BEIJING, June 17 -- Polish expat Adrianna Koralewska believes in the power of performance and dance - so much so it has become her life's work, writes Jenny Hammond.
Performance is one of the most natural forms of expression, and for one Polish expat it has transformed into a way of life.
After studying everything from Peking Opera to the classical Bharatha Natyam dance style from India, Noh Theater from Japan and Wayangwong from Indonesia, Adrianna Koralewska has moved to Shanghai to teach children how to express themselves through dance and movement.
"I teach creative dance and drama. I also act, direct, choreograph, make costumes, design sets and manage technical theater. And I study everything from tai chi to Chinese herbs and how to eat healthily," she says.
With a diploma in contemporary dance, Koralewska is a certified teacher and has broadened her dance knowledge and skills by studying many ethnic and Asian traditional forms.
After completing her undergraduate studies in 2000 in Poland, she was invited to the Huei Tlahtolli Instituto de Investigacion Antropologica Interdisciplinaria in Guadalajara, Mexico.
"It was there that I became fascinated with the therapeutic influence on your body with Aztec Indian dance and rhythms."
There have been few scientific investigations evaluating the healing effects of such dance, but Koralewska says she can personally attest to the benefits the ancient practice offers.
"Improved self-esteem, stress reduction and improvement of illness are only some of the benefits," she says.
As well, Koralewska has explored many aspects of drama and physical theater, musical, alternative theater techniques, contemporary dance, martial arts, Asian classical theater, Mexican forms of pre-Columbian dance used in choreotherapy and elements of Polish folk dances.
As a result, the expat has been able to create her own teaching curriculum.
Koralewska, 32, lived abroad for six years, five of them in Asia which sparked her love of Asian theater.
"My falling in love actually began when I met Japanese Butoh theater master Daisuke Yoshimoto in 1999 in Poznan, Poland. He led me away from classical theater and into alternative forms of performance," she says.
"At the same time I studied contemporary dance and participated in numerous dance workshops throughout Poland."
Through her studies, the Poznan native picked up many technical aspects of theater, including set design, costume, make-up design, lighting and sound design, management and production.
"For many years I was working as a costume designer and maker, especially for theater," she says.
However, for Koralewska, the most important turning point in her career came on a visit to Singapore.
"I received a full scholarship to join a new theater training and research program in Singapore and for three years performed there as well as in other southeast Asian countries," she says.
Working with "Just Jesters," an edutainment company in a UNICEF event called "Hand in Hand for a Better Tomorrow," the Polish woman also participated in events for the Make a Wish Foundation which works with children who have special needs.
Now, the multi-talented teacher works full time at the Shanghai Singapore International School where she has created a special dance and movement program for children.
Kids discover their own happiness through movement, she says.
"Dance helps them express their inner emotions and releases pent-up physical tension. The confidence of a child grows and their wings spread to the sounds of the cosmic symphony we all carry within us.
"Although we can all learn similar things, follow similar instructions, at some point, given the proper urging and inspiration, every student will discover their own 'voice,' their own 'step.'
"This discovery is what I believe we mean when we say 'follow your dream.' In other words, self-expression is ultimately what matters most," she explains.
But the challenge of being a teacher is to impart wisdom to students, she adds.
"I do this by expressing myself dynamically, being flexible, approachable, and open to positive criticism, being light, funny, and creating a sense of joy and laughter," she says.
(Source: Shanghai Daily)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sex shop and the city
Wen Jingfeng, founder of the first adult products' store on the Chinese mainland, witnessed tremendous changes of social attitude toward sex in the past 15 years.
BEIJING, June 17 -- Fifty-year-old Wen Jingfeng has been interviewed many times by Chinese and foreign media. However, the Beijinger still feels self-conscious posing for pictures. But, he is completely relaxed talking about his shop: Beijing Adam & Eve Health Center - the first adult shop in the Chinese mainland, which he founded in 1993.
Located on East Fuchengmen Road in Beijing's Xicheng district, the small 20 sq m shop sells contraceptives, pregnancy tests, aphrodisiacs and sex toys.
Inside the shop, the adult products are displayed in showcases. Two sales women dressed in white gowns are polite, but leave customers to choose products on their own.
In the 1990s, Wen's shop was described as "a symbol of China's opening and reforms". He was considered more of a celebrity than a businessman.
Recently, he published Forbidden Fruit 1993, My sex shop and I, narrating his interesting experiences over the past decade-and-a-half.
"I will keep on doing the business, and hopefully, develop Adam & Eve into a famous and longstanding brand," says Wen.
In the 1980s, when China was going through profound economic reforms, Wen quit his job at a governmental institute to start his own business. Full of ideas, the young man opened various shops - including one for weight-loss and left-handed products - but none succeeded.
One evening in 1991, when he was watching a French film, to his surprise, a "sex shop" logo appeared in the backdrop. Wen was confused, "What can a 'sex shop' sell?"
When he figured out what the shop really was, the enterprising young man thought: "Why don't I open a 'sex shop' in China?"
When he discussed this bold idea with his friends and relatives, they thought he was crazy. "No one has opened such a shop in China. It was totally risky, both commercially and culturally," says Wen.
"It was forbidden ground."
In the early 1990s, condoms were distributed through the Family Planning Committee, a governmental agency ensuring the implementation of the national one-child policy.
Sex was a sensitive topic in the conservative society. Classic novels such as Jin Ping Mei - a 16th-century work that contains much description of sexual life between Ximen Qing and his three concubines - were strictly banned. Daring young men and women who walked in pairs on the street would solicit angry stares.
To open a "sex shop" was a very challenging idea.
However, Wen believed he had foreseen a potential business. "Sex is a normal thing, just like when you feel thirsty, you drink water. Why should we shy away from our basic needs?"
But, opening a sex shop was no easy feat. Wen couldn't even find his business a foothold - landlords all thought Wen was a "hooligan" when they learnt his purpose.
Staffing was also an issue. The first employees were medical students, who had graduated from remote places outside Beijing, so their parents wouldn't know what they were doing. The first female staff member had to fight her fianc in order to work for Wen.
But, luckily, Wen was not the only person who believed the public should have a rational attitude toward sex.
In 1992, under great pressure from his colleagues, Du Ruyu, dean of the Peking University People's Hospital, decided to lend a room to Wen near the gate of the hospital.
"The opening of the adult shop could suggest to the public that sex was a natural thing instead of a dirty taboo," recalls Du, now 72.
"The opening and reform should be a two-way process involving both the government and the people," he adds.
In 1968, when Du was a young doctor at the hospital, a couple went to him for help. The wife said if the doctor couldn't solve their problem and help them to achieve mutually fulfilling sex, they would divorce.
Du was caught by surprise - he had only previously read a Russian book on the issue. All he could do was give them psychological suggestions to alleviate their pressure.
"I knew there were many couples who had such problems, not only due to psychological reasons," says Du.
Du says that Puyi, the last emperor of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), once sought Du's help on his personal problem, but Du had little to suggest.
Under Du's efforts, the hospital founded a urology department. In the 1980s, Du sent some students to the United States for further study in the field.
"People who have sexual problems need help, but hospitals could not give them all the help they needed. I believed the business sector could be more efficient," Du says.
Wen also received help starting his business from others.
Wu Jieping, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of National People's Congress, encouraged the young man by writing the name of his store, "Beijing Adam & Eve Health Center".
"Mr Wu also talked about masturbation and homosexuality. The old man's wisdom penetrated the darkness, giving me confidence to carry on," Wen recounts in his book.
On January 8, 1993, Beijing Adam & Eve finally opened. "It was a cold winter day with heavy snow covering the street, I was so excited to see what would happen next, like a student waiting for their exam result," Wen recalls.
Wen kept the door open in the winter, looking for his first customer. But, in the next two weeks - no one except a beggar stepped in.
On the 16th day, a whistling young man wandered in. As soon as he realized what the shop was selling, he stopped whistling and his face turned red.
The young man did end up, however, buying a box of condoms at 9.6 yuan ($1.37). Excited, Wen bought steamed stuffed buns from a vendor on the street at 10 yuan to celebrate his first sale.
After a local newspaper reported the opening of Wen's shop in just three sentences, national and Western media streamed into the small store. Curious people packed the street to see the shop, which even improved business for the steamed bun vendor.
"Overnight, I became a celebrity. Some said I was a liberator and pioneer, and some accused me of being nasty. I just placed myself as a different businessman," says Wen.
After the first sex shop was introduced to the public, customers from all over the country poured in. As the business thrived, Wen noticed particular social habits of his patrons. Some shy customers wore sunglasses while shopping and ran out before getting their change. But, eventually, more people came to select products and even consulted with sales staff, Wen says.
"If I had filmed all the customers, the documentary would present dramatic changes of people's attitudes over the past 15 years," Wen says.
From 1994, hundreds of adult shops opened in Beijing, recounted Wen. "It become an usual shop for people."
The adults' products industry boomed as quickly as the country's economy. As adult shops began opening in every corner of the city, Wen felt increasing pressure since his fame alone couldn't make his shop more competitive.
In the late 1990s, he followed the wave of e-business to open an online store and set up branch shops, including one in Beijing's busiest shopping mall. He even considered enlisting Adam & Eve on the stock market.
But, at last Wen found the nature of the business: "Small, simple and quality, that's enough for a good adult shop."
Small stores named "adult health care" can be found on almost every street across the country; people can also buy adult products cheaply online, says Wen, who now runs five Adam & Eve stores in Beijing.
"Credit and quality are the driving forces for any business. The market will eliminate unqualified players in the end," says Wen.
"I will not give up running this business, until old age prevents me."
(Source: China Daily)
Preserve Qiang culture
BEIJING, June 17 -- The Qiang is one of China's oldest ethnic minorities, the character qiang appeared on jiaguwen (hieroglyphs inscribed on bone and tortoises shells) 3,000 years ago.
The population of Qiang people today is about 320,000. They are mostly concentrated in Maoxian, Wenchuan and Lixian counties of Aba Qiang and Tibetan autonomous prefecture; also in Beichuan Qiang autonomous county of Mianyang city in Sichuan province.
The area is within the Tibetan-Yi Corridor, which has increasingly drawn international attention in recent years. The jagged mountains and deep-cut valleys between Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet and Yunnan are home to the Tibetan, Yi, Qiang, Nu, Dulong, Bai and Naxi minorities. But, the Qiang people were most seriously affected by the earthquake.
Ancient Qiang architecture and folk customs are preserved in Taoping village of Lixian county and Luobu village of Wenchuan county.
Taoping was first founded in 111 BC of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD24). No one in the village's 98 households families were hurt in the earthquake.
Luobu, also founded in the Western Han Dynasty, was the only Qiang village with complete earthen architecture, but the earthquake reduced most of its buildings to rubble.
Qiang people are adherents of the shamanistic Shibi religion, similar to the Dongba of the Naxi people and the Bimo of the Yi people. One aspect of their worship is the placing of five white stones, representing the deities of heaven, earth, trees, mountains and the wife of the mountain god, on the roofs of their homes.
At the State Ethnic Affairs Commission seminar held earlier this month, Feng Jicai, chairman of the China Folk Artists Association, and a dozen Chinese scholars, discussed how best to protect Qiang culture.
(Source: China Daily)
Hope amid devastation
BEIJING, June 17 -- After having braved days of landslides and aftershocks, Cheng Weidong finally reached Luobu village. He paused outside its makeshift shelters, unable to think of a suitable question to ask the Qiang minority friends he had made just five months earlier.
When the 57-year-old photographer with the China Ethnic Pictorial visited western Sichuan province last November, he interviewed the most senior village elder, Zhang Fulian. The 98-year-old had smiled happily for a photograph with his great-grandchild and other members of his huge family.
