For other meanings, see Kham (disambiguation).

Map showing the Tibetan region of Kham

Kham (Tibetan: ཁམས, Wylie: khams, ZYPY: kam; Chinese: 康; pinyin: Kāng), is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China (1911–1949), most of the region was called Xikang Province (西康省). It held the status of "special administrative district" until 1939, when it became an official Chinese province. Its provincial status was nominal and without much cohesion, like most of China's territory during the time of Japanese invasion and civil war.

The natives of the Kham region are called as: Tibetan: ཁམས་པ; Wylie: khams pa; Chinese: 康巴; pinyin: Kāngbā.

Geography[link]

Minya Konka range

Kham has a rugged terrain characterized by mountain ridges and gorges running from northwest to southeast, and collectively known as the Hengduan Mountains. Numerous rivers, including the Mekong, Yangtze, Yalong Jiang, and the Salween flow through Kham.

Under the modern administrative division of the People's Republic of China, Kham comprises a total of 50 contemporary counties, which have been incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan (16 counties), Yunnan (3 counties), and Qinghai (6 counties) as well as the eastern portion of the Tibet Autonomous Region (25 counties).

Ethnic groups[link]

Khampas - the inhabitants of Kham

Linguists and anthropologists refer to Kham as the 'Ethnic Corridor of Southwest China', as its vast and sparsely populated territories are inhabited by over 14 culturally and linguistically distinct ethnic groups. For reasons of simplicity, the Chinese government combines the various ethnic groups of Kham together with the Tibetans to form one big nationality, called the "Tibetan Nationality". There are, however, significant differences in traditions and beliefs—even physical appearance—between the peoples of Kham and Lhasa. At least one-third of Kham residents are speakers of Qiangic languages, a family of twelve distinct but interrelated languages that are not closely related to the Khams Tibetan language.

The people of Kham are reputed warriors.^[1]

History[link]

Kham was traditionally referred to as Chushi Gangdruk, i.e. 'four rivers and six ranges'. The peoples of Kham have endured a tumultuous past, their sovereignty often encroached upon and marginalized by both Tibetans to the West and the Han Chinese to the East.

Kham was never controlled by a single king, but most of the chieftains revered the Dalai Lamas and often made contact with the Lhasa government. Kham was a patchwork of two dozen or more kingdoms, tribes, and chiefdoms that were constantly at war with each other. Since the collapse of the Tibetan Empire in the mid-9th century, the peoples of Kham had aggressively maintained their independence from invading nations. Local chieftains ruled their respective territories with hereditary titles bestowed by the Tibetan government. Chieftains were able to rule with a large degree of independence from both China and Tibet.^[2]

In 1717, the Mongol Zunghar Khanate invaded Tibet, and a period of internal strife and civil war followed. The Kangxi emperor sent armies into the area by 1720 to defeat the Dzungars, when local Tibetan leaders pledged their allegiance to the Qing Empire. In 1724, the regions of Amdo and Kham were made into the province of Qinghai (Kokonor), with parts of Eastern Kham incorporated into neighboring Chinese provinces.^[3]

In the early 19th century, Gombo Namgye raised a rebellion in Nyarong, an area of Eastern Kham. He is reported to have taken control of Eastern Tibet, excepting Amdo. Residents of Derge and the Hor States appealed to both Lhasa and the Manchu government for help against Namgye. China was unable to take action, but Tibetan authorities sent an army in 1863, and defeated Namgye in 1865. Tibet then claimed Nyarong, Derge (or De-ge) and the Hor States north of Nyarong. This appears to have been accepted by the Manchu emperor.^[4]

Tibetan control of the Batang region of Kham appears to have continued uncontested from an agreement made in 1726^[5] until soon after the invasion of Tibet by Francis Younghusband in 1904, which alarmed the Qing rulers in China. They sent an imperial official to the region to begin reasserting Qing control, but the locals revolted and killed him. The Qing government in Beijing then appointed Zhao Erfeng, the Governor of Xining, "Army Commander of Tibet" to reintegrate Tibet into China. He was sent in 1905 (though other sources say this occurred in 1908)^[6][7] on a punitive expedition and began destroying many monasteries in Kham and Amdo and implementing a process of sinification of the region:^[8]

"He abolished the powers of the Tibetan local leaders and appointed Chinese magistrates in their places. He introduced new laws that limited the number of lamas and deprived monasteries of their temporal power and inaugurated schemes for having the land cultivated by Chinese immigrants.

