text:
Home/Analysis/Pablo Lopez: The Breakout Arm No One Saw Coming
AnalysisNL East
Pablo Lopez: The Breakout Arm No One Saw Coming
Kara Godsey September 3, 2020
Coming into the 2020 season, the Marlins pitching staff was defined by one name: Sandy Alcantara. In his first full season at the major league level, Alcantara was chosen to represent Miami in the All-Star Game. Just three games into the 2020 season, the COVID-19 outbreak decimated the Marlins' rotation.
Enter Pablo Lopez.
Coming off a pedestrian season as a starter in a woeful rotation, expectations for Lopez were low. In 2019, Lopez suffered a 5.09 ERA and a 4.28 FIP. Add in a HR/9 rate of 1.21, and it's pretty clear that opposing batters hit Lopez hard last year. Sporting a FIP significantly lower than his ERA, the average fan would have expected marginal improvement this year. However, no one could have predicted the drastic evolution that took place.
Take a blind look at his stats so far in 2020 and you would think you're looking at an entirely different pitcher. Lopez currently boasts a 2.10 ERA, good enough for eighth-best in the league. He has gone at least five innings in each of his starts and has yet to allow more than two runs in any given start. Had the All-Star Game been played this season, Lopez would have been the Marlins' representative without a doubt.
You may be thinking, "He plays for the Marlins, this must be sheer luck." With a league average BABIP of .314, this breakout is not a fluke. Lopez has punched out hitters at a higher clip (8.39 K/9) and drastically lowered his home run rate (0.26 HR/9). Let's take a look at a few factors that have catapulted Lopez to the top of the rotation.
Improved Pitch Mix
The recent success for Lopez can likely be attributed to an improved pitch mix. In his first two years, Lopez's go-to pitch was his 4-seam fastball. Last season, Lopez threw the 4-seamer on 42.4% of his pitches. This heavy use resulted in a barrel percentage of 7.4, just about league average. So far, Lopez has thrown his fastball just 27.8% of the time, the lowest of his career. As a result, his barrel percentage has plummeted to 4.9.
In place of pure heat, Lopez has employed his excellent off-speed pitches. He has thrown his sinker almost 8% more this year, but the real money pitch is his changeup. With a whiff rate of 38.6%, the changeup is easily the best pitch in Lopez's arsenal.
Here is a brief look at the evolution of Lopez's pitch mix from 2019 to 2020.
Four Seam Fastball 42.4% 27.8%
Changeup 22.0% 29.3%
Curve 19.2% 6.7%
Sinker 16.3% 24.8%
Cutter — 11.4%
Pablo Lopez pitch mix
Improved Pitch Location
In addition to his pitch mix, Lopez has also made some changes in pitch location. Last year, he attacked the right side of the plate most often. This year, he has thrown significantly more pitches to the left side of the plate (low and away to a right-handed batter). Greater whiff rates can likely be partially attributed to the increased variety in location demonstrated by the charts below.
Lopez has been much improved in every way this season, but especially so with two strikes. In 2019, he struggled to finish off batters, with no pitch topping 20% in putaway percentage. Meaning that with a two-strike count, the chance that any given pitch produces a strikeout would be less than 20%. This year, his curveball, changeup, and fastball sit at 50.0%, 29.8%, and 26.5%, respectively. Lopez has not only improved his pitch mix, but he has also greatly improved his efficiency in retiring batters.
As a Marlins fan, hot stretches like this are always met with a dose of skepticism. But the success of newly minted ace, Pablo Lopez, is not simply due to poor competition or BABIP luck. Lopez has found a winning formula for his arsenal. As the Marlins push to remain in playoff contention down the stretch, Lopez is peaking at an opportune time. And at just 24 years old, Lopez could be a key contributor in the coming years if his progress this season proves sustainable.
Featured Photo: @Marlins / Twitter
Facebook Twitter Reddit Share via Email Print
Kara Godsey
Kara is pursuing a graduate degree in Applied Statistics. She has been a Marlins fan her entire life and dreams of working in a front office one day.
Slinger Saturday: Noé Ramirez
Slinger Saturday: Craig Kimbrel
Josh Bell's Batted Ball Tendencies Have Taken A Downward Turn
Slinger Saturday: Mychal Givens
About Kara Godsey

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Join us today, Saturday, Sept. 29 for our community cookout at the Gross Reservoir Expansion Public Information Yurt from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
We will have project representatives available to share project information and answer community questions. Burgers and hot dogs will be available to visitors to enjoy throughout the day.
We hope to see you at the yurt!


Welcome to the Stews website, where you can find our hours, locations and a little bit about our family owned and operated business. We strive to bring our customers great service, and we appreciate your business and loyalty over the past 30 years!
© 2019 Stew's Barbershops. All rights reserved.


Be a part of a time-honored tradition at Power House of Dance!
Once again, we are pleased to offer our dance families the opportunity to celebrate your dancer by placing an advertisement in our Recital Program. Our high-quality programs make for wonderful keepsakes!
You may choose to purchase an ad to congratulate your dancer/s on a successful dance season, thank your dance instructor, or wish your dancer good luck!
Ads can be placed by emailing dance@dallaspowerhouse.com; include your message and high-resolution images!
Ads are in black and white, and charges will be posted to your account.
Would you like to promote your business, association, club or charity in our Recital Program? We are also offering limited advertising opportunities for businesses! Our recital program has an initial reach of approximately 5000 people, making it a truly effective marketing tool. Contact our front desk for more information!


Take a look at our database of Austin Domain apartments. Apartment Ninjas recommends renting a floor plan at Residences at the Domain apartments in Austin, TX. Our Austin Domain apartment locators are experts at finding you the perfect place. Residences at the Domain offers so much more than just the number one location in Austin.


text:
Събития

Родени

Починали
 28 юни – Лъв II, Римски папа

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Lege Lines: School Finance Math; Tax Plans Diverge; Veteran Benefits Restricted; and More
Is school finance dead this session?; House and Senate tax plans split; Lege restricts veterans' benefits; and more
By Richard Whittaker, Fri., May 15, 2015
Rep. Dan Huberty
School Finance: Add Cash, Subtract Reform
School finance reform could be dead for this session. House Bill 1759 by House Public Education Committee Chair Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, was the big hope for relief for school districts (see "The Education Session," May 1). Not only would it provide extra cash for schools, but it would also reduce the Robin Hood recapture payments by districts like Austin ISD, which is forecast to send over $500 million to state coffers over the next biennium. However, while the bill left committee on April 29, it will only return to the House floor on May 14th – the very last day for a bill to receive a second reading. Senate Public Education Committee Chair Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, hasn't even seen the text yet, and with only a few days left for substantive committee action, he is extremely doubtful that the bill stands any chance of passage.
There is some bright news, however. The draft budget includes at least some extra money, beyond student enrollment growth and inflation, in the basic funding. However, the House and Senate still disagree on numbers, with the lower chamber proposing $2.2 billion, and the upper looking for $1.2 billion.
There's also an extra $130 million for early education. On May 7, the Senate approved HB 4 by Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Kingwood, which provides extra cash for half-day pre-K programs that reach new standards to be set by the Texas Education Agency. There were floor amendments, the most controversial of which was by Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, which explicitly defines the money as a grant. That raised eyebrows with Dems such as Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, who had been told repeatedly during committee hearings, including by Huberty, that this was not a grant. The Republicans also capped the measure at $130 million for the biennium, after some forecasts put the total bill at closer to $500 million.
So what does this mean for school finance reform? Taylor argued that Aycock's piecemeal approach, which would mean further work in two years' time, is insufficient. He argues that it will take a special session, with all 181 legislative minds focused just on education, to get anywhere.
Tax Cuts Fall in a Hole
Sen. Brian Birdwell
Lawmakers are using part of a supposed surplus to fund that education hike, but what about the rest? The House and Senate have been maneuvering around how to cut taxes. The House wants the state's first ever sales tax cut, while the Senate wants to provide some property tax relief. The gap has seemed impossible to bridge, but at least they both agreed on reducing the business franchise tax. However, now they may not have the money to do that.
On April 30, the 3rd Court of Appeals issued what could be a landmark ruling in the case of American Multi-Cinema, Inc. v. Comptroller Glenn Hegar and Attorney General Ken Paxton. AMC, the movie theatre chain, convinced the court that their auditoriums and projection booths are production space, meaning they can count them against their franchise tax bill. The state now owes them a $1.2 million refund for their 2008 and 2009 tax returns. Scale that out to all such businesses, and the state could face a $1.5 billion reduction in franchise tax receipts – which could cripple lawmakers' scheme for a $2.6 billion franchise tax cut.
A Military Education
Texas talks a big game when it comes to military veterans, but legislators are moving fast on cutting an important benefit that helps them and their families get an education. On May 8, the House Higher Education Committee voted 5-1 to send Senate Bill 1735 to the floor. The measure revamps the 86-year-old Hazlewood Act exemption, the longstanding tuition program for military veterans and their surviving children. The bill was authored by U.S. Army veteran Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, but it does little for other veterans besides make it harder for them to get these benefits.
The bill adds on a pile of restrictions, including that before a veteran takes their first class, they must have been a Texas resident for the preceeding eight years, and the class must take place within 15 years of the veteran's honorable discharge. If the benefits are taken by an heir, the student is limited to 60 credit hours, and could only get those benefits if their parent had served in the military for six years. They will also have to maintain a 2.5 GPA and a 24-credit-hour workload.
Birdwell has claimed that the changes are necessary to keep the program financially viable. However, Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, said that if the Legislature is serious about its economic future, "the solution should be to increase funding to public universities."
Mandatory Gun Shows
More shenanigans from the firearms industry. HB 3866 by Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, would force municipally owned convention and exhibition centers to lease to gun shows. Not only that, but they would be forced to charge the lowest rents possible – meaning matching the same kind of sweetheart deals they offer to, say, charities, or local school districts. Somehow this slipped through the House Urban Affairs Committee, and Committee Chair Carol Alvarado, D-Pasadena, sent it to the Local and Consent Calendars Committee, meaning it was scheduled to pass the House without debate on May 8 – that is until lawmakers from the Travis County and Dallas delegations, hearing concerns from their local conference centers, challenged how the bill was being handled. It was very quietly sent back to Calendars and rescheduled for May 12, minus the discount pricing. Then after further pressure from urban Democrats, spearheaded by San Antonio freshman Rep. Diego Bernal, the bill was sent back to Calendars again. No longer classified as local or consensual, it is now seen as virtually dead.
Short Lines
Texas Rangers are now investigating reports that a conservative group – linked to the same people who entrapped liberal group ACORN and forced its closure – have been covertly taping Texas lawmakers... Some pro-pot legalization advocates online got prematurely excited that Texas is legalizing marijuana: in fact, the Senate approved SB 339 by Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, which would allow the use of cannabis oil for sufferers of particularly severe epilepsy. It still has to pass the less pot-friendly House... Gov. Greg Abbott has signed SB 149, creating high school graduation committees. The measure, authored by Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, creates a path to graduation for high-achieving students who are struggling with end-of-course exams.
More HB 1759
Lege Lines: Weak Oversight Rules, School Vouchers Pass Senate, and More...
Lege pushes weak oversight rules, school voucher bill sails through Senate, and more...
Richard Whittaker, April 24, 2015
More Jimmie Don Aycock
Lege Races Take Shape
Seats open up as veterans bow out
Richard Whittaker, June 19, 2015
Lege Lines: Billpocalypse!
Bills start dying as sine die draws near; schools get new A-F grading system; and more
Richard Whittaker, May 22, 2015
HB 1759, Jimmie Don Aycock, Larry Taylor, Dan Huberty, Donna Campbell, SB 1735, 84th Texas Legislature, School finance, Tax cuts, Veteran Benefits