But, the May 12 earthquake leveled all the earthen houses in the village just 20 km away from the Wenchuan county epicenter. Cheng was saddened to hear the old man, along with his daughter-in-law and grandson, had been lost to the quake.
As he watched villagers dig food and clothes out of the ruins, Cheng tried to remember the house where he had chatted with the family.
"The earthquake dealt a heavy blow to the Qiang people. I really wanted to find them, but I didn't know what to say, or how I could comfort them," says Cheng, a tall, imposing man whose skin has been tanned dark brown after years on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The Qiang group is one of the country's oldest ethnic minorities whom Tibetans and other minorities of western China regard as their forebears. China's 320,000 Qiang people live in northwestern Sichuan's Maoxian, Wenchuan, Lixian and Beichuan counties, all of which were seriously affected by the quake.
Cheng and his two colleagues were the first reporters to reach the Qiang Luobu village after the quake. On his visit last year, it took him just half an hour to reach the "village on the clouds", famous for its well-preserved architecture and folk customs.
The road the local government had spent 10 million yuan ($1.43 million) building along the precipitous mountains was covered in landslides. Parts had tumbled into the Minjiang River, leaving enormous scars that gave Cheng the impression of a savagely executed oil painting.
Soldiers were preparing to carry 10 relief tents to the village. One whose home was in Aba prefecture offered to guide reporters across the pebbled slope. One wrong step on the 2-hour trek could have sent anyone tumbling into the raging river some 600 m below.
Lesbian couple of 55 years ready to say "I do"
In this March 3, 2008 file photo, Phyllis Lyon, left, and Del Martin are photographed at home in San Francisco. On Monday, June 16, 2008, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will marry Martin and Lyon making them the first same sex couple to wed in San Francisco.(AP Photo)
In this Dec. 17, 2004 file photo, Phyllis Lyon, left, and her partner Del Martin, right, sit for a photograph at their home in San Francisco, Friday Dec. 17, 2004.In this Dec. 17, 2004 file photo, Phyllis Lyon, left, and her partner Del Martin, right, sit for a photograph at their home in San Francisco, Friday Dec. 17, 2004.(AP Photo)
SAN FRANCISCO - Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin fell in love at a time when lesbians risked being arrested, fired from their jobs and sent to electroshock treatment.
On Monday, more than a half-century after they became a couple, Lyon and Martin plan to become one of the first same-sex couples to legally exchange marriage vows in California.
"It was something you wanted to know, 'Is it really going to happen?' And now it's happened, and maybe it can continue to happen," Lyon says.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom plans to officiate at the private ceremony in his City Hall office before 50 invited guests. He picked Martin, 87, and Lyon, 84, for the front of the line in recognition of their long relationship and their status as pioneers of the gay rights movement.
Along with six other women, they founded a San Francisco social club for lesbians in 1955 called the Daughters of Bilitis. Under their leadership, it evolved into the nation's first lesbian advocacy organization. They have the FBI files to prove it.
Their ceremony Monday will, in fact, be a marriage do-over.
In February 2004, San Francisco's new mayor decided to challenge California's marriage laws by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. His advisers and gay rights activists knew right away which couple would put the most compelling human face on the issue: Martin and Lyon.
Back then, the couple planned to celebrate their 51st anniversary as live-in lovers on Valentine's Day. Because of their work with the Daughters, they also were icons in the gay community.
"Four years ago, when they agreed to be married, it was in equal parts to support the mayor and to support the idea that lesbians and gay people formed committed relationships and should have those relationships respected," says Kate Kendell, a close friend and executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Lyon and Martin vividly recall the excitement of being secretly swept into the clerk's office, saying "I do" in front of a tiny group of city staff members and friends, and then being rushed out of the building. There were no corsages, no bottles of champagne. Afterward they went to lunch, just the two of them, at a restaurant run as a job training program for participants in a substance abuse program.
"Of course, nobody down there knew, so we were left to be by ourselves like we wanted to be," said Martin, the less gregarious of the two. "Then we came home."
"And watched TV," adds Lyon.
The privacy was short-lived. Their wedding portrait, showing the couple cradling each other in pastel-colored pantsuits with their foreheads tenderly touching, drew worldwide attention.
Same-sex marriage would become legal in Massachusetts in another three months, but San Francisco's calculated act of civil disobedience drove the debate.
In the month that followed, more than 4,000 other couples followed Martin and Lyon down the aisle before a judge acting on petitions brought by gay marriage opponents halted the city's spree.
The state Supreme Court ultimately voided the unions, but the women were among the two dozen couples who served as plaintiffs in the lawsuits that led the same court last month to overturn California's ban on gay marriage.
They were having their morning coffee when Lyon heard the news on the radio. She rushed across the house to embrace Martin. Not long after, Newsom called to offer congratulations and to ask if they would be willing to be at the forefront yet again.
"Sure," was the answer they gave.
The couple, who live in the same San Francisco house they bought in 1956, do not get out much now. Martin needs a wheelchair to get around. Although they plan to briefly greet well-wishers at City Hall after the ceremony, they are having a private reception for friends and family.
"It's so endearing because they do seem excited and a little bit nervous," Kendell says. "It's like the classic feelings anyone has as their wedding day approaches."
Because a few other clerk's offices agreed to stay open until the court's decision becomes final at 8 p.m. EDT, other couples planning late afternoon weddings may already have tied the knot before the mayor pronounces Lyon and Martin "spouses for life."
They don't mind. They know they already are.
"We get along well," Lyon said. "And we love each other."
"I love you, too," Martin said.
(Agencies)
Baby boy born half size of his twin sister
James(L) was half the size of his sister when he was born
New-born James fitted into his palm of his father's hand
Harriet(L) and James are now 13 months old and both thriving
Shelley and John White with the twins
London -- Weighing only 1lb 8oz at birth, premature twin James White fitted into the palm of his father's hand.
Having been starved of blood in the womb, he was only half the size of his 3Ib 4oz sister Harriet. Thirteen months later, however, he has astonished his parents by thriving against the odds - and is well on the way to catching Harriet up, Daily Mail reported.
Mrs White, 29, discovered she was pregnant in November 2006. Two months later she was told she was having twins. A scan at 24 weeks showed that James was not growing properly and tests showed there was virtually no blood flow to him.
'Doctors told me that if I could get to 28 weeks pregnant then there would be a chance he would survive,' said Mrs White, a teacher from Burton on Trent, Staffordshire.
After 29 weeks, it was found that James was receiving no blood at all, and could survive for only a few more days.
He needed to be delivered immediately by emergency caesarean, but that could harm the chances for survival of Harriet, who was thriving in the womb.
'It was a horrendous decision that we had to make,' said Mrs White, whose 30-year-old husband John is a dispatch worker. 'Did we let James die to save his sister, or did we opt to deliver the twins and for them to have a small chance each?
We decided that we couldn't choose one over the other, so we had to let fate take over, and we would let doctors deliver both the twins.'
The operation was carried out at the University of North Staffordshire Hospital. Mrs White said: 'We just heard Harriet make a small cry as she was delivered, then James who didn't make a sound.
Harriet now weighs 20Ib 1oz and James 14Ib 14oz.Mrs White added: 'They are both doing really well, and James is catching up.
'He's talking and developing like he should, which is great.
'When I think of him fitting in John's hand, it seems hard to believe that he has grown into such an energetic little boy.'
(Agencies)
ED an indicator of men's health
SUNDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- Erectile dysfunction could be an indicator of testosterone deficiency and the metabolic syndrome, a set of factors that may indicate an increased risk of heart and vascular disease and type 2 diabetes, a new international study shows.
"Erectile dysfunction is a portal into men's health," the study's senior author, Dr. Aksam Yassin, of the Clinic for Urology and Andrology of the Segeberger Clinics in Norderstedt, Germany, wrote in a prepared statement.
"It is becoming clear that obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and erectile difficulties are intertwined, and a common denominator is testosterone deficiency."
The research, conducted by scientists from The Netherlands, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, was expected to be presented over the weekend at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.
Yassin recommended that men with erectile dysfunction be evaluated for testosterone deficiency and any underlying signs of the metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome has any three of the following characteristics:
Increased abdominal fat.
Low HDL ("good") cholesterol.
High triglycerides (fats in the blood).
High blood pressure.
High blood sugar.
The findings are based on screenings for testosterone deficiency, also known as hypogonadism, and metabolic syndrome done on 771 patients seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction.
Among the results:
18.3 percent of those studied had previously undetected testosterone deficiency, slighter higher than the 12 percent average for men older than 45.
35 percent had type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
31 percent had high blood pressure.
21 percent had dyslipidemia -- abnormal cholesterol or triglycerides.
14 percent had varying degrees of coronary heart disease.
In each group, a small handful of those diagnosed did not know they had the condition before the screening, Yassin said.
(Agencies)
"Erectile dysfunction is a portal into men's health," the study's senior author, Dr. Aksam Yassin, of the Clinic for Urology and Andrology of the Segeberger Clinics in Norderstedt, Germany, wrote in a prepared statement.
"It is becoming clear that obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and erectile difficulties are intertwined, and a common denominator is testosterone deficiency."
The research, conducted by scientists from The Netherlands, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, was expected to be presented over the weekend at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.
Yassin recommended that men with erectile dysfunction be evaluated for testosterone deficiency and any underlying signs of the metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome has any three of the following characteristics:
Increased abdominal fat.
Low HDL ("good") cholesterol.
High triglycerides (fats in the blood).
High blood pressure.
High blood sugar.
The findings are based on screenings for testosterone deficiency, also known as hypogonadism, and metabolic syndrome done on 771 patients seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction.
Among the results:
18.3 percent of those studied had previously undetected testosterone deficiency, slighter higher than the 12 percent average for men older than 45.
35 percent had type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
31 percent had high blood pressure.
21 percent had dyslipidemia -- abnormal cholesterol or triglycerides.
14 percent had varying degrees of coronary heart disease.
In each group, a small handful of those diagnosed did not know they had the condition before the screening, Yassin said.
(Agencies)
Standard glucose test may be wrong one for obese children
SUNDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- The current standard screening test for prediabetes in children often fails to detect the condition, Canadian researchers contend.
Ironically, the findings are from a study group of 172 obese children -- ages 5 to 17 -- who joined a program to help them slim down to a healthy weight.
The standard diabetes test for children is the fasting plasma (blood) glucose test, but it identified almost three times fewer children with diabetes than the glucose stress test, also called the oral glucose tolerance test. The glucose stress test takes longer, because blood is taken from the patient after fasting and again two hours after drinking a sugary solution.
Using the fasting blood glucose test, the researchers found that only 8 percent of the children in the study met the diagnostic criteria for prediabetes. But the glucose stress test indicated that 25 percent of the children had prediabetes.
"A large proportion of the children with prediabetes would not have had their condition recognized," lead author Dr. Katherine Morrison, of the pediatrics department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, said in a prepared statement.
The researchers also found the fasting blood glucose test identified metabolic syndrome in only 5.2 percent of the children, while the glucose stress test detected metabolic syndrome in 12.8 percent of the children. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors (including high blood sugar) for diabetes and heart disease.
The findings were expected to be presented over the weekend at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.
"Prediabetes and metabolic syndrome are common in obese children but are not readily identified with the currently recommended test. They require a glucose stress test," Morrison said.
Prediabetes and metabolic syndrome often cause no obvious symptoms, she added. Early detection is important, because changes in diet, regular exercise and moderate weight loss can help prevent or delay diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Added time, inconvenience and cost are among the reasons why the glucose stress test isn't typically used in children.
"But this research suggests that the recommended test for screening obese children for prediabetes and metabolic syndrome should be changed," Morrison said.