Zhao's methods in eastern Tibet uncannily prefigured the Communist policies nearly half a century later. They were aimed at the extermination of the Tibetan clergy, the assimilation of territory and repopulation of the Tibetan plateaus with poor peasants from Sichuan. Like the later Chinese conquerors, Zhao's men looted and destroyed Tibetan monasteries, melted down religious images and tore up sacred texts to use to line the soles of their boots and, as the Communists were also to do later, Zhao Erfeng worked out a comprehensive scheme for the redevelopment of Tibet that covered military training reclamation work, secular education, trade and administration."^[9]

In 1910, the Qing government sent a military expedition of its own to establish direct Chinese rule. They deposed the 13th Dalai Lama in an imperial edict and instigated a search for a new incarnation.^[10] . The Dalai Lama then fled to British India in February 1910. While in India, the Dalai Lama became a close friend of Charles Alfred Bell, a British diplomatic officer stationed in Sikkim and a critic of Great Britain's policies in the region. "By going in and then coming out again, we knocked the Tibetans down and left them for the first comer to kick," wrote Bell later. The situation was soon to change, however, as, after the fall of the Qing dynasty in October 1911, Zhao's soldiers mutinied and beheaded him.^[9]

The 13th Dalai Lama fled to British India in February 1910. The same month, the Chinese Qing government issued a proclamation deposing the Dalai Lama and instigating the search for a new incarnation.^[11]

The official position of the British Government was it would not intervene between China and Tibet and would only recognize the de facto government of China within Tibet at this time.^[12] Bell, in his history of Tibet, wrote of this time that "the Tibetans were abandoned to Chinese aggression, an aggression for which the British Military Expedition to Lhasa and subsequent retreat [and consequent power vacuum within Tibet) were primarily responsible".^[12] Later, Britain defined the Indo-Tibetan border at the 1914 Simla Accord with the McMahon Line. China's delegation refused to agree to the line and still claims the land India received from Tibet as South Tibet, although the McMahon line remains the de facto border.

In 1932, an agreement signed between Chinese warlord Liu Wenhui and Tibetan forces formalized the partition of Kham into two regions: Eastern Kham, which was administered by Chinese forces, and Western Kham, which was administered by Tibet. Eastern Kham subsequently became the actual area of control of China's Xikang province. The border between eastern and western Kham is the Yangtze River - Dri Chu in Tibetan and Jinsha Jiang, or Chang Jiang respectively, in Chinese.

Tenpay Gyaltsan, a Khampa who was 5 years old, was selected as the fifth Jamyang Hutuktu in 1921.^[13]

The Kham Pandatsang family led the 1934 Khamba Rebellion against the Tibetan government in Lhasa. The Kuomintang Republic of China government reached out to the Khampas, whose relationship with the Dalai Lama's government in Lhasa were detereorating badly. The Khampa revolutionary leader Pandatsang Rapga founded the Tibet Improvement Party to overthrow the Tibetan government and establish a Tibetan Republic as part of China. In addition to using the Khampa's against the Tibetan Government in Lhasa, the Chinese Kuomintang also used them against the Communists during the Chinese Civil War.

The Kuomintang formulated a plan where 3 Khampa divisions would be assisted by the Panchen Lama to oppose the Communists.^[14]

Kuomintang intelligence reported that some Tibetan tusi chiefs and the Khampa Su Yonghe controlled 80,000 troops in Sichuan, Qinghai, and Tibet. They hoped to use them against the Communist army.^[15]

The Chinese Kuomintang (Nationalists) also enlisted Khampas to join their military.^[16]

The Chinese Kuomintang also sought the Khampas help in defending Sichuan from Japan during World War 2, since the temporary capital was located there.^[17] A Khampa member of the Mongolian Tibetan Academy was Han Jiaxiang.^[18]

300 "Khampa bandits" were enlisted into the Kuomintang's Consolatory Commission military in Sichuan, where they were part of the effort of the central government of China to penetrated and destabilize the local Han warlords such as Liu Wenhui. The Chinese government sought to exercies full control over frontier areas against the warlords. The Consoltary Commission forces were used to battle the Communist Red Army, but were defeated when their religious leader was captured by Communist forces.^[19]

The Republic of China government also used Khampa traders to operate secret transports between different places.^[20]

Kesang Tsering was sent by the Chinese to Batang to take control of Xikang, where he formed a local government. He was spread there for the purpose of propagating the Three People's Principle to the Khampa.^[21]

In 1950, following the defeat of the Kuomintang rulers of China by communist forces in the Chinese Civil War, the People's Liberation Army entered western Kham. Western Kham was then set up as a separate Qamdo Territory (昌都地区), then merged into Tibet Autonomous Region in 1965. Meanwhile, Xikang province, comprising eastern Kham, was merged into Sichuan province in 1955. The border between Sichuan and Tibet Autonomous Region has remained the Yangtze River. The northernmost region of Kham, Yushu, has been a part of Qinghai province since the 18th century.

