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Moors and Christians Festivals Full of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:59:00 +0000

LOCATION: Spain

DATE: March 8, 2010

BY: Dee Andrews, from travelandtravails.com

DETAILS: Some 500 years after the Moors and Christians last fought in Spain, the Spanish still commemorate the battles with annual Moros y Cristianos festivals. Over 150 towns and villages throughout the country re-enact the battles with week-long festivities of fireworks, plays, parades and music.

A Divided History

We experienced the full historical reenactment in Javea, Spain, a seaside town in the region of Alicante, where a majority of the festivals take place. The celebration started off with a bang of fireworks and offerings of Spanish hot chocolate (thick and eaten with a spoon) and paella. The initial re-enactment brought boat loads of Moors disembarking onto the Plaza Grava, the gravel beach in the port. A battle followed to capture the castle from the Christians, the sounds of canons firing and shouting in Spanish giving life to the performance.

The next day the Christians battled to recapture the castle and celebrated victory with processions throughout the town. Both the Muslim and Christian participants marched to the beat of the local bands and paraded in their extravagant costumes.

Most of the town locals participated in the festival, either in costume or playing an instrument in one of the many neighborhood bands. A group of mothers paraded by in bells and tassels; their young children intermingled amongst them wearing costumes that must have weighed more than they. The men swaggered by next, trying to look menacing and serious, their swords and cigars adding to the affect. The old men, not in costume, grouped together on the benches of the Plaza San Juame to watch the procession, probably trading stories about when they played the part of the conquering king many years ago.

Brilliant fireworks over the water closed the festival for another year. Our walk to our car took us through the narrow, winding streets where we saw tables lined up for late night dining by both the Moors and Christians, united for a brief moment in history.

IF YOU GO: Book your cheap flights to Spain through CheapOair to experience the Moors and Christian festivals. The most famous takes place in Alcoy in April though you can find a festival almost any week throughout the summer in towns near the regional airports of Alicante and Valencia.

Also check out CheapOair's Cheap International Flights.

2 Responses to "Moors and Christians Festivals Full of Life"

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1 cheapflighthouse March 9, 2010 at 10:34 am

admire the valuable information you offer in your articles.Just thought you'd be interested to know that I have added you to my bookmarks You make right points in a concise and pertinent fashion, This is a really good read for me, many thanks to the author

2 Dee Andrews March 10, 2010 at 4:38 pm

Thanks for including my guest post! I'm always happy to share experiences from my year living in Spain and traveling around the Mediterranean.

Hasta luego!

Fireworks to be expected

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:27:00 +0000

LOCATION: Dubai

BY: Philippa Kennedy

DATE: March 07. 2010

DETAILS: The controversial and outspoken author Martin Amis is one of the guest speakers appearing on day one of the second Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai on Wednesday.

The organiser, Isobel Abulhoul, says she is not concerned that remarks he has made about euthanasia and Islamist terrorism will overshadow the event.

Last year, Margaret Atwood withdrew from the festival in a row over censorship, but later apologised and said she had been misinformed about the facts.

This year Amis, whose latest novel, The Pregnant Widow, has just been published, has been at the centre of several flurries of adverse comment, one over his satirical remarks about wanting euthanasia booths on every street corner.

Abulhoul does not see it as an issue. "I think being in the news always raises the profile of an event. I was invited to a festival in Melbourne recently and everyone from all over the world knew about the EAIFL festival last year and wanted the inside story. I wouldn't say controversy is good but being in the public eye is. I don't think it will overshadow the event.

"As far as Martin Amis is concerned, we have already had a lot of interest from local journalists but they don't seem to see it as an issue. I think his session will be well attended and I'm sure there will be fireworks but isn't that what it's all about?"

The festival opens with a session, called Read the Future, involving Emirati children's authors whose books have been published since last year. Abulhoul says she is particularly proud to have helped 15 new authors get their books into print.

We have chosen them to be our opening session because we think it's amazing progress and such an optimistic message to writers who are not yet published.

"They just came knocking at my door as a result of the festival last year. There was a project going on at Dubai Women's College between two departments. They had written children's books and collaborated with other faculties to illustrate them. When I saw them I thought they had huge potential although they needed work. Some of the authors were teachers and some students. The books will be launched at the festival.

"Then we have Andy Smart who is working with the Bloomsbury Foundation to get children's books translated into Arabic.

"I think we have turned a new page but still staying true to the original vision that we will give a platform to writers from this part of the world."

One of Abulhoul's personal favourites is by the new Emirati author Ghauda Hallami, called The Smallest Hump, about a camel. "She grew up on a farm with camels and the book is about one that was different from the others. I grew up being teased about my height and reading this lovely little book makes you think you are not alone being different. She just wanted to let children know that."

Another series is by Reem al Ghurg. "She came to us with seven baby books, about children visiting each of the seven emirates. She had a young child and couldn't find suitable stories to read to her child."

A session on Friday featuring Emirati poets is another favourite, along with one on the opening day called Looking Back With Lovefeaturing Dubai poetry from the 18th and 19th centuries translated into English.

Says Abulhoul: "I feel that it is something that needs to be recognised and doesn't get showcased enough. It's important that we are bringing in well-known and revered authors from all over the world, but we mustn't lose sight of the people who belong here. This is really their festival."

Chinese Indonesians celebrate New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:44:00 +0000

LOCATION: Cirebon, West Java,

BY: The Jakarta Post , Jakarta

DATE: Sun, 02/14/2010 8:15 AM

DETAILS: Chinese Indonesians in Cirebon, West Java, prayed at temples, watched lion dances and lit fireworks as they celebrated Chinese New Year on Sunday.

The celebration kicked off at 10.00 p.m. on Saturday with people of Chinese descent streaming to temples and donating money to people living in poverty.

Just before midnight, the revellers lit 200 candles in Dewi Welas Asih temple and another 100 candles in Talang temple. They prayed for a better future, Kompas.com reported.

A lion dance was then performed and 800 fireworks were lit to ward off bad luck.

Boys and Fireworks…and Regrets

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:41:00 +0000

LOCATION: Missouri, USA

PLACE: admin

DATE: March 4, 2010

DETAILS: Like any other boy, I loved shooting off fireworks when I was a kid. But it was illegal to buy, sell, or own fireworks in the small Iowa town where I grew up. But they weren't illegal in Missouri. I can remember that about a week before the Fourth of July, people would load up in cars and make road trips south to buy fireworks.

I remember one year in particular. I was probably nine or ten years old and my older sister worked at the local grocery store. One of her co-worker, a boy of about her age, was going to Missouri on a fireworks run. I don't remember his name, which is probably just as well. That way I can't incriminate him.

What I can say is that my sister came home from work one day and told us he was going to Missouri. He'd offered to pick up fireworks for my brother and me if we had the money. We jumped at the opportunity. We pooled our funds and sent our money with her to give to her friend.

A few days later my sister told us he was back and arrangements were made for us to go pick up the goods. My brother and I were both too young to drive, and we lived outside of town. So we went with mom on a day when she was grocery shopping.