(Agencies)
Ironically, the findings are from a study group of 172 obese children -- ages 5 to 17 -- who joined a program to help them slim down to a healthy weight.
The standard diabetes test for children is the fasting plasma (blood) glucose test, but it identified almost three times fewer children with diabetes than the glucose stress test, also called the oral glucose tolerance test. The glucose stress test takes longer, because blood is taken from the patient after fasting and again two hours after drinking a sugary solution.
Using the fasting blood glucose test, the researchers found that only 8 percent of the children in the study met the diagnostic criteria for prediabetes. But the glucose stress test indicated that 25 percent of the children had prediabetes.
"A large proportion of the children with prediabetes would not have had their condition recognized," lead author Dr. Katherine Morrison, of the pediatrics department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, said in a prepared statement.
The researchers also found the fasting blood glucose test identified metabolic syndrome in only 5.2 percent of the children, while the glucose stress test detected metabolic syndrome in 12.8 percent of the children. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors (including high blood sugar) for diabetes and heart disease.
The findings were expected to be presented over the weekend at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.
"Prediabetes and metabolic syndrome are common in obese children but are not readily identified with the currently recommended test. They require a glucose stress test," Morrison said.
Prediabetes and metabolic syndrome often cause no obvious symptoms, she added. Early detection is important, because changes in diet, regular exercise and moderate weight loss can help prevent or delay diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Added time, inconvenience and cost are among the reasons why the glucose stress test isn't typically used in children.
"But this research suggests that the recommended test for screening obese children for prediabetes and metabolic syndrome should be changed," Morrison said.
(Agencies)
Higher tax helps smokers quit
ALBANY, N.Y. - New York smokers have been sent outside in all kinds of weather, coughed at in disdain, and now they are burdened with the most expensive cigarette taxes in the nation. Now, to add cost to injury, the state is declaring its highest-in-the-nation cigarette tax a success.
The number of calls to the state's Smoker's Quitline quadrupled to nearly 10,000 calls during the week of June 2, when the full $2.75-a-pack tax kicked in, New York Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines said. Fewer than 2,300 people called for help during the same week in 2007.
"Not everyone that tries, quits," Daines said. "We estimate about 140,000 New Yorkers will successfully quit smoking. We may have more than a million try to cut down or stop, but this is how you get people to try: give them multiple chances and multiple reasons to stop."
The increase that took effect June 3 sent the tax from $1.25 to $2.75 per pack. In most of the state, cigarettes range between $6 and $8 a pack, depending on brand and store price. They can cost as much as $10 in New York City, which has its own tax.
New Jersey has the next highest cigarette tax, at nearly $2.58 per pack. Missouri has the cheapest tax in nation, at only 17 cents per pack, although individual counties and cities can impose an additional tax between 4 cents and 7 cents, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators.
Smokers calling the Quitline requested nearly 7,900 kits the week the new tax was introduced compared with 1,722 requested the same time last year.
Audrey Silk, who heads NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, said the initial increase in quitline calls doesn't realistically represent how many people will become nonsmokers.
"No matter the goal, it's disgusting that any group would actually boast that coercive government — this time through the hammer of taxation — to beat a class of society enjoying a legal product into submission is 'successful'," Silk said.
Cigarette smoking kills about 400,000 people in the United States every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 45 million U.S. adults are smokers, though the prevalence has fallen dramatically since the 1960s.
(Agencies)
The number of calls to the state's Smoker's Quitline quadrupled to nearly 10,000 calls during the week of June 2, when the full $2.75-a-pack tax kicked in, New York Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines said. Fewer than 2,300 people called for help during the same week in 2007.
"Not everyone that tries, quits," Daines said. "We estimate about 140,000 New Yorkers will successfully quit smoking. We may have more than a million try to cut down or stop, but this is how you get people to try: give them multiple chances and multiple reasons to stop."
The increase that took effect June 3 sent the tax from $1.25 to $2.75 per pack. In most of the state, cigarettes range between $6 and $8 a pack, depending on brand and store price. They can cost as much as $10 in New York City, which has its own tax.
New Jersey has the next highest cigarette tax, at nearly $2.58 per pack. Missouri has the cheapest tax in nation, at only 17 cents per pack, although individual counties and cities can impose an additional tax between 4 cents and 7 cents, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators.
Smokers calling the Quitline requested nearly 7,900 kits the week the new tax was introduced compared with 1,722 requested the same time last year.
Audrey Silk, who heads NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, said the initial increase in quitline calls doesn't realistically represent how many people will become nonsmokers.
"No matter the goal, it's disgusting that any group would actually boast that coercive government — this time through the hammer of taxation — to beat a class of society enjoying a legal product into submission is 'successful'," Silk said.
Cigarette smoking kills about 400,000 people in the United States every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 45 million U.S. adults are smokers, though the prevalence has fallen dramatically since the 1960s.
(Agencies)
Most cancer doctors avoid saying it's the end
Cancer patient Eileen Mulligan, 68, rests in the backyard of her Washington home on Thursday, June 12, 2008. Only one-third of terminally ill cancer patients in a new, federally funded study said their doctors had discussed end-of-life care.
CHICAGO - One look at Eileen Mulligan lying soberly on the exam table and Dr. John Marshall knew the time for the Big Talk had arrived.
He began gently. The chemotherapy is not helping. The cancer is advanced. There are no good options left to try. It would be good to look into hospice care.
"At first I was really shocked. But after, I thought it was a really good way of handling a situation like that," said Mulligan, who now is making a "bucket list" — things to do before she dies. Top priority: getting her busy sons to come for a weekend at her Washington, D.C., home.
Many people do not get such straight talk from doctors, who often think they are doing patients a favor by keeping hope alive.
New research shows they are wrong.
Only one-third of terminally ill cancer patients in a new, federally funded study said their doctors had discussed end-of-life care.
Surprisingly, patients who had these talks were no more likely to become depressed than those who did not, the study found. They were less likely to spend their final days in hospitals, tethered to machines. They avoided costly, futile care. And their loved ones were more at peace after they died.
Convinced of such benefits and that patients have a right to know, the California Assembly just passed a bill to require that health care providers give complete answers to dying patients who ask about their options. The bill now goes to the state Senate.
Some doctors' groups are fighting the bill, saying it interferes with medical practice. But at an American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago earlier this month, where the federally funded study was presented, the society's president said she was upset at its finding that most doctors were not having honest talks.
"That is distressing if it's true. It says we have a lot of homework to do," said Dr. Nancy Davidson, a cancer specialist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Doctors mistakenly fear that frank conversations will harm patients, said Barbara Coombs Lee, president of the advocacy group Compassionate Choices.
"Boiled down, it's 'Talking about dying will kill you,'" she said. In reality, "people crave these conversations, because without a full and candid discussion of what they're up against and what their options are, they feel abandoned and forlorn, as though they have to face this alone. No one is willing to talk about it."
The new study is the first to look at what happens to patients if they are or are not asked what kind of care they'd like to receive if they were dying, said lead researcher Dr. Alexi Wright of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
It involved 603 people in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Texas. All had failed chemotherapy for advanced cancer and had life expectancies of less than a year. They were interviewed at the start of the study and are being followed until their deaths. Records were used to document their care.
Of the 323 who have died so far, those who had end-of-life talks were three times less likely to spend their final week in intensive care, four times less likely to be on breathing machines, and six times less likely to be resuscitated.
About 7 percent of all patients in the study developed depression. Feeling nervous or worried was no more common among those who had end-of-life talks than those who did not.
That rings true, said Marshall, who is Mulligan's doctor at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Patients often are relieved, and can plan for a "good death" and make decisions, such as do-not-resuscitate orders.
"It's sad, and it's not good news, but you can see the tension begin to fall" as soon as the patient and the family come to grips with a situation they may have suspected but were afraid to bring up, he said.
From an ethics point of view, "it's easy — patients ought to know," said Dr. Anthony Lee Back of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. "Talking about prognosis is where the rubber meets the road. It's a make-or-break moment — you earn that trust or you blow it," he told doctors at a training session at the cancer conference on how to break bad news.
People react differently, though, said Dr. James Vredenburgh, a brain tumor specialist at Duke University.
"There are patients who want to talk about death and dying when I first meet them, before I ever treat them. There's other people who never will talk about it," he said.
"Most patients know in their heart" that the situation is grim, "but people have an amazing capacity to deny or just keep fighting. For a majority of patients it's a relief to know and to just be able to talk about it," he said.
Sometimes it's doctors who have trouble accepting that the end is near, or think they've failed the patient unless they keep trying to beat the disease, said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society.
"I had seven patients die in one week once," Brawley said. "I actually had some personal regrets in some patients where I did not stop treatment and in retrospect, I think I should have."
James Rogers, 67 of Durham, N.C., wants no such regrets. Diagnosed with advanced lung cancer last October, he had only one question for the doctor who recommended treatment.
"I said 'Can you get rid of it?' She said 'no,'" and he decided to simply enjoy his final days with the help of the hospice staff at Duke.
"I like being told what my health condition is. I don't like beating around the bush," he said. "We all have to die. I've had a very good life. Death is not something that was fearful to me."
(Agencies)
Jazz-infused journey through Kunqu Opera
BEIJING, June 16 -- A unique jazz-infused journey through the kingdom of Kunqu Opera with Belgian musician Jean Maljean and singer Zhang Jun will give this ancient Chinese art form a sophisticated, modern twist.
What happens when jazz meets Kunqu Opera? Will it be a spark or a conflict? All will be revealed at the forthcoming concerts co-presented by Belgian pianist/composer Jean Maljean and dynamic young Kunqu Opera singer Zhang Jun.
Maljean, former lead singer with pop band Maljean-Willems for more than a decade, has composed original piano music that combines elements of classical, pop, New Age and jazz improvisations to form his own unique style.
In recent years, he has been introducing his own soothing and elegant interpretations of Asian musical styles into his music.
For the Shanghai shows, Maljean will take the listener on a journey of immense beauty and peace through ancient Kunqu Opera.
He will fuse East and West to create jazz music which perfectly matches Zhang's singing of excerpts from "The Peony Pavilion," "The Story of the Jade Hairpin" and "The Palace of Eternal Youth."
"I will also bring my own music to this concert," Maljean says. "We are trying to make the show a fun and unique experience."
Maljean's piano solos will include "Funny Face" and Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower."
The concert will be a breakthrough for the 600-year-old traditional Chinese opera, which originated in Kunshan, neighboring Jiangsu Province, in that it is set to attract both a young and Western audience.
This opera form was listed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage in 2001 and is considered the progenitor of many traditional forms of Chinese operas.
For Western audiences, this ancient yet elegant art form is best characterized by the slow rhythmic and gentle movements that accompany the haunting melodies.
"The accompanying jazz will ease the listeners' journey through the kingdom of Kunqu Opera," says singer Zhang.
The concert actually is not the first to merge traditional Chinese theater with Western music.
Last month, students of Fudan University enjoyed traditional Chinese opera "Romance of the West Chamber" given by visiting students from the National University of Singapore. The familiar tunes of English pop music, from Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" to Pussycat Dolls' "Don't Cha," were applied to classic Chinese operas.
According to Associate Professor Grant Shen, director of the performance of the Singaporean university, traditional operas were never meant to be "museum pieces." The music was always contemporary - in-synch with the era in which it was performed. The opera was very much like a rock concert is today.
"Unfortunately, with the passage of time, the opera seems to many today to be just a lot of screaming and noise," Shen says.
He was proud that when the show was staged in Singapore, it traversed boundaries of age, with 85 percent of the audience made up of young people.
Professor Sun Huizhu from Shanghai Theater Academy is in favor of this new trend of combining traditional Chinese opera with modern music.
"We need a way to connect with the younger generation, even though it can be quite hard work," he says. "This new performing style will make the form more attractive to the young and reduce their prejudice against traditional operas."