Chamdo

See also[link]

• Outline of Tibet
• Tibetan Resistance Since 1950
• Khams Tibetan language
• Xikang
• Kingdom of Derge

Footnotes[link]

Further reading[link]

• Thomas Laird: The Story of Tibet: Conversation With the Dalai Lama, Grove Press, New York, ISBN 978-0-8021-1827-1
• Andreas Gruschke: The Cultural Monuments of Tibet’s Outer Provinces: Kham, 3 vols. (2 published so far), White Lotus Press, Bangkok 2004. ISBN 974-480-049-6
• Tsering Shakya: The Dragon in the Land of Snows. A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947, London 1999, ISBN 0-14-019615-3
• Pamela Logan: Tibetan Rescue. The Extraordinary Quest to Save the Sacred Art Treasures of Tibet, Tuttle Publishing 2002, ISBN 0-8048-3421-0

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kham

External links[link]

• Khampa Network
• Seven Days in Permitless Tibet Magazine article about traveling overland across Kham

Sai Sai Kham Hlaing (Burmese: စိုင်းစိုင်းခမ်းလှိုင်; pronounced: [sáiɴ sáiɴ kʰáɴ l̥àiɴ]; also Sai Sai Kham Leng; born 10 April 1979) is a popular Burmese singer-songwriter, model, novelist, and actor of ethnic Shan descent. He is best known for his hip hop music.

Background[link]

Sai Sai Kham Leng was born on 10 April 1979 in Taunggyi to Cho Cho San Tun and Kham Hlaing of an ethnic Shan aristocratic family. His great-grandfather Sao San Tun, Saopha of Mongpawng, was a signatory to the 1947 Panglong Agreement that was the basis for the formation of modern Myanmar, and one of nine senior government officials assassinated on 19 July 1947.^[2] The day of the assassination is commemorated each year as the Martyrs' Day in Myanmar. The hospital he was delivered in was his great-grandfather's namesake—the Sao San Tun Hospital. He is the eldest son and has two younger sisters and a younger brother. Soon after he was born, his parents moved to nearby Aungban for two years before moving back to Taunggyi. His parents divorced when he was got to 4th standard. He was living in two houses soon after the divorce but ended up with his father. He would not see his mother for another six years. He did not recognize his own mother when they met again in Yangon.^[1]

Sai Sai attributes his interest in music to his father. He grew up listening to songs by Sai Htee Saing and Aung Yin that his father listened to on a "small mono cassette player". Sai Htee Saing and his father were friends. But it was after his parents' divorce that Sai Sai earnestly took up music. His father bought him a guitar at 5th standard, and he learned to play it by 6th standard. Sai Sai became a judo player at 8th standard. He won district level competitions in high school, and even competed in national youth competitions in Yangon.^[1]

Sai Sai came to Yangon and enrolled in Dagon University as an English major. He received his bachelor's degree in English from Dagon University and a graduate diploma in English from the University of Foreign Languages, Yangon. His mother lives in Australia and his father died in 2006.

Career[link]

Like most children of well-to-do families in Myanmar, Sai Sai entered the Burmese entertainment industry through connections and self-financing. At Yangon, Sai Sai first tried to modeling but could not get any jobs. He then tried a role in a direct-to-video movie that he and four other friends self-financed in 2000. In the same year, he then launched his first album Chocolate Yaung Yayge Einmet (Chocolate-Colored Ice Dreams). The follow-up album Thangegyin Mya Zwa (Many Friends) released in 2001 made him a household name.^[1]

Personal[link]

Sai Sai is still single, and lives in Yangon. In a May 2009 interview with People Magazine Myanmar, he expressed that he was unsure about marriage as he comes from a "broken family".^[3]

He is a Theravada Buddhist.^[3]

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

• Chocolate Yaung Yayge Einmet (Chocolate-Colored Icy Dreams) (2000)
• Thangegyin Mya Zwa (Friends) (2001)
• February Mhattan (February Diary) (2003)
• Sai Sai Live Show (2004)
• Sai Sai Hu Khaw Thi (It is Called Sai Sai) (2005)
• Happy Sai Sai Birthday (2007)
• Ever Gawli(Always Vagrant) (2009)