text:
The 11 Most Anticipated RPGs in 2018
by Serhii Patskan
2017 was a fantastic year for the RPG genre. Games like Divinity: Original Sin 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera, and many others show that the genre still stands firm in the face of many big-budget AAA titles that dominate the gaming market these days.
2018 will also introduce a huge variety of sub-genres, settings, characters, and combat mechanics in a number of completely original RPG projects and sequels to long-running franchises.
Many upcoming games still don't have exact release dates, but teaser trailers are already available, so you will have the chance to see what these most anticipated RPG games of 2018 have to offer.
Developer: Warhorse Studios
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
The development of one of the most anticipated non-fantasy RPGs of 2018 is an adventure of its own. It started back in 2012, after the former developers of the Mafia franchise licensed the CryEngine for their new unknown project.
After two uncertain years, the Kickstarter campaign was able to help Warhorse Studios finance the rest of the development. In 2016, the Kingdom Come: Deliverance team showed the results of four years of development, which was an almost finished version of the game.
Finally, in just a few months, you will get the chance to experience one of the most realistic single-player RPGs in history, complete with period-accurate armor, combat, and a 15th-century setting.
Kingdom Hearts III
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
Release date: TBA 2018
As usual, Team Disney and Team Final Fantasy, including new characters from Toy Story, comprise the theme of the 12th installment of this beloved RPG franchise that first emerged way back in 2002. There have been many ups and downs on the way for the Kingdom Hearts series, but after years of development complications, Kingdom Hearts III will finally come out in 2018.
The game runs on Unreal Engine 4, allowing all the characters from Disney movies to look as cinematic as possible, which is also the main reason why the game was delayed for so long.
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
The narrative of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire will continue the plot of the original game, which was released in 2015. Players will be able to use the save files from the original game and continue the story where they last finished it. This means that the events of the first game will directly affect the course of Deadfire.
The developers also promise the possibility to travel not only on land but also on the sea, where players will encounter new cultures and environments. Lastly, NPCs in Deadfire will behave in a more dynamic way, which will result in a series of much more interesting side quests.
Developer: TaleWorlds Entertainment
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a medieval action-RPG developed by TaleWorlds Entertainment, which has been responsible for the Mount & Blade series from its very inception.
The game takes place 200 years before Mount & Blade: Warband, during the period of the fall of the Empire and the formation of independent kingdoms.
The armor, weapons and architecture in Bannerlord will correspond to the period between the seventh and thirteenth centuries.
Unlike the previous games in this popular series, Monster Hunter: World is set in an open-world environment.
The game will support a cooperative mode with up to four players who can jointly overcome even the biggest and strongest enemies. It is already known that players from Japan and Western countries will be able to play freely with one other.
The playable demo will be available on consoles in December 2017, so keep your eyes open for further announcements.
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
Developer: Bandai Namco (Level-5)
Platforms: PC, PS4
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is the the continuation of the much-loved Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch from 2013. In the sequel you will meet the main character of the game -- Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum -- as well as his friends and allies, who find themselves tasked with saving their kingdom from the dark forces.
Just like the first game, Revenant Kingdom is set in an open-world environment full of lush and colorful locations. If you enjoyed playing the first game, you will definitely have a blast playing this one, too.
Developer: Lab Zero Games
Platforms: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Lab Zero Games is an indie developer that became known for its work on 2D fighting game Skullgirls. Its latest project, Indivisible, is an action-RPG funded entirely with the help of IndieGoGo's crowdfunding campaign last year.
The main character of the game is a girl named Ajna. She goes on a distant and very difficult journey to learn all about the mysterious powers she possesses. On her way, she will not only meet deadly foes but also loyal allies.
The developers of Indivisible were mainly inspired by classic games such as Valkyrie Profile and Super Metroid. Also interesting to note is that the music for the game was written by the composer of Secret of Mana, Hiroki Kikuta.
Shenmue III
Developer: Neilo, Ys Net
Release date: Q3/Q4 2018
During this year's Gamescom, fans of the Shenmue series were finally able to see the first teaser trailer for Shenmue 3. Originally, the project was set to premiere at E3 2017, but the event was canceled.
Shenmue 3 will offer players a chance to experience several genres at once. It combines action-adventure and RPG elements with an open-world setting. Also at your service will be arcade machines, mini-games, and many interesting NPCs with their own personal stories for you to discover.
For those of you who may have never heard of the Shenmue series, an interesting tidbit is that the first game from 2000 introduced QTE (Quick Time Events) mechanics, which are frequently used in many games up to this very day.
Vampyr
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Vampyr is an action-packed RPG with complex but very intuitive combat mechanics. You will be involved in an investigation during which you have to collect a lot of clues and interview a large number of NPCs on the streets of London.
Using the vampire's skills along with improvised weapons, you will have to fight not only physical enemies but also your own fears. Anyone you meet in the game can be either a victim of the crime or the criminal.
Vampyr is a true gothic horror story about vampires in the real world, where death and crime on the streets reflect inevitable social and political changes after WWI.
Developer: Spiders
If you like to explore remote, isolated islands populated by indigenous people and supernatural beings who fend off uninvited guests, then GreedFall is your type of game. Alongside other settlers, mercenaries, and treasure hunters, you will experience a living and ever-changing world.
Your actions, from the simplest decisions to the global ones, will effect changes in the political situation of the island, which in turn will change the course of events and your relations with the various factions that coexist within the game.
Developer: Phoenix Labs
Dauntless is an action-RPG inspired by the Dark Souls series, Monster Hunter, and World of Warcraft, with classic Diablo-like gameplay in a fantasy setting.
You will have the chance to take on the role of a hunter whose prey are none other than giant monsters that actually look very similar to dinosaurs. In Dauntless, you can go on an adventure alone, or assemble a group to hunt for monsters together.
That's it for the most anticipated RPGs of 2018. Hopefully you have found a project or two that have you interested. Stick with GameSkinny for more upcoming game news and information, including our take on the most anticipated MMOs of 2018.
Which upcoming RPG do you want to play the most? Leave your opinion in the comments section below.
Published Nov. 27th 2017
Serhii Patskan
Sergey has been a freelancer in the video games industry for more than five years, writing for various publications around the world. His favorite games are MtG, Dark Souls, Diablo, and Divinity: Original Sin.
The 15 Best PS4 RPGs You Can Play on PS5
Bandai Namco Announce Ni No Kuni 2 Switch Release Date
Ni No Kuni 2 Switch Rating Pops Up on the ESRB
Octopath Traveler, NieR: Automata Coming to Xbox Game Pass
Capcom Will Port Monster Hunter Rise to PC in 2022
Kingdom Hearts Shines Its Light on PC Soon
GreedFall Guide: How to Respec Your Character, Find Memory Crystals
Monster Hunter: World Iceborne Celebrates Monster Hunter Movie with New Event Quests
Tetsuya Nomura Wants to Shake Things up for the Next Kingdom Hearts
Games DauntlessGreedfallIndivisibleKingdom Come: DeliveranceKingdom Hearts 3Monster Hunter: WorldMount and Blade 2: BannerlordNi no Kuni II: Revenant KingdomPillars of Eternity II: DeadfireShenmue 3Vampyr Genres ActionAdventureFightingFree to PlayIndieRPGSandboxSimulationStrategySurvival Platforms PCMacPlaystation 4Xbox OneLinuxNintendo Switch


text:
#import "DynamoDBConsumedCapacity.h"

@implementation DynamoDBConsumedCapacity

@synthesize tableName;
@synthesize capacityUnits;

-(id)init
{
    if (self = [super init]) {
        tableName     = nil;
        capacityUnits = nil;
    }

    return self;
}

-(NSString *)description
{
    NSMutableString *buffer = [[NSMutableString alloc] initWithCapacity:256];

    [buffer appendString:@"{"];
    [buffer appendString:[[[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:@"TableName: %@,", tableName] autorelease]];
    [buffer appendString:[[[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:@"CapacityUnits: %@,", capacityUnits] autorelease]];
    [buffer appendString:[super description]];
    [buffer appendString:@"}"];

    return [buffer autorelease];
}

-(void)dealloc
{
    [tableName release];
    [capacityUnits release];

    [super dealloc];
}

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Nathaniel Edward "Nathan" Nockels (born June 8, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and worship leader, who is a producer, songwriter, and composer of sacred music. He has received seven GMA Dove Awards, for his production. Nockels and his wife, Christy, were members of the worship-duo, Watermark.

Early and personal life
Nockels was born, Nathaniel Edward Nockels, on June 8, 1973, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University. Nockels first came in contact with Christy Nockels, while they were attending the Christian Artists Seminar in 1993, where it was hosted in Estes Park, Colorado, and they would eventually marry in 1995. The couple now reside in Franklin, Tennessee and Alpharetta, Georgia, with their three children.