Maljean and Zhang's concert will also be filmed. All proceeds from the sale of the film will go to the Sichuan earthquake relief work. The DVD will be released all over the world.
What happens when jazz meets Kunqu Opera? Will it be a spark or a conflict? All will be revealed at the forthcoming concerts co-presented by Belgian pianist/composer Jean Maljean and dynamic young Kunqu Opera singer Zhang Jun.
Maljean, former lead singer with pop band Maljean-Willems for more than a decade, has composed original piano music that combines elements of classical, pop, New Age and jazz improvisations to form his own unique style.
In recent years, he has been introducing his own soothing and elegant interpretations of Asian musical styles into his music.
For the Shanghai shows, Maljean will take the listener on a journey of immense beauty and peace through ancient Kunqu Opera.
He will fuse East and West to create jazz music which perfectly matches Zhang's singing of excerpts from "The Peony Pavilion," "The Story of the Jade Hairpin" and "The Palace of Eternal Youth."
"I will also bring my own music to this concert," Maljean says. "We are trying to make the show a fun and unique experience."
Maljean's piano solos will include "Funny Face" and Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower."
The concert will be a breakthrough for the 600-year-old traditional Chinese opera, which originated in Kunshan, neighboring Jiangsu Province, in that it is set to attract both a young and Western audience.
This opera form was listed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage in 2001 and is considered the progenitor of many traditional forms of Chinese operas.
For Western audiences, this ancient yet elegant art form is best characterized by the slow rhythmic and gentle movements that accompany the haunting melodies.
"The accompanying jazz will ease the listeners' journey through the kingdom of Kunqu Opera," says singer Zhang.
The concert actually is not the first to merge traditional Chinese theater with Western music.
Last month, students of Fudan University enjoyed traditional Chinese opera "Romance of the West Chamber" given by visiting students from the National University of Singapore. The familiar tunes of English pop music, from Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" to Pussycat Dolls' "Don't Cha," were applied to classic Chinese operas.
According to Associate Professor Grant Shen, director of the performance of the Singaporean university, traditional operas were never meant to be "museum pieces." The music was always contemporary - in-synch with the era in which it was performed. The opera was very much like a rock concert is today.
"Unfortunately, with the passage of time, the opera seems to many today to be just a lot of screaming and noise," Shen says.
He was proud that when the show was staged in Singapore, it traversed boundaries of age, with 85 percent of the audience made up of young people.
Professor Sun Huizhu from Shanghai Theater Academy is in favor of this new trend of combining traditional Chinese opera with modern music.
"We need a way to connect with the younger generation, even though it can be quite hard work," he says. "This new performing style will make the form more attractive to the young and reduce their prejudice against traditional operas."
Maljean and Zhang's concert will also be filmed. All proceeds from the sale of the film will go to the Sichuan earthquake relief work. The DVD will be released all over the world.
Ups and downs of Yoyo's parents
BEIJING, June 16 -- "Yesterday I was my parents' child, and suddenly I am the parent of a child," Shen Shu, 26, recalls his feeling of overwhelming joy and shock when his daughter Yoyo was born nine months ago.
Shen's wife became pregnant one year after they married, but it had not been their intention to procreate so soon. At the time Shen had just started work in the advertising department of a local newspaper in Nanjing, capital of East China'a Jiangsu province, and his wife earned a modest salary as college teacher. But Shen was nonetheless overjoyed at the prospect of the baby.
"I never thought of myself as a DINK husband," Shen admits. "I always wanted a baby. Looking back, perhaps 25 was a bit young to be a father, but as Yoyo has already arrived, I think the best thing is to accept her."
Before the baby was born, both Shen and his mother hoped it would be a boy. But the moment she uttered her first cry, he realized he did not cared a whit about gender. The first thing Shen did when he was allowed into the delivery room was give her a big kiss and cuddle.
Shen recalls that at first sight of his daughter, he thought: "This little thing is my daughter, I will care about her, love her and protect her all my life.
On the day Yoyo was one-month old, Shen quit his job and, with a few friends, registered a small advertising firm. It was the baby that motivated him to start his own business. He opened a baby blog named "Grow with Yoyo" to record her life. Shen is now learning tennis, because he wants his daughter to be a dynamic and sporty girl.
The only thing that makes the new father unhappy is the scant time that he and his wife have to spend with the baby. Soon after she was born, they took her to their hometown, a small city three hours' drive from Nanjing.
Like most young men from small towns trying their luck in the big city, Shen finds it impossible to pursue a career and raise an offspring. Shen's parents, both over 50, take care of Yoyo and can afford all the necessary baby care expenses.
"Ideally we would keep her with us at all times," Shen says. "But we are at the early stages of our careers and child minders are too expensive. And anyway, who could be more trustworthy than a baby's grandparents?"
The couple misses Yoyo desperately. They call home almost every evening, even though the baby cannot talk, because they want her to hear their voices over the phone. They see her every two weeks. On a recent visit, the baby called them papa and mamma for the first time.
"She'll come and live with us before she is 3," Shen says. "We need to be together, and there are better schools in the bigger cities."
Shen says the biggest change the baby has made is that of instilling in him a stronger sense of responsibility. But as an only child, he admits that it takes time and effort to be a good father.
"Occasionally I feel I am still a child myself," he says. "But less frequently these days."
In a competitive society like today's China, Shen says he would not expect too much from his daughter. "As long as she is healthy, good at her studies, and fond of sports, I am satisfied," he says.
(Source: China Daily)
Teaching my girl the very best
BEIJING, June 16 -- Liu Hongqing is a special father. After his daughter graduated from elementary school in Beijing last year, he did not send her to a middle school. Instead, he lets her study classic Chinese literature, Kunqu Opera and painting at home with private tutors whom he trusts.
Liu says he made the decision after one year's careful investigation on the current education in common middle schools as well as sufficient communication with his daughter.
"I went through the textbooks of Chinese for all grades, and I felt very disappointed," says 43-year-old Liu, who was a teacher himself for 10 years. "The current education system serves only for the college entrance examination. I don't want my daughter to waste time in such a school."
Liu's father was illiterate, but he saved every cent to send Liu to school. Liu is a cultural worker, yet he decided not to send his daughter to school. Liu says that paternal love is always boundless, and both he and his father try to create the best education environment for their children.
According to Liu, his daughter, 13-year-old Liu Yang, is doing fine so far. Both Liu Hongqing and his wife are self-employed, so the three of them can enjoy a family atmosphere more so than most other families.
After reading A Dream of the Red Chamber, Liu Yang proposed to form a society of poetry with her parents, just as characters from the novel did. Now they often compose old-style Chinese poetry together.
Last year, Liu compiled a book of her daughter's photos from when she was 8 to 11, and gave it to her as a birthday gift.
"We don't really celebrate the Western Father's Day, but we had a great time at the Duanwu Festival making zongzi (pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) together," says the father. "Actually, for us, every day is like a festival."
His plan for Liu Yang's future is to study arts abroad, or in China - if the educational system changes to focus less on college exams - and provides more opportunities for people without certificates.
(Source: China Daily)
Liu says he made the decision after one year's careful investigation on the current education in common middle schools as well as sufficient communication with his daughter.
"I went through the textbooks of Chinese for all grades, and I felt very disappointed," says 43-year-old Liu, who was a teacher himself for 10 years. "The current education system serves only for the college entrance examination. I don't want my daughter to waste time in such a school."
Liu's father was illiterate, but he saved every cent to send Liu to school. Liu is a cultural worker, yet he decided not to send his daughter to school. Liu says that paternal love is always boundless, and both he and his father try to create the best education environment for their children.
According to Liu, his daughter, 13-year-old Liu Yang, is doing fine so far. Both Liu Hongqing and his wife are self-employed, so the three of them can enjoy a family atmosphere more so than most other families.
After reading A Dream of the Red Chamber, Liu Yang proposed to form a society of poetry with her parents, just as characters from the novel did. Now they often compose old-style Chinese poetry together.
Last year, Liu compiled a book of her daughter's photos from when she was 8 to 11, and gave it to her as a birthday gift.
"We don't really celebrate the Western Father's Day, but we had a great time at the Duanwu Festival making zongzi (pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) together," says the father. "Actually, for us, every day is like a festival."
His plan for Liu Yang's future is to study arts abroad, or in China - if the educational system changes to focus less on college exams - and provides more opportunities for people without certificates.
(Source: China Daily)
In the name of the father
BEIJING, June 16 -- Nine-year-old Lang Lang returned home two hours later than usual because he was asked to join the school choir. His father had thought his boy had been playing and was fuming with rage.
What happened next may explain the drive behind one of the best pianists the world would ever have.
On this particular Beijing day, Lang Guoren was feeling the pressure. He was living off his wife's small income and the neighbors didn't understand why the father and son had moved from their home in Northeast China all this way to Beijing. It was 1992. "What future was there in playing a piano?" They may have asked.
To make matters worse, Lang Lang's tutor had said he would not teach him any longer.
When the boy finally came home, the angry father beat the boy black and blue without asking anything.
He then gave him a bottle of tablets and screamed: "You don't practice hard, why not kill yourself? Take the pills or jump off the building, you can choose.
"Then I'll die with you."
In complete shock, the boy opened the bottle, but threw it to the floor. He then told his father what he did that afternoon: playing piano for the choir.
The desperate father hugged his son and cried.
They say that behind every successful man there is a woman. But for world famous pianist Lang Lang, his father has always been the driving force behind the pianist's achievements.
Born in 1954 into a worker's family in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Lang senior showed great interest in music when he was a boy. He learned Chinese flute, the only instrument the family could afford. He also made an erhu fiddle by himself.
But the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) sent Lang into a factory, then to a local acrobatic ensemble before finally he served as a policeman.
The best years of Lang's generation were wasted in the political turmoil, so it was common for parents of their age to pin their hopes on their children. Lang was such a typical father.
When the 3-year-old Lang Lang played a neighbor's piano for fun, his fingerwork amazed their neighbor surnamed Jin, who was the conductor of the performance ensemble of the Shenyang Air Force.
He urged Lang's father to buy a piano, saying his son would be a big star. Believing in his boy's potential, Lang spent 1,700 yuan ($240) - an astronomical sum for a common family at that time - to buy a piano.
In the first year, the father taught himself to play the piano before teaching his son. The next year, Lang took his son to Zhu Yafen, a piano professor of Shenyang Conservatory of Music.
When he realized that Shenyang was too small for his son, Lang quit his job and accompanied Lang Lang to Beijing in 1992. Lang Lang's mother stayed behind to earn money to support the father and son's life and study in Beijing.
"When professor Zhu suggested us to move to Beijing, I hesitated for a while because it meant we had to give up many things in Shenyang and the life of the family would totally change," he said.
"But for the future of Lang Lang, we would like to do everything."
They rented an apartment in Beijing and started a lonely and hard life in the city without the support of friends or relatives.
Because he was not a Beijing citizen, Lang Lang had to pay extra money to the primary and middle schools attached to Central Conservatory of Music.
In the afternoon, he studied piano with a teacher of the Central Conservatory of Music.
"The first year in Beijing was pretty hard. I was father, mother, maid, chef, play partner and the assistant teacher everyday," Lang says.
The only thing that made the tough father angry was when Lang Lang slackened off.
"At that time I was afraid of my father and longed for my mother. But I never hated my father," Lang recalls.
"My father was very stern and strict with me but the point is, I was never forced to play the piano.
"I really enjoy playing the keyboard and it was my own choice. I had the ambition to be a piano master when I was 5 and my parents helped me achieve the goal."
In 1994, Lang won fifth place in a national competition, however the Ministry of Culture would only pay for the top four players to participate the Anderlinger Youth Piano Competition in Germany.