Being young at the time, not to mention naive, I didn't know how much it resembled a drug deal. We met in the parking lot of the store to make the exchange. We'd already given him the money so all he had to do was to give us the fireworks.

We followed him to his car where he opened up the trunk. We saw two paper bags filled with packages of fireworks wrapped with thin, colored tissue paper. Both bags were ours. I don't know about my brother, but I was thrilled to see how far our money had gone.

"Now, you're not going to be shooting these off in town, are you?" my sister's friend asked. Considering that fireworks were illegal in Iowa and that he could get in a lot trouble if we got caught, it was a legitimate question. If we were caught with fireworks, then he could get into trouble.

"Yeah, we're going to shoot them off right in front of the cop-shop," I replied in the typical smart-aleck fashion of a nine or ten year old.

I don't remember him saying anything more. Maybe he told us to be careful with them. Maybe my brother, who was three years older, jumped in to say we were going to shoot them off out in the country. What I do remember, to this day, are the words I said to him; Yeah, we're going to shoot them off right in front of the cop-shop.

Those words have haunted me since I can remember.

It wasn't like he knew me and he was doing me a favor. He only knew my sister. He was just doing it for me because of her. And I repaid his favor by being a jerk to him.

Looking back on my life, if there was ever just one thing I could do over, I would take back those words. It may seem inconsequential, just a smart-aleck response from a smart-aleck snot-nosed kid, but for some reason, those words have really bothered me.

If I could find him and ask, he probably wouldn't even remember it. I've asked my brother. He doesn't remember. It might be that I'm the only one in the world who remembers what I said to him. But it still matters to me.

Yes, there were worse things that I've done since then. We don't need to go into the gory details now. I'll leave that for later episodes. Let's just say I wasn't a perfect kid. I wasn't that bad, but I wasn't perfect.

So why would I choose this one, seemingly inconsequential to take back if I only had one thing in my life I could change? That's easy.

The rest of the things I did all add up to make me who I am today. When I get up in the morning, I look into the mirror. And I have to admit that I like the person looking back. If I were to go back and fix one of those things, one of those worse things, I might not be the same person I am today. I'm not willing to risk that. I consider them life lessons that I needed to learn to become the person I am.

I know that this incident also helped to shape who I am, especially considering the amount of time I've spent thinking about it. So maybe I don't want a do over on this either. After all, it was an important lesson I learned. Maybe it's okay to just say I regret what happened. And if you happen to be reading this and you're the man who used to work with my sister, and you remember a snot-nosed kid being a smart-aleck to you when you were just doing his sister a favor, then I would like to say, "I'm sorry."

Tullytown approves fireworks - with a caveat

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:29:00 +0000

LOCATION: Tullytown

BY: JAMES MCGINNIS (The Intelligencer)

DATE: March 05, 2010 02:49 AM

DETAILS: Tullytown's safety personnel could ultimately decide whether organizers of the St. Mike's carnival also should be allowed to host a fireworks show.

The borough council voted 6-1 Tuesday night to allow the fireworks exhibition - but only on the condition that police Chief Pat Priore approves the application.

That could pose a problem. The chief said he lacks the authority to approve permits under the borough's large events ordinance. And only the fire marshal can approve a fireworks application, Priore said.

The chief also pointed to a section of the ordinance that states that applications will be denied "in the sole opinion of borough council."

Church organizers were directed to meet with the police and hammer out a plan to control the crowds and prevent traffic jams.

Michael DiIorio, pastor at St. Michael the Archangel on Levittown Parkway, said he's cautiously optimistic about the fireworks. "I took the vote for what it was," he said. "It was a positive first step."

But, he added, the church won't hire a fireworks team unless it receives final approval.

"We will work as closely as possible with the chief," DiIorio said.

James McGinnis can be reached at 215-949-3248 or jmcginnis@phillyBurbs.com.

Parties support New Year's event

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:23:00 +0000

LOCATION: Laconia

BY: JOHN KOZIOL jkoziol@citizen.com
DATE: Friday, February 26, 2010

DETAILS: If the dozen people who met Thursday morning at City Hall have their way, there will be a New Year's Eve celebration downtown on Dec. 31.

Business owners, residents and City Manager Eileen Cabanel turned out for the morning brain-storming session led by Fire Chief Ken Erickson who earlier this month broached the idea of a New Year's event after speaking with a number of people downtown who told him it would be a good thing.

Erickson has said he envisioned a parade going around the downtown loop, with bands and floats. There would be food, fireworks and various performances at some of the more than a dozen downtown venues that could play host to small- to large-sized activities.

On Thursday, some of the those same ideas, along with many others for the New Year's event, were bounced back to Erickson who hailed the "tremendous amount of good ideas," adding that there "definitely [is] interest in doing it."

The ad hoc New Year's group will meet again on March 22 at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall to refine the ideas and to form subcommittees for different roles like fundraising and entertainment.

"I'm just so pleased that there's so much interest in this," said Erickson who fielded suggestions to have a parade between 4 and 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve and then, in deference to families with children, to culminate that portion of the celebration with a fireworks display around 9 p.m.

The second portion, from 9 p.m. on, would be more adult-themed, possibly with activities at the Belknap Mill or Hector's restaurant, and it, too, would end with fireworks either in the Rotary Park area or at the Laconia Train Station where the Hobo Railroad might be pressed into providing roundtrips to Lakeport.

The fireworks would be one of the evening's more expensive presentations and Erickson and several other attendees said the event organizers — whoever they turn out to be — would do well to tap the several downton banks for financial support.

Cabanel said downtown businesses must have an ownership stake in the event which is why it should not be run under the aegis of the city. She urged the attendees to think like "a consumer" and to come up with activities that are fun.

The city manager suggested the potential of a children's play space in the vacant Bloom's Variety building during the event while another speaker said babysitting services could be offered to parents and a third person spoke about having a prize-filled "poker run."

Whatever happens, "Go for quality instead of quantity," said Cabanel.

Doug Holmes, executive director of the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, suggested that, if there is a charge to attend the New Year's festivities — or some of them — it be under $10.

Several speakers warned that a Laconia New Year's shindig would be competing with other events in Wolfeboro and other communities, meaning it could be a challenge to line up musical entertainment.

While Wolfeboro's First Night was hailed as a model for a Laconia event, several people who attended that town's First Night said it required driving from activity to activity whereas, Erickson said, "this is a perfect downtown walking venue."

George Roberts, a member of the board of directors of the Belknap Mill — which held its inaugural New Year's gala ball this year — suggested that, if admission is charged to the downtown event, significant discounts should be offered for early purchases. Roberts also said event organizers should cast a wide net and send letters to all local fraternal and civic organizations, inviting them to participate in the planning and in the festivities proper.

Indictment maps out timetable of CCTV fire

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:29:00 +0000

The north wing building of the new CCTV tower caught fire on February 9, 2009. Photo: AFP
LOCATION: Beijing

DATE: March 08 2010

BY: Global Times - Sun Yongjian

DETAILS: The Beijing People's Procuratorate has sued 21 suspects in the CCTV Tower fire case. Last weekend, the procuratorate released a 9page indictment, from which people can learn how the fire started.

