A Barack Obama T-shirt sells for five dollars on K Street in Washington. An Obama bronze medallion costs 60 dollars through the official presidential inauguration committee outlet.
The US is a wash in Obama merchandise, ranging from refrigerator magnets to baseball caps to Obama-style coffee (half Hawaiian, half Kenyan) capitalizing on the image of the new president.
Obama coffee mugs, key chains, scarves and baseball caps are flying off the shelves. The Washington Post and The New York Times sell commemorative books and special editions of their inauguration issues.
People want a bit of history, they take the advantage of Obama's popularity,this is not only the first black president, it's the first president in a long time that makes sense to people.
Online retailer eBay had Obama's items for sale on Friday, including an Obama pin and an "Amazing Spiderman Barack Obama" comic. Amazon.com had several thousand, including Obama bobblehead dolls and action figures.
Some items come from the presidential inaugural committee, which operated a Washington store until Thursday and continues to sells through its website, using the proceeds to defray the costs of the inauguration events.
Sales of inauguration medallions are a tradition dating back a century but that the marketing of memorabilia has taken on a new dimension.
Yet virtually anyone can sell items with the presidential or inauguration seal or Obama's image, with many calling themselves sellers of "official" merchandise.
The store, which sells items ranging from barbecue sauce to framed Obama prints, will remain open indefinitely, Ellis said. Shoppers can also have their picture taken with a lifesize cardboard cutout of Obama behind a replica of the Resolute desk of the Oval Office.
Our new president is invigorating interest in government and the office of the presidency and politics.The interest in Obama may continue for some time.It's going to continue in the short term because he is even more in the limelight than he was three months ago.
The younger generation is used to wearing their brands on their shirts and their hats.Up to now their brands have been Apple and Facebook, so Obama is the first political brand of this generation.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Indonesian Muslims banned from practicing yoga
Muslims in Indonesia are banned from practicing yoga that contains Hindu rituals like chanting, the country's top Islamic body said Monday, echoing concerns by some religious groups elsewhere about its effect on their faith.
Though not legally binding, most devout Muslims will likely adhere to the ruling because ignoring a fatwa, or religious decree, is considered a sin.
The decision in the world's most populous Muslim state follows similar edicts in Malaysia and Egypt as the ancient Indian exercise gained popularity worldwide in recent years.
Cleric Ma'ruf Amin said the Ulema Council issued its ruling over the weekend after investigators visited gyms and private yoga classes across the sprawling nation. Amir said those performing yoga purely for health or sport reasons will not be affected.
But yoga practitioners immediately criticized the decision.
Yoga solely to strengthen their bodies and minds. Little or no spiritual element to it.
Yoga — a blend of physical and mental exercises aimed at integrating mind, body and spirit — has become so popular in the United States that many public schools have started offering it as part of their physical education programs.
But there, too, yoga has come under fire, with some Christian fundamentalists arguing its Hindu roots conflict with their own teachings.
A few secular parents are also opposed, saying its spiritual elements could violate rules demanding separation of church and state.
Though there is no Jewish law against yoga, which is widely practiced in Israel, some movements that insinuate idol worship are frowned upon, but not banned, by rabbis. This is to avoid misunderstandings that followers are praying to entities other than God, the sun for instance.
Indonesia is a secular country of 235 million people, 90 percent of them Muslim. Most practice a moderate form of the faith, though an increasingly vocal extremist fringe has gained ground in recent years. They have in some cases succeeded in influencing government policy, because many leaders depend on the support of Islamic parties.
The Ulema Council decided to investigate the need for a yoga ban after religious authorities in neighboring Malaysia issued their own fatwa late last year.
Many people there protested, insisting they had been performing yoga for years without losing their faith. Eventually, even Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had to step in, assuring Malaysians they could continue with the exercises as long as they didn't chant.
The Ulema Council's annual meeting on fatwas over the weekend also debated whether to issue an edict banning smoking in Indonesia, one of the world's largest tobacco markets.
But cleric Amin Suma said Sunday those talks ended in a deadlock.
Though not legally binding, most devout Muslims will likely adhere to the ruling because ignoring a fatwa, or religious decree, is considered a sin.
The decision in the world's most populous Muslim state follows similar edicts in Malaysia and Egypt as the ancient Indian exercise gained popularity worldwide in recent years.