Believing that an international competition would help broaden Lang Lang's horizons, Lang senior borrowed 50,000 yuan from relatives and friends. Lang Lang repaid his father's faith by winning first prize. It was his first world champion.
"I was very strict with Lang Lang, but he understands me and works very hard," says Lang senior.
"What I want to say is as the parents, you can do anything for your son regardless of any repayment."
(Source: China Daily)
Profiting from culture
BEIJING, June 16 -- Is cultural heritage a burden on or a contributor to economic growth? The first blue book of its kind on the development of cultural heritage published by the Development Research Center of the State Council by the weekend suggests that it is a contributor. The statistics in the report indicate that the contribution from cultural heritage to economic growth is eight times as many as the investment in its protection and management.
The message is obvious that the cultural heritage of a country or people should be protected even if only from the viewpoint of making a profit, to say nothing of its cultural value, which can never be measured by money.
Then why does it become a frequent occurrence that some cultural heritages are vandalized even with the tacit approval from local governments when they are in the way of some economic projects?
This is because some local governments are too short-sighted. Dictates of expediency prevent them from seeing the long-term profits that a well-protected cultural heritage can bring about.
The profit from cultural heritage is realized mainly through tourism and auction of cultural relics, according to the report. The fact that more than 50 percent of the profit is from tourism sends a message that some cultural heritages can be a stable source of income for a local economy. What's more, the industry based on it is environment-friendly.
However, not all cultural heritages make money. And they do so only when they are protected and managed well. They must be presented to visitors as they are, and should never be used only as a source of profit.
There are examples that some local governments unnecessarily build fake cultural heritages with the intention of adding to the cultural connotation of the real heritage. The result is mostly a strange mix in which the value of the real one is lost in the glitter of the fake.
The more a cultural heritage is treated as it is, the more profitable it is. This is becoming increasingly true. This is because people's aesthetic judgment has been improving with their rising living standards. They want to see the real things, well-preserved real objects of cultural interest, and they want to learn something through visiting a cultural heritage site.
So vision is needed when it comes to the protection of cultural heritage. Preserving a cultural heritage as it is may be good enough to generate a profit. Overstressing the profit motive may, in fact, be counter-productive.
The message is obvious that the cultural heritage of a country or people should be protected even if only from the viewpoint of making a profit, to say nothing of its cultural value, which can never be measured by money.
Then why does it become a frequent occurrence that some cultural heritages are vandalized even with the tacit approval from local governments when they are in the way of some economic projects?
This is because some local governments are too short-sighted. Dictates of expediency prevent them from seeing the long-term profits that a well-protected cultural heritage can bring about.
The profit from cultural heritage is realized mainly through tourism and auction of cultural relics, according to the report. The fact that more than 50 percent of the profit is from tourism sends a message that some cultural heritages can be a stable source of income for a local economy. What's more, the industry based on it is environment-friendly.
However, not all cultural heritages make money. And they do so only when they are protected and managed well. They must be presented to visitors as they are, and should never be used only as a source of profit.
There are examples that some local governments unnecessarily build fake cultural heritages with the intention of adding to the cultural connotation of the real heritage. The result is mostly a strange mix in which the value of the real one is lost in the glitter of the fake.
The more a cultural heritage is treated as it is, the more profitable it is. This is becoming increasingly true. This is because people's aesthetic judgment has been improving with their rising living standards. They want to see the real things, well-preserved real objects of cultural interest, and they want to learn something through visiting a cultural heritage site.
So vision is needed when it comes to the protection of cultural heritage. Preserving a cultural heritage as it is may be good enough to generate a profit. Overstressing the profit motive may, in fact, be counter-productive.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
New kids on the block
BEIJING, June 16 -- A motorist waits patiently in his blue and white car for pedestrians to clear before heading home after a trip to the local market. Across the street at a beauty parlor, a young woman slips into a pink party dress and adjusts her tiara as she prepares for an afternoon out on the town.
To all appearances it is a typical day in suburban Shanghai - that is, until high-pitched squeals and children's laughter remind you that you are in Kidtown.
The 400-sq-m community has an impressive array of toys and books used in the educational and social developmental classes it runs for children between the ages of 3 months and 7 years old.
But, it is the play center's collection of stage sets mimicking real-life locations that sets it apart from other children's centers in China.
"My favorite is 'Home Sweet Home' because it looks just like my house," says 6-year-old Abie Badanjo, who has been coming to Shanghai-based Kidtown for the past year. "I like playing here."
Realizing there was a lack of recreational sites for urban children, Lisa Chiang came up with Kidtown after visiting a children's museum in San Diego. Chiang says the backdrops at Kidtown, which include a hospital and police station, help foster creative play.
"Kids engage in pretend play all the time," says the 34-year-old mother of two. "This is how they practice life skills. Creativity is valued more and more in the work place and that has to be nurtured at a very young age."
Dr. Nagmeh Rowhani agrees. The pediatrician at Shanghai United Family Hospital says the play center offers children a place to enjoy and explore the world from their own vantage point, which is important for their social development.
"As children explore real-life locations, they learn about their world and are able to master new skills and abilities," says Rowhani. "Through acting out real life situations, they gain a better understanding of their own world, develop their confidence and sense of independence, and are therefore empowered to take on greater challenges."
Through playing, children learn to develop skills and talents, share and cooperate with others, resolve conflict and practice decision-making, according to Rowhani.
"In today's society, the time for play is greatly reduced for some children due to busy family lifestyles, more households in which both parents work, as well as a general preoccupation with academic activities at the expense of playtime," says Rowhani.
"Play centers like Kidtown provide a resource for children and families to develop capacities through structured play."
Playtime is, of course, part of the bigger picture for Chiang and her partners. The group of young Asian-expatriate mothers ultimately hopes that the play center will help change the attitude of the majority of Chinese parents to playtime.
"Chinese parents see play as a waste of time," says Chinese-American Chiang, who moved to Shanghai about three years ago. "We hope to convince them that play is good for their kids."
"We want them to understand that kids learn the most from play," says Kidtown partner Emy Machida. "It's a very new concept in Asia."
And, as the play center celebrates its first anniversary, the Kidtown concept gains ever-greater momentum in metropolitan Shanghai.
So much so, even the country's largest listed property developer China Vanke is tapping into the Kidtown market.
Kidtown is currently setting up two new on-site locations in Shanghai's residential Rancho Sante Fe and Stratford villas. And the play center will establish three more on-site locations in the metropolis - at the Blue Mountain, Tiziano and Lakefront villas. Kidtown will also provide these locations with playgrounds and educational services.
Bronze statue of "Che" Guevara unveiled in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A bronze statue of legendary guerrilla fighter Ernesto "Che" Guevara was unveiled on Saturday in Argentina to commemorate his 80th birthday.
The towering statue, which weighs 2.7 tons and is 4 meters high, was unveiled in the eastern coastal city of Rosario where Guevara was born exactly 80 years ago.
This is the first such monument for Guevara in his home country.
Guevara's daughter, Aleida Guevara, arrived in Rosario on Saturday to attend the dedication of the statue.
Born in 1928 in Argentina, Guevara was one of Cuban leader Fidel Castro's most important commanders during Cuba's 1959 revolution. Later he gave up his high position in Cuba to become a guerrilla fighter in Bolivia. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency helped launch a Bolivian military operation in 1967 in which Guevara was captured and executed.
The towering statue, which weighs 2.7 tons and is 4 meters high, was unveiled in the eastern coastal city of Rosario where Guevara was born exactly 80 years ago.
This is the first such monument for Guevara in his home country.
Guevara's daughter, Aleida Guevara, arrived in Rosario on Saturday to attend the dedication of the statue.
Born in 1928 in Argentina, Guevara was one of Cuban leader Fidel Castro's most important commanders during Cuba's 1959 revolution. Later he gave up his high position in Cuba to become a guerrilla fighter in Bolivia. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency helped launch a Bolivian military operation in 1967 in which Guevara was captured and executed.
Innovative Tibetan Thangka painting makes debut
XINING, June 15 (Xinhua) - A Tibetan Thangka painting which portrays the Qinghai-Tibet railway and beautiful sceneries along the line is being on show at an exhibition in northwest China's Qinghai Province to mark China's third Cultural Heritage Day.
The 195.6-meter-long and 1.2-meter-wide Thangka, a kind of scroll painting mounted on brocade dating back more than 1,000 years ago, made its debut on Saturday at the Qinghai International Thangka Arts and Cultural Heritage Expo held in Xining, the provincial capital.
Almost all previous Thangka paintings were limited to religious figures and stories. The new works, entitled "Sky Road", is the first and the longest product that depicts the modern life of Tibetans, said Thangka designer Bao Lin.
"We want to give people a general idea about the present-day life of Tibetans and ecological conditions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau since the world's highest railway was built," he said.
As it was hard to depict natural scenes and modern activities in Thangka painting, It took more than 60 Tibetan artists four years to complete the "Sky Road", Bao Lin said.
Since its operation on July 1, 2006, the Qinghai-Tibet railway was described by locals as a "Sky Road" which brings a happier life for them as trains would carry more tourists to Tibet and ship local products to other parts of the country.
Thangka is usually painted on linen cloth or cotton fabric and mounted by scroll of brocade. It is a mark of Tibetan people's devotion to Buddhism. Thangka was put on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006.
The 195.6-meter-long and 1.2-meter-wide Thangka, a kind of scroll painting mounted on brocade dating back more than 1,000 years ago, made its debut on Saturday at the Qinghai International Thangka Arts and Cultural Heritage Expo held in Xining, the provincial capital.
Almost all previous Thangka paintings were limited to religious figures and stories. The new works, entitled "Sky Road", is the first and the longest product that depicts the modern life of Tibetans, said Thangka designer Bao Lin.
"We want to give people a general idea about the present-day life of Tibetans and ecological conditions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau since the world's highest railway was built," he said.
As it was hard to depict natural scenes and modern activities in Thangka painting, It took more than 60 Tibetan artists four years to complete the "Sky Road", Bao Lin said.
Since its operation on July 1, 2006, the Qinghai-Tibet railway was described by locals as a "Sky Road" which brings a happier life for them as trains would carry more tourists to Tibet and ship local products to other parts of the country.
Thangka is usually painted on linen cloth or cotton fabric and mounted by scroll of brocade. It is a mark of Tibetan people's devotion to Buddhism. Thangka was put on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Ministry: Quake causes severe damage to cultural heritage items
BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Intangible cultural heritage items were severely damaged in regions hit by the magnitude-8.0 earthquake on May 12, the Ministry of Culture said here on Saturday.
In the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu and Chongqing Municipality, 14 national-level intangible cultural heritage items were damaged, 15,009 precious items destroyed, and 27 museums and 17 folklore villages sustained severe damage, according to statistics released by the ministry.
Ten state-level intangible cultural heritage promotion individuals were injured in the quake, it said.
Sichuan Province had the greatest loss, with seven national-level intangible cultural heritage sites ruined.
The intangible cultural heritage in Beichuan County, a Qiang minority autonomous county leveled by the tremor, is on the edge of extinction, with 25 researchers on Qiang culture dead in the disaster, two intangible cultural heritage museums ruined and one folklore museum seriously damaged, the ministry said.
The region's three- or four-story stone castles, a representative structure representing the ethnic culture, have also reported damage and a village known for well-made Chinese New Year pictures was ruined.
The areas inhabited by the Qiang ethnic group, with a population of about 306,000, were in the areas worst hit by the quake. They include Miaoxian, Lixian, Beichuan, Heishui and Wenchuan counties, all in Sichuan.
In the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu and Chongqing Municipality, 14 national-level intangible cultural heritage items were damaged, 15,009 precious items destroyed, and 27 museums and 17 folklore villages sustained severe damage, according to statistics released by the ministry.