Collaborative albums[link]

• Pyan Pyaw Pya Bo Tawtaw Khet Leit Me (Would Be Quite Difficult to Argue) (2002)
• Meinma (Woman) (2002)
• A-Chit Mya Zwa A Twet (For All My Love) (2002)
• Bawa Bawa(Life ) (2003)
• Natthami Ponbyin(Angel's Story) (2004)
• Rock & Rap Live Show (2006)
• A-Lwan Ye Nya (Night of Yearning/Missing) (2006)
• A Yin Lo Seit Ma Cha Lo Ba Shin (Because I Can't Trust Anymore Like Before) (2006)
• Angel (2006)
• 10 Seconds (2007)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sai Sai Fan Club
• Sai Sai MP3 Download Site
• Listen/download Sai Sai Kham Hlaing MP3

Thongchai McIntyre
Background information
Birth name	Thongchai McIntyre
Also known as	Bird Thongchai
Born	(1958-12-08) December 8, 1958 (age 53) Bangkok, Thailand
Genres	Thai pop
Occupations	singer, actor
Years active	1986–present
Labels	GMM Grammy
Website	BIRDTHONGCHAI.COM

Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre (Thai: ธงไชย แมคอินไตย์, pronounced [tʰōŋ.tɕʰāj]) (born Albert Thongchai McIntyre, December 8, 1958) is a Thai pop singer who released his debut album in 1986. He is also sometimes known as Bird Thongchai, Phi Bird (elder brother Bird) or simply Bird.

Considered to be Thailand's No.1 Superstar, He is one of the most successful singers in Thailand's history, having sold more than 20 million albums.

Biography[link]

Thongchai McIntyre or "Bird Thongchai" is best known for his string (Thai pop) and luk thung music. He has also acted in numerous films, on television, musicals, and in commercials.

Thongchai McIntyre was born in Bangkok in 1958 to parents James and Udom McIntyre. His family were musicians, hence he enjoyed an upbringing in a musical environment. His father died when Bird was still a child.^[1][2] He started working in a bank as an officer. While working in a bank, he had a chance to meet the famous Thai TV producer "Kai Varayuth" who saw entertainment talent in Bird. Bird played his first TV series with Kai while still working in a bank. This role revealed his talent. His most memorable role was that of Captain Kobori from Koo Kam, a tragic love story between a Japanese soldier (played by Bird) and a local Thai girl during the World War II where he starred in both a TV series and reprised his role in the 1996 film adaptation, Sunset at Chaophraya.

He reached the height of his musical career in the early nineties. Among his best-known songs are Duay Rak Lae Pook Pan, Koo Gud, Sabai Sabai and Kob Jai Jing Jing. His popular singles released recently include luk thung singles Mah Tummai (with Jintara Poonlarp), Fan Ja (with Jintara and Jarin B. (Joey Boy), Nat Myria Benedetti and Katreeya English), Lao Su Kan Fang, and Yak Tham Kor Tob and Mai Kang Ying Pae from his album "Volume One". Westerners became aware of him in the mid nineties as he became the first Thai artist to receive an International MTV Award, be featured in the most high budget Thai film at the time, "Sunset at Chaopraya"(which reached international acclaim in Japan as well as the U.S.). He was featured on CNN and Variety magazine. An award winning documentary on his life entitled "Crossing Borders" directed by Phanjanit Garnploog can be seen at St. John's University in New York which includes rare interviews with the director. In 2010, Bird made his first international tour in Los Angeles and the 50th Anniversary of Lincoln Center in New York. It marks the first time in history a Thai pop artist has made an international tour. His Grammy label mates have previously only performed at local venues.

In late 2007, he released another album entitled "Simply Bird", which features songs such as Chuay Rap Tee and Mee Tae Kid Tueng.

Discography[link]

