Internet Domains Soon to Appear in Non-Latin Scripts

It's about time the rest of the word is accomodated using their non-Latin script on the Web.

(CNN) -- The group that controls top-level domain codes for Internet addresses is poised to permit non-Latin language codes for the first time in its history.

"It's the single biggest change in 10 or 15 years," said Rod Beckstrom, CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

The board of directors of the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will vote on the proposed protocol for Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) -- those represented by local language characters -- Friday at its meeting in Seoul, South Korea.

The change, which has a target implementation date of November 16, would allow Web addresses in Cyrillic, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese and others.

"This is one of the most exciting developments for the users of the Internet globally in years," said Beckstrom. "IDNs will enable the people the world over to use domain name addresses in their own language."

Beckstrom said support for the change is strong around the world and that all objections had "been handled."

"So I think it's just extremely probable, and we're really excited to move forward with that," he said.



Domain names open up--And if, as expected, it does move forward, it means that Web surfing is about to get easier for about half of the world's 1.6 billion Internet users.

"There are over 40 million users in the Arab world," said Wael Ghanim, Google's product and marketing manager for the Middle East and Africa, "and this number is expected to increase in the coming days, which in turn makes the Arabic language one of the strategic languages through which a lot of companies, for instance Google, are interested in."

But some worry that the change could lead to more miscommunication.

This is one of the most exciting developments for the users of the Internet globally in years

--Rod Beckstrom
"If Korean is used during the international communication, foreigners won't be able to understand and won't be able to read it well enough, so there could be some problems in communication," said South Korean Internet user Chang Yong-woong.

But others see the IDNs opening the Internet to a much broader population.

"If they can make this technology work, and people can use their own language to enter in addresses, I think that that would really expand the practical applications of the Internet," said Chinese Internet cafe owner Zhang Zhiming.

"People from different walks of life and different age groups could get more engaged with it."

One question that has not yet been resolved, however, is how people in countries that use the Latin script will be able to access Web sites with Korean, Hindi or Arabic domain names.

ICANN doesn't have an answer to that, but is confident a new technology will fill that gap soon.

CNN's Errol Barnett contributed to this report.

Do you know how much paid vacation time is common in the industrialized nations?

Do You Know? From: karlascottspeaker.blogspot.com

Today’s topic: Average paid vacation days for workers in 18 countries

One of the core values upon which the US was founded was that of hard work. According to Gay Alten, American Ways, there is still a strong belief that the ideal person is a hard worker.—one who gets right to work, on a task without delay, works efficiently, and who completes a task in a way that meets reasonably high standards of quality. We are a society that admirers achievers—not just on the job but in all other aspects of life. We are known as a nation of “human doings” (rather than human beings) who feel compelled to always be engaged in doing.

Does this hard work ethic exert any influence on the amount of time Americans take for annual vacation time—in comparison to other nations? What does Capitalism have to do with this? What about materialism and the desire for more goods? Japan, although known for its strong work ethic, offers more than twice as much paid vacation time as the US.

Is it no wonder we are the most stressed and depressed. We can discuss those stats later.

Here are rankings of 18 nations:

Spain 32.0
Netherlands 31.9
Norway 31.4
Germany 29.9
Finland 28.6
Sweden 27.8
France 27.0
Austria 26.8
Denmark 25.0
Belgium 24.6
Italy 24.6
The UK 24.5
Japan 24.0
Switzerland 23.4
Ireland 22.9
Australia 22.4
Canada 14.7
The US 10.8

Some might ask “how do these results reflect the economic health of these nations”? That is a question for another discussion.

Source: somewhat outdated survey by the Union Bank of Switzerland, Prices and Earnings Around the Globe

Although the actual numbers may have changed in the last two decades, the rankings have remained fundamentally unchanged. In the US, with the increase in the number of part time jobs, has this number actually declined?

Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights

Today marks Diwali. There are more than 900 million Hindus in the world and dozens of Hindu holidays, but Diwali is one of the few celebrated by most, if not all followers across the globe as the "Festival of Lights," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being. Diwali is celebrated on the first day of the lunar Kartika month, which comes in the month of October or November



On the day of Diwali, many wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks. Some Indian business communities start their financial year on Diwali and new account books are opened on this day. In the US, Most have origins in India, but many also come from Nepal, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and other nations. As the ''festival of lights,'' Diwali is a time of celebration, song, dance and prayer for wealth, health and peace in the future.