Music career
His music career started in 1997, where he was a producer on Faith of Our Fathers, that was released on September 9, 1997. He was a member of the worship duo, Watermark, with his wife Christy Nockels, from 1998 until 2006, when he focused more on production work and her on a solo music career. Nockels has gone on to produce albums and songs that have won him seven GMA Dove Awards, during his career, mostly for Passion Conferences albums in the category of Special Event Album of the Year, in 2007, 2009 and 2011. He won GMA Dove Awards for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year in 2012, where he was the producer on Blessings by Laura Story, and for Inspirational Album of the Year in 2015, for his production on Above It All by Phillips, Craig and Dean, with Seth Mosley. His work with Matt Redman has won him GMA Dove Awards for Blessed Be Your Name: The Songs of Matt Redman Vol. 1 in the category of Praise and Worship Album of the Year in 2006, while winning for Contemporary Christian Performance of the Year with song "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" on 10,000 Reasons.

References

External links
 Twitter page

1973 births
Living people
American performers of Christian music
Record producers from Texas
Musicians from Oklahoma City
Musicians from Houston
Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee
Musicians from Atlanta
Songwriters from Oklahoma
Songwriters from Texas
Songwriters from Tennessee
Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)


You are a Self-Discoverer: You're not religious, but you've created your own kind of spirituality. Introspective and thoughtful, you tend to look inward for the divine. You are distrusting of all forms of organised religion. You especially dislike religious gurus and leaders, who you feel are charlatans.
Whereas I think therefore I am. I think.
I mean, I know that I am, and I think that I think, but I'm not absolutely certain that I am merely because I think; since I'm not too certain of the interrelationship between the two factoids.
'sides which, this has just started getting very boring, so I'll leave it at that.
Next PostNext Amerika ist Wunderbar!


text:
What is AR-15 rifle?
Prepper Firearms April 8, 2015 AR-15, rifle, What
What is AR-15?
The AR-15 is a lightweight rifle with an intermediate cartridge and a rotating lock bolt. To give you an idea of how light it is, the rifle without ammunition weighs less than 6 pounds. Some later versions of the AR-15 were made with heavier barrels, which increased the weight to about 9 pounds. There have been many versions of the AR-15 produced, which have mainly been within the semiautomatic family. But the original AR-15 rifles were fully automatic and could shoot 800 rounds per minute. By the time they were brought to the consumer marketplace, they were made into semiautomatic rifles which could shoot 90 rounds per minute. These rifles are manufactured with lots of synthetic materials and aluminum alloys. The very first AR-15 was created in 1959 by the company "ArmaLite," which was a small arms engineering company in America. Many people think the "AR" in the rifle's name means assault rifle, but it actually stands for the name of its founder "ArmaLite." They built the AR-15 specifically for the United States military back in the 1950s. Eventually ArmaLite had financial problems and were forced to sell the AR-15 design to the firearms manufacturing company called "Colt." It was Colt that brought the AR-15 rifle to the consumer marketplace, which occurred around 1963. They also own the AR-15 registered trademark, although there have been variations of the firearm made by many different manufacturers and they use their own names for it.
AR-15s are best known for their shooting accuracy as well as their modularity. This is why both civilians and law enforcement agencies throughout the world have been using AR-15 weapons for years now. Tactical forces, such as SWAT teams, love to use AR-15 rifles or variations of it because they can rush with them quickly. Then when they have to aim their weapon and shoot a suspect, they can do it fast and with a lot of accuracy. Since it is easy to configure the AR-15, it has been manufactured and modified into a number of other weapons. One of the most popular modifications is the M16 rifle. This rifle was first used by the United States Army when they were deployed to Vietnam in 1963.
Today you will find hunters using the AR-15 to shoot their prey. Some say the AR-15 makes it easier for hunters to kill their prey, but to them it is all about the love of killing. That is why AR-15 rifles will continue to be used for hunting and sports just like it.
← What is Polartec? What is the difference between the different types of Polartec?
What is EDC (everyday carry) Bag? →


In CNN commentator, Marc Lamont Hill, we have a budding Al Sharpton who is learning how to rile up the masses.
CNN anchor Carol Costello asked Dr. Marc Lamont Hill the following question: Yes. So, Marc, why is it so difficult for some people just to call this guy a terrorist?
HILL: Because, unfortunately, we live in a nation where terrorist has come to mean things done by Muslims or things done by Arabs or things done by brown people. You know, we often only assign the term terrorism to those groups of people. The truth is, we've never wanted to name white supremacist as terrorism, whether it's Timothy McVeigh, although I'm not calling – although that's a slightly different story, we still didn't want to call it domestic terrorism. We don't – we don't want to call the KKK domestic terrorists. It's not something that we ever historically wanted to do.
Listen to this garbage yourself.
It's hard to know what the hay he's talking about since he makes no sense nor does Communist Van Jones who beat him to to it and took the same tack yesterday. He already tweeted that this crime in South Carolina was all about white privilege and we should call this murderer a terrorist..
Sheriff David Clarke was asked about the Marc Lamont Hill's comments. He said it was 'pure hyperbole', 'demagoguery' and 'someone who wants to keep this animosity going'.


text:
Townsend for NC House 77
earlyvoting
I entered this campaign to give voters a choice and with your help, our message for change was shared by many. I think we have learned the institutions which defend our democracy cannot stand without our care and protection. The days ahead will be full of challenges, but I believe we can become, once again, a more rational and compassionate nation. Thank you for your words of encouragement and support and may we all continue to "make good trouble". - Keith Townsend
We need greater investment in Rural Broadband across North Carolina.
In 2020, rural broadband internet access is equivalent to the expansion of electricity into rural areas in the earlier century. It has become a necessity for the residents of NC.
I'm Keith Townsend, and I'm running for NC House District 77 to serve all the people of Western Rowan and Davie Counties.
But no candidate can do it alone.
Your contribution will help my campaign win the campaign for NC House 77, flip the majority in the NC House and help make North Carolina a forward-looking leader among American states again.
Thank you very much for your support!
Donate Online Today: www.actblue.com/donate/townsend77
Vote Absentee by Mail!
Great News! You can now request you absentee ballot online, and the State Board of Elections will mail it to you.
Just go to: https://votebymail.ncsbe.gov/
It takes less than 3 minutes, and you can even do it on your phone!
My Priorities in the NC House will be:
Rural Broadband Access
Letters from Keith
Since the beginning of the pandemic over a million North Carolinians have applied for unemployment insurance. In 2013 our state slashed more than $300 million in federal assistance that was essential to the program. Over 170,000 people were immediately affected. The maximum weekly benefit for an individual was cut from $535 to $350. Also, the length of time one could receive benefits was drastically reduced from 26 weeks to 12.
Two of our local legislators in the General Assembly, Julia Howard (District 77) and Harry Warren (District 76), helped to design and support this legislation which created the stingiest unemployment insurance system in the nation. There were far more unemployed workers in NC then there were job openings when this bill was passed. Nonetheless, Julia Howard was quoted as saying, "This unemployment insurance is becoming a welfare-dependent program in a lot of cases." She also stated, "We made it reasonable, so it was not just a gimme."
Unfortunately, the damage inflicted on NC workers is still with us. Six years later, at the end of 2019, less than 10% of those who were jobless in NC received benefits, which was last in the country and well below the national average of 26%. Last year the weekly benefits in NC had been reduced down to $277 while the national average was $378. This is a policy engineered by the General Assembly to punish and humiliate constituents who instead simply need temporary help. We can do better than this.
It is time, especially during our current pandemic, that N.C. lawmakers focus on the needs of their constituents.
Sincerely, Keith Townsend for NC House 77
Email the Campaign
Paid for by Townsend for NC
Mount Ulla, NC | contact@townsendfornc.com
(c)2020


They will soon be on their way to Australia for a month-long training program under the guidance of renowned Australian-Sri Lankan chefs Peter Kuruvita and Jimmy Shu.
Upon completion of their training in Australia, they will return home to join Sri Lanka's growing tourism and hospitality industry.
Supreme Chef was a program designed and implemented by Skills for Inclusive Growth (S4IG), an initiative of the Australian Government's aid program in collaboration with the Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training.
This competition was designed to create opportunities for aspiring chefs and to create a pool of skilled cooks that benefit the hospitality industry by joining the workforce.
Initial auditions for Supreme Chef began in August 2018 and saw over 600 entrants enthusiastically joining in from the selected districts of Trincomalee, Pollonnaruwa, Ampara and Batticaloa.
Eighty amateur cooks from these districts were selected and then whittled down to 20 over 3 days of intensive cooking auditions.
The top 20 were then invited to Colombo for three weeks of Basic Kitchen Skills Training followed by the studio based competition.
Four contestants battled their way through and made it to the much-anticipated finale.
Delojini Pushparasa from Ampara, Diana Melonika and Sudarshana Lakmal from Polonnaruwa and Darshini Varatharajan from Trincomalee made it through to the grand finale held in Batticaloa on 3 March.
Of them, Melonika emerged the winner, with Sudarshana clinching second place and Delojini third place.
The winner Melonika will receive Executive Chef training at the Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort in Queensland Australia under the supervision of Master Chef Peter Kuruvita.
While runner-ups Sudarshana and Delojini will receive an internship at the International College of Advanced Education (ICEA) in Darwin, an industry leader in training provision for Australia's hospitality sector.
This will also include an internship under the supervision of Chef Jimmy Shu of the Hanuman Restaurant.
Incidentally Chef Shu was born and raised in Batticaloa before moving to Australia in his youth.
Darshini, who was placed fourth in the competition, will receive a six-month internship at the Shangri La hotel in Colombo.
Upon their return from training in Australia, the top 3 contestants will also join Darshini for internships at Shangri La.
The prize includes monthly allowance, accommodation and transport.
Contestants eliminated throughout the competition have also been provided ongoing training and mentoring opportunities through industry training providers and work placement opportunities.
Speaking at the Supreme Chef finale, Australian Deputy High Commissioner Victoria Coakley said "We see tremendous opportunities for men and women in Sri Lanka to gain long term skilled employment in the tourism sector.
Tourism is the only economic sector that has performed exceptionally well during the last 10 years and is now placed as the 3rd highest foreign exchange earner in the country.
Speaking of the competition, Team Leader of Skills for Inclusive Growth, David Ablett said that he was surprised to see such a large number of entries since the first promotional flyers went out for Supreme Chef.
This was an indication that many were eager to partake in such a competition that also projects a career path in tourism.
"We realized that there was an acute skills shortage, food quality and safety had become problematic and although there are so many famous indigenous dishes from those areas, not many visitors knew or had ways to try and taste them.
There was a lot of cultural taboo that we had to cut through, but we were amazed at the response the show has garnered,".


