a generic blog
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
The "red" Chinese New Year
The "red" Chinese New Year: "Chinanews, Xi'an, Jan. 23 (By Lie Wei) - Red underwear, red socks, red waistband...following the imminent arrival of Chinese New Year, festival merchandise with red as the color of the year of one's fate has become the hottest selling items of the season. In the ancient capital of Xi'an, many of the youngest generation who pursue beauty at all costs unwittingly transform the 'red of a fateful year' that is supposed to chase away evils into a new way to welcome the season, just like Westerns needing to 'plant' Christmas trees and wear Christmas hats for Christmas.
Every descendant of Chinese heritage knows clearly that once every twelve years the Chinese zodiac of the year in which they were born would come up and that year would be the 'year of fate'. Folk wisdom has it that one would run into many unfavorable turns during one's 'year of fate' and these can only be resolved through a lot of rituals. Therefore, 'year of fate' people have to wear red waistbands, red clothes to ward off evils and pray for favorable omens.
Would you like to wear such clothes? Men's underwear in pure red have the word 'Prosperity' or 'Wealth' printed on them. They look propitious and the words read like names of puppies and make people laugh. Women's underwear have prints of different pictures of lovely fortune dolls; their all-red packing bags have propitious phrases like 'good luck every year' or 'peace is blessing' printed on them.
Many young women spend time and effort to turn this ritual into a way of welcoming the Spring Festival holidays. In the blistering wind, they put on fashionable red overcoat, wrap themselves in a red scarf, red gloves and red shawl and show themselves walking in the snow. Fashion is fickle like the wind. For these young ladies, although they are skeptical about 'year of fate', they follow customs of the older generation for fun and games, with beauty to boot." ¶ 10:59 PM 0 comments
Every descendant of Chinese heritage knows clearly that once every twelve years the Chinese zodiac of the year in which they were born would come up and that year would be the 'year of fate'. Folk wisdom has it that one would run into many unfavorable turns during one's 'year of fate' and these can only be resolved through a lot of rituals. Therefore, 'year of fate' people have to wear red waistbands, red clothes to ward off evils and pray for favorable omens.
Would you like to wear such clothes? Men's underwear in pure red have the word 'Prosperity' or 'Wealth' printed on them. They look propitious and the words read like names of puppies and make people laugh. Women's underwear have prints of different pictures of lovely fortune dolls; their all-red packing bags have propitious phrases like 'good luck every year' or 'peace is blessing' printed on them.
Many young women spend time and effort to turn this ritual into a way of welcoming the Spring Festival holidays. In the blistering wind, they put on fashionable red overcoat, wrap themselves in a red scarf, red gloves and red shawl and show themselves walking in the snow. Fashion is fickle like the wind. For these young ladies, although they are skeptical about 'year of fate', they follow customs of the older generation for fun and games, with beauty to boot." ¶ 10:59 PM 0 comments
Friday, January 20, 2006
Mahfouz seeks clerical ‘OK’ for ‘Children of Gebelaw’
Middle East Online
Egypt's Nobel prize-winning writer wants Al-Azhar to give its green light for re-release of 'blasphemous' novel.
Middle East OnlineEgypt's Nobel prize-winning writer wants Al-Azhar to give its green light for re-release of 'blasphemous' novel.
By Riad Abu Awad - CAIRO
Egypt's Nobel prize-winning writer Naguib Mahfouz is seeking the endorsement of Sunni Islam's highest authority before re-releasing a novel that was condemned as blasphemous when first serialised nearly half a century ago, friends said.
The 94-year-old author is about to finally release in Egypt "Children of Gebelawi", a hotly controversial chronicle drenched in religious symbolism of a man who casts out his children and puts a curse on his family.
At the time of its serialisation in 1959, the book upset Muslim scholars who read it as blasphemous, while the regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser argued the book was directed against the former leader.
"Mahfouz wants Al-Azhar to give its green light and wants the preface to be written by a Muslim Brother," friend and author Yusef al-Qaid said.
Al-Azhar university in Cairo is the highest seat of learning in Sunni Islam and regularly issues decrees on banning publications it deems offensive to Islam.