Albums and Singles

• Hard-Sai Sai-Lom Song-Rao (Beach, Wind, and two of us) (1986)
• Sabai-Sabai (Relax-Relax) (1987)
• Rub-Kwun-Wan-Mai (Blessing for a new day) (1987)
• Sor-Kor-Sor (Greeting Card) (1988)
• Thongchai 2501 (1988)
• Boomerang (1990)
• Boomerang Man (Live from Concert)
• Prik-Kee-Noo (Bird Chilli) (1991)
• Wan-Nee Tee Ror-Koy (TV drama Soundtrack)
• Tor-Thong (Flag) (1994)
• Tor-Thong Kab Tor-Ther Nan-Lae (Live form Concert)
• Dream & Reality (Live from Concert)
• Kon-nok-kab-Dok-Mai (Feather & Flowers) (1995)
• Dream (Single)
• Dream (1996)
• Sunset at Chaophraya (Movie Soundtrack) (1996)
• Bird Unreleased (1997)
• Singing Bird (Live from Concert) (1997)
• Niramitr (,TV drama Soundtrack) (1998)
• Thongchai Service (1998)
• Thongchai Service Special (1998)
• Tu-Pleng Saman Prajam Barn (The Everyhouse Jukebox)(1999)
• 100 Pleng Rak Mai Roo Job (100 everlasting love songs) (2000)
• Bird Love Beat 1 & 2 (Apr 4, 2001)
• Smile Club (Oct 2001)
• Smile Club Remix (Mar 29, 2002)
• Rab Khak (Welcome, Guests!) (Nov 2002)
• Fan Ja...Sanid Kun Leaw Ja (Mar 17, 2003)
• Bird Sek (Jun 2004) with Sek Loso (Special Album with 20 Years G"MM" Grammy)
• Volume 1 (Jul 2005)
• Village (Sep 2006)
• Bird Perd Floor [3 Disc Set/Individual available] [Ballroom Cha-Cha, Luktung, Disco] (Dec 2006)
• Simply Bird (Nov 2007)
• Singing Bird (อาสาสนุก) (2010)
• Bird Arsa Sanuk (Bird Undertaking Fun) (2010–2011)

Compilations

• Bird Dance Collection (Sep 2009)
• Bird Love Collection (Sep 2009)

TV Dramas[link]

• Numtarn Maai (น้ำตาลไหม้)
• Mongkut Fang (มงกุฏฟาง)
• Tayaat khun pooying (ทายาทท่านผู้หญิง)
• Ruk nai sai mok (รักในสายหมอก)
• Muer ruk rao (เมื่อรักร้าว)
• Kamin kup poon (ขมิ้นกับปูน)
• Wong wean hua jai (วงเวียนหัวใจ)
• Baan soi dao (บ้านสอยดาว)
• Plub pleung see chompoo (พลับพลึงสีชมพู)
• Duang fai yai mai song chan (ดวงไฟไยไม่ส่องฉัน)
• Neu Nang (เนื้อนาง)
• koo kam (คู่กรรม) as Kobori
• Wan nee tee ror koy (วันนี้ที่รอคอย)
• Niramit (นิรมิต)
• Kuam song jum mai hua jai duem (ความทรงจำใหม่ หัวใจเดิม)

Awards[link]

• Best Singer from Siam-Kollakarn Contest (1983)
• Best Singer from Mekala (1986)
• Best Artist from The office of national young people or Sor Yor Chor (1987)
• Popular song vote for Korb-Jai Jing Jing from Coke Music Award
• Best Singer from See-Sun Award (1989)
• Best Actor Koo-Kum (TV Lakorn) from Mekala (1990)
• Best Actor Koo-Kum (TV Lakorn) from TV Golden (1990)
• MTV Asian Viewer's Choice Award (1991)
• Best Actor Wannee Tee Raw-Koy (TV Lakorn) from TV Golden (1993)
• Best Actor Sunset At Chaopraya (Movie) from Prasurassavadee (1995)
• Popular Actor Sunset At Chaopraya from Vote Award (1995)
• Billboard Viewer's Choice Award first in Asia (1997)
• Seesun Award : Best Song for Lao Su Kan Fang (2001)
• Top Awards : The Best Singer (2001)
• Channel V Music Video Awards : The Best Singer (2001)
• Top Awards : The Best Singer (2002)
• MTV Asia Awards : Favorite Artist Thailand (2004)
• MTV Asia Awards : The Inspiration Award (2006)
• Channel [V] Thailand Music Video Awards : Best Song (2006)
• Virgin Hitz Awards 2006 : Achievement Awards (2006)

References[link]

1. ^ Bang pop!
2. ^ Thongchai McIntyre's Family

External links[link]

• BIRDTHONGCHAI.COM
• BBBIRD.COM
• TORTHONG.COM
• CLUBBIRD.COM
• GMMGRAMMY.COM (record label)
• GMEMBER.COM at Entertainment Online (Thai)

This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page. (September 2011)