According to the indictment, the direct cause of the fire was sparks from fireworks that dropped into a window cleaner's store, which was full of inflammables.

The document also said that Xu Wei, director of the construction site office, without authorization, planned to set off fireworks to celebrate the Lantern Festival on February 9, 2009. Two of his subordinates arranged the celebration and set off the fireworks, both were later arrested.

From December 2008 to February 2009, Xu entrusted Liu Faguo, general manager of the Beijing Supernova Media Science Development Company to import fireworks from the Sanxiang Fireworks Manufacturing Company in Liuyang, Hunan Province.

In February 2009, Liu rented trucks from a logistics company in Liuyang to transport the fireworks to Yongqing county, Hebei Province. Then the fireworks were stored in a Cgrade fireworks warehouse, but the fireworks were Agrade.

On February 7, 2009, Liu, a farmer, and two jobless men, transported the fireworks from Yongqing to the construction site. A technician from the fireworks company went to the site to place the fireworks and install the fuse.

On the night of February 9, the fireworks were set off. Liu Jun and Gao Hong, two safety production directors of the construction site did not stop it.

The fire caused 160 million yuan ($23.49 million) in losses, killed one and injured eight.

Chinese Indonesians celebrate New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:46:00 +0000

LOCATION: Cirebon,

BY: The Jakarta Post , Jakarta
DATE: Sunday, March 7, 2010

Details: Chinese Indonesians in Cirebon, West Java, prayed at temples, watched lion dances and lit fireworks as they celebrated Chinese New Year on Sunday.

The celebration kicked off at 10.00 p.m. on Saturday with people of Chinese descent streaming to temples and donating money to people living in poverty.

Just before midnight, the revellers lit 200 candles in Dewi Welas Asih temple and another 100 candles in Talang temple. They prayed for a better future, Kompas.com reported.

A lion dance was then performed and 800 fireworks were lit to ward off bad luck.

The Games Can Officially Begin

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:42:00 +0000

LOCATION: Vancouver

BY: Erica Sanderson

DATE: 2/13/2010

Details: Let the games begin. The opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games last night in Vancouver was punctuated by fireworks, special effects, and one poignant moment of silence.

The crowd of 50,000 fell silent before the Olympic flag was raised to remember luger Nodar Kumaritashvili from the Republic of Georgia, People magazine reports. Kumaritashvili died Friday after he lost control of his sled on the track and struck a metal pole.

As each country entered the BC Place Stadium, many wore black armbands as a tribute to the fallen athlete, People says. The Republic of Georgia received a standing ovation when their moment came in the lineup.

Donald Sutherland narrated the ceremony as Nelly Furtado, Joni Mitchell, K.D. Lang, and Sarah MacLachlan proudly sang for their homeland, People reports.

Vice President Joesph Biden and his wife were in the crowd to support the U.S.

None other than hockey legend Wayne Gretzky lit the Olympic torch.

烟花@深圳

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:32:00 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wenzzz/4354934687/in/set-72157623316649248/

Comments

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Nice fireworks^^
Happy New Year to you too^^

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恭喜发财~！漂亮哦，好想在中国过年，多有气氛啊。

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元宵节北京市民施放烟花爆竹

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:26:00 +0000

Tags: 元宵节北京烟花爆竹beijing, fireworks

http://videos.wittysparks.com/id/3183974494

Hello tiger! Chinese celebrations go off with a bang to welcome Lunar New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:37:00 +0000

By Mail Foreign Service
Date: 15th February 2010

Location: Beijing, Shanghai, Spain, HongKong

Monkey business: Animals performing at a temple in Beijing as part of the New Year celebrations

When it comes to putting on a show, China always takes the bull by the horns.

But in this case, it's a monkey and a sheep.

The animals were performing as part of the country's Lunar New Year celebrations, marking the beginning of the Year Of The Tiger tomorrow.

They were featured in a spectacular show highlighting the skills of animals appearing in the Chinese zodiac which was held in a temple in Beijing.

Hour-long firework displays, glittering processions, traditional displays and historical dances formed just part of the celebrations for the most important event in the Chinese calendar.

Beijing and Shanghai reverberated with chaotic, ad hoc firework displays as midnight approached.

While countries across the world - including the UK, Spain and Malaysia - put on colourful celebrations to welcome the New Year, also know as Spring Festival.

Airports and transport networks overflowed as tens of millions of people headed home to China to be with their families for the start of the holiday.

An estimated 210 million people – more than the population of Russia – are expected to use the railways during the 40-day New Year travel season, up 10 per cent from last year.

The holiday officially lasts six days, but many workers take up to a month off.

Firecrackers are believed to scare off evil spirits and entice the god of wealth to people's doorsteps once New Year's Day arrives.

Happy New Year! Children dress as tigers during the opening of Longtan Temple Fair in Beijing

Dancers and musicians perform at the Spring Festival Temple Fair at the Temple of Earth park in Beijing

Celebrations will carry on into the early hours of Sunday, officially the first day of the new year.

Police around the country tightened security for the holiday period. A notice on the Ministry of Public Security website said police would increase checks on fireworks displays, lantern shows and temple fairs.

Last year, an illegal fireworks display at the headquarters of China's state broadcaster in Beijing caused a massive fire at a newly built 44-storey hotel.

Artists with waist drums during the opening ceremony of the Longtan temple fair in Beijing

A pedestrian walks past illuminated lanterns displayed in a street of Shanghai yesterday

On Friday, three firefighters died while fighting a building fire triggered by fireworks in central Hunan province, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao warned his people to keep a 'sober mind' about the challenges ahead.

He said: 'In 2010, China will face a more complicated situation, both at home and abroad'.

People must 'keep a sober mind and an enhanced sense of anxiety about lagging behind,' he added.

Festival of light: Lanterns on display at Thean Hou Temple, right, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today. And, left, a lion dance performance during the opening of Longtan Temple Fair in Beijing

Priority should be given to 'persistence in taking economic development as the central task, forcefully promoting reform and opening up ... and doing a better job responding to the global financial crisis, in order to keep steady and relatively fast economic development'.

President Hu Jintao spent Friday visiting Taiwanese investors in the south-eastern province of Fujian.

Taiwanese have invested billions of dollars in China since detente began between the two sides in the 1980s, lured by a common culture and language.

China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since a civil war ended with Communist victory in 1949.

Street performers: Chinese and Spanish bands dress in traditional costumes in Madrid, Spain, today

San Diego Chargers cheerleading group take part in a Chinese New

Google’s Buzz and the culture of invading privacy

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:31:00 +0000

LOCATION: Shanghai

TIME: Chinese New Year Day

Details: It was Chinese New Year here in Shanghai this Friday night. Sitting in our apartment on the 22nd floor was like being in a high-tech Star Trek movie. The fireworks started during the day and by 10PM our home in Shanghai was aglow with spectacular fireworks. Whistling skyrockets, massive explosions like gushing waterfalls, gigantic chandeliers or monstrous spiders were erupting in red and green between the endless high-rises and skyscrapers. The noise was truly awesome, intrusive, and if I were a child and not frightened, I would have had such fun running around the apartment — now a spaceship — trying to fight off the marauding Kazon raiders or whatever.

