QUES: In the popular mind, the history of Hong Kong, long the entryway to China for Westerners, begins in 1841 with the British occupation of the territory. However, it would be wrong to dismiss the long history of the region itself. Archaeologists today are working to uncover Hong Kong's past, which stretches back thousands of years. You can get a glimpse into that past at Lei Cheng Uk Museum's 1,600-year-old burial vault on the mainland just north of Kowloon. In 1992, when construction of the airport on Chek Lap Kok was begun, a 2,000-year-old village, Pak Mong, was discovered, complete with artifacts that indicated a sophisticated rural society. An even older Stone Age site was discovered on Lamma Island in 1996. While Hong Kong remained a relative backwater in early days, nearby Guangzhou (Canton) was developing into a great trading city with connections in India and the Middle East. By a.d. 900, the Hong Kong islands had become a lair for pirates preying on the shipping in the Pearl River Delta and causing a major headache for burgeoning Guangzhou; small bands of pirates were still operating into the early years of the 20th century. In the meantime, the mainland area was being settled by incomers, the "Five Great Clans": Tang, Hau, Pang, Liu, and Man. First to arrive was the Tang clan, which established a number of walled villages in the New Territories that still exist today. You can visit Kat Hing Wai and Lo Wai, villages with their walls still intact. Adjacent to Lo Wai is the Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall, built in the 16th century, which is still the center of clan activities. The first Europeans to arrive in the Pearl River Delta were the Portuguese, who settled in Macau in 1557 and for several centuries had a monopoly on trade between Asia, Europe, and South America. As Macau developed into the greatest port in the East, it also became a base for Jesuit missionaries; it was later a haven for persecuted Japanese Christians. While Christianity was not a great success in China, it made local headway, evidenced today by the numerous Catholic churches in Macau's historic center. Intermarriage with the local Chinese created a community of Macanese, whose culture can still be seen in Macau's architecture and cuisine.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Why did traders from Canton have problems in the Pearl River Delta?

QUES: Elaan is a declaration of war against the reign of terror unleashed by the ganglords . The story revolves around an upright and principled Police Officer , A.C.P. Ramakant Chaudhary whose eldest son Vikas is killed in a pre-planned accident . But the A.C.P. is unable to nab the culprits for want of valid evidence . Consequently , the A.C.P. , his wife Revati and younger son Vishal are griefstricken over the loss of young Vikas . While the atmosphere in the city is already vitiated by the atrocities of ganglords Baba Khan and Manna Shetty who enjoy the support of some unscrupulous police personnel , the A.C.P. vows to make the ruthless gangsters bite the dust , without taking the law in his own hands . On the other hand , Vishal an angry young man , can not stand this injustice since the police had failed to arrest his brother's killers , and he silently resents his A.C.P father's inaction in dealing with the culprits . The ideologies of the father and son clash - Which lead to a conflict between a dutiful father and a reckless son . The only one who understands the agony of Vishal is Mohini , the daughter of head constable Devkinandan Sharma . The day comes when Vishal confronts Baba Khan and Manna Shetty Which leads to tension and gory situation for the A.C.P. , as the ganglords threaten to eliminate the A.C.P. as well as his wife Revati and son Vishal .
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: What do the ganglords threaten the A.C.P to?

QUES: Fossils may form in other ways. Fossils can be preserved almost completely. In this process, the organism doesnt change much. As seen below, tree sap may cover an organism. With time, the sap hardens. It turns to into amber. The original organism is preserved. This is very exciting for scientists. They are able to study the DNA of the organism that no longer lives on Earth. Some animals have been found frozen in ice. Others have been found in tar pits after falling in. Molds and casts are another way organisms can be fossilized. Have you ever walked in soft mud and left footprints? Once in a while, these traces of organisms can be preserved. In this case, nothing is left of the organism. A mold is an imprint of an organism that is preserved in rock. The organisms remains break down completely. There is nothing left of the original plant and animal.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: What are other ways organisms can be preserved?

QUES: In chapters 3 and 4 we described how the U.S. government adjusted its existing agencies and capacities to address the emerging threat from Usama Bin Laden and his associates. After the August 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, President Bill Clinton and his chief aides explored ways of getting Bin Laden expelled from Afghanistan or possibly capturing or even killing him. Although disruption efforts around the world had achieved some successes, the core of Bin Laden's organization remained intact. President Clinton was deeply concerned about Bin Laden. He and his national security advisor, Samuel "Sandy" Berger, ensured they had a special daily pipeline of reports feeding them the latest updates on Bin Laden's reported location. In public, President Clinton spoke repeatedly about the threat of terrorism, referring to terrorist training camps but saying little about Bin Laden and nothing about al Qaeda. He explained to us that this was deliberate-intended to avoid enhancing Bin Laden's stature by giving him unnecessary publicity. His speeches focused especially on the danger of nonstate actors and of chemical and biological weapons. As the millennium approached, the most publicized worries were not about terrorism but about computer breakdowns-the Y2K scare. Some government officials were concerned that terrorists would take advantage of such breakdowns. On November 30, 1999, Jordanian intelligence intercepted a telephone call between Abu Zubaydah, a longtime ally of Bin Laden, and Khadr Abu Hoshar, a Palestinian extremist. Abu Zubaydah said, "The time for training is over." Suspecting that this was a signal for Abu Hoshar to commence a terrorist operation, Jordanian police arrested Abu Hoshar and 15 others and informed Washington. One of the 16, Raed Hijazi, had been born in California to Palestinian parents; after spending his childhood in the Middle East, he had returned to northern California, taken refuge in extremist Islamist beliefs, and then made his way to Abu Zubaydah's Khaldan camp in Afghanistan, where he learned the fundamentals of guerrilla warfare. He and his younger brother had been recruited by Abu Hoshar into a loosely knit plot to attack Jewish and American targets in Jordan. After late 1996, when Abu Hoshar was arrested and jailed, Hijazi moved back to the United States, worked as a cabdriver in Boston, and sent money back to his fellow plotters. After Abu Hoshar's release, Hijazi shuttled between Boston and Jordan gathering money and supplies. With Abu Hoshar, he recruited inTurkey and Syria as well as Jordan; with Abu Zubaydah's assistance, Abu Hoshar sent these recruits to Afghanistan for training.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION:
President Clinton often spoke of terrorist camps, but did he refer to Bin Laden by name and what was the reason for his choice?