Communists Turn to Confucius

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop."

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."

If you're Chinese, you probably knew the author of these sayings by the time you got to the word "Before". If you're not Chinese, you probably got it by the end. These proverbs are some of the sayings of China's first moral teacher, Confucius (551- 479 BC) - a man whose teachings are now back in fashion in this country.
This week, it was announced that Chow Yun-Fat is to star as Confucius in a state-backed film to mark the 60th anniversary of Communist rule in October. A recent book about Confucius' teachings has sold more than 10 million copies.

For centuries, Confucianism provided the moral foundation for the conduct of life in China. Confucius and his followers designed a system of government and society based on harmony and respect for social order.

But during the early years of Communist rule, Confucianism came under attack. Chairman Mao decreed that there was room for only one belief system in China: his own.
During the decade-long Cultural Revolution, Red Guards attacked the home of Confucius and tried to destroy all forms of religion and tradition. Many were killed for their beliefs.

Then, at the end of the 1970s, Deng Xiaoping began to introduce capitalism. The certainties of Mao-style Marxism began to fall away.
A few years later, the Communist Party started to worry about a growing vacuum of belief in China. Universally-mandated faith in Communism was being replaced by a new belief in money, and also by a growing number of religious movements. One of these movements, the Falun Gong, was seen as a dangerous cult which posed a threat to the Party's rule.

The Party needed an alternative - a faith that might help to guide its citizens through life in a country that was trying to jam several centuries' worth of change into just a few years. In the end, it chose to do what every political party does when it faces a crisis - it went back to basics. In this case - to Confucius.
After he took office in 2003, China's President Hu Jintao began to talk of building a "harmonious society" - a deliberate echo of Confucius. Communist Party officials talk as much as they can about harmony (conveniently, the need for harmony is often used as a pretext for stopping all forms of dissent).

Here in Beijing, the 14th Century Confucian Temple is a popular destination for Chinese tourists. Harmony within the grounds clearly needs a little vigilance. A sign warns that there will be "No Admission for Drunkards and People with Mental Problems".

A colleague and I asked some of the visitors for their favourite Confucian sayings.
"I work for a very big company," one woman told us. "Every day I have to work in a team with colleagues. I practise and experience one of the mottos of Confucius: 'When three people travel together, one must be the teacher.'"
"Confucius says a noble man can love a beautiful woman but not have lust," a man told us. "That philosophy taught me a lot. My son is still young but when he grows up I will teach him about it and show him the root of our culture."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jamesreynolds/
James Reynolds 11:36 GMT, Friday, 20 March 2009

The History of St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th to commemorate Saint Patrick and the anniversary of his death. The Irish have observed the day as a holiday for thousands of years. However, the first parade took place in the United States. Irish soldiers in the British military marched in New York on March 17, 1762. Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1995, and the president issues a proclamation each year.

Who Was St. Patrick?
Saint Patrick was born Maewyn Succat in Britain in the fourth century. It is widely believed that he died on March 17, around 460 AD.
At the age of sixteen he was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. After six years as an enslaved prisoner, Patrick escaped. He would later write that the voice of God spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave. After returning to Britain he studied to become a priest. After being ordained, he was sent to Ireland to minister to Christians and convert the Irish. Patrick's mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years.
Although North America has the largest celebrations, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds all around the world.

St. Patrick's Day Symbolism
The Shamrock
Irish legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock leaf to symbolize the Trinity. He used the shamrock's three leaflets united by a common stalk to help explain the concept of the Trinity.
The Blarney Stone
Old Irish folklore tells of an old woman that cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney).
The word blarney has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk.
LeprechaunsA mischievous elf of Irish folklore, the leprechaun takes the appearance of a miniature old man. Leprechauns are solitary creatures and spend their time as shoemakers. It is told the leprechauns are the guardians of treasures hidden by the Danes when they marauded through Ireland. If caught, they can be forced to reveal the hiding place of their treasure.

St. Patrick's Day Fun Facts
---There are four places in the United States named Shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. Mount Gay-Shamrock, W.Va., and Shamrock, Texas, were the most populous, with 2,623 and 1,855 residents, respectively. Shamrock Lakes, Ind., had 159 residents and Shamrock, Okla., 124.
---There are nine places in the United States that share the name of Ireland's capital, Dublin. Since Census 2000, Dublin, Calif., has surpassed Dublin, Ohio, as the most populous of these places (41,840 compared with 36,995 as of July 1, 2006).
---Twenty-two gallons of beer are consumed per capita by Americans annually. On St. Patrick's Day, you may be able to order green-dyed beer at one of the nation's 48,050drinking places, some of which may be Irish pubs.
---In the US there were 387 breweries in 2004. These figures do not count microbreweries or brewpubs that serve customers on the premises. The nation's breweries are the source for the domestic beer that is often an integral part of St. Paddy's Day celebrations. While California had the highest number of breweries (55), Colorado had the largest number of brewery employees, with more than 5,000.
---If you're still not into the spirit of St. Paddy's Day after stopping by one of the places named "Shamrock" or "Dublin," then you might consider paying a visit to Emerald Isle, N.C., with 3,716 residents.
---There were 42.1 billion pounds of U.S. beef and 2.6 billion pounds of cabbage produced in 2006. Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick's Day dish. The corned beef that celebrants dine on may very well have originated in Texas, which produced 6.8 billion pounds worth of beef, while the cabbage most likely came from California, which produced 607 million pounds worth, or New York (462 million pounds).