Anthony "Tony" Robbins
Tony Robbins in 2009
Born	(1960-02-29) February 29, 1960 (age 52) North Hollywood, California, United States
Occupation	Author Actor Professional speaker Peak Performance Coach
Years active	1978–present
Height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)[1][2]
Spouse	Becky Robbins (m. 1982–2001) «start: (1982)–end+1: (2002)»"Marriage: Becky Robbins to Tony Robbins" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Tony_Robbins) Sage Robbins (m. 2001) «start: (2001)»"Marriage: Sage Robbins to Tony Robbins" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Tony_Robbins)

Anthony "Tony" Robbins (born February 29, 1960) is an American self-help author and motivational speaker. He became well known through his infomercials and self-help books, Unlimited Power: The New Science Of Personal Achievement and Awaken The Giant Within. Robbins writes about subjects such as health and energy, overcoming fears, persuasive communication, and enhancing relationships. Robbins began his career learning from many different motivational speakers, and promoted seminars for his personal mentor, Jim Rohn. He is deeply influenced by neuro-linguistic programming and a variety of philosophies.

Robbins's work has been featured in major media including Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Forbes, Life, GQ, Vanity Fair, Business Week, Tycoon and Success magazines, the CBS Evening News, NBC News, ABC's Prime Time Live, Fox News, CNN and A&E as well as newspapers, radio programs, and Internet media worldwide.^[3][4] Robbins has been mentioned or featured in 15 major motion pictures, including a cameo role a romantic comedy film Shallow Hal, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, and Jason Alexander.^[5] In 2007, he was named to Forbes magazine's "Celebrity 100" list.^[6]

Robbins' programs have reached over 4 million people from 100 countries around the world.^[7][8]

Robbins was ranked among the “Top 50 Business Intellectuals in the World” by Accenture’s Institute for Strategic Change.^[9] Robbins has spoken at Harvard Business School^[10] and was ranked by the school among the “Top 200 Business Gurus” (Harvard Business School Press, 2003).^[11][12][13] It was estimated by Forbes Magazine that Robbins earned approximately USD$30 million from his various business activities in 2007.^[14]

Early life[link]

Robbins was born Jay Mahavorick in North Hollywood, California, on February 29, 1960. He later moved to Azusa, California, and attended Glendora High School. Robbins says that he lived in a small low-rent apartment in the Los Angeles area during his early twenties and had dreamed of living in a mansion for years. In 1984, as his career began to take off, he bought the Del Mar Castle, designed by Richard Requa, for $1.7M. He sold the property in 1988 for $3.25M.^[15]

Career[link]

Robbins began his career promoting seminars for Jim Rohn. According to Robbins, Rohn taught him that "happiness and success in life are not the result of what we have, but rather of how we live. What we do with the things we have makes the biggest difference in the quality of life."^[16]

Later Robbins began his own work as a self-help coach. He taught neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and Ericksonian Hypnosis after training with NLP co-founder John Grinder. In 1983, Robbins learned to firewalk from Tolly Burkan^[17] and began to incorporate it into his seminars.^[18][19]

Robbins promoted his services as a "peak performance coach" through his books and TV infomercials, gaining strong public recognition and lucrative sales. He conducts a large range of seminars and live events around the world dedicated to achieving greatness in his participants by unleashing their personal power and helping them align their values with their individual life goals.^[20] In 1997, Robbins began the Leadership Academy seminar, in which participants learn to "[c]reate an identity for them self as someone who can help 'anyone', no matter what his/her challenge may be."^[21] Robbins is a featured speaker on the seminar circuit sponsored by Learning Annex. Robbins appeared as a featured speaker at the 2007 Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference. His talk is among the top ten TED talks viewed online.^[22]

Robbins is involved with the Robbins-Madanes Center for Strategic Intervention, which focuses on personal, family and organizational psychology, and claims to help people "find breakthrough strategies and solutions for overcoming the problems that confront us all."^[23]

Seminars[link]

Tony Robbins giving a talk at a Twitter conference in 2009

Robbins also conducts seminars, including his four-day Unleash the Power Within (UPW) seminar, Mastery University and Business Mastery.^{[24][25] [26]}

The UPW is also known as his firewalk seminar, during which the participants walk barefoot over hot coals at the end of the first evening. The aim of the seminar, demonstrated in the firewalk, is to illustrate that the main quality shared by those who achieve greatness is the ability to take action ("Personal Power").^[27]

Mastery University is promoted at the UPW seminar.^[24][25] Mastery University is composed of three seminars:

- Life Mastery, espouses Robbins' ideas about what makes for a healthy lifestyle, and has in the past featured guest lecturers including Deepak Chopra and John Gray.

- Wealth Mastery, espouses Robbins' ideas about what makes for a wealthy lifestyle.

