nepal, royal appointees, and independents. The new government drafted and promulgated a new constitution in November 1990, which enshrined fundamental human rights and established Nepal as a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch. International observers characterized the May 1991 elections as free and fair in which the Nepali Congress Party won 110 seats out of 205 to form the government.
In mid-1994, the Parliament was dissolved due to dissension within the Nepali Congress Party. The subsequent general election, held November 15, 1994, gave no party a majority. The 1994 elections resulted in a Nepali Congress Party defeat and a hung Parliament, with a minority government led by the United Marxist and Leninist Party (UML); this madeÊNepal the world's first communist monarchy, with Man Mohan Adhikary as Prime Minister.ÊThe next 5 years saw five successive unstable coalition governments and the start of a Maoist insurgency.
Following the May 1999 general elections, the Nepali Congress Party once again headed a majority government after winning a clear majority (113 out of 205). But the pattern of short-lived governments persisted. There were three Nepali Congress Party Prime Ministers after the 1999 elections: K.P. Bhattarai (5/31/99-3/17/00); G.P. Koirala (3/20/00-7/19/01); and Sher Bahadur Deuba (7/23/01-10/04/02).
On June 1, 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra reportedly shot and killed his father, King Birendra; his mother, Queen Aishwarya; his brother; his sister; his father's younger brother, Prince Dhirendra; and several aunts, before turning the gun on himself. After his death two days later, the late King's surviving brother Gyanendra was proclaimed King.
In FebruaryÊ1996 the leaders of the Maoist United People's Front had begun a violent insurgency, waged through killings, torture, bombings, kidnappings, extortion, and intimidation against civilians, police, and public officials in more than 50 of the country's 75 districts. Approximately 10,000 police, civilians, and insurgents have been killed in the conflict since 1996. The government and Maoists held peace talks in August, September, and November of 2001, but they were unsuccessful, and the Maoists resumed their violent insurgency. Shortly after the 2001 peace talks failed, King Gyanendra declared a state of emergency and the Parliament approved this declaration by a two-thirds vote. On the recommendation of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, the King dissolved the House on May 22, 2002.
In a sudden turn of events on October 4, 2002, King Gyanendra removed Prime MinisterÊDeuba and assumed executive power. The entire Council of Ministers was also dissolved, and the November 13, 2002 elections to the dissolved House of Representatives was stalled following the royal order. After a week-long consultation with the leaders of various political parties, on October 11, 2002 the KingÊappointed Lokendra Bahadur Chand as Prime Minister with a five-point directive that included creating an environment of peace and security as well as holding elections to the local bodies and the House of Representatives.
In a major development after Chand assumed the premiership,Êthe government andÊMaoistsÊon January 29, 2003 declared a cease-fire.ÊThis marked the secondÊcease-fire with the Maoists; the first cease-fire, in 2001, had been broken by the Maoists.ÊThe 2003 cease-fire includedÊan agreement to undertake initiatives to resolve the Maoist problem through dialogue and bring the Communist Party of Nepal/Maoist back into mainstream politics. After the announcement of the 2003 cease-fire, the Chand government held two rounds of peace talks with the Maoists, in April and May.ÊBut in its effort to end the political instability, it failed to secure the support of the leading political parties.ÊIn the face of growing pressure from political parties and their mass movement, Chand resigned from his post on May 30, 2003, after more than 7 months in power.
The King appointed Surya Bahadur Thapa as the new Prime Minister on June 4, 2003 amidst opposition from the major political parties. Another round of peace talks was held in mid-August 2003, but on August 27, 2003 the Maoists broke the cease-fire. Thapa resigned in May 2004 as a result of political pressures. In June 2004, the King reinstated formerly dismissed Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister. Prime Minister Deuba has publicly stated that his main priorities are holding elections and resolving the Maoist insurgency. Deuba has established a four-party government, but the House remains dissolved pending elections
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