Marion and I sat in our kitchen, staring through the lit-up windows in awe. At times the light was so intense it was almost daylight. From time to time we could even smell the fireworks. I wondered how the little children and pet animals were handling what sounded like a war zone. I went to bed and somehow went to sleep in the noise and woke up at about 2.30am because it was suddenly so eerily silent.

But after a while I could hear in the distance fireworks still going off and felt for those families and their children who could not sleep. The mainland Chinese do not have the Western concept of privacy and consideration for others. I am not saying this to be rude; generally they genuinely do not mind everyone cheerily sharing their "privacy".

Before briefly looking at Google's new Buzz, I'd like to describe some more examples of the local Chinese culture on non-privacy. A stranger, such as a plumber, or a neighbour who wishes to speak to our maid, will think nothing of walking into our apartment smoking a cigarette. It won't occur to them to ask permission. If I am checking out my goods at the counter sometimes local folk will peer into my bags and discuss what I have bought. Once I was looking at purchasing a cellphone at a counter next to a supermarket and a young woman barged in and asked the assistant to look for a particular mobile battery for her. This is very typical intrusive behaviour here. The assistant stopped helping me to help her. I have been here long enough now to just shrug my shoulders at people who could not be bothered to wait their turn … but the interruption lasted much longer than a few seconds. I lost my temper and shouted at the woman in Chinese to wait her turn. You have to shout to get things back into order, that is to say, become most indignant and show it. The attendant sheepishly stopped what he was doing and went back to helping me. The young missy glared at me, making all sorts of simpering tut-tuts and actually just flounced off, indignant herself. That is just one of many examples.

Many times when I am in the office, some teachers, usually men, will come and put their heads virtually between me and my laptop screen to see what I am doing. Especially if I was checking my private email account I would just shove them away and tell them this is private. Nowadays I am more used to it and I suppose the shove is gentler.

What remains one of the most bizarre examples is phoning or SMSing late at night that is to do with business or something routine that could have been handled during the day. One Chinese teacher had asked me to edit some essay he needed to do for a university assignment and SMSed me at half past eleven at night to find out if I had finished it. I was just dozing off in bed and the bleep woke me up. In the morning I emailed him his edited assignment and asked him never to send messages like that after 6pm. The best (worst?) was getting a frantic SMS at nearly 1am from a Chinese English teacher. She had just read an email from me sent several days ago requesting her to download an attachment and print out copies of a lesson for the students. In the SMS she apologised for only reading it now but she would make sure the copies would be printed tomorrow. Um. Today. In the morning I checked the email and saw she had also sent a frantic email at about half past twelve at night but obviously felt a SMS — which sounds like thunder at nearly 1am — to ensure I was up to date. Again, these are just two examples of many. Yeah, put the phone on silent at night, but that for some reason means my alarm goes off on silent.

I really love Google Buzz. It's like Facebook, only it deals with Gmail customers. As Facebook and Twitter are still banned in China it is so cool to make public announcements and interact with groups of friends on issues. It is also useful for me to advertise my new book, now out, Cracking China, and its sister, this blog. In other words, I can tell my "followers" what my latest blog topic is. But there seems to be a serious privacy issue. I have an option to search for people online. I can tap in any name, say John, and every person with that name with a Google or Gmail account's email address comes up, including their picture if they have one. (Some gorgeous girls out there under certain names, I quickly discovered. I could stop my subscription to Bikini Magazine if I had one.) This is extremely intrusive to the average Westerner. It is one thing to find a person's name on a public forum like Facebook, where the person volunteered his information, another to just have handy the entire list of Gmail clients with a particular name. Presumably they are only people who have joined Buzz on Gmail. But when I joined there was no clear option to preserve my privacy.

It is still early days for Buzz, so let's see how it goes. The point is, that ain't going to be a problem here in China where everyone is already everyone's most intimate friend. Even at 1am, deep under the bedclothes.

Beijing embraces lunar New Year after overnight firework spree

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:06:00 +0000

By: BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua)

Editor: Han Jingjing

Details: The first thing Qiwen did when she woke up Sunday on the first morning of the Year of Tiger was to run towards the windows. As she found trees and houses standing tall, safe and sound, the four-year-old cracked a smile.

In her first outdoor venture on a Chinese New Year Eve at Saturday night, the little girl huddled up against her mother in attempt to cushion earsplitting firecrackers while taking safe peeks at the lightened up sky.

But she quickly requested for a retreat as chilly wind, pungent powder and continuous bangs turned her neighborhood into an unfamiliar place. Frowning and nervous, she whispered: "Mum, can trees and houses hold their own? What about the Earth?"

As positive answers to the riddles in her heart got confirmed, the girl ignored the call to have "jiaozi", or dumplings, a kind of conventional food eaten in the first day of the Chinese New Year, pestering her parents for another bout of fireworks show.

This is the fifth year that the Municipal Government lifted its bans to allow holiday celebrations with firecrackers at designated time and venues as a result of public appeal to be more observant of traditional holiday customs.

Sources with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau said that a security force involving 880,000 people including 25,000 police officers, 13,000 armed police and militia as well as 84,2000 civilians have been deployed Saturday night to safeguard New Year Eve. The total is twice as many as that mobilized for New Year's Eve on the Gregorian calendar.

About 3,000 police officers fanned out patrolling neighborhoods together with security personnel. Forty-one SWAT soldiers were posted along the Chang'an Street, downtown areas within the Second Ring Road.

Between Midnight and 1 a.m. Sunday, 24 criminal cases were reported to the city police via telephone hotline 110, the lowest record of the year.

To rapidly respond to fire alarms, fire-fighting departments arranged eight fire engines as a reserve force on the Fifth Ring Road. Another 27 were deployed in heavily-populated residential areas.

The police also employed satellite vehicles and video systems to make a quick response in case of emergencies.

From 23:45 Saturday to 0:15 Sunday, seventy-one streets were closed so that residents could set off fireworks, comparing 100 at Spring Festival last year.

Zhou Zhengyu, director of the Municipal Government's Fireworks Management Office said that by 1:00 a.m Sunday, 52 people were injured, up 44 percent year on year. But all injuries were minor, with no deaths, or cases of eyeball removal or amputation of body parts being reported.

Thirty-eight fire accidents were reported, down 24 percent from 50 last year.

Apart from the lunar New Year's Eve, records show that other periods with many a fire accidents during the Spring Festival season might also occur on the fifth and sixth day of the weeklong Chinese New Year holiday, which will fall Thursday and Friday, and on the date with the first full moon, also known as Lantern Festival which will fall Feb. 28 this year.

In different hospitals and emergency centers across the city, more than 13,000 doctors and nurses were on duty Saturday night.

Statistics from the Beijing Emergency Medical Center showed that from 8:00 a.m. Saturday to 9 :00 a.m, Sunday, it handled 621 calls of emergency, including 86 cases of injuries, of which 27 were caused by setting off of fireworks.