The Muslim Brothers are the largest opposition force in Egypt and made substantial gains in parliamentary elections late last year. They have frequently campaigned in parliament against "un-Islamic" publications.
Mahfouz's desire to submit his novel to the approval of the country's religious authorities has shocked even his entourage.
"This creates a dangerous precedent because it gives power of censorship to Al-Azhar, which goes against the principles upheld by Egyptian intellectuals," Qaid said.
Writer Mohammad al-Boussaty agreed that Mahfouz should have neglected to seek Al-Azhar's endorsement. "He has his own opinion and he should convey it to the public without any outside intervention," he said.
Author Ezzat al-Qamhawi went further, suggesting that the move was a stain on the glorious literary achievements of Egypt's most acclaimed writer.
"By adopting this position, Mahfouz has betrayed his writing. He is giving Al-Azhar a totally illegitimate authority by granting it a right of veto on literary production," he said.
The elderly Mahfouz, who survived an assassination attempt by Islamist fanatics in 1994, lives secluded in his Cairo home under tight police protection.
The Children of Gebelawi was first published in serialised form in Egypt's top-selling state-owned daily Al-Ahram.
It was published in book form in Beirut in 1967 and the controversy surrounding it was rekindled in 1989 when Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.It was a day after the fifth anniversary of his prize that Mahfouz was stabbed in the neck outside his home.
The Children of Gebelawi is set in an imaginary Cairo alley and follows the hardships of Egyptian suburban life. But it is also a deeply symbolic recreation of the history of monotheistic religions, with each of the major characters symbolising a religious figure.
When it was serialised, the Al-Azhar called for the novel to be banned on account of its "blasphemous content" and conservatives protested vociferously against the work.
It is only now that the novel is to be published in book form in Mahfouz's home country, having only been released abroad before.
¶ 3:23 AM 0 comments
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Puzzling Perfection
Puzzling Perfection
Caltech junior Leyan Lo set a new world record for solving the Rubik's Cube puzzle at the International Rubik's Cube Competition held this weekend at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. In Saturday's event, sponsored by the Caltech Rubik's Cube Club, 20-year-old Lo blasted all challengers by unscrambling the cube in a dazzling 11.13 seconds. The previous record, 11.75 seconds, was set at last year's competition and was thought unbeatable.
¶ 12:23 PM 0 comments
Jackie, a South African penguin, walks past children in the lobby of The Peabody hotel Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, in Little Rock, Ark. The bird and her keeper, from the Fort Worth Zoo, visited Little Rock to participate in a fund raiser ball to bring more South African penguins to the Little Rock Zoo. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston) ¶ 12:21 PM 0 comments
Snowy steps : A couple steps down the snow covered stairs in front of Schloss Sanssouci castle in Potsdam. (AFP/DDP/Michael Urban) ¶ 12:21 PM 0 comments
The Million Dollar Homepage - Own a piece of internet history!
The Million Dollar Homepage - Own a piece of internet history!
¶ 12:18 PM 0 comments
¶ 12:18 PM 0 comments
Study: Men Enjoy Seeing Bad People Suffer - Yahoo! News
Study: Men Enjoy Seeing Bad People Suffer - Yahoo! News:
By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer Wed Jan 18, 4:29 PM ET
NEW YORK - Bill Clinton said he felt others' pain. But a new brain-scanning study suggests that when guys see a cheater get a mild electric shock, they don't feel his pain much at all. In fact, they rather enjoy it.
In contrast, women's brains showed they do empathize with the cheater's pain and don't get a kick out it.
It's not clear whether this difference in schadenfreude — enjoyment of another's misfortune — results from basic biology or sex roles learned during life, researchers say. But it could help explain why men have historically taken charge of punishing criminals and others who violate societal rules, said researcher Dr. Klaas Stephan.
Stephan, a senior research fellow at the University College London, is co-author of a study led by Tania Singer at the college and published online Wednesday by the journal Nature.
Singer, in an e-mail message, said the sex difference in results was a surprise and must be confirmed by larger studies. The researchers said women might have reacted like men if the cheater suffered psychological or financial pain instead.
