Sunday, March 30

PRAISE THE LORD


I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

He has caused his wonders to be remembered, the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

He provides food for those who fear him, he remembers his covenant forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever - holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

~ PSALM 111 ~

Saturday, March 29

60 EARTH HOUR


http://wwf.ca/earthhour/

Tonight at 8-9pm you can take the first step towards fighting climate change by turning out your lights for Earth Hour. It is time to make Earth Hour part of a bigger, ongoing effort. As many iconic buildings and landmarks around the world will be turning out their lights for Earth Hour including the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco; Alcatraz Jail, San Francisco; Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia; Brighton Pier, UK and the Sears Tower, Chicago.

In the dark you can still have fun, I'm so full of ideas already.

LIGHT A CANDLE
MAKE A WISH
SAY A PRAYER
DANCE LIKE WOLVES
PLAY AN INSTRUMENT
SING LIKE IL DIVO
WATCH THE BEE MOVIE
LISTEN TO ENYA
TELL A STORY TO GRANDPA
INVITE GEORGE CLOONEY TO COME OVER
PRACTICE ADVANCE YOGA
TAKE A BUBBLE BATH
SLEEP LIKE A TODDLER
CATCH A FALLING STAR

Thursday, March 27

Love Conquers All


Of all the emotions

Anger and love have most in common

They are difficult to control and powerful motivations

But anger diminishes feelings of hope

While love arouse them

My version is rather simple

Love conquers all

And it is about

Give and Take

Wednesday, March 26

Stars On Ice

Congratulations to JEFFERY BUTTLE! The 25-year-old Canadian has just won the World Championship of Free Skating in Sweden. Two years ago he had won the bronze in the Olympic and now he's aiming to 2010 Vancouver. Jeff has great potential as he's young, energetic, handsome, most importantly he skates well. He definitely is a rising star. Look forward to his splendid performance before and after 2010.



Not many people know that figure skating is in fact my favorite sport. Why? Simply because I don't skate at all. But I can always tell who should skate and who should not, just like everybody else :-) During the last century, I must have watched more than 300 skaters performed on various occasions. In my opinion, the most impressive figure skating event was 1998 Olympic in Japan. ILYA KULIK who won the gold had won my heart with his unbeatable performance ever. ELVIS STOJKO won the silver despite he'd not fully recovered from his groin injury at the time. Yet, PHILIPPE CANDELORO who won the Bronze has become my all time favorite skating star, in terms of creativity adding technical merits he was brilliant. See it for yourself, he's skillful as well as very playful.

Monday, March 24

Satan's Prayer



Devils, today is your day.

Strike the interests of the angels, the followers and all those who participated in the attack on devils.

Monitor the computers, collect human organs, prepare the wardrobe let alone the Prada, plan with precision and then-while relying on Satan-assault seeking martyrdom and hell.

Today, there is no room for he who says that we should only fight the angels in heaven. Omen.

Organ harvesting of live Falun Gong practitioners (1/4)



REPORT INTO ALLEGATIONS OF ORGAN HARVESTING OF FALUN GONG PRACTITIONERS IN CHINA

by David Matas and David Kilgour

July 6, 2006

References:
http://investigation.go.saveinter.net/

Saturday, March 22

My Testimony


In age 17, I left home as I didn't get along with my step mom. During the first six months had been the toughest, I cried every night in the darkness I could hardly go to sleep. By knowing my life would not be easy from that point, one night I seriously prayed to God, asked for his mercy to let go of me. Under the circumstances, I was silly enough to believe I could only survive without labelling myself as a Christian. In that sense, I would have had 23 years or so to fight or to kill for living, without punishing by God. In exchange, I had made a promise that I would come back to serve God when I reached the age of 40. At the time, 40 seemed a long way to go.

As years gone by; I endured enormous difficulties and hardship in my life; that only God knew what I had been through. Yet I didn't realise it was God walking me and guiding me all the way through indeed. Until some months ago, I couldn't help remembering the promise I'd made to God; my 40 would soon be arrived. Hence I was sick worried about what was going to happen, may be I was going to die. Due to subconsciously panic; a depression suddenly occurred to me for no clue. By shutting myself down, my whole world was falling apart...everything in the past was meaningless, a chasing after wind...