Ten state-level intangible cultural heritage promotion individuals were injured in the quake, it said.
Sichuan Province had the greatest loss, with seven national-level intangible cultural heritage sites ruined.
The intangible cultural heritage in Beichuan County, a Qiang minority autonomous county leveled by the tremor, is on the edge of extinction, with 25 researchers on Qiang culture dead in the disaster, two intangible cultural heritage museums ruined and one folklore museum seriously damaged, the ministry said.
The region's three- or four-story stone castles, a representative structure representing the ethnic culture, have also reported damage and a village known for well-made Chinese New Year pictures was ruined.
The areas inhabited by the Qiang ethnic group, with a population of about 306,000, were in the areas worst hit by the quake. They include Miaoxian, Lixian, Beichuan, Heishui and Wenchuan counties, all in Sichuan.
Ancient Beijing sites re-open after massive renovation
BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Visitors from around the world can now leisurely savor China's traditional architectural beauty at the Imperial College in Beijing, about 400 years after the first foreign students were sent there to sit tough Chinese exams.
The school, and the adjacent Confucian Temple, were formally re-opened on Saturday after three years' renovation.
The massive project, which cost 20 million yuan (2.9 million U.S. dollars), was the most extensive in the past 50 years. During the overhaul, many chambers were closed to visitors.
The project aimed to reinforce and repair the centuries-old structures while keeping them "as original as possible," said Yu Ping, vice head of the Beijing Municipal Administrations of Cultural Heritage.
"We did not repaint the ancient patterns on the beams or remove the faded glazed tiles on the roofs because we do not want to lose the antique flavor," she said.
After the face-lifts, the two sites are now basically what they were in olden times, in terms of the layout and scale, Yu added.
"The temple, which looks very authentic, is what I expected to see here in China," said Vishal Shorma, a Singaporean tourist.
The Imperial College, or "Guozijian" in Chinese, was built in the early 14th century and served as the highest learning institution and education administration during the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties
Chinese students, along with those from such places as India, Russia, Thailand and what is now the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, once studied Chinese culture and language there.
The Confucian Temple has served as a place to worship the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) since its establishment in 1302.
The two cultural relics sites, located beside the Yonghe Lamasery, the largest in Beijing, were formally opened as an administrative unit, providing more Olympic tourists with insights into ancient China's Confucian worship and higher education.
They will serve as a "platform where the oriental and occidental cultures meet" during the Olympic Games in August, which is only 55 days away, said Zhao Dongming, director of the Cultural Activities Department of the Organizing Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games.
Every year, 4 million foreign tourists visit Beijing, a city with a 3,000-year history. It is estimated that more than 600,000 overseas visitors will swarm to the capital city during the 16-daysports gala, flooding its tourist spots.
"Based on decades of experience, we believe the best calling card for Beijing is traditional culture, rather than modernity," said Kong Fanzhi, head of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage.
The municipal government has spent about 5 billion yuan to maintain the city's 139 cultural relics sites over the past eight years.
The school, and the adjacent Confucian Temple, were formally re-opened on Saturday after three years' renovation.
The massive project, which cost 20 million yuan (2.9 million U.S. dollars), was the most extensive in the past 50 years. During the overhaul, many chambers were closed to visitors.
The project aimed to reinforce and repair the centuries-old structures while keeping them "as original as possible," said Yu Ping, vice head of the Beijing Municipal Administrations of Cultural Heritage.
"We did not repaint the ancient patterns on the beams or remove the faded glazed tiles on the roofs because we do not want to lose the antique flavor," she said.
After the face-lifts, the two sites are now basically what they were in olden times, in terms of the layout and scale, Yu added.
"The temple, which looks very authentic, is what I expected to see here in China," said Vishal Shorma, a Singaporean tourist.
The Imperial College, or "Guozijian" in Chinese, was built in the early 14th century and served as the highest learning institution and education administration during the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties
Chinese students, along with those from such places as India, Russia, Thailand and what is now the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, once studied Chinese culture and language there.
The Confucian Temple has served as a place to worship the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) since its establishment in 1302.
The two cultural relics sites, located beside the Yonghe Lamasery, the largest in Beijing, were formally opened as an administrative unit, providing more Olympic tourists with insights into ancient China's Confucian worship and higher education.
They will serve as a "platform where the oriental and occidental cultures meet" during the Olympic Games in August, which is only 55 days away, said Zhao Dongming, director of the Cultural Activities Department of the Organizing Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games.
Every year, 4 million foreign tourists visit Beijing, a city with a 3,000-year history. It is estimated that more than 600,000 overseas visitors will swarm to the capital city during the 16-daysports gala, flooding its tourist spots.
"Based on decades of experience, we believe the best calling card for Beijing is traditional culture, rather than modernity," said Kong Fanzhi, head of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage.
The municipal government has spent about 5 billion yuan to maintain the city's 139 cultural relics sites over the past eight years.
Beijing stages exhibit on quake-threatened Qiang culture
BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- An exhibit on the culture of the Qiang ethnic minority opened here on Saturday, part of the government's drive to raise public awareness of the need to protect the minority culture, whose survival has been threatened by last month's earthquake.
The exhibit, in the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in downtown Beijing, opened on China's third National Cultural Heritage Day and runs until June 30.
The exhibit features more than 100 depictions of the daily accessories and traditional garments of the ethnic group. Pictures and documentaries of the Qiang before and after the magnitude-8.0 quake on May 12 are also on show.
The most distinctive Qiang accessories, including embroidery, hats in the shape of monkey heads and sheep skin drums were all on display.
The show also features 15 precious cultural relics salvaged from the epicenter, Wenchuan County in southwestern Sichuan Province, and 18 damaged relics collected from a Qiang-inhabited walled village.
Yang Jing, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission director, said the exhibit aimed to promote more awareness of the need to save and pass on the cultural heritage of the Qiang Minority.
The habitats of the Qiang ethnic minority, with a population of about 306,000, were in the areas worst hit by the quake. They include Miaoxian, Lixian, Beichuan, Heishui and Wenchuan counties, all in Sichuan Province.
Many heritage sites were severely damaged, while people who were heirs to some intangible heritage items, such as dance, handicraft and religion, were killed, said Wei Ronghui, the museum deputy curator.
The Qiang, who live mainly in northwestern Sichuan, are a very ancient ethnic group in China. The earliest documents mentioning them were inscribed bones or tortoise shells from the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC) in central China about 3,000 years ago.
Their language, architecture and costumes are unique, as are their customs, arts and religious beliefs. They are famed for the stone castles they live in, often three or four stories tall.
The exhibit, in the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in downtown Beijing, opened on China's third National Cultural Heritage Day and runs until June 30.
The exhibit features more than 100 depictions of the daily accessories and traditional garments of the ethnic group. Pictures and documentaries of the Qiang before and after the magnitude-8.0 quake on May 12 are also on show.
The most distinctive Qiang accessories, including embroidery, hats in the shape of monkey heads and sheep skin drums were all on display.
The show also features 15 precious cultural relics salvaged from the epicenter, Wenchuan County in southwestern Sichuan Province, and 18 damaged relics collected from a Qiang-inhabited walled village.
Yang Jing, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission director, said the exhibit aimed to promote more awareness of the need to save and pass on the cultural heritage of the Qiang Minority.
The habitats of the Qiang ethnic minority, with a population of about 306,000, were in the areas worst hit by the quake. They include Miaoxian, Lixian, Beichuan, Heishui and Wenchuan counties, all in Sichuan Province.
Many heritage sites were severely damaged, while people who were heirs to some intangible heritage items, such as dance, handicraft and religion, were killed, said Wei Ronghui, the museum deputy curator.
The Qiang, who live mainly in northwestern Sichuan, are a very ancient ethnic group in China. The earliest documents mentioning them were inscribed bones or tortoise shells from the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC) in central China about 3,000 years ago.
Their language, architecture and costumes are unique, as are their customs, arts and religious beliefs. They are famed for the stone castles they live in, often three or four stories tall.
Events, exhibitions mark China's Cultural Heritage Day
Guozijian Street, the only street left in the city with authentic pailou (decorative ancient Chinese-style gateway) where nestles the Confucius Temple and Imperial College for more than 700 years, is the main Cultural Heritage Day venue. (File Photo)
BEIJING, June 14 -- A flurry of events and exhibitions around Beijing marks China's third Cultural Heritage Day on Saturday June 14.
Admission is free on this second Saturday in June to many of the capital's museums, memorial halls and temples. Publicity week also features lectures in museums, on campuses and in local communities.
"The municipal government sets great store by commemorative activities, because they are an important aspect of the 2008 Beijing Olympic cultural events," Cui Guomin, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage explains. "The purpose of the activity is to review Beijing's cultural heritage protection achievements and showcase ancient capital scenarios under the People's Olympics Show Beijing Charm theme."
Guozijian Street, the only street left in the city with authentic pailou (decorative ancient Chinese-style gateway) where nestles the Confucius Temple and Imperial College for more than 700 years, is the main Cultural Heritage Day venue.
After three years of renovations these two edifices, formerly site of the Capital Library and the Capital Museum, the two ancient institutes have merged as the Confucius Temple and Imperial College Museum and are now open to the public.
"Refurbishments at an investment of 20 million yuan (2.89 million U.S. dollars) started in 2005," Cui says. "The municipal government has effectively restored the historical layout and structure of the 700-year-old building complex and retained its original ambience."
There are plenty of other fascinating spots with open day activities to carry on from Guozijian Street.
The Fayuan Temple, located in Jiaozi Hutong of Xuanwu district, was first built in AD 645 during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). It now houses the China Buddhist Institute. The Temple of Ancient Monarchs in Fuchengmennei of Xicheng district, where past emperors were worshiped, was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Other places to visit on this one-day trip around the city include the Tianning Temple Pagoda (Liao Dynasty, AD 907-1125) of Xuanwu district; and the Taoist Temple of Huode God (Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644) in Xicheng district.
The Summer Palace is, of course, a main historical spot in the same league as the Great Wall, to which thousands of domestic and international visitors go every year; it is also participant in the Open Day ceremonies. A cultural heritage and horticulture exhibition is being held along the Langru Pavilion and eastern embankment of Kunming Lake that features on-the-spot expert consultations.
Organizers of commemorative exhibition and other activities have taken other measures to ensure maximum enjoyment of Cultural Heritage Day.
The municipal government has produced 324 bilingual explanatory boards giving a brief historical background to municipal-level cultural sites.
Palm-maps will be available at the opening ceremony in Guozijian Street on Saturday June 14. The Kaka 2008 Cultural Relics Tour maps fold to palm-size and comprise six clearly laid out tours: the Museum Tour; Great Wall Hiking Tour; Imperial Life Tour; Mausoleums and Tombs Tour; Pilgrimage Tour; and Ancient Architecture Tour. Loveable cartoon donkey Kaka acts as the visitors' bilingual guide to their Beijing destinations. A full 6 million of these maps will be distributed among Beijing airports, star-rated hotels, embassies and various bars, as well as at Olympic gymnasiums and stadiums.
There will be an estimated 500,000 overseas person/times during the Olympic Games period, according to Yu Ping, deputy director of the administration in charge of issuing these mini-maps. "We must do our best to make these visitors' China tour as enjoyable and trouble-free as possible," Yu says, firmly.
World attention focuses on Beijing in the year 2008. There are more than 3,550 cultural sites in this grand city, which has been a city for 3,000 years and China's capital for 800 years.
"The municipal government invested 330 million yuan in 2000 and 600 million yuan in 2003 in cultural relics protection projects, and have so far restored 139 cultural sites," says Cui. "The medium-to-long term protection project plan from 2008 to 2015 entails an annual investment of 150 million yuan."