The scientists scanned the brains of 16 men and 16 women after the volunteers played a game with what they thought were other volunteers, but who in fact were actors. The actors either played the game fairly or obviously cheated.
During the brain scans, each volunteer watched as the hands of a "fair" player and a cheater received a mild electrical shock. When it came to the fair-player, both men's and women's brains showed activation in pain-related areas, indicating that they empathized with that player's pain.
But for the cheater, while the women's brains still showed a response, men's brains showed virtually no specific reaction. Also, in another brain area associated with feelings of reward, men's brains showed a greater average response to the cheater's shock than to the fair player's shock, while women's brains did not.
A questionnaire revealed that the men expressed a stronger desire than women did for revenge against the cheater. The more a man said he wanted revenge, the higher his jump in the brain's reward area when the cheater got a shock. No such correlation showed up in women.
Philip Jackson, who studies brain systems responsible for empathy at the University of Laval in Quebec City in Canada, said he found the sex differences intriguing and worth following up on.
The overall results elegantly tie together "a lot of things we either knew or suspected strongly" about how social interaction can affect the brain's activity, he said. ¶ 2:26 AM 0 comments
By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer Wed Jan 18, 4:29 PM ET
NEW YORK - Bill Clinton said he felt others' pain. But a new brain-scanning study suggests that when guys see a cheater get a mild electric shock, they don't feel his pain much at all. In fact, they rather enjoy it.
In contrast, women's brains showed they do empathize with the cheater's pain and don't get a kick out it.
It's not clear whether this difference in schadenfreude — enjoyment of another's misfortune — results from basic biology or sex roles learned during life, researchers say. But it could help explain why men have historically taken charge of punishing criminals and others who violate societal rules, said researcher Dr. Klaas Stephan.
Stephan, a senior research fellow at the University College London, is co-author of a study led by Tania Singer at the college and published online Wednesday by the journal Nature.
Singer, in an e-mail message, said the sex difference in results was a surprise and must be confirmed by larger studies. The researchers said women might have reacted like men if the cheater suffered psychological or financial pain instead.
The scientists scanned the brains of 16 men and 16 women after the volunteers played a game with what they thought were other volunteers, but who in fact were actors. The actors either played the game fairly or obviously cheated.
During the brain scans, each volunteer watched as the hands of a "fair" player and a cheater received a mild electrical shock. When it came to the fair-player, both men's and women's brains showed activation in pain-related areas, indicating that they empathized with that player's pain.
But for the cheater, while the women's brains still showed a response, men's brains showed virtually no specific reaction. Also, in another brain area associated with feelings of reward, men's brains showed a greater average response to the cheater's shock than to the fair player's shock, while women's brains did not.
A questionnaire revealed that the men expressed a stronger desire than women did for revenge against the cheater. The more a man said he wanted revenge, the higher his jump in the brain's reward area when the cheater got a shock. No such correlation showed up in women.
Philip Jackson, who studies brain systems responsible for empathy at the University of Laval in Quebec City in Canada, said he found the sex differences intriguing and worth following up on.
The overall results elegantly tie together "a lot of things we either knew or suspected strongly" about how social interaction can affect the brain's activity, he said. ¶ 2:26 AM 0 comments
Friday, January 06, 2006
Did Jesus exist? Italian court to decide - Yahoo! News
Did Jesus exist? Italian court to decide - Yahoo! News
By Phil Stewart Wed Jan 4, 10:28 PM ET
ROME (Reuters) - Forget the U.S. debate over intelligent design versus evolution.
An Italian court is tackling Jesus -- and whether the Roman Catholic Church may be breaking the law by teaching that he existed 2,000 years ago.
The case pits against each other two men in their 70s, who are from the same central Italian town and even went to the same seminary school in their teenage years.
The defendant, Enrico Righi, went on to become a priest writing for the parish newspaper. The plaintiff, Luigi Cascioli, became a vocal atheist who, after years of legal wrangling, is set to get his day in court later this month.
"I started this lawsuit because I wanted to deal the final blow against the Church, the bearer of obscurantism and regression," Cascioli told Reuters.
Cascioli says Righi, and by extension the whole Church, broke two Italian laws. The first is "Abuso di Credulita Popolare" (Abuse of Popular Belief) meant to protect people against being swindled or conned. The second crime, he says, is "Sostituzione di Persona", or impersonation.