''We celebrate the past and get ready for the new year coming,'' says Suresh Sheth, who runs an Indian grocery store in Miami. Like many Hindus, he'll wake early, take a ritual bath, put on his best clothing, pray and head to open the shop, which he launched in 1985, seven years after arriving in the United States from Mumbai. ''It's a festival of lights and also of inner light and purity,'' Sheth says. ``We have to cleanse our bodies, our souls.''

reposted from last year.

Here is a Diwali Poem:
Season of Lights
Dunes of vapors from crackers rise,
Engulf, as odorous airs resound
Effusing joys to all abound
Pearls of gleams in these autumn nights
Adorn our lives else trite
With sparklers that motley skies
As soaring spirits of powder wander
Let us thank the heavenly might,
In this festive season of lights.

Canadian Muslim group calls for burka ban

Another article about challenging the wearing of the burka because it is not based in Islamic religious law.

TORONTO (AP) — A Canadian Muslim organization urged the Canadian government Thursday to ban traditional Muslim garments designed to cover a woman's face, saying they are medieval and misogynist symbols of extremism with no basis in Islam.

The Muslim Canadian Congress has called on the federal government to prohibit the burka and the niqab because it says that practice of covering one's face has no place in a society that supports gender equality.

"Muslims around the world know that this attire is misogynistic dress for women that is being promoted by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda," said Tarek Fatah, founder of the group. "It is a means of holding women back in society."

The burka is a head-to-toe gown with a mesh-like panel over the face that allows a woman to see and breathe. The niqab is a veil that leaves only the eyes exposed.

Fatah said the ban should not extend to the hijab, a traditional headscarf that does not cover the face.

Fatah said there is nothing in any of the primary Islamic religious texts, including the Quran, that requires women to cover their faces, not even in the ultraconservative tenets of Sharia law, which is Islamic religious law.

"We feel it is the duty of progressive Muslims to stand up for Muslim society and gender equality in our society," said Fatah.

Fatah said the issue of the Muslim attire is also a security issue, saying that banks have been robbed in the North Carolina, Toronto and the United Kingdom by men dressed in burkas posing as women.

The proposed ban comes on the same day Egypt's top Islamic cleric said that students and teachers will not be allowed to wear niqabs in classrooms and dormitories of Sunni Islam's premier institute of learning, al-Azhar.

The decision announced by Sheik of al-Azhar Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi came days after he said the niqab "has nothing to do with Islam."
He said the goal was to "spread trust, harmony ... and the correct understanding of religion among girls."

Mohamed Elmasry, former president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, agrees. Elmasry said the traditional garb has its roots in cultural customs rather than religious teachings, but he said he believes women should have the freedom to decide whether they wish to cover their faces, and that a ban would limit freedom of expression.

"People feel it's part of their identity, people feel it's part of their culture," Elmasry said. "It's not for you and me to decide."

Find this article at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-10-12-burka-canada_N.htm

McDonald's to open 1135th French store INSIDE Le Louvre

Sacre bleu!

In a move guaranteed to wipe the famous smile off Mona Lisa's mug, McDonald's is planning to open an eatery inside France's great temple of culture: the Louvre museum.

The London Telegraph reported the restaurant will open next month in the underground shopping plaza beneath I.M. Pei's glass pyramid in the museum courtyard.

The fast-food joint will be installed next to the site of a planned new ticketing area, meaning that soon the first sight the Louvre's 8 million annual visitors will encounter won't be the "Winged Victory of Samothrace" but the Golden Arches of Oak Brook, Ill.

The newspaper said workers at the museum were aghast, quoting an art historian fretting about "the very unpleasant odors" that might waft through the distinguished old palace.

A Louvre spokesman told the Telegraph that the McDonald's franchise owner "has taken the utmost care in ensuring the quality of the project, both in culinary and esthetic terms."

It will be the 1,135th Mickey D's selling fries to the French.

A country that famously venerates haute cuisine and the joys of regional recipes has fallen hard for standardized American grease bombs. In 2007, France became McDonald's biggest market outside of the United States.

hkennedy@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2009/10/05/2009-10-05_french_fried_as_mickey_ds_invades_mona_lisas_lair.html#ixzz0T6M46IHf

Where in the world do people live the longest?

Do You Know? From: karlascottspeaker.blogspot.com

Today's Topic: Life Expectancy Worldwide

Guess Where the US ranks in life expectancy among 223 nations

If you lived in the US in 1900, chances are you would have lived til the ripe old age of 46.3 if you were male and 48.3 if you were female. By 1950, it was 65.6 and 71.1. Fast forward 100 years and USA life expectancy has climbed to 78.11.