text:
Background Reading Resources
Find Biographical Info
Find Books & Journal Articles
Related LibGuides
Special Topics in Film
Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film
Call Number: Ref PN 1993.45 .G65 2007 v. 1-4
With this resource you'll find articles on the various genres of film, including crime films, historical films, indie films, melodrama, and screwball comedy, as well as entries for many countries and topics related to the film industry, such as dance, lighting, music, parody, radio, television, and more
Magill's Cinema Annual
Call Number: Ref PN1993.3 .M34 (2005 - 2015)
Covers a survey of films released during the previous year (e.g. the 2009 volume covers movies from 2008). Each entry includes a synopsis, movie tag lines, box office sales, a bibliography of that film's reviews, and awards (if any).
American Film Institute Desk Reference
Call Number: Ref PN 1994 .A599 2002
The American Film Institute Desk Reference is the most comprehensive reference book on filmmaking ever published. Providing detailed information on the world of film, its history and its personalities, this single volume is loaded with enough facts and trivia to satisfy any movie buff.
Movies in American History by Philip C. DiMare (Editor)
Call Number: Ref PN 1993.5 .U6 M685 2011 v.1-3
"Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia" is a reference text focused on the relationship between American society and movies and filmmaking in the United States from the late 19th century through the present.
History of the American Cinema (series)
Call Number: PN 1993.5 .U6 H55 1990 v.1-10
Volumes cover the early years of film through the 1980s.
Screen Decades (series)
Call Number: Check HENRY for call numbers (linked here)
Includes essays discussing some of the themes of film from from the 1890s through the 1980s.
Encyclopedia of Film Noir by Geoff Mayer; Brian McDonnell
Call Number: Ref PN 1995.9 .F54 M39 2007
Includes articles on actors, directors, and films from this genre.
Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film by Ian Aitken (Editor)
Call Number: Ref PN 1995.9 .D6 E53 2006 v.1-3
This 3-volume work includes articles on films, directors, countries, film technology, and more. Each entry concludes with a bibliography.
Magill's Survey of Cinema -- Silent Films by Frank N. Magill (Editor)
Call Number: Ref PN 1995.75 .M33 1982 v.1-3
Includes articles on individual films, providing as much credit information as possible. Users will also find articles on important topics and people associated with the silent era, and production company biographies.
Next: Find Biographical Info >>
Last Updated: Oct 22, 2019 12:34 PM
URL: https://hbl.gcc.libguides.com/filmstudies
Subjects: Art, Communication Studies, History, Reference