The illness lasted for weeks then I started to pray. Finally I'd made it clear to God, I would love to keep my words. My baptism was held at the Rhenish Church on 30 May 2004. Ever since my life has changed, that I am no longer afraid of what may lead in the future. Eventually I learn to put everything in God's hands. I don't need any miracle to keep up my faith, as my whole life has been miracles. Now I know I was born for a reason, I've been chosen to be God's servant.

To share the lines with you I always keep in mind, " Where you see only one set of footprints in the sand, during the saddest time in your life, it was then I carried you - my precious child."

***This testimony was written on 2004 after the Baptism.

Friday, March 21

BUT YOURS BE DONE



"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

LUKE 22:42

Wednesday, March 19

Olympic Heroines



Am a writer, fairly quiet most of the time, can go wild when intimidated. In my younger days I used to be a big fan of sports. I liked watching soccer, badminton, grand prix, figure skating...and so on. Goes without saying I liked watching Olympic games.

As remember, there're moments flashed back from different venues or stadiums, when athletes' performances easily touched my heart. However, there's one significant moment I'd bear in mind for the rest of my life. It was 1996 Olympic in Atlanta. KERRI STRUG, The US gymnast who had won the first women's Olympic team gold medal in her nation's history filed into the Georgia Dome for the medal ceremony.

What happened that day Kerri had fallen on her first attempt, badly injured her ankle in the process as everybody had seen. While her six teammates sat in quiet disarray, worried about Kerri and the losing medal, Kerri wanted the second attempt. She sprinted, performed her one-and-a-half twisting Yurchenko vault to near perfection, I cried my eyes out seeing that move. After she landed on one foot she was in great pain, but she came through when it counted. With her unbelievable and incredible determination, she'd made the history in Olympic for her nation.

Moments later, she was carried out to the stadium. I agreed that there was no single American figure who defined that memorable and, in the end, melodramatic victory over the Russians who won the silver medal, and the Romanians who won the bronze. Finally, Kerri Strug was standing alongside her six teammates as "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played for a team of US women's gymnasts for the very first time. The seven teenagers who won the gold were Borden, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps and Kerri Strug. Until now, it has never had a team of women liked that captured hearts, inspirations and a gold medal on the world's biggest sporting event in Atlanta 1996. In an era when women athletes are increasingly more successful throughout the world, the American victory was both timely and emblematic.

Tuesday, March 18

Say NO to United Nations' abolishment of Traditional Chinese in 2008


Say NO to United Nations' abolishment of Traditional Chinese in 2008
521066 Signatures

Published by Jennifer Ping on Mar 25, 2006
Category: Education
Region: GLOBAL
Target: United Nations Secretary-General : Ban Ki-moon
Web site: http://www.ettoday.com/2006/04/24/91-1932042.htm
Country stats
HK News

向聯合國於2008年廢止繁體中文說「不」
Description/History:
The Chinese language has many dialects spoken yet Mandarin has always been the official language.

In Mandarin, there are two present types of writings: Traditional and Simplified Chinese characters. Traditional Chinese has been the official form of writing for thousands of years. And from it, the Simplified form was born.

In recent decades, China's effort in trying to make Chinese easier for both her youth and foreigners resulted in this push of Simplified Chinese. However, at the same time, Traditional Chinese is still studied and widely recognized.

The purpose of Simplified Chinese was meant for an easier reading (with less characters) and less pen-strokes in writing characters. It is the attempt of making Chinese more phonetic rather than having many words pronounced the same.

The two forms of Chinese have always co-existed peacefully for many years. The importance of Traditional Chinese lies in the fact that each character represents a very specific meaning. This is of extreme importance because it allows the reader to understand a written word even without the word being in context.

Simplified Chinese, although convenient, fails to incorporate meaning into its characters. Many words of same phonetic sounds are replaced by a single character that possesses the same sound but lacks in meaning. The major downfall of Simplified Chinese is that it lacks meaning. Currently, historical texts are in Traditional Chinese, (simply because one can read and understand based on the author's choice of words) however, if Traditional Chinese is to be replaced by Simplified Chinese, one would not be able to understand these texts/writings because words have lost their meanings, they simply represent a way of pronouncing the texts. As time progresses, this would result in the loss of history and culture.