Lu Hai, chief of the Ocular Trauma Clinic with the Beijing Tongren Hospital, said it was time for the authorities to standardize use of fireworks.

"There are rules restricting juvenile consumption of tobacco and alcohol, or web surfing by youngsters. But the use of fireworks by children still remains a regulation vacuum," he said.

"Spring Festival is our busiest day in a year, especially after the midnight of the New Year Eve, the rush hour for fireworks celebration. We find many injured children were ignorant of the dangers as their parents were laid-back and gave them a free hand," said Lu who has been on duty for five New Year Eves in a row.

Records from Tongren Hospital showed that seventy-three or nearly 32 percent of the 231 accepted and treated patients during Spring Festival last year were minors. Of the 55 injured kids aged under 12, more than 30 suffered ocular injuries that would result in blindness.

Spring Festival is the most important traditional Chinese festive event in a year and is an occasion for reunions of family members, relatives and friends, completed with plenty of eating and fun-making.

To make sure locals and visiting guests have a safe and relaxed holiday, Beijing Municipal Administration Center of Parks have required its 11 affiliated parks including the Summer Palace, the Beijing Zoo, Beihai,Jingshan and Tiantan parks to expand the area of the existing services so as to meet the rising demand by visitors at the weeklong holiday beginning Saturday.

Forty-two temporary ticket booths, 199 traffic guide boards and 268 shops have been added, alongside recruitment of 100 volunteers.

Park administrators have also organized thorough inspections around areas such as those with high concentrations of cultural relics, recreation facilities, animal dens to stamp out safety risks caused by firecracker displays.

In addition to putting up more than 200 posters and 120 permanent markers banning fireworks, the park administrators have also prepared plenty of fire-extinguishing equipment to make sure enough equipment are at hand when in need and to limit the damage of fire hazards to the least extent.

Official figures showed that Beijing's 5,000 sanitation workers had mobilized 209 vehicles since the New Year Eve and cleared 79.69 tonnes of fireworks garbage by Sunday morning, up 11.07 tonnes from the same period of last year.

Southward in Shanghai, local residents' zeal with firecrackers were evident even amid drizzles. Local authorities said that 30,000 sanitation workers in this commercial city on east China seaboard started to clean up the streets of firecracker residues from 2:00 a.m Sunday, and by 7 a.m., they had cleared firework garbage of more than 1,000 tonnes.

Injuries tarnish festival fireworks' sparkle

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:03:00 +0000

By: Helen

Details: A man in his late 40s lost an eye after a fireworks accident last week, one of 380 pyrotechnics injuries reported in the capital during Spring Festival.

The man, from Shunyi district, was injured on Thursday night, a time when many Beijingers set off fireworks as a traditional way to welcome the "God of Wealth".

According to a Beijing municipal health bureau survey, the 380 fireworks-related injuries included 75 damaged eyes.

"Most accidents were caused by illegal fireworks, which did not have the producers' names and addresses," Zhang Jianshu, press officer with the health bureau, told METRO yesterday.

"The most dangerous item was an aerial shell that should have only been set off by professionals."

Tongren Hospital suggested the capital's citizens buy only fireworks with detailed instructions from licensed fireworks shops and called on people not to buy powerful fireworks, such as aerial shells.

The hospital urged people to keep their distance while lighting fireworks and cautioned against checking on fireworks that appear to have gone out, even if they sit dormant for a relatively long time.

The hospital also said, through a press release, that children should never be allowed to play with fireworks and suggested people wear a helmet for protection.

The advice also called on people to avoid using fireworks after consuming alcohol.

Despite the high toll this year, the number of injuries was actually 63 less than the 443 fireworks accidents reported in the same period last year, the health bureau said.

Zhang said fewer Beijing citizens lit fireworks during the Lunar New Year holiday this year and suggested that accounted for the smaller number of injuries.

In Haidian district, there was 40 percent less fireworks-related garbage this year compared to the same period in 2009, the Mirror Evening News reported on Thursday.

Parties support New Year's event

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:58:00 +0000

Place: Laconia

By JOHN KOZIOL
jkoziol@citizen.com

Friday, February 26, 2010

If the dozen people who met Thursday morning at City Hall have their way, there will be a New Year's Eve celebration downtown on Dec. 31.

Business owners, residents and City Manager Eileen Cabanel turned out for the morning brain-storming session led by Fire Chief Ken Erickson who earlier this month broached the idea of a New Year's event after speaking with a number of people downtown who told him it would be a good thing.

Erickson has said he envisioned a parade going around the downtown loop, with bands and floats. There would be food, fireworks and various performances at some of the more than a dozen downtown venues that could play host to small- to large-sized activities.

On Thursday, some of the those same ideas, along with many others for the New Year's event, were bounced back to Erickson who hailed the "tremendous amount of good ideas," adding that there "definitely [is] interest in doing it."

The ad hoc New Year's group will meet again on March 22 at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall to refine the ideas and to form subcommittees for different roles like fundraising and entertainment.

"I'm just so pleased that there's so much interest in this," said Erickson who fielded suggestions to have a parade between 4 and 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve and then, in deference to families with children, to culminate that portion of the celebration with a fireworks display around 9 p.m.

The second portion, from 9 p.m. on, would be more adult-themed, possibly with activities at the Belknap Mill or Hector's restaurant, and it, too, would end with fireworks either in the Rotary Park area or at the Laconia Train Station where the Hobo Railroad might be pressed into providing roundtrips to Lakeport.

The fireworks would be one of the evening's more expensive presentations and Erickson and several other attendees said the event organizers — whoever they turn out to be — would do well to tap the several downton banks for financial support.

Cabanel said downtown businesses must have an ownership stake in the event which is why it should not be run under the aegis of the city. She urged the attendees to think like "a consumer" and to come up with activities that are fun.

The city manager suggested the potential of a children's play space in the vacant Bloom's Variety building during the event while another speaker said babysitting services could be offered to parents and a third person spoke about having a prize-filled "poker run."

Whatever happens, "Go for quality instead of quantity," said Cabanel.

Doug Holmes, executive director of the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, suggested that, if there is a charge to attend the New Year's festivities — or some of them — it be under $10.

Several speakers warned that a Laconia New Year's shindig would be competing with other events in Wolfeboro and other communities, meaning it could be a challenge to line up musical entertainment.

While Wolfeboro's First Night was hailed as a model for a Laconia event, several people who attended that town's First Night said it required driving from activity to activity whereas, Erickson said, "this is a perfect downtown walking venue."

George Roberts, a member of the board of directors of the Belknap Mill — which held its inaugural New Year's gala ball this year — suggested that, if admission is charged to the downtown event, significant discounts should be offered for early purchases. Roberts also said event organizers should cast a wide net and send letters to all local fraternal and civic organizations, inviting them to participate in the planning and in the festivities proper.

Victoria Day fireworks in Riverside Park at risk

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:50:00 +0000

Posted Feb 26, 2010 By Charelle Evelyn

Detais: EMC News - The city's only Victoria Day fireworks may be coming to an end if the event does not generate the necessary support.