- Date With Destiny, the only Mastery event at which Robbins is present for the entire event, is said to be designed to help participants align their values so that they are not in conflict, but rather are aligned with the participant's individual goals.^[28]

In 1997, Robbins initiated his Leadership Academy seminar,^[29] in which he invites participants to learn the skills he uses, with the stated goal of the program to enable the participant to "[c]reate an identity for yourself as someone who can help 'anyone', no matter what his/her challenge may be".^[21]

In 2009 Robbins created his Business Mastery program,^[26] designed to provide business leaders with tools to manage and grow their businesses. The seminar is conducted live by Robbins and features entrepreneur guest speakers. Past speakers have included Steve Wynn, CEO of Wynn Resorts,^[30] Peter Guber (Chairman & CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group)^[31] and Tony Hsieh (CEO and Founder of Zappos.com).^[32][33]

Books[link]

Robbins has published two best-selling books, Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within.

Unlimited Power, published in 1987, discusses the topics of health and energy, overcoming fears, persuasive communication, and enhancing relationships.^[34] One reviewer called the book "uplifting and idealistic" and referenced the "dynamic enthusiasm" of the book;"^[35] and another describes Robbins as “a persuasive communicator who spends more linage on step-by-step details of his recommendations than in self-boosterism."^[36] while another reviewer said it's "too wordy" and "reads like a transcript of a series of talks."^[37] Other reviewers dispute the book's originality, pointing to ideological similarities with Maxwell Maltz, Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, and Dale Carnegie, all of whom Robbins acknowledges in his book.^[38] Some have criticized the chapter called "Energy: The Fuel of Excellence" which includes information on food combining, lymphology, and deep breathing to promote health. Robbins makes reference to the book Fit for Life and its authors, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, whom he refers to as his "former partners".^[39] The National Council for Reliable Health Information wrote a critical review of the chapter and called his sources unreliable.^[40][41]

Awaken the Giant Within, published in 1992, was an expansion of his personal development techniques and strategies taught through a motivational self-help type approach. Robbins made the distinction between his techniques, coined as Neuro-Associative Conditioning as distinct from Neuro-Linguistic Programming because the trademarked difference is defined by the application of "conditioning" to a newly learned personal development technique and/or skill or strategy rather than "being programmed" and suggest-ably fixed once and for all by someone else who had more power than the individual to make a change.^[42]

Movie appearances and TV show[link]

Robbins has cameo roles in the 2001 movie Shallow Hal, the 1994 movie Reality Bites, three episodes of The Roseanne Show and an episode of The Sopranos.^[43] In July 2010, NBC debuted Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, a reality show that followed Robbins as he helped the show's participants face their personal challenges.^[44][45] NBC canceled the show, after airing two of the planned six episodes, due to low viewership of 2.8 million.^[46] In March 2012 the OWN Network picked the show up for another season beginning with the original first season set to re-run and thereafter leading directly into the new 2012 season.^[47]

In April 2012, Robbins began co-hosting "Oprah's Lifeclass" on the OWN Network ^[48]

Anthony Robbins Foundation[link]

In 1991, Robbins launched a charity, the Anthony Robbins Foundation.^[49] It is dedicated to empowering students and prisoners through food drives and learning programs based on his teachings.^[50] According to the official website, the foundation has "products and programs in more than 2,000 schools, 700 prisons, and 100,000 health and human service organizations."^[51] These programs have been written about and featured in many dozens of articles, appearing on various websites, like Cherish Our Children International^[52] and Harmony With No Limits.^[53] The independent charity watchdog, Charity Navigator, gives the foundation a rating of two out of four stars.^[54] The official website states that "the Foundation is committed to make a difference in the quality of life for children, the homeless, the prison population, and the elderly through its various programs". The foundation has subsequently led to the forming of "Basket Brigades" across the world that occur each Thanksgiving. Individuals and groups have joined together to assemble and deliver dinner baskets to needy families.^[49]

Lawsuits[link]

Federal Trade Commission: In May 1995, Robbins Research International (RRI) responded to Federal Trade Commission charges of misrepresentation of potential earnings to franchise investors. RRI and the FTC entered into a stipulated settlement agreement, in which RRI agreed to pay $221,260 (USD) in consumer redress. RRI did not admit guilt under the settlement.^[55]

Wade Cook: Financial seminar guru Wade Cook also sued Robbins for copyright infringement and plagiarism, alleging that Robbins used proprietary terms in his seminars and in his book Wall Street Money Machine. In 1998, a Tacoma, Washington, jury ordered Robbins to pay Cook US$650,900 in damages. The order to pay damages was temporarily withdrawn^[56] until 2000, when the ninth circuit court ruled that the trial judge has misinterpreted the statutes.