UN's action to "unify" the Chinese characters and recognize ONLY Simplified Chinese will have devastating impact upon the Chinese language, culture, history. Internationally, Traditional Chinese would be forgotten and neglected, it would only be a matter of time before Traditional Chinese becomes the next "Latin". (the dead language) Along with this loss of language, would be a culture and history lost forever.

Although Simplified Chinese is an easier way to learn Chinese, but it should not be the only form of Chinese written language. It should be a convenience, not an absolute. By allowing it to become the "official" writing, the Chinese language would be in regression.

------------------

Example of Simplified VS Traditional (provided by a fellow supporter)

The word Noodle in Chinese
Traditional: 麵 = 麥 + 面 (wheat + surface)
Simplified: 面 (surface/face/noodle)
*meaning in brackets

The Traditional form has two parts which helps to identify it as noodles. Simplified character only provides the pronouciation so the reader would be unable to determine the meaning without it's context.

-------------------

The above has been confirmed that the UN never used both Chinese forms. IN FACT, Traditional Chinese does not even exist in the UN anymore (except prior to early 1970's).

In truth, I am uncertain what will become of this petition. After all, it is a few decades late. Although, what saddens me, is the fact that Traditional Chinese has already lost its ground.

People signed this petition to fight against Traditional Chinese being abolished. YET, now that we know it's a fact, why should we not fight harder.

Some have claimed this to be a hoax. Others have supported and sent emails. I personally thank everyone of you who took time to come here regardless of your positions.

*** Petition:
We, the undersigned, are appalled by the abolishment of Traditional Chinese in UN documents. This is an act of annihilation of the culture and history of the Chinese people. Both Traditional and Simplified Chinese are of extreme significance and should be recognized equally on the international level and by UN.

Monday, March 17

Saint Patrick's Day






Today is Saint Patrick's Day. It brings back my good memories when I traveled to Dublin last summer. A great city full of energy and friendly citizens I miss the most. Ireland is definitely worth to go back for another visit someday.

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa 385–461 AD), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.
The day is the national holiday of Ireland. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Nowadays the Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by non-Irish people in Australia and North America. Celebrations are generally themed around all things Irish and, by association, the colour green. Both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green or orange, eating Irish food and/or green foods, imbibing Irish drink such as Guinness, Baileys Irish Cream or carbomb drink, and attending parades.

Saturday, March 15

Tibet On Fire


Photo courtesy of: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-4022

Photo Caption: Tibetans in Switzerland protests against violence in China's Tibet. In front of the Chinese Consulate in Zurich On Saturday, about 2000 people against the oppression of the Tibetan protests in Lhasa by China demonstrated.

Tibetan advocates say Tibetans began rioting after military police officers attacked monks protesting outside a monastery in the city. As Tibet is one of the provinces in China that foreign journalists are being restricted from traveling, hence, the death tolls spreading over the media are vary. According to the Xinhua news agency - 10 innocent civilians were killed, contrary to the insiders there were more than 100 deceased.

Despite International pressure mounted on Beijing to show restraint, Reuters reported that China has given Tibetan protesters a tough response in Lhasa. While Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith called for China to allow "peaceful expression of dissent", German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for "free and direct dialogue" between China and the Dalai Lama, the United States and the European Union urged China to find a peaceful outcome.

Friday, March 14

GOD HAS BEEN MY STRENGTH



The democracy movement on June 4, 1989 had once been a milestone in China's history. It symbolized the courage and enthusiasm of the new generation at the time, it unified the people for pursuing the freedom of expressing. During and after the movement, many students had died, but not in vain. The Chinese government had become more open minded for a while, the economy had become stronger global wise.

Almost two decades passed by, has human rights played an important role in China today? The answer is NO. It has gone worse as a matter of fact. All because the leaders in power are so corrupted these days. Some of them think they're ready to take over the world that they don't show any respect to the alliances, or to the tax payers. Some of them think they're on top of the world already, that they tend to torture or humiliate anyone who dares to challenge their authority.

Why I'm saying this? I AM one of the victims and I AM the living proof. As long as I live, I'll watch over China to see if things are getting better. I believe in God and God has been my strength. May God bless China and its people in the years to come.