The Riverside Park Community and Recreation Association (RPCRA) has hosted a Victoria Day Fireworks and Family Gala for almost 40 years. However, this May will be the deciding factor if the event carries on.

"The economy is hitting a bit of a bump that effects any group that relies on a majority of sponsors," said Carolyn Gauthier, association vice-president.

In order to ensure the event's continuation, the association will require a strong volunteer base in addition to sponsors, she said.

The event requires more than 30 volunteers throughout the day to help with the barbeque and children's activities, to run patrols when it gets dark and to help with cleanup afterwards, said Ms. Gauthier.

Though she would not go as far to say that the city needs a Victoria Day fireworks display, Ms. Gauthier acknowledged that it would be sorely missed within the community.

"The Riverside Park area has a lot of the first families who established the neighbourhood who come back with their children's children," she said.

Attendance will also be a considering factor in whether or not the event continues.

"The weather has not helped," said Ms. Gauthier. "We've had a few rainy years."

According to Ms. Gauthier, on a year with good weather, the park can see as many as 5,000 people.

So far planning for this year's event has started as normal and for the most part it seems the event will carry on as it has in the past.

Previous galas have included performances by different local acts, presentations from Little Ray's Reptiles, as well as face and ceramic painting.

"We might have to make it a little smaller this year for budget reasons," Ms. Gauthier said.

For more information about this event, or to volunteer, contact coordinator Erin Fitzpatrick at 613-521-7521.

Despite dangers, Algerians snap up holiday fireworks

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:47:00 +0000

By Nazim Fethi for Magharebia in Algiers – 25/02/10

Detail: Algerian authorities are scrambling to crack down on the sale of illegal fireworks, which many children will light on Friday (February 26th) for Mouled celebrations.

As the number of firework-related accidents climbs every year, officials are trying to cut down on the availability of such goods in order to improve public safety.

The sale of bangers and flares is prohibited in Algeria, but this doesn't prevent markets like Djamâa Lihoud in Algiers, a noted sales hub, from unloading them in mass quantities.

"I've been in this business for 10 years now. It's true that it brings in a lot of money, but it's still risky," vendor Rachid told Magharebia. "If there were to be a police raid or an accident, then all my investments would go up in smoke."

Kamel, who is unemployed, made the 100-kilometre trek from Bouira to buy fireworks to resell. "It's an opportunity to make a bit of money. I hope it's going to work out like it did last year," he told Magharebia. He said that he made 5,000 euros in profit selling fireworks for last year's celebration.

The availability of fireworks and other flammable delights appears to increase every year, as exports from China flood the market. With one week to go before the celebrations, the Djamâa Lihoud is filled to the brim with tantalising crackers and candles, all colourfully packaged to entice children all over the country.

Police are overwhelmed by the seemingly endless influx of fiery goods, and are reluctant to crack down on vendors for fear it would cause a riot, as has happened in the past.

"It's like this all around here," said a police officer patrolling Djamâa Lihoud.

Customs officers occasionally seize containers of fireworks, but the bulk of the imported products end up in the street vendors' stalls.

One customs officer, who wished to remain anonymous, told Magharebia that most of the fireworks entering Algeria come via small suitcases, or hidden in the midst of other declared goods.

Even religious authorities are weighing in on the controversial use of fireworks in the celebration.

Cheikh Rabie of the Kouba Mosque in Algiers used his February 19th sermon to explain that bangers have nothing to do with the birth of the Prophet.

"Thousands of millions are wasted for nothing, and meanwhile people complain about the cost of living," Cheik Rabie told worshippers. "First, it's the responsibility of the parents. They shouldn't cave into their children's whims."

of parents who spoke to Magharebia will ignore the appeals of government officials and imams, just to make their children happy.

Salima, a teacher, understands that fireworks may not be the best way to celebrate the Prophet's birthday, but she still buys a substantial quantity for her two children.

"I don't want them to feel deprived, compared with their friends in the area. Imagine, just for a moment, that I deny them this fun, and they see all their friends celebrating. They'll be sad, and I'll be sad for them," she said.

Omar, a doctor, knows how to limit his spending on bangers. "I'm going to buy some candles for the girls and some bangers for the boys. But I'll hide them right up until the evening of the Mouled – that way, they won't be asking me to buy more."

Fireworks to mark arts festival anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:34:00 +0000

Updated Sat Feb 27, 2010 1:36pm AEDT

Arts Minister and Premier Mike Rann is encouraging families to come to the free event. (ABC News : Keith Andrew)

A French pyrotechnics company will light up the sky in Adelaide tonight with a fireworks display in Victoria Park from 8:45pm (ACDT).

The company Groupe F will create a 45-minute display to mark the 50th anniversary of the Adelaide Festival of Arts.

Arts Minister and Premier Mike Rann is encouraging families to come to the free event.

"It's just an extraordinary group, they did the Eiffel Tower for the millennium night, they did the Athens Olympic Games, they also did the New Years celebrations in London," he said.

"So we're talking about a display in the sky over Victoria Park of the likes of which we haven't seen in South Australia before, it's a free event."

Tags: community-and-society, community-and-multicultural-festivals, sa, adelaide-5000

First posted Sat Feb 27, 2010 1:19pm AEDT

Milad day starts with fireworks

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:32:00 +0000

Saturday, February 27, 2010
By By Asim Hussain

LAHORE

Details: THE faithful will celebrate Eid Miladun Nabi on Saturday (today). Religious organisations have completed preparations to celebrate the great occasion with traditional religious spirit and zeal. Hundreds of processions and Seerat conferences will be held all over the country to mark the auspicious day.

This year, the day is again being observed as Namoos-e-Risalat Day, (Prophet's honor day) to counter conspiracies to commit blasphemy especially by publishing of profane sketches by the European press. Tehrik Hurmat-e-Rasool (THR), a platform of over two dozen religious organisations striving to counter western blasphemy attempts, has appealed to believers to devote extra effort to highlight the glorious Seerat of the Prophet (SAW) in order to expose the western hatred of Islam and its Prophet (SAW). The THR observed Friday as protest day against western media blasphemy, the recent blasphemy against Jesus Christ in India, and biased sentencing of Dr Aafia Siddiqi by a US court.

In Lahore, the central Eid-e-Milad in Nabi procession will be held at Railway Station and participants will march upto Data Darbar. Dozens of smaller processions from various parts of the city will merge with the central procession en route to Data Darbar. Participants in the procession will be showered with rose petals and rose water from aeroplanes.