The verdict and damages were reinstated with a statement that "The Court found that U.S. District Court Judge, Jack Tanner, erred in "finding a conclusion contrary to the jury award" and sent instructions to reinstate the award. "This is a landmark decision by the 9th Circuit Court because of the high profile players and issues at stake" said lead attorney and Wade Cook General Counsel, Troy Romero. "The Court is telling individuals that, no matter who you are, the protection of copyrightable material will be preserved." Robbins was forced to pay the entire amount.^[57]

In 2001, Robbins filed a lawsuit against the Vancouver Sun newspaper, alleging defamation and libel. The judge determined the Vancouver Sun defamed Robbins when it called him a hypocrite. Awarding Robbins $20,000 in damages, the judge wrote "While damages are presumed, the plaintiff's failure to take the witness stand and to testify about his feelings and the impact of the defamation upon his reputation leaves the court somewhat in the dark about these matters". The court awarded Robbins his attorneys' fees and costs in addition to damages.^[58][59]

Celebrity status[link]

In his book Awaken the Giant Within, Robbins recalls meetings with various celebrities, saying he was a student of their success. People he mentioned were Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, François Mitterrand, and Princess Diana.^[60] In Robbins' infomercials, celebrity appearances were made by Fran Tarkenton, Pamela Anderson, Quincy Jones, Erin Brockovich and Anthony Hopkins. Robbins stated that they came without any compensation.^[61]

In 1994, President Bill Clinton invited Robbins, Marianne Williamson and Steven R. Covey to a meeting at Camp David. All parties "refused to divulge the substance of their meeting with the Clintons".^[62]

Personal life[link]

In 1984, Robbins and his ex-girlfriend, Liz Acosta, had a son, Jairek Robbins.^{[citation needed]}

In 1999, Robbins and his first wife Becky Robbins (née Jenkins) separated. Their divorce was finalized on June 21, 2001. Becky already had three children from two former marriages. Robbins considers them his own children.^[63]

In June 2001, Robbins married Bonnie Humphrey (now known as Sage Robbins)^[64]

Robbins alludes to his personal belief in God in Unlimited Power, giving the grand complexity of life as evidence of an intelligent designer.^[65]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Psychology portal

• Kaizen, the continuous improvement philosophy
• Self-help

References[link]

Publications[link]

Books[link]

• Robins, Anthony (1986). Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 448 pages. ISBN 0-684-84577-6. 
• Robbins, Anthony (1992). Awaken the Giant Within. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 544 pages. ISBN 0-671-79154-0. 
• Robbins, Anthony (1994). Giant Steps. New York: Fireside. pp. 416 pages. ISBN 0-671-89104-9. 
• Robbins, Anthony (1995). Notes from a Friend: A Quick and Simple Guide to Taking Control of Your Life. New York: Fireside. pp. 112 pages. ISBN 0-684-80056-X. 

CD/DVDs[link]

• Robbins, Anthony (2006). The Edge: The Power to Change Your Life Now. Megaforce / Nightingale-Con. pp. DVD. ASIN B000I5XD1K. 
• Robbins, Anthony (2002). Live with Passion!: Strategies for Creating a Compelling Future. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7435-2521-3. 
• Robbins, Anthony (2001). Get The Edge (incl. Personal Power Classic Edition). Guthy-Renker. ASIN B000207IT4. 
• Robbins, Anthony (2000). Get The Edge. Guthy-Renker. ASIN B000BMASVS. 
• Robbins, Anthony (1998). Lessons in Mastery. Simon & Schuster Audio/Nightingale-Con. ISBN 0-7435-2515-9. 
• Robbins, Anthony (1996). Personal Power Classic Edition. Guthy-Renker. ASIN B000NE70MY. 

Other[link]

• Living Health
• The Time of Your Life
• Mastering Influence
• The Ultimate Relationship Program (Robbins-Madanes)
• Leadership In Times of Crisis (Robbins-Madanes)
• Reclaiming Your True Identity (Robbins-Madanes)
• Conquering Overwhelming Loss (Robbins-Madanes)
• Personal Training System
• Unleash The Power Within

External links[link]

Find more about Tony Robbins on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• Official website
• Antony Robbins Foundation, website
• Anthony Robbins at the Internet Movie Database
• Tony Robbins on Facebook