Thursday, March 13

Choking on Growth


Sources and courtesy of Du Bin for The New York Times
http://newyorktimes.com

For three decades, water has been indispensable in sustaining the rollicking economic expansion that has made China a world power. Now, China’s galloping, often wasteful style of economic growth is pushing the country toward a water crisis. Water pollution is rampant nationwide, while water scarcity has worsened severely in north China — even as demand keeps rising everywhere.

China is scouring the world for oil, natural gas and minerals to keep its economic machine humming. But trade deals cannot solve water problems. Water usage in China has quintupled since 1949, and leaders will increasingly face tough political choices as cities, industry and farming compete for a finite and unbalanced water supply.

For the Communist Party, the immediate challenge is the prosaic task of forcing the world’s most dynamic economy to conserve and protect clean water. Water pollution is so widespread that regulators say a major incident occurs every other day. Municipal and industrial dumping has left sections of many rivers “unfit for human contact.”

Cities like Beijing and Tianjin have shown progress on water conservation, but China’s economy continues to emphasize growth. Industry in China uses 3 to 10 times more water, depending on the product, than industries in developed nations. In the past, the Communist Party has reflexively turned to engineering projects to address water problems, and now it is reaching back to one of Mao’s unrealized plans: the $62 billion South-to-North Water Transfer Project to funnel more than 12 trillion gallons northward every year along three routes from the Yangtze River basin, where water is more abundant.

Jake Hooker contributed reporting from north China. Huang Yuanxi contributed research from Beijing.

****************************************************************************

Sources and courtesy of BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk

Along with Mexico City, Beijing shares the distinction of being the world's most polluted capital.

In Beijing's streets the sources of pollution are not hard to spot. The traditional fuel for heating and cooking in many Chinese cities. It is low grade and high in sulphur. When burned, it coats surrounding surfaces with a noxious grey dust. China's national dependence on coal - still the source of some 75% of its energy - is seen as a key cause of country's environmental problems.

Many environmentalists agree that China now has some of the toughest environmental laws of any country. But putting them into practice nationwide is a major challenge. Basically they have the choice of putting all the people on the street or letting the pollution continue.

Despite all the measures to tackle car pollution in cities like Beijing, the government has made it quite clear that it sees the development of the motor industry as a pillar of China's economic development. In Beijing alone, an extra 100,000 vehicles come onto the streets each year. China's anticipated entry into the World Trade Organisation is expected to further boost demand by bringing cheaper car prices.

It is this tension between environmental concerns and the desire of China's vast population for Western-style consumer comfort which may ultimately determine whether blue skies really do return to the nation's cities.

Wednesday, March 12

Human Rights Abuses


STUDY: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Sources and courtesy of:
http://globeandmail.com
Migrant workers feel like 'slaves' to Beijing's Olympic projects
GEOFFREY YORK
March 12, 2008


BEIJING -- In the midst of a massive $40-billion pre-Olympic construction boom, Beijing employers are routinely violating China's labour law by cheating the migrant workers who provide the muscle for the boom, a new report says.

Beijing, with an estimated 10,000 building sites, is in the midst of the biggest makeover in its history. Huge construction projects are visible all over the city, including new subways, trains, airports, highways and dozens of showcase buildings for the Olympics and beyond.

But the estimated one million migrants, who form 90 per cent of Beijing's vast army of construction workers, suffer a range of abusive conditions and discriminatory treatment from their employers and the government, says the report released today by Human Rights Watch.

The migrants, mostly from rural regions or small towns, are paid poorly and often cheated of their meagre wages by employers who exploit their vulnerability, the report says.

It says their wages are sometimes delayed by as much as a year, or never paid at all. They are denied access to medical care and other social benefits, and they do not receive accident insurance.

"Workers routinely endure dangerous work environments and lack any safety net, including medical and accident insurance," the report says. "A dysfunctional government system of redress for workers' grievances puts those who protest such injustices under threat of sometimes deadly physical violence."

Even the Chinese government's own surveys have confirmed the problem. A survey last year found that only 31 per cent of migrant workers were getting their salaries paid monthly, as Chinese law requires. More than half were working without labour contracts and 76 per cent were denied any overtime pay when they worked on public holidays. The survey found that the average migrant construction worker was forced to work for 10 hours a day, 27 days a month, in blatant violation of Chinese law.

The new study by Human Rights Watch found that the migrants often worked for 17 hours a day, or longer, without any overtime pay. Many said they felt like "slaves" or "cattle" because of the working conditions.