Before the start of the procession, a ceremony will be held which would be inaugurated by procession leader Malik Aftab Rabbani and PPP Senator Jahangir Badar. Guests would include former judges of Lahore High Court, Dr Munir Mughal and Akram Baitu, Senator Ishaq Dar, Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairamn Asif Hashmi, provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, Khawaja Saad Rafiq and others. Preparations concluded on Friday night with the taking out of a torch bearers procession under the aegis of Central Milad Committee from Data Darbar. Participants were led by Mukhtar Ashraf Rizvi, and scores of other religious leaders including Pir Masood Rizvi, Engr Salimullah Khan, Mustafa Ashraf Rizvi, Shahid Gardezi, Prof Salimullah Awaisi, Maulana Tahri Tabassum, Razaul Mustafa, Naeem Arif Noori and others. Participants riding vehicles and motorbikes, and on foot, marched on the Mall road upto the Regal Chowk reciting Durood and Naats, paying homage to the most sacred and remarkable personality of the entire world history.

Most city mosques and important buildings have been decorated with lightings, flower beads and buntings, while others will be decorated until late Monday night. Children were busy building clay models of the Makkah mountains where the Holy Prophet (SAW) was bestowed with prophethood. A meeting of the central Milad Committee was held Friday presided over by its chairman Malik Aftab Rabbani which reviewed preparations for the glorious day. The meeting decided to maintain sanctity of the occasion and check all un-Islamic practices so that religious sentiments of Muslims should not be hurt.

The day will begin with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and 21-gun salute in provincial capitals while special prayers will be offered for the security, solidarity and prosperity of the country in particular and Muslim Ummah in general.

It will be a public holiday and all offices and business centres will be closed. The electronic and print media will highlight the significance of the day by broadcasting special programmes and brining out special supplements.

Apart from central procession, a number of gatherings for Naat Khwani, Qirat, Qawwali and Naatia Mushaairas will be held across the country. Religious scholars and Ulema in their special sermons will highlight the significance of the occasion and ask the people to follow the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAW) to achieve success in life and hereafter. They will condemn the western hatred against the Holy Prophet (SAW) which has recently resulted into meanest tactics in shape of blasphemous caricatures despite worldwide Muslim protests and anger.

Groups of volunteers and market committees will decorate markets/mohallas/houses and surroundings with illuminations, coloured flower ropes, buntings, chandeliers and ribbons. Many organisations will hold competitions among people for best decorated mohallah and street. Children and youth will build clay replica of desert and mountains of the Arab peninsula where the divine message was first dawned on the Prophet (SAW).

Special security arrangements have been made by the district administration to maintain law and order on the occasion and along the route of the procession.

The government has issued directives to beef up security all over the country especially along the route of procession to counter enemy designs. Volunteers of bomb disposal squad and ambulance units will remain on stand by to meet any emergency while units of Rangers and reserve police will also be deployed on sensitive areas.

On the eve of Miladun Nabi (SAW) a grand Milad Conference was held by Tehrik Minhajul Quran (TMQ) which was chaired by its chief Dr Tahirul Qadri. Noted scholars and Naat Khwans from across the country participated in the conference. Thousands of people from all over the country also attended. Participants were offered dinner for which 1,000 goats were slaughtered. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Tahirul Qadri highlighted the significance of the occasion for the promotion of Islamic values and message of love, justice and peace.

He lashed out against enemies of Islam in the western world busy committing blasphemies.

He also criticized the US for victimising Islam by tagging it with the term terrorism whereas the US itself was the biggest terrorist in the world. Another Milad Conference was held at Baba ground behind civil secretariat by Dawat-e-Islami where noted Qaris, Naat Khwans and scholars gathered from all over the country to pay homage to the Holy Prophet (SAW).

Detroit Tigers increasing giveaways, special events, fireworks nights

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:30:00 +0000

By Bill Shea

Details: Faced with a continued local recession and high unemployment rates, the Detroit Tigers said this week they're expanding the number of promotional giveaways and special events for the upcoming season to lure fans to Comerica Park.

There are 31 giveaways and 15 special events planned, which is eight more than 2009. Also, 21 fireworks nights are planned for Friday and Saturday night games, which are two more than last season.

Among the promotional highlights scheduled is an interactive Justin Verlander bobblehead that includes a three-digit counter so fans can track his yearly strikeout total.
Among other giveaways, some for adults and some just for kids, will be 2010 magnet schedules, breast cancer awareness lapel pins, Brandon Inge replica gloves, Charlie Brown bobbleheads, vintage caps from the 1935 championship team and Miguel Cabrera caps.

The team also said it plans to continue its "Every Kid, Every Sunday" free giveaway guarantee, in which all children age 14 and younger get a promotional item on Sundays.

A full list of promotions and event dates will be available at tigers.com prior to the individual ticket on-sale date of March 6, the team said in a statement.

Detroit finished 86-76 last season, in a tie with the Minnesota Twins, who beat the Tigers in a one-game playoff.

Attendance at Comerica Park in 2009 was 2,567,185 (fifth-best year in team history) for an average of 31,693 per game. That was good for 12th in baseball and fifth in the American League.

Fireworks festival in Tainan County unveiled with deafening fanfare

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:27:00 +0000

By Yang Szu-jui and Lillian Lin, Tainan, Feb. 27 (CNA)

Details: An annual two-day fireworks festival -- the Yenshui Beehive Fireworks Festival -- opened in the town of the same name in southern Taiwan's Tainan County Saturday morning and will culminate in a finale on Sunday night.

On Saturday, a palanquin carrying a statue of the legendary hero Kuanyu (dating back to the early 3rd century) and over 100 martial arts troupes began a parade to ward off evil spirits.

The Yenshui Beehive Fireworks Festival originated from the folk custom in the region of the late 19th Century when villagers suffering from serious cholera epidemics sought protection.

They held religious services, asking help from Kuanyu, a heroic figure in Chinese history who was made a saint in folk belief. They also tried to scare away evil spirits which they believe had brought them the disease by setting off masses of firecrackers.

While explosions of firecrackers still highlight the festivities nowadays, as well as the light and sound of fireworks shooting off everywhere as the palanquin travels through the streets, the highlight of the festival falls on the night of the Lantern Festival, Sunday this year, when piles of fireworks in the shapes of huge teapots, chariots, and golden ingots are lit.

In recent years, the annual event attracted thousands of visitors from home and abroad to the small township and has become a tourism promotion feature.

Tainan Magistrate Su Huan-jhih invited foreign guests from 17 countries to attend the festivities at Yenshui this year.

He recommended that visitors see the exhibitions featuring sculpture, teapot designs and performing arts by local artists being held in the neighborhood of the Kuangyu Temple while appreciating the fun of folk customs.

Great Lakes Loons list 12 fireworks nights on 2010 promotional schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:24:00 +0000

By Hugh Bernreuter | The Saginaw News

February 27, 2010, 1:54PM

Details: Twelve fireworks shows, eight Dollar Family Feast Night Tuesdays and six Tigers Legends Series games are amongst the highlights of the Great Lakes Loons 2010 promotional calendar.

Chemical Bank $1 Family Feast Nights take place at each Tuesday home game. Fans can purchase hot dogs, ice cream sandwiches and 12 oz. Coke products for just $1 each.

Returning in 2010 are the wildly popular fireworks nights, powered by Dow Corning. The first of the twelve fireworks nights is Saturday, May 7.