"The Church constructed Christ upon the personality of John of Gamala," Cascioli claimed, referring to the 1st century Jew who fought against the Roman army.
A court in Viterbo will hear from Righi, who has yet to be indicted, at a January 27 preliminary hearing meant to determine whether the case has enough merit to go forward.
"In my book, The Fable of Christ, I present proof Jesus did not exist as a historic figure. He must now refute this by showing proof of Christ's existence," Cascioli said.
Speaking to Reuters, Righi, 76, sounded frustrated by the case and baffled as to why Cascioli -- who, like him, came from the town of Bagnoregio -- singled him out in his crusade against the Church.
"We're both from Bagnoregio, both of us. We were in seminary together. Then he took a different path and we didn't see each other anymore," Righi said.
"Since I'm a priest, and I write in the parish newspaper, he is now suing me because I 'trick' the people."
Righi claims there is plenty of evidence to support the existence of Jesus, including historical texts.
He also claims that justice is on his side. The judge presiding over the hearing has tried, repeatedly, to dismiss the case -- prompting appeals from Cascioli.
"Cascioli says he didn't exist. And I said that he did," he said. "The judge will to decide if Christ exists or not."
Even Cascioli admits that the odds are against him, especially in Roman Catholic Italy.
"It would take a miracle to win," he joked. ¶ 5:06 AM 0 comments
By Phil Stewart Wed Jan 4, 10:28 PM ET
ROME (Reuters) - Forget the U.S. debate over intelligent design versus evolution.
An Italian court is tackling Jesus -- and whether the Roman Catholic Church may be breaking the law by teaching that he existed 2,000 years ago.
The case pits against each other two men in their 70s, who are from the same central Italian town and even went to the same seminary school in their teenage years.
The defendant, Enrico Righi, went on to become a priest writing for the parish newspaper. The plaintiff, Luigi Cascioli, became a vocal atheist who, after years of legal wrangling, is set to get his day in court later this month.
"I started this lawsuit because I wanted to deal the final blow against the Church, the bearer of obscurantism and regression," Cascioli told Reuters.
Cascioli says Righi, and by extension the whole Church, broke two Italian laws. The first is "Abuso di Credulita Popolare" (Abuse of Popular Belief) meant to protect people against being swindled or conned. The second crime, he says, is "Sostituzione di Persona", or impersonation.
"The Church constructed Christ upon the personality of John of Gamala," Cascioli claimed, referring to the 1st century Jew who fought against the Roman army.
A court in Viterbo will hear from Righi, who has yet to be indicted, at a January 27 preliminary hearing meant to determine whether the case has enough merit to go forward.
"In my book, The Fable of Christ, I present proof Jesus did not exist as a historic figure. He must now refute this by showing proof of Christ's existence," Cascioli said.
Speaking to Reuters, Righi, 76, sounded frustrated by the case and baffled as to why Cascioli -- who, like him, came from the town of Bagnoregio -- singled him out in his crusade against the Church.
"We're both from Bagnoregio, both of us. We were in seminary together. Then he took a different path and we didn't see each other anymore," Righi said.
"Since I'm a priest, and I write in the parish newspaper, he is now suing me because I 'trick' the people."
Righi claims there is plenty of evidence to support the existence of Jesus, including historical texts.
He also claims that justice is on his side. The judge presiding over the hearing has tried, repeatedly, to dismiss the case -- prompting appeals from Cascioli.
"Cascioli says he didn't exist. And I said that he did," he said. "The judge will to decide if Christ exists or not."
Even Cascioli admits that the odds are against him, especially in Roman Catholic Italy.
"It would take a miracle to win," he joked. ¶ 5:06 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Onward with Egypt tourism
Travel Video Television News
Onward with Egypt tourism
Jan 01, 06 | 6:01 pm
Ranked as the world’s 28th largest, Egypt’s tourism continues to gain popularity. As major growth engine of the national economy, the trade currently employs over 10 percent of the total labor force providing 2.2 million direct and indirect jobs. Through 2006, it is expected to grow further with an increasing capacity to generate more employment.