"One worker said that he and his co-workers had recently completed a work shift of three successive days, around-the-clock with minimal rest breaks," the report said, adding that the workers were sometimes roused in the middle of the night to keep working.

Food and housing for the migrants is poor. Their dormitories are often overcrowded, unheated and freezing in the winter. In one dormitory, 20 workers were sharing 10 beds, the report found.

Despite the government's awareness of the problems, most of them have persisted for years without any official action, partly because of close links between government officials and the state-owned construction companies that dominate the industry, the report said.

Another key issue is China's system of "residence permits," which prohibit workers from moving to a city without permission. Of the 150 million migrant workers in China, only 40 per cent are able to get a residence permit.

The Beijing Olympics, which begin on Aug. 8, are putting a spotlight on China's human-rights abuses. A report yesterday by the U.S. State Department criticized China for its record of police torture, forced relocations, censorship and the imprisonment of journalists and Internet writers.

Public protests are usually crushed quickly in China. Yesterday, the Chinese government acknowledged that Buddhist monks held an anti-government march in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. As many as 300 monks were involved in the march, and as many as 71 of the protesters were detained and briefly jailed, according to human-rights groups.

Monday, March 10

God Is Amazing



Praise our Lord, we've made it.
Look at this stunning scene, the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen.
Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.
And a rich person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

Sunday, March 9

Always


Always

© By Brandon A. Swaggerty

The day you were born, the whole world was blessed
These thoughts in my mind to you I must confess

The time has come for me to express my true feelings
You are the center of my thoughts and the essence of my being

What you have brought me I never thought I could procure
The gift of comfort, with you I am secure

For you have lifted me up from a life filled with sorrow
And made me realize there is always a better tomorrow

It amazes me how someone can make me feel this way
I love you more and more with each passing day

You brighten my days and lift my spirits
I have felt this for so long and now want you to hear it

So you may know the place you hold in my heart
You are always with me even when we're apart


I truly believe what we have is meant to be
Just open your heart and soon you shall see

What I am willing to do to keep a smile on your face
Just know that I'm here and will be always

Tuesday, March 4

Eight Million Ways To Lie


Once upon a time, there was a city packed with eight-million people, and each one told a lie.

A decent woman had been murdered by a serial killer in front of eight-million pairs of eyes.

Yet no one dared to speak the truth. Eight-million bystanders in the line.

"Have you seen this woman before?"

"No, I haven't, not a chance. I'm blind."

"She was your neighbour, have you heard anything unusual in the past?"

"No, I haven't. I'm deaf."

"She was your friend, wasn't she?"

"...I doubt it, I'm mute..." by sign language.

The investigator showed the rest of them a portrait of the serial killer.

"Oh, this killer does look like the Premier of China!" Someone spoke up.

"You dare not to say such a thing! Are you nuts??" someone was furious jumped up to the ceiling.

"Perhaps not as sick as this killer. He killed and he will continue to kill. He's loaded as he's been using other people's money enjoying shopping and killing at the same time! What a significant move!!"

"You think he'll get away with this?" someone challenged.

"If he will, who's gonna be the next target?" someone panicked.

"Well, best of luck as it's Premier's choice. Your life ends as soon as he lays his eyes on you." someone warned.

The rest in line remained silent. Then again, eight million ways to die comparing with eight million ways to lie, they're technically comply with the same logic. Who cares.

Monday, March 3

A Campaign for Diversity


I came to this country with nothing.

I crossed many physical borders only to find the invisible barriers.

I found a home, but never felt welcome.

I was judged because of my appearance.

I worked 7 days a week just for acceptance.

I am an immigrant when I'm looking to belong.

For just one moment, put yourself in someone else's shoes - someone whose life has been fraught with bigotry, hatred and injustice. All because of their race, ethnicity, gender or ability.

That's all the idea behind the groundbreaking programs at the Canadian Centre for Diversity. We teach Canada's youth how to overcome fear, ignorance and prejudice and we inspire them to celebrate difference, diversity and inclusion.

This year, we're embarking on a $10 million fundraising campaign so that more youth can participate in our programs and build the kind of Canada we all want to live in. Join us.

Courtesy of www.centrefordiversity.ca
You're the 11946911 visitor, thank you and God bless.