Farm Bureau Insurance will be the presenting sponsor of three Sunday Youth Baseball Clinics (May 16, June 6 and June 27), complete with baseball instruction from Loons' players. Farm Bureau also returns as the presenting sponsor of Kids Run the Bases, following every Sunday afternoon home game.

The Loons will be highlighting their partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, August 7 with Dodgertown Midland Celebration Night. Dodgers-themed promotions will take place throughout the game and the evening will end with a fireworks show, powered by Dow Corning.

Several national entertainment acts will appear at the ballpark, including Team Ghost Riders (May 8), the Amazing Christopher tribute to the King of Pop (June 4), Quick Change (July 4) and the Chicago Bull's Bucket Boys (August 20).

Other exciting promotional events and theme nights for 2010 include High School Spirit nights when area high schools show their school spirit at Dow Diamond and compete for a grant from the Michigan Baseball Foundation. Participating schools include Sanford Meridian (April 11), Nouvel Catholic Central (April 12), Bay City All Saints (April 13), Coleman (April 15), Midland High (April 23), Bullock Creek (April 24), Bay City Western (April 25), Bay City Central (May 4) and Midland Dow (May 5).

Other exciting promotional events and theme nights for 2010 include two School Kids Day Games (May 6 and 20), Family Picnic Olympics (May 31), Polar Bear Club Night (April 15), College Night (April 16), five F.P. Horak poster giveaway nights (April 16, May 15, June 16, August 1 and August 23), Raining Money Night presented by Chemical Bank (July 23) and Star Wars Night (August 21).

Londoners ring in Year of the Tiger with food and fireworks

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:16:00 +0000

By Melissa Leu · Daily Trojan

Posted February 28, 2010 (6 days ago) at 5:17 pm in Columns, Lifestyle

Details:

On the eve of London's Chinese New Year celebration, Trafalgar Square stood empty. Standing at the top steps of the National Gallery, I relished this rarity, knowing full well that by noon the next day, every inch of the concrete-covered Downtown space — which is around the same size as Los Angeles' Pershing Square — would be occupied.

I took the bus early the next afternoon, only to be diverted by routes altered for the day's festivities. Stranded by public transportation and a haywire sense of direction, I looked like a USC freshman trying to find the Coliseum for the first time and decided to just to just follow the crowd.

But it wasn't the sound of firecrackers or the Caucasian man dressed in traditional Chinese garb that alerted me of my proximity to the event. From about a quarter of a mile away, I could hear string instrumentals and high-pitched Beijing opera music blasting from the stage.

As soon as I stepped foot on the firecracker shell-strewn pavement of Trafalgar Square, I took a good look at the crowd that enveloped me and was surprised by the turnout, a large portion of which was actually Chinese.

Vendors at promotional booths hawking gift bags that included soy sauce, Chinese-inspired aprons and New Year's-themed DVDs grabbed the attention of potential customers with special deals.

And true to British drinking culture, a public bar selling Tsingtao beer, a specialty from the Shandong province of China, was set up on the side.

More than 250,000 people arrived the Sunday after the first day of the Chinese New Year to welcome the Year of the Tiger and participate in the most important holiday in Chinese culture. Many attendees flaunted their spirits by buying tiger tails, paper dragons and other celebratory trinkets.

The date of Chinese New Year changes annually in accordance with the first day of the lunar calendar. The celebration lasts for 15 days and consists of cultural traditions for each day, including visiting relatives, setting off firecrackers and, of course, eating good food.

When the emcee came on stage to galvanize the crowd into doing the "Chinese wave," which appeared startlingly similar to "the wave" performed at sports events, she cited her pride in being British-Chinese.

Britain has one of the largest Chinese communities in Europe, with a large portion of that population residing in London.

The effect of that presence is a robust Chinatown that attracts tourists and locals alike with restaurants, markets and other Chinese-run businesses housed in architecturally traditional buildings.

Organized by the London Chinatown Chinese Association, the massive celebration kicked off with a parade through central London and ended in Chinatown, which was decorated with red and gold lanterns and good-fortune posters to mark the occasion.

Dancers wearing colorful dragon-like costumes mimicked a lion's movements to the beat of drums, cymbals and gongs, as they attempted to ward off bad spirits and spread prosperity by scattering leaves of lettuce.

By mid-afternoon, the narrow streets of Shaftesbury Avenue in Chinatown were packed with people trying to get a peek at the lion dancers as they tried to eat lettuce hung off of fishing poles outside local businesses.

In exchange for this service, businesses also attached red envelopes with money onto the fishing lines to bestow prosperity in more literal terms.

Chinese custom also dictates the offering of red envelopes — called ya sui qian — and is normally given by married adults to younger children "to crush the spirits," as the translation of the tradition's name indicates.

Little did I realize that, by the time the lion dance had finished, the crowd had slowly pushed my friends and me in front of a Chinese bakery selling egg tarts. For 2 pounds ($3.05) apiece, we greedily devoured the flaky pastry crust filled with egg custard, which left us only wanting more.

With our hunger sparked, we popped into Fung Shing Restaurant to order a real Chinese meal.

The food available, however, didn't include the traditional specialties, such as dumplings and nian gao (or New Year's Cake), eaten during New Year's celebrations. But, Fung Shing did have an array of family-style dishes in the communal eating style typical of Chinese culture

At about 5:45 p.m., we followed the masses once again toward Leicester Square for the closing ceremony that promised fireworks. After a lengthy speech, the entire square fell silent in anticipation for the first explosion.

Flashes of red and gold glittered the sky in every direction. With the fireworks shot so low into the sky, I could almost touch the tails of light as they rained down dangerously close to the trees. A line of lanterns was lit to look like rockets ready for launch. Firecrackers popped on the ground nearby, matching in loudness the brightness of their more powerful counterparts.

It was as if the world had stopped for 15 minutes as the crowd watched in hushed awe. When the display ended, the crowd disbanded, and I left with my stomach full and Trafalgar and Leicester Squares as empty as they were the night before.

Da Nang to host fireworks contest

noreply@blogger.com (Skyart) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:15:00 +0000

Place: HCM CITY — The central city of Da Nang,

Photo: Supplied by VNA/VNS Photo Cong Dien

Details: HCM CITY — The central city of Da Nang expects hundreds of thousands of people to enjoy the spectacular pyrotechnics that will be on display at the International Fireworks Competition on March 27-28.

Organisers plan to issue 25,000 tickets for the contest at VND200,000 each, a representative of the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told a road show titled Aán tuong du lich Da Nang 2010 (Impressive Da Nang Tourism 2010) in HCM City on Thursday.

Titled Huyen thoai song Han (Legend of Han River) this year, the third annual competition has attracted one team each from Portugal, the US, Japan, France, and Viet Nam.

The event has also been designated as one of the seven major cultural events to celebrate the 1,000th founding anniversary of Ha Noi in October.

The competition will also feature a parade of flower floats, a Vietnamese craft village festival, a kite-flying competition, an exhibition of embroidered pictures, a photo exhibition on international fireworks, and an exhibition named "Da Nang 2010 – a New Stage."

Last year's competition attracted 60,000 visitors to the city. — VNS