Observers are noticing that in those countries that previously experienced rapid urbanization as villagers moved to the cities, with the global economic crisis, those countries are now seeing people move back to their village from the cities. This "ruralization" of developing countries stands in stark contrast to the projections that expected more an more people would move to urban centers over time. In fact, last year the United Nations reported that over half of the world's population lived in cities. They further estimated that the global urban population would represent 70% of the world's population by 2050. Now, perhaps that number will not be one that is increasing but instead might even decrease. The New York Times reports on the ruralization of Thailand.
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Dear Matt Rosenberg,
My respect and love to you for your good efforts to promote and spread geographical education knowledge among interested individuals anywhere on our mother earth . We should admire you and we do encourage you for your endeavor to achieve your goal .
Please take the following points which may help in reconsidering certain misconceptions about Palestine and the people of Palestine without elaboration on the subject .
1. The historical Palestine (Israel , Gaza strip , West Bank ) was one country populated by Palestinians only in 1901AD . It is their country since 9000 years back .
2. Palestine was attacked , invaded and ruled by many people during history epochs and they were defeated by Palestinians like Romans , Persians and Jews .
3. Napoleon Bonaparte (Emperor of France ) was defeated by Palestinians near the walls of Akka (Akko ) city in 1799 .
4. In 1901 there was not a single legal Jew or legal Israeli in Palestine that time . The whole population was original Palestinians .
5. Jews came to Palestine as invaders in the olden days and in recent years .
5. The west facilitated especially Great Britain ( the mandatory power )and helped with full strength the immigration and entry of all the Jews of the whole world into Palestine against the wish and will of its people and under the threat of arms .
6. More than half million Russians have also migrated to Palestine illegally .
7. The west recognized Israel the newly formed state and did not recognize Palestine purposely since 100 years back till this date and they do not wish to do that .
8. Since almost 100 years Palestinians had to suffer poverty , massacre daily by the British first and by Israelis later . Tens of thousands of Palestinians were killed by both British and Jews .
9. Most Israelis in Palestine are Europeans , left their homes in Europe and occupied the fully furnished Palestinian homes( hundreds of cities , towns and villages ) and kicked them out with their children from their original country with the help of British army to the neighboring countries empty handed in the wilderness .
10. In 1948 about one million civilian Palestinian forced to leave their homes under the threat of arms wandering aimlessly without any food or support or a place to sleep .
11. Injustice by all nations is practiced against Palestinians favoring the illegal immigrant Israelis .
12. This is a very small display of Palestinian cause ,tragedy and exodus and sufferings till now .
Citizen from Bethlehem , Palestine
Facts are stubborn things. And history ought to be factual. History is largely the story of injustices, but, as told by the victors. There is no re-wind button.
The Germanic people who took over what is now England displaced the indigenous people in the fifth century have never given it back nor paid reparations. The Japanese came from the Asian mainland and took the islands from people already there. Europeans took control of two whole continents (N and S America) from people already there.
The history of Palestine is so convoluted that to think justice can be done for past injustices is beyond comprehension. Were it not for the fact that this tiny bit of the earth spawned religions that are still important today I suspect few would even know Palestine exists, or ever existed.
Although there is a faint possibility I am descended from Pope Victor II (a Count Hirschberg) far more likely my ancestors suffered as serfs, i.e. slaves. To claim I am entitled to some kind of restitution or compensation for past injustices is absurd.
We no longer live in the ‘dark ages’ mate! Injustices to Palestinians are widely recognised, pre 20th century there were also no such thing as human rights or democracy for that matter! So wake-up and stop thinking like a barbarian neandrotho! (cant spell that word).