(Source: China Daily)
HIV/AIDS cases "soar in Indonesian province"
An HIV patient lies on a hospital bed in Jakarta in 2007. The number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province has more than doubled since 2006 due to an increase in intravenous drug use, a health ministry official has said.(AFP Photo)
JAKARTA (AFP) - The number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province has more than doubled since 2006 due to an increase in intravenous drug use, a health ministry official said Thursday.
The provincial health office recorded 1,260 HIV/AIDS cases in 2006-2007 compared to 583 from 1996-2005, local official Raden Muliati told AFP.
"The increase during the last few years is due to the rising level of drug use in the province," she said, adding that some 70 percent of cases were contracted through the use of dirty needles.
Indonesia has the fastest-growing HIV/AIDS infection rate in Southeast Asia, according to the United Nations.
Indonesia had recorded a total of 11,868 cases of AIDS as of March this year, compared to 6,987 in 2006 or an increase of 69.8 percent in just two years, health ministry figures show.
One of the worst-hit regions of the country is the eastern province of Papua, where 1,553 cases of AIDS had been recorded by the end of 2007.
(Agencies)
Friday, June 13, 2008
China's "Red Poppy" blossoms in Jordan
AMMAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Drumbeats with inspiringly fast and clear rhythm on Wednesday evening rocked the Royal Hotel of Jordan where the performers, a dozen slender Chinese girls, stunned their Arab audience.
This a percussion concert performed by "Red Poppy", a top Chinese female percussion band which is now on a debut in the Arabworld.
"I like the second part the most, bull fighting tiger. It's so vivid and interesting, and I can imagine the fierce battle between them," said a Jordanian student, still savoring the show.
Named "Bull Fighting Tiger", the second program is a drum duet based on a Chinese folktale about a bull fights a tiger to protect a cowboy, in which two girl drummers in Chinese red recounted the build-up and rising intensity of a bull-tiger fight with drumbeats sometimes soft and gentle like murmurs of a stream and sometimes forceful and poignant like angry billowy waves.
The duet reached a climax in a string of tense beats, which, moments later, met with thunderous applauses which resonated in the huge hall for minutes.
"I really enjoy it," Canadian Ambassador to Jordan Margaret Huber said, "It's full of energy and fighting spirit. Besides, it combines force and softness very well. It can be at once soft and forceful."
Founded in 1999, the Beijing-based band claims to be the first Chinese female percussion band. Since its birth, "Red Poppy" has toured over ten countries and staged nearly a thousand concerts in places including the Sydney Theatre and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The current performance in Jordan is the second leg of the band's Middle East trip which has already taken it to Syria and will take it to Egypt in days.
"This is the first time our band set foot on the land of the Middle East. We hope our performance could bring Chinese culture closer to the Arab people and show the new face of modern Chinese female," said Zhou Li, head of the band.
"I think the concert features today's China, an ancient but energetic country beating out strong steps forward," hailed a diplomat here.
According to Zhou, the girls have been invited to give a 12-minute performance on the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.
This a percussion concert performed by "Red Poppy", a top Chinese female percussion band which is now on a debut in the Arabworld.
"I like the second part the most, bull fighting tiger. It's so vivid and interesting, and I can imagine the fierce battle between them," said a Jordanian student, still savoring the show.
Named "Bull Fighting Tiger", the second program is a drum duet based on a Chinese folktale about a bull fights a tiger to protect a cowboy, in which two girl drummers in Chinese red recounted the build-up and rising intensity of a bull-tiger fight with drumbeats sometimes soft and gentle like murmurs of a stream and sometimes forceful and poignant like angry billowy waves.
The duet reached a climax in a string of tense beats, which, moments later, met with thunderous applauses which resonated in the huge hall for minutes.
"I really enjoy it," Canadian Ambassador to Jordan Margaret Huber said, "It's full of energy and fighting spirit. Besides, it combines force and softness very well. It can be at once soft and forceful."
Founded in 1999, the Beijing-based band claims to be the first Chinese female percussion band. Since its birth, "Red Poppy" has toured over ten countries and staged nearly a thousand concerts in places including the Sydney Theatre and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The current performance in Jordan is the second leg of the band's Middle East trip which has already taken it to Syria and will take it to Egypt in days.
"This is the first time our band set foot on the land of the Middle East. We hope our performance could bring Chinese culture closer to the Arab people and show the new face of modern Chinese female," said Zhou Li, head of the band.
"I think the concert features today's China, an ancient but energetic country beating out strong steps forward," hailed a diplomat here.
According to Zhou, the girls have been invited to give a 12-minute performance on the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.
Scenic, historic backdrop a boon for Zunyi tourism
BEIJING, June 14 -- Zunyi, the second-largest city of Guizhou province, is a land of revolutionary heroes and hometown to Moutai, the national white liquor.
It is among the country's 24 cities first approved by the State for their historic and cultural interest due to its "four ones" - one meeting, one mountain pass, one river and one liquor.
A 1935 meeting of the Communist Party of China in Zunyi was one of the decisive moments in history. Loushan Mountain Pass and Chishui River were sites of epic survival by the Red Army. Moutai earned honor of the No. 1 liquor for a country burdened with poverty and misery from war.
Today Zunyi is not only a center of comprehensive reform in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, but also a green pearl on the Guizhou Plateau.
Over the years it has won awards such as a top-10 green city, a habitat and environment award, advanced city in sanitation, model city in gardening and a city famed for liquor culture.
During its long history the city has also produced famous figures including three scholars from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Zheng Zhen, Mo Youzhi and Li Xuchang.
Red Army Street in downtown Zunyi is a focus for commerce, tourism, culture, recreation and restaurants. Its buildings are modeled on the style of local homes in northern Guizhou.
Phoenix Cultural Square in downtown Zunyi lies in the Phoenix national forest park, a natural oxygen source for the city. The park has more than 20 hills.
From the top of its highest peak at 1,058 m, a panorama of the city spreads out below. The Xiangjiang River winds through the city at the foot of the square.
The Zunyi Meeting was held at No. 80, Red Flag Road in an old neighborhood. The building itself was the private residence of an army leader in the province and the best mansion in the city in the 1930s.
The central leadership of the Red Army held its famous Zunyi Meeting in January 1935, returning Mao Zedong to a core leadership role. The Red Army then changed its strategy and goals and marched to eventual victory. It was a pivotal time in the Party's history and Zunyi was afterward known as "the city with a favorable change of luck."
The Zunyi Meeting site today is a symbol of Party victory, the pride of Zunyi and a brand for tourism. It was among the first group of cultural sites listed under State protection, and is now a locale for education for youngsters.
Loushan Mountain Pass, 50 km to the south of downtown Zunyi, is where the 13th regiment of the Red Army led by Peng Dehuai came across the sixth regiment of the local Guizhou army on February 25, 1935. The Red Army dispersed its men, encircled its adversaries and gained its first major victory since the commencement of the Long March.
The site now has a monument and handscript carvings in stone of the poem Loushanguan written by Mao Zedong.
The park, near Zunyi Normal College in Beichuan district, acquired its name from its ancient Wenchang, Chunyang and Guanyin pavilions. The original buildings are gone in the mists of history, current pavilions are built on their original sites.
(Source: China Daily)
Study sees discrepancies in VA care for men, women
WASHINGTON - Women veterans aren't receiving the same quality of outpatient care as men at many Department of Veterans Affairs' facilities, according to an agency review obtained exclusively by The Associated Press.
The review appears to validate the complaints of advocates and some members of Congress who have said the health care system needs to focus more on women's health.
Women make up about 5 percent of the VA's population, but that number is expected to nearly double in the next two years as more women return home from Iraq and Afghanistan and seek care.
The review of the quality of care at VA facilities, which was mandated by Congress, found that at about one-third of its facilities, the quality of outpatient care given to women wasn't as good as what was offered to men.
It said that the VA has made strides in improving care for women veterans, such as creating onsite mammography services and establishing women's clinics at most of its medical centers. It also said the VA is attempting to recruit clinicians with training in women's care and broadening its approach to better address diseases prevalent among women such as lung cancer.
However, it said that there were barriers that remained, such as the need to train more physicians in women's care and for more equipment to meet women's health needs.
"VHA is continuing to investigate the possibility of gender disparity in delivery of care through research efforts aimed at further delineating the factors involved," the review said.
It noted that other studies have found better surgical outcomes and decreased mortality for women at VA hospitals compared to women who receive care under the Medicare Advantage Program or under private care. And, performance of breast and cervical cancer screening exceeds that of commercial and some government plans.
But Dr. William E. Duncan, associate deputy undersecretary for health for quality and safety at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said any discrepancies in VA care were unacceptable and the agency is aggressively addressing the issue.
"We're striving to understand the reason for these health disparities and to eliminate differences in veterans health care based on personal characteristics," Duncan said.
Data was not available to compare the inpatient quality of care between men and women.
Overall, women make up about 14 percent of the U.S. Armed Forces. Of the 1.7 million troops who have deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 190,000 — or about 11 percent — are women.
Among the other findings:
Older and younger veterans appear to be receiving the same quality of care;
About 86 percent of homeless veterans seen by VA received primary care, mental health care and/or substance abuse services;
About 98 percent of appointments were completed within 30 days in primary care clinics and about 97 percent were completed during that period at specialty clinics;
Overall quality of care appears to be good when reviewed using commonly accepted health care benchmarks;
Minority veterans surveyed were generally less satisfied with inpatient and outpatient care than white veterans, but it wasn't clear if the quality of care offered was different. A more comprehensive study of care for minority veterans is expected to be complete this summer.
(Agencies)
The review appears to validate the complaints of advocates and some members of Congress who have said the health care system needs to focus more on women's health.
Women make up about 5 percent of the VA's population, but that number is expected to nearly double in the next two years as more women return home from Iraq and Afghanistan and seek care.
The review of the quality of care at VA facilities, which was mandated by Congress, found that at about one-third of its facilities, the quality of outpatient care given to women wasn't as good as what was offered to men.
It said that the VA has made strides in improving care for women veterans, such as creating onsite mammography services and establishing women's clinics at most of its medical centers. It also said the VA is attempting to recruit clinicians with training in women's care and broadening its approach to better address diseases prevalent among women such as lung cancer.
However, it said that there were barriers that remained, such as the need to train more physicians in women's care and for more equipment to meet women's health needs.
"VHA is continuing to investigate the possibility of gender disparity in delivery of care through research efforts aimed at further delineating the factors involved," the review said.
It noted that other studies have found better surgical outcomes and decreased mortality for women at VA hospitals compared to women who receive care under the Medicare Advantage Program or under private care. And, performance of breast and cervical cancer screening exceeds that of commercial and some government plans.
But Dr. William E. Duncan, associate deputy undersecretary for health for quality and safety at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said any discrepancies in VA care were unacceptable and the agency is aggressively addressing the issue.
"We're striving to understand the reason for these health disparities and to eliminate differences in veterans health care based on personal characteristics," Duncan said.
Data was not available to compare the inpatient quality of care between men and women.
Overall, women make up about 14 percent of the U.S. Armed Forces. Of the 1.7 million troops who have deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 190,000 — or about 11 percent — are women.
Among the other findings:
Older and younger veterans appear to be receiving the same quality of care;
About 86 percent of homeless veterans seen by VA received primary care, mental health care and/or substance abuse services;
About 98 percent of appointments were completed within 30 days in primary care clinics and about 97 percent were completed during that period at specialty clinics;
Overall quality of care appears to be good when reviewed using commonly accepted health care benchmarks;
Minority veterans surveyed were generally less satisfied with inpatient and outpatient care than white veterans, but it wasn't clear if the quality of care offered was different. A more comprehensive study of care for minority veterans is expected to be complete this summer.