text:
What's Hot in China Today?
Not the regular, serious news from China. Here you will find what the Chinese people are really interested in. Research and discuss the hottest internet search keywords in China on a daily basis.
Harassed by a Laowai (foreigner)
This is the 6th most searched keyword on Yahoo China today, 2,436,025 in one day.
http://chineselady2007.spaces.live.com/
A Shenzhen girl who is currently working in Beijing wrote about how she was sexually harassed by a foreigner in her Sina and Spaces blogs, and the whole thing got so big that this Australian "laowai" has left China now.
According to her blogs, this is how it goes: she met this Australian in a Starbucks in Beijing back in 2005. Initially he was nice, but then after a while he started to send her sexually explicit SMS and photos as well as inviting her to a threesome party with his French girlfriend. She didn't like that. And then somehow she got into a fist fight with the French girlfriend and sustained some injuries on her face, so she decided to complain to BMW. Later she sued this guy but apparently it got no where. She was so bitter and exposed everything in her blogs, all the photos he sent her, his and the French girlfriend's personal information, such as full name, birth date, passport number and street address, emails of all the directors of BMW China. Most of the Chinese netizens are on her side, calling this guy a "foreign beast" and praising the girl for her action in "defending the dignity of Chinese women and Chinese law".
I don't know how she obtained all this information, especially their passports! She is truly someone you don't want to mess around with!
Posted by Fuji Fan at 7:58 PM 2 comments Links to this post
Giant Debuts at NYSE
This is the second most searched keyword Yahoo China today, 2,450,337 searches in one day.
CEO Shi Yuzhu knocks the bell at NYSE
(http://tech.163.com/special/000915RB/ipoga.html)
Giant Interactive (NYSE: GA) is yet another huge IPO. The offering was priced at $15.50 and raised $886.6 million. This IPO immediately made CEO Shi Yuzhu a rich man with 41 billion RMB in net worth. His daughter gets another 5 billions.
Giant's performance on the first day
Giant is an Internet gaming company. I don't know a lot about its products, but I was surprised to find that Shi Yuzhu was the guy behind the legendary "脑白金" (direct translation: brain platinum). It was a hugely successful health supplement sold in China a couple of years ago. At the time, you would see its commercials on almost every single TV channel during prime time. Everybody knew about 脑白金, although to date I still don't know what was actually in it. I could only guess it was some kind of multivitamin like Centrum. Chinese people went crazy over it, and Shi made a huge fortune. But of course it was nothing compared to this IPO. According to Shi himself, online gaming is the best business model because "management is so easy and you have absolutely no bad debt!"
I'd better add it to my stock watch list.
"Brain Platinum", the mysterious but hugely popular health supplement. I still remember being bombarded by it's repetitive TV commercials with the catchy phrase: "今年過節不收禮,收禮只收脑白金" (don't take any gifts this New Year holiday, unless it's a Brain Platinum!)
http://tech.163.com/special/000915RB/ipoga.html
http://tech.qq.com/zt/2007/juren/index.htm
One Giant Chinese IPO
news.21cn.com/.../2007/03/07/3131428.shtml
Posted by Fuji Fan at 11:16 PM 1 comments Links to this post
22-year-old Rich Girl Looking For A Partner
This is the 3rd most searched keyword on Yahoo China today, 2,419,282 searches in one day.
A mysterious 22-year-old rich girl bought an ad space in Guangzhou Daily on Oct. 31. The ad was framed in red and attracted huge attention immediately. This is what the ad says:
Female, 22-year-old, gentle and quiet, understanding and sweet, 150cm tall, born in Guangzhou and lives in a high-class house in the city center. Family is well off. Now seeking a single gentleman of 168-175 cm height, age between 23-30 years, with good looks and health, for love and marriage. Location not and issue.
Interested parties please send personal details and two recent photos to bh2999@126.com. Suitable candidates will be contacted. Forgive me if you don't receive any response.
This ad space and the same ad in another newspaper cost roughly 330,000 RMB, this girls is not stingy. One poll conducted by an internet forum shows people's reaction to the ad:
8.33% "I am definitely going to apply!"
18.1% "It must be some marketing gimmick of some marriage arrangement service."
5.46% "I am not single any more, damn!"
68.1% "I am juts reading this to kill time."
But what if this is for real? Don't forgo this rare opportunity to meet this rich Chinese girl!
http://photo.anhuinews.com/system/2007/11/01/001882037.shtml
http://gd.news.163.com/07/1031/14/3S50SOD00036000Q.html
Posted by Fuji Fan at 7:11 AM 1 comments Links to this post
Eat Worms To Look Pretty
This is the No. 5 most searched keyword on Yahoo China today, 2,374,530 searches in one day.
(http://www.hinews.cn/news/system/2007/10/31/010162923.shtml)
Recently some "OLs" (office ladies) in Beijing have got themselves into a habit of eating worms.
Worms are a legitimate dish in many of the less mainstream cuisines such as Yunnan food. Dishes such as deep fried locus and sweet and sour butterfly cocoons are common dinner table items for the Gelao people in Yunnan. Thanks to this new trend, some of the Yunnanese restaurants in Beijing are packed on the weekends with young OLs and models who are hoping that the nutrients in the worms can bring them beauty. One restaurant manager said: "we consume hundreds of kilos of worms per week now, and we have to have the worms shipped over from Yunnan almost every two days to meet the demand."
According to a report produced by a research institute in Yunnan, these worms do contain high levels of amino acids, fatty acids, trace minerals and vitamins. However, because they get deep fried in the restaurants, they may still not be too good for your health.
http://www.hinews.cn/news/system/2007/10/31/010162923.shtml
Starting Salary For College Graduates
This is the 10th most searched keyword on Yahoo China today, 2,321,390 searches in one day. Recently a survey that polled graduates of 89 colleges in China to rank their starting salaries after graduation. This survey result initiated waves of heated discussion (especially among the students) on the internet.
The salary is in RMB per month. Here are the top 10:
No.1 大连外国语学院 5050 RMB
(Dalian University of Foreign Languages)
No.2 电子科技大学 4900 RMB
(University of Electronic Science and Technology of China)
No.3 中央财经大学 3916 RMB
(Central University of Finance and Economics)
No.4 中央戏剧学院 3875 RMB
(The Central Academy of Drama)
No.5 复旦大学 3863 RMB
(Fudan University)
No.6 北京外国语大学 3717 RMB
(Beijing Foreign Studies University)
No.7 中国科学技术大学 3700 RMB
(University of Science and Technology of China)
No.8 西安交通大学 3682 RMB
(Xi'an Jiaotong University)
No.9 上海外国语大学 3633 RMB
(Shanghai International Studies University)
No.10 上海交通大学 3596 RMB
(Shanghai Jiao Tong University)
To many people's surprise, top guns such as Beijing University and Tsinghua University are ranked quite low on this list, at No.19 and No. 27 respectively, due to the fact the it excluded bonus and commissions. Based on the survey, it seems that students who major in foreign languages, finance and technology tend to get better starting salaries.
A typical scene at a career fair/interview.
(http://news.gxnews.com.cn/staticpages/20070801/newgx46b06a12-1173514.shtml)
When I first talked to one of my Chinese colleagues about people's starting salaries in China, I was very surprised to learn that medical doctors, dentists and lawyers don't get much financial rewards or recognition in contrary to their western counterparts, and according to him, that's why the health system sucks so much there. You don't get the top tier students in medicine or law to start with, and then the pay is low and hence lots of dodgy things go on. This friend of mine was a pharmacist-turned-sales manager for a big drug company, so there must be some truth there.
http://campus.chinaren.com/20070327/n249000748.shtml
http://news.xm.soufun.com/2007-05-16/1057395.htm
Posted by Fuji Fan at 7:02 AM 0 comments
Photos of the South China Tiger
This is the hottest search keyword on Yahoo China today, 2,319,791 searches in one day.
In essence, this is another real-or-fake news that frequently happens in China. (see Beijing's Fake Pork Buns). This time the culprit is a tiger in the photo below. Can you tell whether it's real or not?
(http://club.china.alibaba.com/forum/thread/view/29_23337945_.html)
Zhou Zhenglong, a farmer and former hunter in Zhenping County, Shaaanxi Province, took 71 photos of a South China tiger on October 3rd. The experts from the provincial Forestry Administration examined the photos and announced: yep, the near-extinct South China tigers are back. No one has seen them since 1986 but now they are back again.
Zhenping County, a small village with 57,000 people, is suddenly in the spotlight and becomes the hottest tourism destination for nature-loving college students.
Zhou (pictured below) is hoping to sell these photos for a big fortune. He is asking 1 million RMB.
But soon people started to question the authenticity of the photos. They are saying that the photos are real alright, but the tiger was just a painting on a piece of cardboard. Zhou got really pissed and said "I will cut off my head if the photos are fake!" although no one thinks he will really do that. Zhou is currently in Beijing as the State Forestry Administration carries out a proper investigation on the matter. The result will be announced via Xinhua or a press conference.
I have my money on "fake". I just don't believe that a near-extinct tiger would pose so nicely for the camera. You are talking about meeting eye-to-eye with one of the eight remaining tigers (according to villagers' own estimate) in a forest of 47196 acres. Sure. Nevertheless, Zhenping County has become famous, even the welcoming billboard at the entrance of the village has a tiger on it now.
Tiger photos raise questions
The South China Tiger Photographs
http://club.china.alibaba.com/forum/thread/view/29_23337945_.html
The Most Expensive Nail House
This is the 5th hottest search keyword on Yahoo China today, 2,251,573 searches in one day.
"Nail House" (钉子户) is a relatively new term in China. It refers to a standalone house in the middle of a demolition ground due to disagreement with compensation terms. The house sticks out like a nail. People started to realize that you don't have to move if you are not happy with the compensation after a woman in Chongqing put on a fight to guard her property and became famous with her Nail House. This time, the Nail House is in Shenzhen.
The old couple, Cai Zhuxiang and Zhang Lianhao, standing in front of their to-be-demolished Nail House in Shenzhen.
(http://www.dailyvc.com/story/n205566p1.shtml)
Mr. Cai's Nail House stands in the middle of the prosperous Luohu business district in Shenzhen. Apartments around it sold for more than 20,000 RMB per square meter but the developer's initial compensation terms were only 6,500 RMB per sm. Of course Cai was not happy. During this year-long negotiation, he and his family had to suffer threats, thefts and vandalism put on by the developer (Kingkey Group, which has a solid political connection and backing). They locked themselves up after 6 pm everyday and never went anywhere due to fears. He was even threatened by the city government official who told him "98% of all nail house owners die in car accidents" when he went there to report the threats he had been receiving.
Good news came through at the end of last month. Kingkey Group finally moved to put a stop to their daily loss due to the construction delay. They reached an agreement with Cai to pay him more than 12 million RMB for his house, which translates into roughly 16,000 RMB per sm.
However, Cai and his family continue to live in fear. They keep receiving extortion calls because everyone knows now that he is rich.
"Nail house" owner receives millions of yuan in compensation
http://sz.focus.cn/news/2007-04-12/301492_3.html
http://www.dailyvc.com/story/n205566p1.shtml
"Nail house" in Chongqing demolished
Posted by Fuji Fan at 11:46 PM 1 comments
Lunar Satellite Chang'e 1 (嫦娥一号)Lifts Off
This is definitely the hottest news in China right now. I have seen the footage a million times on various TV channels by now.
(http://ww.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoEGIDZ0M-0)
Chang'e-1, China's first lunar satellite, was launched at 18:05, Octorber 24th, 2007, in Xichang, Sichuan.
A computer-generated image of the lunar orbiter
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/26/content_6797186.htm)
The whole event would've been incomplete without quick wit businessmen trying to cash in on the project. One travel agency organized a "launch viewing" special deal where people can pay 800 RMB to observe the launch. Naturally, it was really popular. As this is such a national pride, a lot of people were genuinely interested. One man said he planned the trip well ahead and took leave from work in order to join the tour.
I find it quite cute that the Chinese actually exhibit some rare romanticism with the whole satellite thing. Chang'e, the name of the satellite and the project, was taken from a well-known fairy tale. Chang'e is the Chinese goddess of the moon. She was said to be the empress of a famous archer/emperor, whom she stole the elixir of immortality from. There are many versions of the stories (see wikipedia) but the ending is the same: Chang'e flew to the moon after taking the elixir and lived there ever since. It's really nice to have a romantic element in this otherwise serious project in a very serious country.
Chang'e the Moon Goddess
(http://www.it.com.cn/f/games/074/9/0409change01.jpg)
http://www.avbuyer.com.cn/c/2007/163541.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/26/content_6797186.htm
http://www.cnr.cn/fortune/news/200710/t20071025_504603624.html
Get Married Before You Graduate
This is the second hottest search keyword on Yahoo China today, 2,198,833 searches in one day.
In essence, this is YET another get-rich-quick scheme. The people who are eager to get married are young girls in their early 20s. Reason: solid financial support.
As many female students approach graduation and are starting to look for a job, they realize that even crappy and low-paid jobs are hard to come by. Even if you get a job, the low salary that a mediocre graduate from a mediocre college gets can hardly buy them nice things (and oh no, you have to WORK). So they run to the nearby marriage arrangement services in droves hoping to find a husband who can give them the kind of lifestyle they want, instantaneously.
When they register at these "services", they will list their requirements. The typical criteria are: have a house, have a car. Some prefer people with stable income such as teachers, civil servants. Some even make it clear that they want someone from Hong Kong or with a foreign passport. Interestingly, they don't care much more about anything else. Some girls have the upper age limit set (for the husband) at 60!
But who wants to marry these girls? It's so obvious they are just in for the money. To your surprise (and mine, too), there are many such guys at the demand end. They are the so-called "successful" businessmen who are looking for "good looking wife under 25 years of age". This is also why the girls are so anxious to get exposed to this marriage arrangement market so early (some are not even 20) because once they pass 25, they are not wanted by the rich men.
Interview of Miss Chen (one such girl)
Newspaper: Why do you want to get an arranged marriage? Isn't it a bit too early for a 20-year-old?
Miss Chen: I didn't think I would do such a thing just several months ago. But I've been having difficulties finding a job, none of my job applications got any response. One morning, I almost fainted on the crowded bus because I skipped breakfast to go to a job interview. At the moment, I realized that I needed a shoulder to lean on.
Newspaper: But do you think you can find the man of your dream before graduation? You don't have too much time.
Miss Chen: Not 100% sure, so I am still looking for a job.
Newspaper: Now you put materials first. What if you find your husband intolerable after you marry him, what do you do?
Miss Chen: Uhh..... I haven't thought about that.
Newspaper: Don't you feel that your education is wasted? Aren't you afraid that you will have a low status in the family?
Miss Chen: I can use what I've learned to help him and educate the kids. Low status.....maybe I will still work in the future.
Newspaper: So where is love?
Miss Chen: I believe love can be cultivated.
http://health.cnhubei.com/2007-10/24/cms479357article.shtml
http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2005-02-19/11225143335s.shtml
Li Keqiang (李克强)
This name is definitely the hottest search keyword in China right now, followed closely by another name, Xi Jinping (习近平). They top several categories on Baidu.com today.
"China's future leaders" by Reuters
(http://www.youtube.com/watch/v=trwta0Yubjc)
These two guys are said to be the future leaders of China's Communist Party. Both being relatively young (Xi at 54 and Li at 52), these two upcoming political stars have just been selected into the new nine-member Politburo Standing Committee, which is said to be the innermost ring of power in China.
I don't usually find political news that interesting, but the amount of interest these two names attract both within China and overseas just cannot be ignored. From all the news and media coverage I have read and seen, it seems that everyone thinks Li Keqiang and Xi Jinping are gonna be the next leader in 5 years time for sure when President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao retire then. At present, Xi is poised to take the No. 1 position when the time comes, but things can always change. Li has a favorable background, as both he and Hu Jintao come from the same province in China, Anhui.
China unveils likely successors to top posts
China's top communists meet behind closed doors as 2 rising stars emerge
21 Hardest Chinese Ever
This is the 10th hottest keyword on Yahoo China today, 2,141,050 searches in one day.
A website recently launched an online voting to determine the hardest, most difficult, least known Chinese characters ever. Here is the current leader:
meaning: exorcism
Even professors at the Chinese University in Hong Kong could understand only one of the 21 characters running for this title, they need to look up the rest in the dictionary. For most people, they will never encounter or use any of these characters in their entire lifetime.
According to one professor, there are around 60,000 to 80,000 Chinese characters in this world (no one has ever properly and officially counted them) but most people only know about 3000 characters when they finish high school, and that is already enough for you to understand 98% of all the written things.
So don't feel bad if you don't know "exorcism" or "flying squirrel". No one really does anyway.
To check out all 21 characters, visit:
http://www.recordcup.com/ranking/287/hardest_chinese_ever.html?&b=0
http://news.nen.com.cn/72340194296070144/20071022/2332441.shtml
http://www.mingpaonews.com/20071022/gza1.htm
YouTube now knows Chinese
One of the hottest news talked about online in the past few days in Hong Kong and Taiwan was that YouTube has just launched it's localized sites for Taiwan and Hong Kong.
http://tw.youtube.com/
http://hk.youtube.com/
I checked them out. It's pretty much just a translated version of the original interface, but I guess it's less intimidating for people who don't read English that well to use it. Words such as categories, channels, community, views, share, my favorite, tag, sort......are translated into traditional Chinese. On the front page, there are featured videos that, according to Steve Chen himself, are selected by their team.
The database is still the same, you can still find clips from other countries if you do a search on the HK or Taiwan site. However, the order of the search results may differ from the US site. They will give local content priority.
Netizens in Taiwan particularly welcome this move by YouTube since up until now, the market for video sharing platform was dominated by Yahoo, and they feel that this should infuse some healthy competition. Not much noise from the users in HK, although they have uploaded a huge amount of clips.
When asked if YouTube is eyeing Mainland and planning to do a simplified version, Steve Chen gave a generic answer: need to check out the legal requirements first.
Interestingly, on the Taiwan site, you can see a tiny little national flag on the upper right hand corner, which is a big taboo for the mainland government. This may have something to do with users in China being unable to go to that site.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/news/2007/10/19/127239/YouTube-launches.htm
http://news.pchome.com.tw/science/ettoday/20071019/index-20071019124022041240.html
Posted by Fuji Fan at 12:51 AM 0 comments
It's Hairy Crab Season
大闸蟹 (Dazha crab), or more widely known as Shanghai Hairy Crab, is in season right now. This typical Shanghai delicacy is particularly sought after for its rich and creamy roe, in fact, I never eat its meat, the meat is scarce and just too ordinary compared to its roe.
Hairy crabs ready for serving: so yummy and yet so bad for your health.......
(www.17u.com/destination/s_detail_5995.html)
However, like, well, most things from China if not all, hairy crabs suffer problems with the fakes. Although most hairy crabs on the market are claimed to be the genuine Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, some insiders have revealed that probably 99% of them are fakes from other lakes. One old trick is to dunk these less priced crabs into Yangcheng Lake just prior to the crab season, then viola, you've got "Yangcheng Hairy Crabs" to sell.
To give consumers confidence, there have been different measures used to guarantee the quality of the crabs. Some crabs have logos laser-engraved on the back; some wear a special ring on one of the claws. However, most businessmen are quick to get around these barriers. You can have an ordinary crab engraved with a "Yangcheng Lake" logo for 30 cents RMB, and the special IC embedded crab rings can be taken off and put on other crabs. Some of the rings are sold to unknown crab traders.
A laser-engraved hairy crab
(http://meal.dayoo.com/node_2209/node_2223/2005/10/19/112969371289593.shtml)
The price may give you a little more reference: those eight-dollar ones in the wet market are highly probably fakes, however, that is not to say those 400-dollar ones in a restaurant are definitely genuine. If it's too big (eg, over 200 grams), it's probably a fake, too.
The special chip-embedded ID ring
(gd.news.sina.com.cn/local/2005-10-19/1810026.html)
If you are not too concerned about the fakes, there is still the problem with the possible carcinogens. In fact, some of the crabs exported to Taiwan last year were found to contain nitrofuran, a banned antibiotics and a suspected carcinogen.
Taiwan's local consumers are unlikely to enjoy delicious hairy crabs from China
Stricter safety standards impeding crab imports (Taipei Times)
http://meal.dayoo.com/node_2209/node_2223/2005/10/19/112969371289593.shtml
Shanghai Sold For 28 Million USD!
This is one of the most viewed news on eastday.com. It is in fact referring to the "Shanghai Island" of the cluster of man-made islands in Dubai, known as The World (archipelago), being sold to a Chinese business man from Shanghai.
(http://xwcb.eastday.com/c/20071016/u1a363816.html)
On October 9th, Bin Hu, director and owner of Zhongzhou International Holdings Group, signed a deal with Nakheel, the developer of "The World" project, to buy the "Shanghai" island for 28m USD.