Closing figures for 2005 continue to exhibit clear signs of resilience and growth as Egypt expects to end the year with more than 5 percent growth over 2004. Within the coming years, tourism’s role will continue to grow in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) contribution, job creation for young nationals, and return on investment as the country fulfils its expectations of doubling international tourist arrivals and room nights, as well as realizing increases in investments by 2014.
The Arab republic’s unrivalled base of tourism products ranges from cultural heritage to pristine coastlines, natural, religious, sports tourism and special interest offers. Diversifying the list even further are golfing, yachting, therapeutic and incentive travel packages. This week, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators awarded Egypt the Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year Award. The yachting scene is being led by the country’s top Red Sea destination El Gouna - the pioneer in the ultra-luxury/super-yacht tourism serving a tourism triangulation together with Aqaba and Taba.
Government and private investments have flourished over the last couple of years, upgrading tourism infrastructure including, construction and refurbishment of modern airports all over Egypt. Cairo, Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada, el Alamein, Borg al Arab, Marsa Allam, Luxor and Aswan now have airports built to international standards with most facilities operated by specialized international airport management. New Cairo Airport’s capacity will soar to 20 million passengers, from 10 million, before the end of 2007.
Parallel investments have been made in the nation’s transport system, utilities, telecommunications and IT networks.
In line with developing leisure tourism, vast expansions and developments have begun from the South Sinai to the Red Sea areas along the Mediterranean such as Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada, Sahl Hashish and Marsa Allam, and in Luxor.
As an emerging destination for residential tourism (a well-guarded secret its Arab neighbors have long perfected since years ago), Egypt is now selling itself to nearby European countries as a snowbirds’ get-away. Europeans are flocking to the Red Sea, buying and owning a second home in a country with a warmer climate year-round.
To date, Egypt’s hotel inventory is extensive spanning thousands of hotels in all categories, from international to national hotel chains. There are 85,000 hotel rooms under construction to date, located as far southeast to the new and upcoming seaside resort destination of Marsa Allam/ Port Ghalib.
This is one vision - the BOT or build-operate-own-transfer project by Kuwaiti billionaire Nasr Kharafi – seeing growing momentum since inception.
Another large-scale integrated development project underway lies on the northwest coast of Marsa Matrouh. It still is the Med’s most pristine, virgin shores to this very day. Mega-projects in both aforementioned coastline destinations have attracted unprecedented foreign direct investments.
In an effort to oil the wheels of positive change, Egypt works hard to develop its new tourism brand capturing the diversity of the offerings. It will be communicated to all media through relevant messages to various niches and targets. For a global marketing strategy, it will utilize new technologies and online media channels to ensure interactive communication with the audience.
Foremost, Egypt will also launch a massive national communications and tourism public awareness campaign designed to generate a broader level of awareness on the importance of the industry. Tourism officials vow to highlight the direct impact on the economic welfare and prosperity of Egyptians, the role to plays in promoting the economic growth and development, support for culture and improving the quality of life. The goal will be to sensitize Egyptian nationals towards tourism, for each citizen to actively take part in creating and embracing the art of welcoming the visitor.
Currently, Egypt is also opening up to China, India and South America, while forging with expanding market share in potential markets in Central Europe, Canada and the USA.
Statistics show from January to November 2005 some 117,113 Americans traveled to Egypt booking 2,481,229 room nights. In November alone, 18,791 Americans arrived spending 230,183 nights.
Hence, Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. Nabil Fahmy is set to broaden this approach with the US market. At the mid-December opening of the King Tutankhamun Exhibition dubbed Golden Age of the Pharaohs in Florida, Fahmy said, “What we’ve been trying to do is put the full face of Egypt before you. Bringing the exhibit to America for over a year more effectively shows what Egypt has to offer in terms of culture, history and antiquities. To build understanding between peoples is the ultimate goal of this great effort in bringing the Boy King to the United States.”
By Hazel Heyer
eTurbonews.com ¶ 8:56 PM 3 comments
Onward with Egypt tourism
Jan 01, 06 | 6:01 pm
Ranked as the world’s 28th largest, Egypt’s tourism continues to gain popularity. As major growth engine of the national economy, the trade currently employs over 10 percent of the total labor force providing 2.2 million direct and indirect jobs. Through 2006, it is expected to grow further with an increasing capacity to generate more employment.