(Agencies)
Health Tip: Back Pain in Children
(HealthDay News) -- In a child, back pain is different from back pain in adults. Particularly in children under age 4, it indicates a serious underlying problem, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says.
You should see your doctor if your child has back pain, the academy says, especially if accompanied by any of these other symptoms:
Fever.
Weight loss.
Feelings of weakness or numbness.
Difficulty walking.
Pain that extends through one or both legs, or if it prevents your child from sleeping.
Issues with the bowels or bladder.
(Agencies)
You should see your doctor if your child has back pain, the academy says, especially if accompanied by any of these other symptoms:
Fever.
Weight loss.
Feelings of weakness or numbness.
Difficulty walking.
Pain that extends through one or both legs, or if it prevents your child from sleeping.
Issues with the bowels or bladder.
(Agencies)
Armed robbers steal Picasso prints in Brazil
This undated image released by Pinacoteca do Estado museum, shows the painting 'Mulheres na janela' by Emiliano Di Cavalcanti. Heavily armed robbers stole two engravings by Pablo Picasso and two oil paintings by well-known Brazilian artists Emiliano Di Cavalcanti and Lasar Segall from the Pinacoteca do Estado museum in downtown Sao Paulo on Thursday, June 12, 2008, a museum official said.(AP Photo)
SAO PAULO, Brazil - Three armed robbers stole two Pablo Picasso prints from an art museum in downtown Sao Paulo on Thursday, the city's second high-profile art theft in less than a year.
The bandits also took two oil paintings by well-known Brazilian artists Emiliano Di Cavalcanti and Lasar Segall, said Carla Regina, a spokeswoman for the Pinacoteca do Estado museum.
The Picasso prints stolen were "The Painter and the Model" from 1963 and "Minotaur, Drinker and Women" from 1933, according to a statement from the Sao Paulo Secretary of State for Culture, which oversees the museum.
The prints and paintings have a combined value of $612,000, the statement and a museum official said.
About noon, three armed men paid the $2.45 entrance fee and immediately went to the second-floor gallery where the works were being exhibited, bypassing more valuable pieces, authorities said.
"This indicates to us that they probably received an order" to take those specific works, Youssef Abou Chain, head of Sao Paulo's organized crime unit, told reporters at a news conference
The assailants overpowered three unarmed museum guards and grabbed the works, officials said. The robbery took about 10 minutes and the museum was nearly empty at the time.
The assailants took the pieces — frames and all — out of the museum in two bags. The institution has no metal detectors.
In December, Picasso's "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and "O Lavrador de Cafe" by Candido Portinari, an influential Brazilian artist, were stolen from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art by three men who used a crowbar and car jack to force open one of the museum's steel doors.
The framed paintings were found Jan. 8, covered in plastic and leaning against a wall in a house on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, South America's largest city.
One of the suspects in that heist — a former TV chef — turned himself over to police in January, who already had two suspects in custody.
(Agencies)
Asian Kids Have Later Bedtimes, Less Total Sleep
THURSDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to children in predominantly Asian countries, kids in predominantly Caucasian countries get more sleep overall, have earlier bedtimes, and are less likely to share a room with young children, a new study says.
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Researcher Jodi Mindell of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia examined sleep questionnaires filled out by the parents of 28,287 infants and toddlers in the United States (4,505), the United Kingdom (800), Australia (1,073), New Zealand (1,081), Canada (501), Hong Kong (1,049), Korea (1,036), Taiwan (896), Thailand (988), Indonesia (967), Japan (872), China (7,505), India (3,892), Malaysia (997), the Philippines (1,034), and Singapore (1,001).
Mindell found significant variability in bedtimes, total sleep time and in other areas. For example, 15.1 percent of children in Canada shared a room, compared to 94.5 percent in Thailand. The percentage of parents who believed their child had a minor or severe sleep problem ranged from 11 percent in Thailand to 76 percent in China.
While children in Asian countries were more likely to have later bedtimes, shorter total sleep times, increased parental perception of sleep problems, and were more likely to share a room than children in caucasian countries, there were no clinically significant differences in night wakings and naps.
"This study is the first one to ever look at sleep in infants and toddlers cross-culturally, and the results are astonishing," Mindell said.
"We found vast differences in amounts of sleep and parents' perceptions of sleep problems across countries. These results raise more questions than provide answers. For example, 'Are these differences simply the result of differing cultural practices?' and, 'What is the impact, if any, of these vast differences?' "
The study was presented June 11 at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, in Baltimore.
(Agencies)
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Researcher Jodi Mindell of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia examined sleep questionnaires filled out by the parents of 28,287 infants and toddlers in the United States (4,505), the United Kingdom (800), Australia (1,073), New Zealand (1,081), Canada (501), Hong Kong (1,049), Korea (1,036), Taiwan (896), Thailand (988), Indonesia (967), Japan (872), China (7,505), India (3,892), Malaysia (997), the Philippines (1,034), and Singapore (1,001).
Mindell found significant variability in bedtimes, total sleep time and in other areas. For example, 15.1 percent of children in Canada shared a room, compared to 94.5 percent in Thailand. The percentage of parents who believed their child had a minor or severe sleep problem ranged from 11 percent in Thailand to 76 percent in China.
While children in Asian countries were more likely to have later bedtimes, shorter total sleep times, increased parental perception of sleep problems, and were more likely to share a room than children in caucasian countries, there were no clinically significant differences in night wakings and naps.
"This study is the first one to ever look at sleep in infants and toddlers cross-culturally, and the results are astonishing," Mindell said.
"We found vast differences in amounts of sleep and parents' perceptions of sleep problems across countries. These results raise more questions than provide answers. For example, 'Are these differences simply the result of differing cultural practices?' and, 'What is the impact, if any, of these vast differences?' "
The study was presented June 11 at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, in Baltimore.
(Agencies)
Rolls-Royce "Batmobile" spotted in London
London - This futuristic super-car, complete with Batmobile-style vertical doors, has been spotted on the streets of London.
The unique machine which boasts the memorable "CEXI" numberplate - was parked outside a fashionable boutique on South Audley Street in Mayfair.
Although based on a Rolls-Royce design, the car is understood to be a one-off private commission.
DC Design, an Indian super-car firm, constructed it for a wealthy British-based client a few years ago. Rolls-Royce confirmed that the car was not one of their own one-off creations.
(Agencies)
Salmonella-tainted tomato illnesses reach 228
A tomato vendor waits for customers at the Central de Abastos market in Mexico City, Thursday, June 12, 2008. Export-quality tomatoes labeled 'Ready to Eat' in English flooded Mexico City markets on Thursday after a salmonella scare in the U.S. stopped them from crossing the border.(AP Photo)
WASHINGTON - The toll from salmonella-tainted tomatoes jumped to 228 illnesses Thursday as the government learned of five dozen previously unknown cases and said it is possible the food poisoning contributed to a cancer patient's death.
Six more states — Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New York, Tennessee and Vermont — reported illnesses related to the outbreak, bringing the number of affected states to 23.
The Food and Drug Administration has not pinpointed the source of the outbreak. With the latest known illness striking on June 1, officials also are not sure if all the tainted tomatoes are off the market.
"As long as we are continuing to see new cases come on board, it is a concern that there are still contaminated tomatoes out there," said the agency's food safety chief, Dr. David Acheson.
Government officials have said all week they were close to cracking the case, but "maybe we were being too optimistic," Acheson acknowledged.
How much longer? "That's impossible to say."
On the do-not-eat list are raw red plum, red Roma or red round tomatoes, unless they were grown in specific states or countries that the FDA has cleared because they were not harvesting when the outbreak began or were not selling their tomatoes in places where people got sick.
The FDA is directing consumers to its Web site — www.fda.gov — for updated lists of the safe regions.
Also safe are grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached. That is not because there is anything biologically safer about those with a vine but because the sick have assured investigators that is not the kind of tomato they ate.
What if you did not go to the store armed with a list, or the store or restaurant manager cannot assure that any plum, Roma or round tomatoes came from safe regions?
"If you don't know, don't take the risk," Acheson said.
Cooking also kills salmonella, but the FDA is not formally advising people to cook suspect tomatoes for fear they will not get them heated thoroughly.
Mexico and parts of central Florida, two chief tomato suppliers, are still on FDA's suspect list. But the agency would not say they were top suspects, and in fact, said certain parts of Mexico that were not harvesting when the outbreak began are working to be cleared.
At least 25 people have been hospitalized during the outbreak, caused by a relatively rare strain of salmonella known as Saintpaul.
"At this point, there isn't a lot of data to suggest this is a more virulent strain," said Dr. Ian Williams of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
No deaths have been attributed to the salmonella. But the CDC for the first time Thursday acknowledged that the salmonella may have been a contributing factor in the cancer-caused death of a 67-year-old Texas man.
(Agencies)
Couples race to fix Olympic weddings
BEIJING, June 13 -- A large number of Shenzhen residents are calling to book marriage registration slots Aug. 8, the opening day of the Beijing Olympic Games, the city’s civil affairs bureau said Wednesday.
Apart from the Olympic connection, couples want to get married Aug. 8 as the numbers 8 and 6 are considered lucky for Chinese, the Daily Sunshine said Thursday. Chinese people believe Aug. 8 this year is composed of three “eights,” which will bring them happiness and fortune.
All six district marriage registration offices in Shenzhen have reported accepting far more bookings for registration slots Aug. 8 than the maximum allowed, the report said.
“The date of Aug. 8, 2008 is also the eighth day of the seventh month in Chinese lunar calendar. It is an auspicious day that comes once in many years. It will be very lucky to get married on that special day,” a woman surnamed Luo said, who was delighted that her booking had been accepted.
But an Internet user who identified himself as Xianzhaohui was not so lucky as Luo. He claimed in an article posted on sznews.com.cn that he could not book a slot online even after trying for two hours.
“It took me two hours to access the booking system at 2 a.m. June 8,” he said. “But I was told no more bookings were being accepted. I was very upset.”
An official with the municipal civil affairs bureau pleaded for more understanding from the public as regulations state the daily booking quota cannot exceed 60 couples a day.
“We cannot handle more than that,” the official said. “But we will try to figure out a way to meet demand on the special day.”
The Futian marriage registration office has decided to increase the booking quota for Aug. 8 by 60 couples. Bookings are being accepted until June 16.
(Source: Shenzhen Daily)
Apart from the Olympic connection, couples want to get married Aug. 8 as the numbers 8 and 6 are considered lucky for Chinese, the Daily Sunshine said Thursday. Chinese people believe Aug. 8 this year is composed of three “eights,” which will bring them happiness and fortune.
All six district marriage registration offices in Shenzhen have reported accepting far more bookings for registration slots Aug. 8 than the maximum allowed, the report said.
“The date of Aug. 8, 2008 is also the eighth day of the seventh month in Chinese lunar calendar. It is an auspicious day that comes once in many years. It will be very lucky to get married on that special day,” a woman surnamed Luo said, who was delighted that her booking had been accepted.
But an Internet user who identified himself as Xianzhaohui was not so lucky as Luo. He claimed in an article posted on sznews.com.cn that he could not book a slot online even after trying for two hours.
“It took me two hours to access the booking system at 2 a.m. June 8,” he said. “But I was told no more bookings were being accepted. I was very upset.”
An official with the municipal civil affairs bureau pleaded for more understanding from the public as regulations state the daily booking quota cannot exceed 60 couples a day.
“We cannot handle more than that,” the official said. “But we will try to figure out a way to meet demand on the special day.”
The Futian marriage registration office has decided to increase the booking quota for Aug. 8 by 60 couples. Bookings are being accepted until June 16.
(Source: Shenzhen Daily)
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