"Shanghai" island consists of 9 smaller islands that are connected via bridges. Hu is planning to reconstruct some of the famous landmarks in Shanghai, such as The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, as well as the Huangpu River. Hu and his company will build 70 villas and a small holiday resort on "Shanghai" (geez, I wonder what the price tags will be!). He is also planning to spend another 100 m USD to purchase two more islands next year.
Incidentally, the China part of "The World" consists of 5 islands: "Beijing", "Shanghai", "Hong Kong", "Kunming" and "Taiwan". I wonder if "Taiwan" has been sold. If not, then I think it'll be the perfect home for the Taiwanese president, Chen Shui-bian, after he gets off his 8-year presidential term next year. 28 millions is small pocket change to him since he and his family have raked in a sizeable amount of tax-payers money via various creative ways of corruption during his term (and really, "Taiwan" is probably worth a lot less than "Shanghai"). Not only this will be Chen's only chance to declare "Taiwan" independent, he and his wife will need a good hide-out place to avoid facing criminal charges when he is no longer immune to prosecutions.
Chen and his wheel chair-bound wife, who has already used sickness as an excuse to refuse to turn up in court for, if I am up-to-date enough, 5 times.
(news.bbc.co.uk/.../asia-pacific/1341685.stm)
Chinese tycoon buys Dubai's Shanghai Island
The World Official Website
Woman Harassed Because of T-shirt
This is the No. 5 hottest news on Yahoo China today, 1,947,757 searches in a day.
Seriously, if you don't know what it means, don't wear it. I have seen it a million times now, but now it finally makes headline in China, maybe it'll stop people from doing it.
(http://news.xmnext.com/domestic/shehui/2007/10/12/923938.html)
One Chinese woman went on a tour with her family to Europe in mid August this year, and she felt that she must have a garment by an internationally famous brand to wear on the trip. Since her destination countries would fine people wearing counterfeits, she decided to spend huge dollars and get a real Nike from a Nike shop for 115 RMB.
However, her happy mood was ruined when one day at the airport in Rome, a professor in the same tour group explained to her about the implied meaning of "I like being on top". She immediately felt extremely embarrassed and undignified. She was traumatized further when a young man gave her a couple of funny smirks with accompanying whistles as she came out of the airport toilet.
At least you can say "I like being on top" has double meanings, and I am sure some women in the States will happily wear it without feeling uncomfortable (knowing the full meaning) as it signals domination and power of some sort. I have seen worse. Once I saw a girl at the subway in Hong Kong, her t-shirt said:
"I am a slut!"
Imagine this following conversation:
Judge: Why did you harass this woman?
Defendant: Well, she is a slut! What do you expect me to do! I though she was asking people to harass her!
Who Stole Beckham's Body?
I know David Beckham is really popular in China. And yes, I know he has many million-dollar endorsement contracts, but seriously, I cannot imagine Beckham endorsing a sexual performance enhancement drug in China like in the picture below:
For those of you who don't read Chinese but would like to know what the poster says, here it is:
" Beckham using his 11th body part to endorse ....(cut off)"
"England BonBoo Capsule"
"Britain's Sex Revolution"
"Made from living organisms in the sea,"
"British Royal Family...(cut off)"
"David endorses vehemently,"
"Result immediately....(cut off)"
I must confess that I don't understand the deal with the "11th body part". But it's a safe guess that it is referring to the penis.
In fact, David Beckham is only one of the many victims of this type of copyright infringement. Although people tend to be more careful in the big cities, in smaller provincial areas and villages, big stars' faces are frequently used to promote aphrodisiacs and massage parlors.
Super Girl Dieting
They should feel sort of lucky that dieting isn't so bad compared to performance enhancement drugs.
I found this one which is the perfect match for Beckham's ad. Although the poster is cut off, the words in the upper right corner say:
"Beckham's wife, Spice Girl Victoria"
"3236808888 Zhaojun Motel"
You cannot go lower than this, can you?
http://ent.daqi.com/bbs/00/1653406.html
"40 shops in 10 square meters" is the second hottest search keyword on Yahoo China today, 1,917,822 searches in one day.
A Du, a young man in Xian has been nicknamed by his friends "the smallest real estate agent in China".
A Du and his shop
(http://news.qq.com/a/20071010/001403.htm)
What A Du really has is a consignment shop. Generally known as "Cubicle Shop", or "gezaipu" (格仔铺), it is a place where people can lease a small cubicle space in the shop to display thing they want to sell. Therefore, you can walk into the shop and browse products from many small sellers at the same time. This concept first started in the UK, got really popular in Japan several years ago, then it became huge in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, seems that now China is catching up. A Du divided this rented shop space into 120 cubicles which are leased to 40 sellers.
(One Consignment Shop in Hong Kong)
This type of shop is particularly popular with the young people. The rent of the cubicles is extremely low compared to leasing one entire store in a mall, most sellers don't have that many products to fill the store anyway. Consignment shops give them access to the shoppers but take away the high fixed cost and the hassle of minding the shop.
(Fee schedule for a consignment shop in Hong Kong)
http://cache.tianya.cn/pub/C/enterprise/1/74138.156.shtml
The Richest Woman in China
The name "Yang Huiyan" tops the People's category on Baidu today, beating the runner-up "Mao Zedong" by a huge margin.
Yang Huiyan's wedding photo
(www.chinadaily.com.cn/.../09/content_6160144.htm)
Yang Huiyan is a 26-year-old girl who has just become China's richest woman according to Forbes. Unlike the other top people, she did not work her way up from the grass root level. She simply has a very rich dad.
The father, Yang Guoqiang (known as Yeung Kwok Keung in Hong Kong) celebrates company's IPO in Hong Kong
The Ohio State University graduate now sits on the board of her dad's company, Country Garden (碧桂園), a real estate developing company, as an executive director. Country Garden became listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in April this year, and Yang Huiyan is now estimated to worth 16.2 billion USD due to that fact that she holds 70% of the shares.
Yang Huiyan is just as low-key as her dad and hasn't done any interviews with media at all. Not long ago, one website even started a competition to hunt for her photos. Eventually, her wedding pictures became exposed. Much to many people's disappointment, this dorky looking Tsinghua University graduate got there first. The couple met through an introduction of some sort, and the groom's father is a high-ranked provincial official in the northeast . Dad said he felt this marriage gave him "good face".
www.chinadaily.com.cn/.../09/content_6160144.htm
26-year-old is China's riches -- Forbes
Country Garden Soars 37% in Hong Kong Debut
China's Country Garden posts upbeat first-half net
Super Boys No Match For Li Yuchun
This is the 8th most searched keyword on Yahoo China today, 1,862,184 searches in one day.
(http://news.netandtv.com/music/huandeng/2007-10/9/10_1_47_115.html)
Li Yuchun (pictured above) was the winner of the huge reality TV success, Super Girl, two years ago. She (yes, she) has since become one of the most loved pop idols of modern day China. Following the success with the program, Hunan TV did another similar show this year, Super Boy. Again it was a huge hit with the young audience. The winner Chen Chusheng also became a popular face almost immediately.
But if you put them side by side (as the Chinese would say: PK), who draws in more money for their record company (they are managed by the same one)? According to some recent observations, apparently Super Girl Li Yuchun comes out on top by a huge margin.
In both Nanjing and Chongqing, the ticket sales of Li Yuchun's concert is doing way better than that of all the 13 Super Boy finalists combined. Although she was the winner from two years ago, her fans are as crazy about her as ever (and they are mostly girls). One of the Super Boy finalists, Wang Zhenliang, was Li Yuchun's music teacher at the Sichuan Music College. This poor guy lost out on the "PK" to his own student.
Loser! Wang Zhengliang (i.e. Li Yuchun's former music teacher)
(www.hifly.tv/?uid_611675)
"Happy Boy" Top Winner Promotes Concert
Chinese Christian Organization Calls for Boycotting of Lust, Caution
Ang Lee's newest movie, Lust, Caution, is currently the talk of the town all over the place. Once again it has made into the Top 10 keywords for today and I have already talked about it twice, there is really no more explanation needed. (Se Jie, Ang Lee Wins Again)
However, not everyone is pleased with Ang Lee. Traditional Family Coalition, a Chinese Christian organization that is based in Sunnyvale, California, is calling for a boycott of the movie by all Chinese around the world because "the movie's prime selling point was the prolonged explicit sex scene of a Chinese actress and actor, and was only included for the shock-value."
(http://www.tfcus.homestead.com/Events-e.html)
Dr. Bill Tam, Executive Director of this organization, alls Ang Lee a "shameless modern-day traitor to the Chinese culture" because "Ang Lee uses a national shame to further his personal career ambition."
(See the entire statement)
http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:fvw2mcEGOgMJ:www.tfcus.homestead.com/Boycott_Lust_caution.pdf+traditional+family+coalition+lust,+caution&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&client=firefox-a
It's not new for Ang Lee anyway. When he made news two years ago with Brokeback Mountain, some Chinese Christian associations in the San Francisco Bay Area held a joint press conference to condemn Ang Lee and his work because they felt that the movie was promoting and legitimizing homosexuality.
Casino King's Two Wives Unite To Protect Empire
(http://hm.people.com.cn/GB/83174/6335978.html)
Sir Stanley Ho (guy in the middle), is 85 years old and is the richest man in Macau, No. 104 on the Forbes list in 2007 and sits on a net worth of 7 billion USD.
He is called the "King of Gambling" because he made most of his fortune running the monopolized gambling industry in Macau for the past 35 years. However, Ho is facing increasing competition from big foreign casinos such as The Venetian, MGM and others that are coming in to Macau to share the pie.
To protect their man's gambling empire, wife No. 3 Ina Chen (on the right) and wife No. 4 Angela Leong (floral dress on the left) have decided to put down their long-standing woes and unite to fight against the evil outsiders. Ina and Angela pooled together enough money to buy the outdated 3-starred Mondial Hotel which will undergo renovations to become a more hip and trendy place.
I once asked a friend from Hong Kong how Stanley Ho could have four wives, isn't that illegal? Apparently wives No. 2, No.3 and No. 4 are not legally married to him. Each one of them has been given a huge mansion and they hardly interact with each other. That's why this cooperation between Ina and Angela is seen as such a big deal.
Casino Mogul Stanley Ho Strikes Back At American Gaming Giants with a New Casino
http://hm.people.com.cn/GB/83174/6335978.html
Colorful Highway
This is the No.1 most searched keyword on Yahoo China today, 1,755,931 searches in one day.
(http://www.china.com.cn/news/txt/2007-09/29/content_8980466.htm)
The newly renovated Zhengzhou-Luoyang Highway in Henan Province debuts on 29th September. What's so special about it is that parts of the highway have been coated with a colorful layer of high tech materials as seen in the photos above.
The coating is a mixture of resin glue and ceramic particles, and the function of the coating is to increase friction on the road surface and hence better safety in rainy seasons. Noise reduction is another useful feature. The bright colors also serve to attract drivers' attention. The coatings are concentrated primarily in accident-prone areas such as downhill paths, entrances and exits of tunnels.
The coated surfaces add up to about 30,000 meters square. If this concept is taken well by the public, the Henan government is planning to do more of it.
http://news.shangdu.com/category/10003/2007/09/28/2007-09-28_787917_10003.shtml
Colorful Highway to Debut in Henan
Bush Ruining Children's Education
The American President's grammatical mistakes are being laughed at even in China these days. Bad words travel fast.
(news.bn.gs/article.php?story=20070926153426893)
During the filming of a promotional video for his "No Child Left Behind Act" at a school in New York a couple of days ago, Bush gave new meaning to the term, plural, by saying "childrens" instead of "children".
"As yesterday's positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured," he said.
The White House dropped the "s" in the official transcript. Ironically, he was trying to sell the centerpiece of his education policy.
"Childrens do learn," Bush tell school kids
布什 误人子弟
Win In China 赢在中国
This is the name of the hottest TV program in China right now (although strictly speaking it should be "Winning In China" but I guess that doesn't really matter), a reality show aired on CCTV that lets budding entrepreneurs compete against each other. The final winner will get to be the CEO of a newly established company that is worth no less than 10 million RMB. In addition to the power to reign, he/she will also get 35% share of the company.
It's a little like The Apprentice except that there is no one Donald Trump who decides which guy gets kicked out. The audience can have a say by voting for their favorite player on-line and a panel formed by various supposedly very successful business people makes the final decision. I found one clip that is subtitled. I watched it but I couldn't really make out what they were competing on. Maybe you can.
(http://youtube.com/watch?v=SWeYC_44Xh8&mode=related&search=)
Winning is almost a must nowadays in China. Everybody wants to win and succeed. I remember at my ex-company, all the local employees constantly said that they wanted to succeed. Sometimes I really wanted to ask them what they would do AFTER they succeeded. "Successful" and rich people are looked up to big times, and this mentality is infused into the education system deeply. Remember your school motto? I remember my school motto was something to do with science and truth. Once I saw this Chinese school's motto on TV, it was: "I want to be Number 1!".
If everybody is No. 1, who is No. 2?
Rain in Shanghai
"Rain" here does not pertain to the weather patter; it is the name of a hugely popular Korean pop star.
Rain shaking hand with the representative from the snack food manufacturer that he is endorsing. Guess you don't need me to point out which one is which.
(http://ent.sina.com.cn/x/p/2007-09-23/17511727146.shtml)
This 25-year-old from Seoul is the king of R&B and hiphop dancing in Asia right now. Yes, he is another so-called "Korean Wave" phenomenon. Recently he has decided to establish his own company. In other words, he will not have to split all these handsome endorsement fees with anyone anymore. No information on this particular endorsement contract, but Rain is currently estimated to worth 200,000,000 RMB.
"The Way To Avoid The Sun" by Rain
(http://youtube.com/watch?v=sJab5yCLD7w)
The TIME 100 -- Are They Worthy?
K-Pop Star Rain Make Time Magazine
"Panda" Virus
On Monday, Li Jun, the creator of the infamous "Panda Burning Joss Sticks" (熊猫烧香) computer virus, was sentenced to fours years in jail; three other defendants were sentenced to between one year and two and a half years in jail for spreading the virus.
Li Jun
(news.xinhuanet.com)
The virus was named so because the infected computer would display a picture of a panda holding three joss sticks in the style of traditional incense offering at Buddhist and Taoist temples. Li Jun made 145,149 RMB from selling the virus on-line. The purchasers of the virus would use it to steal people's QQ accounts as well as on-line gaming accounts, then they could sell these accounts for a profit. Additionally, they would use the infected "zombie computers" to form a Botnet to increase the traffic of certain websites.
According the Xinhua news, China is in urgent need of legislation on cybercrimes. More the 133,000 new viruses were detected in China in the first half of 2007 alone.
China jails creator of "panda" computer virus for fours years
"Panda Burning Joss Sticks" Virus Suspects Detained
Mayors On Buses
The is No. 3 most searched keyword on Yahoo China today, 1,610,776 searches in one day.
(http://www.gov.cn/gzdt/2007-09/16/content_750659.htm)
September 16 - 22 was China's first "Urban Public Transportation Week", 108 cities around the country participated in this act to clean up the air. To set a good example for the people, all government officials were supposed to use public transportation on the Car-Free Day.
Mayor of Chongquing Riding Bus To Work
(http://www.cq.xinhuanet.com/news/2006-08/17/content_7802766.htm)
According the the preliminary estimate, one Car-Free Day in China could potentially save 33,000,000 liters of fuel, eliminate 3000 tonnes of toxic emission and save hundreds of people from car accident related injuries/deaths.
However, netizens complained that these government officials were really just putting on a show. This show attracted a lot of media reporters who followed the officials onto the buses and subway, worsening the already overloaded transportation system.
Just another typical day in China
(ddclub.ddmap.com/pc/pc_help.jsp?help_title=whypc)
Microsoft's Greater China Guy Quits
(news.xinhuanet.com/.../19/content_6753745.htm)
On September 19, it was announced that Chen Yongzheng (陈永正), Chief Executive of Microsoft Corp's Greater China business, has resigned to join NBA China. Microsoft has now begun it's global search for Chen's replacement. In the meantime, Microsoft China R&D director Zhang Yaqin is acting as the interim CEO of the company.
The NBA is having high hopes for the Chinese market. There are 300 million basketball players in the country and it is the most popular sport among youths. Yao Ming, the top draft pick in 2002, is basically deemed as a national hero.
There are rumors flying around regarding Chen's resignation although none has been confirmed. According to Chen himself, he just wanted a fresh challenge and NBA was really hard to pass.
Microsoft's China Boss Resigned to Head NBA in China
Microsoft Greater China CEO Resigns To Join The NBA
http://www.it.com.cn/f/news/079/19/480020.htm
Worm Grass (aka Vegetable Caterpillar)
This is the newest and hottest item of speculation in China right now, guess how much it is worth: 300,000 RMB per kilogram (for your reference, I just checked the live gold price and it was about 174,400 RMB per kilo). This "worm grass" is worth 1.7 times the price of gold.
But what the heck is it?
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2007-08/30/content_6637017.htm)
I turned to my good friend Wikipedia:
"Caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinensis) is a species of parasitic fungus that grows on insect larvae from the genus Thitarodes. Its name is Chinese (dong chong xia cao 冬虫夏草) means "winter worm, summer grass".
"...The fungus invades the body of the Thitarodes caterpillars, eventually killing and mummifying it. The dark brown to black fruition body (or mushroom) emerges from the ground in spring or early summer..."
"...is highly prized by practitioners of Tibetan medicine, Chinese medicine and traditional herbal Fold medicines, in which it is used as an aphrodisiac and as a treatment for a variety of ailments, from fatigue to cancer. It is being regarded as having an excellent balance of yin and yang..."
I guess the magic word is "aphrodisiac" then.
Unfortunately, a trend like this in China will only lead to two things: one, the market will get flooded with fake worm grass and sooner or later someone is going to get really sick; two, the suppliers will just harvest the plant like crazy thereby disturbing the ecosystem of the Tibetan highlands, the place where worm grass is found. Apparently this is already happening, the overall production volume of worm grass is now 3.5% of that 25 years ago, and there is 61500 square kilometers of soil erosion around the Yarlung Tsangpo River (Brahmaputra River's upstream in Tibet).
Sign....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_caterpillar
http://shehui.daqi.com/ztnew/252679/1/index.html
Posted by Fuji Fan at 9:34 PM 9 comments
Beauty At The Shaolin Temple
The 36 finalists of the 2007 Global Kung-fu (Chinese Martial Art) Star Competitions finished their 1-week training at the Shaolin Temple, the Mecca of Chinese Kung-fu, yesterday. Female finalists complained to the media that they had more barriers to overcome than the guys because the monks were avoiding them. Well, monks ARE monks, you know. They have rules to follow.
The 9 Female Finalists
(http://www.huaxia.com/gd/cf/2007/00685549.html)
To avoid touching the girls, the Shaolin masters would stand several feet away and just point with their fingers to direct them during training; with the male students, the masters were more comfortable with all the hitting, bending, kicking and twisting to correct their posture, like real Kung-fu training should be.
The Global Kung-fu Star Competition is a reality TV show jointly held by the Shaolin Temple, Shenzhen Satellite TV and Hong Kong's TVB. I managed to find 2 interesting clips about the game on YouTube. The first one is the part of the selection game for the HK region; the second one, quite an interesting one, is an overview of last year's game put together by the first runner-up, 2006, an American called Philip Sahagun. Enjoy!
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDFwRrD5SrA)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OanwWXAwTE4)
Global Kung Fu Star TV Competition Starts
College Girls Find Military Training Officers Hot
This is No. 8 most searched keyword on Yahoo China today, 1,487,401 searches in one day.
As a college freshman in China, your first lesson of any kind is not an orientation of the campus or a welcoming party organized by well-funded clubs where you can drink beer for free, it is a several-week-long military boot camp that is supposed to "inspire patriotism, revolutionary heroism and the spirit of teamwork". And yes, it is compulsory for both boys and girls.
The Opening Ceremony for the boot camp at one college
And boys
(www.cugb.edu.cn/ReadNews.asp?id=2728)
The thing is, the training officers are real PLA soldiers who are not a lot older than these kids, and currently there is a tendency for girls at the camp to fall in love with the manly and uniformed training officers. After weeks of sweat and tears, some girls feel that the officers are their ideal lovers and exchange phone numbers and QQ (Chinese instant messenger)usernames with them just like they would with friends. They cry like crazy on the last day of the camp and run after the officers' cars as they drive away from the camp.
As a preventative measure, some colleges are making new rules for the students. They are required to "act cultured" (you hear this phrase a lot in China) and will be banned from crying and exchanging QQ and phone numbers with the officers when the camp finishes.
Tearful boot camp trainees and their idol
(http://news.big5.enorth.com.cn/system/2007/09/17/001985752.shtml)
More on military training for kids in China:
Chinese Kids Undergo Required Military Training
Chinese Government Imposes Nationwide Military Training For Students.
今日の一冊
Onemanbandwidth: An Amercian Professor In China
Korea Beat
What's up in Taiwan
Fresh Brainz 新鲜脑汁
在地铁站
Chinese Christian Organization Calls for Boycottin...