Closing figures for 2005 continue to exhibit clear signs of resilience and growth as Egypt expects to end the year with more than 5 percent growth over 2004. Within the coming years, tourism’s role will continue to grow in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) contribution, job creation for young nationals, and return on investment as the country fulfils its expectations of doubling international tourist arrivals and room nights, as well as realizing increases in investments by 2014.
The Arab republic’s unrivalled base of tourism products ranges from cultural heritage to pristine coastlines, natural, religious, sports tourism and special interest offers. Diversifying the list even further are golfing, yachting, therapeutic and incentive travel packages. This week, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators awarded Egypt the Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year Award. The yachting scene is being led by the country’s top Red Sea destination El Gouna - the pioneer in the ultra-luxury/super-yacht tourism serving a tourism triangulation together with Aqaba and Taba.
Government and private investments have flourished over the last couple of years, upgrading tourism infrastructure including, construction and refurbishment of modern airports all over Egypt. Cairo, Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada, el Alamein, Borg al Arab, Marsa Allam, Luxor and Aswan now have airports built to international standards with most facilities operated by specialized international airport management. New Cairo Airport’s capacity will soar to 20 million passengers, from 10 million, before the end of 2007.
Parallel investments have been made in the nation’s transport system, utilities, telecommunications and IT networks.
In line with developing leisure tourism, vast expansions and developments have begun from the South Sinai to the Red Sea areas along the Mediterranean such as Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada, Sahl Hashish and Marsa Allam, and in Luxor.
As an emerging destination for residential tourism (a well-guarded secret its Arab neighbors have long perfected since years ago), Egypt is now selling itself to nearby European countries as a snowbirds’ get-away. Europeans are flocking to the Red Sea, buying and owning a second home in a country with a warmer climate year-round.
To date, Egypt’s hotel inventory is extensive spanning thousands of hotels in all categories, from international to national hotel chains. There are 85,000 hotel rooms under construction to date, located as far southeast to the new and upcoming seaside resort destination of Marsa Allam/ Port Ghalib.
This is one vision - the BOT or build-operate-own-transfer project by Kuwaiti billionaire Nasr Kharafi – seeing growing momentum since inception.
Another large-scale integrated development project underway lies on the northwest coast of Marsa Matrouh. It still is the Med’s most pristine, virgin shores to this very day. Mega-projects in both aforementioned coastline destinations have attracted unprecedented foreign direct investments.
In an effort to oil the wheels of positive change, Egypt works hard to develop its new tourism brand capturing the diversity of the offerings. It will be communicated to all media through relevant messages to various niches and targets. For a global marketing strategy, it will utilize new technologies and online media channels to ensure interactive communication with the audience.
Foremost, Egypt will also launch a massive national communications and tourism public awareness campaign designed to generate a broader level of awareness on the importance of the industry. Tourism officials vow to highlight the direct impact on the economic welfare and prosperity of Egyptians, the role to plays in promoting the economic growth and development, support for culture and improving the quality of life. The goal will be to sensitize Egyptian nationals towards tourism, for each citizen to actively take part in creating and embracing the art of welcoming the visitor.
Currently, Egypt is also opening up to China, India and South America, while forging with expanding market share in potential markets in Central Europe, Canada and the USA.
Statistics show from January to November 2005 some 117,113 Americans traveled to Egypt booking 2,481,229 room nights. In November alone, 18,791 Americans arrived spending 230,183 nights.
Hence, Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. Nabil Fahmy is set to broaden this approach with the US market. At the mid-December opening of the King Tutankhamun Exhibition dubbed Golden Age of the Pharaohs in Florida, Fahmy said, “What we’ve been trying to do is put the full face of Egypt before you. Bringing the exhibit to America for over a year more effectively shows what Egypt has to offer in terms of culture, history and antiquities. To build understanding between peoples is the ultimate goal of this great effort in bringing the Boy King to the United States.”
By Hazel Heyer
eTurbonews.com ¶ 8:56 PM 3 comments