How does that compare to the rest of the world?

The US does not make the top 10, the top 20, nor even the top 30.
The US ranks 50 among 223 nations.

Life expectancy ranges from 84.36 years in Macau to 31.99 years in Swaziland

Specifically, Macao ranks number 1 with 84.36. (Men 81.39; Women 87.47)
Next, in 2 countries (Andorra and Japan) inhabitants live til 82.something,
In 5 countries, folks live til 81.something;
In 15 countries, folks live til 80.something;
In 13 countries, people live til 79.something;
and in 14 countries, inhabitants live til 78.something; The US barely makes this category with an average life span of 78.11. That puts us in 50th place. Just behind us are Albania and Taiwan with 77.96; Kuwait with 77.78, and Cuba with 77.45. BTW, all the European Nations and Canada rank higher than the US. (Perhaps socialized medicine has its benefits).

As you probably know, woman outlive men all over the world by a spread of 3-12 years in every country.

In 1st world countries, people live til 77-83 years while 3rd world countries inhabitants live til 35-60 years.

Lowest ranking nations are:
Swaziland (lowest at 35) , Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Central African Republic, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau, many which are suffering from very high rates of HIV/AIDS infection, with adult prevalence rates ranging from 10 to 38.8 percent.

Factors that influence longevity include:
Some factors that appear to influence life expectancy include family history, marital status, economic status, physique, exercise, diet, drug use including smoking and alcohol consumption, disposition, education, environment, sleep, climate, and health care.

Sources: World Health Organization, CIA World Factbook 2009

Where Do The Billionaires Live Worldwide?

Do You Know? From: karlascottspeaker.blogspot.com

Today’s topic: Which countries have the most billionaires?

According to Forbes Magazine, there were 799 billionaires worldwide in March 2009.

Here is where the Top 10 billionaires live Worldwide:

USA (almost half)-359
Germany-54
Russia-32
China-28
UK-25
India-24
Canada-20
Hong Kong-19
Japan-17
Saudi Arabia-14
Total here-592

Source: Forbes Magazine

Blair To Become Europe’s 1st President

The Times Online reports that Tony Blair is likely to become the First President of Europe. October 2, 2009, See article here:

'President' Blair waits on voters of Ireland

by Philip Webster, David Charter, Roger Boyes and Charles Bremner

Tony Blair is in line to be proclaimed Europe’s first president within weeks if the Irish vote “yes” in today’s referendum.

Senior British sources have told The Times that President Sarkozy has decided that Mr Blair is the best candidate and that Angela Merkel has softened her opposition.
The former Prime Minister could be ushered into the European Union’s top post at a summit on October 29.

Ms Merkel, the German Chancellor, was opposed to Mr Blair because she believed that the post should go to a country that had adopted the euro but British sources said that she may now be “biddable” if Germany and France get plum posts in the new European Commission.

German sources insisted that it was far from clear that Ms Merkel had changed her mind and there were suggestions in Paris that Mr Sarkozy was happy to be seen to be backing Mr Blair because he knew that Ms Merkel would scupper the appointment.
Mr Blair, whose claims are being advanced by ministers in London, will not enter the race unless he is certain of winning. He is wary of giving up his many other commitments, spanning business, the Middle East, climate change and his Faith Foundation.

If the Irish ratify the Lisbon treaty — the result will be declared tomorrow — only the signatures of the Polish and Czech presidents will be needed for full ratification. Warsaw is expected to come on board swiftly. President Klaus is harder to predict but diplomatic sources expect him to agree quickly, possibly after receiving a sweetener from Germany.

The decision presents a dilemma for the Conservatives, whose conference takes place next week. David Cameron remains committed to a referendum on the treaty. He has declined to say what he would do if the treaty were ratified before the general election.

Despite pressure from Eurosceptics, he would be unlikely to hold a referendum if he came to power after ratification, which would mean renegotiating Britain’s relationship with the EU, but a Europe with Mr Blair at its head would worry Tories even more.

Ms Merkel has touted Jean-Claude Juncker, of Luxembourg, for the role, but the backroom dealer would hardly set European pulses racing. It is understood that President Sarkozy proposed Felipe González, of Spain, privately to Ms Merkel, but that she was suspicious of endorsing the Socialist.