text:
Click here to: Mobile Bay Times.
Support Mobile Bay Times
Subscribe to Mobile Bay Times
Sentiment split on outcome
of Baldwin Senate 32 runoff
The GOP hike to pick a nominee in the special election for the Baldwin County state Senate District 32 seat set out seven weeks or so ago with five mostly gung-ho, optimistic candidates, but will straggle back Tuesday a little worse for the wear, albeit with its nominee.
So who will the nominee be? Early-on favorite Randy McKinney, a south Baldwin real estate executive, state school board member and the choice of Gov. Bob Riley? Or Trip Pittman, the Eastern Shore businessman and first-time candidate who eschewed the establishment in pursuit of a grass roots appeal?
The GOP winner will face Democratic nominee A.J. Cooper, an Eastern Shore attorney who faced no opposition in claiming his party's banner, in the general election on Oct. 16. The seat became open when Bradley Byrne resigned to lead the state's junior college system in its time of turmoil.
The Mobile Bay Times turned for insight to a number of sources wise in the ways of Baldwin County political campaigns.
"Trip Pittman will win the election on Tuesday. McKinney's move to go negative in his mail pieces and his need to bring in the 'big guns' ( a.k.a. Gov. Riley) for televised endorsements shows the acts of a candidate who is trailing in the last few days before the election."
-- PRZ,
Baldwin County elected official
"McKinney hasn't done much north of Robertsdale, therefore Pittman will win 51-49. Sadly, all Trip can talk about in the last weeks in his ads is Montgomery PAC money. That will not help him after the election."
-- AMB,
"Although the race is getting tense and a bit underhanded here at the end, I cannot help but believe that the majority of Baldwin County people are intelligent enough to understand that McKinney has an edge over Pittman in the area of experience.
I just hope this ad valorem tax situation, which Gov Riley is being attacked on, does not become an issue. If people would understand what Realtors despise the most is anything that affects property rights and ownership. This miscarriage of justice caused by this screwed-up legislation is an abomination and possibly will force some out of their homes. However, I do not feel the governor should be tagged with neither this nor anyone who happens to be a friend of his. This is a legislative act.
People should ask the question, which I feel is the most important, why is this happening in Baldwin and not other counties? Could be that either Mr. (Phil) Nix is correct when he says he is the only one enforcing the law or it could be he is the only one in the whole state who does not have a clue about what he is doing. I cannot accept the premise and feel the real culprit in this issue is the state Legislature, especially the Senate, as they accomplished absolutely nothing last year thanks to the 'Democrat' lead body."
McKinney wins by 5 percent, 7,000 vote."
-- JOS,
Baldwin real estate executive
"I still think it's going to be McKinney even though he's gone more negative in the last week or so. That tells me his polls show it is real close. Trip has seemed to gain some momentum, but I don't know if it will be enough."
-- TWD,
Baldwin native and financial consultant
"Low voter turnout and a razor thin margin. Riley's endorsement of McKinney proves to be a net negative, and Pittman wins by a nose."
-- BHL,
Baldwin attorney
"I see it as Randy McKinney in a very low turnout, maybe 12 percent race. Randy will take it 53 percent to 47 percent.
There will be a good turnout in the southern part of the district and put him in the lead for good. Randy has run strong there by huge margins in all of his races including the primary. This will be enough to offset Trip winning the Eastern Shore.
Trip will win the Eastern Shore but not by the margin that Randy will carry South Baldwin.
Randy should take Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Perdido, Lillian, Elberta, Foley, Robertsdale, Summerdale, Loxley, Magnolia Springs and Bon Secour.
Trip will take Barnwell, Marlow, Bay Minette, Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope.
It was a good first run by Trip but at the end of the day, Trip likes to hear himself talk and should spend more time listening to people. Randy is a seasoned campaigner and has a good organization in place. His weakest spot is on the Eastern Shore, but with very little negatives and no overwhelming regional issues it is hard to drive people out to vote against him. In the end I think an experienced organization and good name identification will beat an inexperienced candidate and organization. I give this one to Randy."
-- USM,
veteran Baldwin politico
"Trip wins with 54 percent of the vote. McKinney is not a viable candidate without Montgomery PAC money which is in excess of $200,000 so far filed and another $100,000 will probably show up after the election. In both cycles he has raised less than $30,000 from individuals in Baldwin County. The governor's endorsement I believe has backfired. Most repubs are upset that he did it."
-- GDY,
road contractor
"Obvious desperation by McKinney who wins the race towards negative campaigning. Additionally, Riley should stay out of races involving two men, either of whom could and would support Riley's agenda. Makes me wonder if I would support Riley next time he runs."
-- DSB,
real estate executive
"I think it will be closer than I originally thought, but I still feel McKinney will pull it out. I do not like the fact that Gov. Riley got involved in a primary race. I do not think this is good for the party in the long run and may have backfired some on McKinney. I do not think the party can go wrong whoever wins, though They both are good people."
-- PBR,
veteran GOP spokesperson
"I predict Pittman will win 51-49 percent. The PAC money and negative campaigning at the end has made the difference."
-- FFI,
ex-south Baldwin official