Data courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau
Published: 2/25/09, 6:36 PM EDT

British Woman Jailed for Adultery in Dubai

A British mother jailed for adultery in Dubai has lost a second appeal and will stay in prison.

Marnie Pearce, 40, hoped to be freed but will have to serve the rest of a three month term. It had been reduced from six months at her first appeal.

She will be deported on her release and fears she will lose custody of her two young children.

Ms Pearce says her ex-husband accused her of adultery to gain custody of their two children, a claim he denies.

In a posting on her campaign website, her supporters said: "It is with great sadness that Team Marnie have to announce that the verdict will remain the same and Marnie will have to serve her time and, for now, be deported.

"We will continue to apply pressure to have the deportation order lifted, and thank everyone for their continued support."

Ms Pearce, who is originally from Bracknell, Berkshire, denies the adultery claims made by her ex-husband, Egyptian national Ihab El-Labban.

They had two children together, aged four and seven.

She first met her former husband in Oman and married him in the Seychelles in September 1999.

They moved to Dubai but the relationship eventually broke down.

In March last year she was arrested and accused of committing adultery with a British man, who she insists was only a friend, and convicted in November.

Neil Durkin, spokesman for Amnesty International, said: "I know the Foreign Office is working on the case but what we can do remains to be seen, it is difficult."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/berkshire/7945543.stm

Published: 2009/03/16 13:36:41 GMT

Religious Police in Saudi Arabia as Harsh as Ever

Widow sentenced to 40 lashes, four months in jail for meeting young men who are like sons to her.

CAIRO - A 75-year-old widow in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 40 lashes and four months in jail for mingling with two young men who are not close relatives, drawing new criticism for the kingdom's ultraconservative religious police and judiciary.
The woman's lawyer told The Associated Press on Monday that he would appeal the verdict against Khamisa Sawadi, who is Syrian but was married to a Saudi. The attorney, Abdel Rahman al-Lahem, said the verdict issued March 3 also demands that Sawadi be deported after serving her sentence.

He said his client, who is not serving her sentence yet, was not speaking with the media, and he declined to provide more details about the case.
The newspaper Al-Watan said the woman met with the two 24-year-old men last April after she asked them to bring her five loaves of bread at her home in al-Chamil, a city north of the capital, Riyadh.

Al-Watan identified one man as Fahd al-Anzi, the nephew of Sawadi's late husband, and the other as his friend and business partner Hadiyan bin Zein. It said they were arrested by the religious police after delivering the bread. The men also were convicted and sentenced to lashes and prison.
Ruling based on 'citizen information'

The court said it based its ruling on "citizen information" and testimony from al-Anzi's father, who accused Sawadi of corruption. "Because she said she doesn't have a husband and because she is not a Saudi, conviction of the defendants of illegal mingling has been confirmed," the court verdict read.

Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islam prohibits men and women who are not immediate relatives from mingling. It also bars women from driving, and the playing of music, dancing and many movies also are a concern for hard-liners who believe they violate religious and moral values.

Complaints from Saudis have been growing that the religious police and courts are overstepping their broad mandate and interfering in people's lives, and critics lambasted the handling of Sawadi's case.

"How can a verdict be issued based on suspicion?" Laila Ahmed al-Ahdab, a physician who also is a columnist for Al-Watan, wrote Monday. "A group of people are misusing religion to serve their own interests."

Sawadi told the court she considered al-Anzi as her son, because she breast-fed him when he was a baby. But the court denied her claim, saying she didn't provide evidence. In Islamic tradition, breast-feeding establishes a degree of maternal relation, even if a woman nurses a child who is not biologically hers.
Sawadi commonly asked her neighbors for help after her husband died, said journalist Bandar al-Ammar, who reported the story for Al-Watan. In a recent article, he wrote that he felt the need to report the case "so everybody knows to what degree we have reached."

The woman's conviction came a few weeks after King Abdullah fired the chief of the religious police and a cleric who condoned killing owners of TV networks that broadcast "immoral content." The move was seen as part of an effort to weaken the hard-line Sunni Muslim establishment.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29601858?GT1=43001

The Associated Press
updated 6:08 p.m. ET, Mon., March. 9, 2009

Purim Begins at Sunset

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.

The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.
The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them." Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.

Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.

The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that is the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.

Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually in March. The 13th of Adar is the day that Haman chose for the extermination of the Jews, and the day that the Jews battled their enemies for their lives. On the day afterwards, the 14th, they celebrated their survival. In cities that were walled in the time of Joshua, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, because the book of Esther says that in Shushan (a walled city), deliverance from the massacre was not complete until the next day. The 15th is referred to as Shushan Purim.
In leap years, when there are two months of Adar, Purim is celebrated in the second month of Adar, so it is always one month before Passover. The 14th day of the first Adar in a leap year is celebrated as a minor holiday called Purim Katan, which means "little Purim." There are no specific observances for Purim Katan; however, a person should celebrate the holiday and should not mourn or fast. Some communities also observe a "Purim Katan" on the anniversary of any day when their community was saved from a catastrophe, destruction, evil or oppression.

The word "Purim" means "lots" and refers to the lottery that Haman used to choose the date for the massacre.

The Purim holiday is preceded by a minor fast, the Fast of Esther, which commemorates Esther's three days of fasting in preparation for her meeting with the king.

The primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the book of Esther. The book of Esther is commonly known as the Megillah, which means scroll. Although there are five books of Jewish scripture that are properly referred to as megillahs (Esther, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations), this is the one people usually mean when they speak of The Megillah. It is customary to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle gragers (noisemakers; see illustration) whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the service. The purpose of this custom is to "blot out the name of Haman."

We are also commanded to eat, drink and be merry. According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai," though opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is. A person certainly should not become so drunk that he might violate other commandments or get seriously ill. In addition, recovering alcoholics or others who might suffer serious harm from alcohol are exempt from this obligation.

In addition, we are commanded to send out gifts of food or drink, and to make gifts to charity. The sending of gifts of food and drink is referred to as shalach manos (lit. sending out portions). Among Ashkenazic Jews, a common treat at this time of year is hamentaschen (lit. Haman's pockets). These triangular fruit-filled cookies are supposed to represent Haman's three-cornered hat. My recipe is included below.

It is customary to hold carnival-like celebrations on Purim, to perform plays and parodies, and to hold beauty contests. I have heard that the usual prohibitions against cross-dressing are lifted during this holiday, but I am not certain about that. Americans sometimes refer to Purim as the Jewish Mardi Gras.
Purim is not subject to the sabbath-like restrictions on work that some other holidays are; however, some sources indicate that we should not go about our ordinary business on Purim out of respect for the holiday.

USA Gets Russian Translation Wrong

Russian media have been poking fun at the US secretary of state over a translation error on a gift she presented to her Russian counterpart.

Hillary Clinton gave Sergei Lavrov a mock "reset" button, symbolising US hopes to mend frayed ties with Moscow.

But he said the word the Americans chose, "peregruzka", meant "overloaded" or "overcharged", rather than "reset".
Daily newspaper Kommersant declared on its front page: "Sergei Lavrov and Hillary Clinton push the wrong button."

Relations between Washington and Moscow have cooled in recent years over Russia's role in the war in Georgia, US support for the entry of Georgia and Ukraine to Nato, and the planned US missile shield based in central Europe.
Efforts to heal the rift got off to an awkward start on Friday as the two sides met in Geneva, when Mrs Clinton presented Foreign Minister Lavrov with a green box tied in green ribbon.

As reporters watched, the US secretary of state assured her Russian opposite number her staff had "worked hard" to ensure it was accurate.
"Was it right?" she inquired with a smile.
"You got it wrong," Mr Lavrov responded, also smiling, before pointing out the mistake.

Despite the embarrassment, the two made light of the moment in front of the cameras and pushed the button together to signify a shared hope for better relations.
At a joint news conference after two hours of talks, both joked about the error.
"We reached an agreement on how 'reset' is spelled in both Russian and English - we have no differences between us any more," Mr Lavrov said through an interpreter.
Mrs Clinton put it this way: "The minister corrected our word choice. But in a way, the word that was on the button turns out to be also true.
"We are resetting, and because we are resetting, the minister and I have an 'overload' of work."

The gift was a light-hearted reference to US Vice-President Joe Biden's recent remark that the new US administration wanted to reset ties with Russia after years of friction.

Posted on Karla's blog at www.karlascottspeaker.blogspot.com
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7930047.stm

Published: 2009/03/07 12:17:24 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Checklist of Characteristics For Success In Intercultural Communications

What does it take to be successful in overseas business ventures?—especially if you plan to reside in-country for an extended term.
Consider the following checklist of characteristics for effectiveness:

Respect For Other Cultures
Adaptability
Open-Mindedness
Resourcefulness
Strong Listening Skills
Solid Observation Skills
Humility To Be A Foreigner
Willingness To Learn
Adventurous Nature
Patience
Tolerance For Ambiguity
Arsenal of Coping Skills

Do you have what it takes?
from http://www.karlascottspeaker.blogspot.com