The Color of Summer, Arenas's finest comic achievement, is also the fulfillment of his life's work, the Pentagonia, a five-volume cycle of autobiographical novels he began writing in his early twenties. Although it is the penultimate installment in his "secret history of Cuba," it was, in fact, the last book Arenas wrote before his death in 1990. A tale of survival by wits and wit, The Color of Summer is ultimately a powerful and passionate story about the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of political and sexual repression.


text:
Zen, the 5-month-old son of Nick Cannon, has died of brain cancer
By Tori B. Powell
December 8, 2021 / 7:31 AM / CBS News
Nick Cannon's youngest son, Zen, has died from a form of brain cancer, the entertainer tearfully announced Tuesday on The Nick Cannon Show.
Cannon said Zen at first seemed to have "like a sinus thing, it was like a cough, and I just wanted to check it out."
"He always had this real interesting breathing. And by the time he was two months ... I also noticed he's got like a nice-sized head — I call it a Cannon head. ... We didn't think anything about it," he said. "But I wanted to take him to the doctor for his sinus and breathing. So we thought it would be a routine process."
That's when doctors discovered Zen had fluid building up in his brain.
"And we found out it was ... a malignant tumor in his head," Cannon said. "And so immediately we had to have surgery. It was brain surgery and we put a shunt in his head and we were hoping for the best."
A MESSAGE FROM NICK by Nick Cannon on YouTube
But around Thanksgiving, he said, Zen's condition took a turn for the worse. "It was cancer in the brain, and the tumor began to grow a lot faster."
He broke down in tears as he described taking Zen to the ocean on Sunday, and then holding him for the last time.
Zen — nicknamed "Z Chillin'" — was born in June to Cannon and model Alyssa Scott.
Cannon described his youngest son as "the most loving" child who was "always smiling" and had "the most beautiful spirit."
According to Entertainment Tonight, Cannon will be taking time off from his show and cancelled some recordings for the week. He dedicated Tuesday's broadcast to Zen.
"I didn't know how I was going to handle today. I didn't know how, but I just really wanted, you know, I wanted to grieve with my family," he said pointing to the audience.
Rapper Cardi B to pay funeral expenses for victims of the Bronx fire
One of Betty White's final photos unveiled on her birthday
Rapper formerly known as Kanye West named suspect in battery probe
Betty White died of a stroke she suffered six days earlier
Tori B. Powell
Tori B. Powell is a breaking news reporter at CBS News. Reach her at tori.powell@viacomcbs.com
First published on December 7, 2021 / 1:28 PM