Cleric Ma'ruf Amin said the Ulema Council issued its ruling over the weekend after investigators visited gyms and private yoga classes across the sprawling nation. Amir said those performing yoga purely for health or sport reasons will not be affected.
But yoga practitioners immediately criticized the decision.
Yoga solely to strengthen their bodies and minds. Little or no spiritual element to it.
Yoga — a blend of physical and mental exercises aimed at integrating mind, body and spirit — has become so popular in the United States that many public schools have started offering it as part of their physical education programs.
But there, too, yoga has come under fire, with some Christian fundamentalists arguing its Hindu roots conflict with their own teachings.
A few secular parents are also opposed, saying its spiritual elements could violate rules demanding separation of church and state.
Though there is no Jewish law against yoga, which is widely practiced in Israel, some movements that insinuate idol worship are frowned upon, but not banned, by rabbis. This is to avoid misunderstandings that followers are praying to entities other than God, the sun for instance.
Indonesia is a secular country of 235 million people, 90 percent of them Muslim. Most practice a moderate form of the faith, though an increasingly vocal extremist fringe has gained ground in recent years. They have in some cases succeeded in influencing government policy, because many leaders depend on the support of Islamic parties.
The Ulema Council decided to investigate the need for a yoga ban after religious authorities in neighboring Malaysia issued their own fatwa late last year.
Many people there protested, insisting they had been performing yoga for years without losing their faith. Eventually, even Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had to step in, assuring Malaysians they could continue with the exercises as long as they didn't chant.
The Ulema Council's annual meeting on fatwas over the weekend also debated whether to issue an edict banning smoking in Indonesia, one of the world's largest tobacco markets.
But cleric Amin Suma said Sunday those talks ended in a deadlock.
Job-killing recession more layoff
The recession is killing jobs at an alarming pace, with tens of thousands of new layoffs announced by some of the biggest names in American business — Pfizer, Caterpillar and Home Depot.
More pink slips, pay freezes and other hits are expected to slam workers in the months ahead as companies desperately look for ways to survive.
There's certainly other firms beneath them that will lay off workers as quickly or even quicker.
Looking ahead, economists predicted a net loss of at least 2 million jobs — possibly more — this year even if President Barack Obama's $825 billion package of increased government spending and tax cuts is enacted. Last year, the economy lost a net 2.6 million jobs, the most since 1945, though the labor force has grown significantly since then.
The unemployment rate, now at a 16-year high of 7.2 percent, could hit 10 percent or higher later this year or early next year, under some analysts' projections.
Obama called on Congress Monday to speedily enact his recovery plan, warning that the nation can't afford "distractions" or "delays."
With the recession expected to drag on through much of this year, more damage will be inflicted on both companies and workers.
The mounting toll was visible Monday as roughly 40,000 more U.S. workers got the grim news.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., which is buying rival drugmaker Wyeth in a $68 billion deal, and Sprint Nextel Corp., the country's third-largest wireless provider, said they each will slash 8,000 jobs
Home Depot Inc., the biggest home improvement retailer in the U.S., will get rid of 7,000 jobs, and General Motors Corp. said it will cut 2,000 jobs at plants in Michigan and Ohio because of slow sales.
This year could be as bad as last year in terms of layoffs.
In response to deteriorating business conditions, Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest maker of mining and construction equipment, disclosed nearly 20,000 job cuts, most of which already have been made. They include 5,000 new layoffs of white collar workers, which will occur globally by the end of March.
Earlier actions included the elimination of 2,500 Caterpillar workers through a buyout offer announced in December, the termination of about 8,000 contract and temp agency workers, and the reduction of 4,000 full-time factory workers through firings and buyouts.
Texas Instruments Inc., which makes chips for cell phones and other gadgets, will cut 3,400 jobs due to slumping demand. The Dallas-based company said Monday it will slash 12 percent of its work force — 1,800 jobs through layoffs and another 1,600 through voluntary retirements and departures. And Brooks Automation Inc. said it plans to get rid of 350 jobs, or 20 percent of its work force. It will be the second round of cuts for Brooks, which makes software and equipment for chip manufacturers.
Oilfield services provider Halliburton Co. said it will eliminate jobs in markets particularly hard hit by the recession, though it didn't provide details. Its larger rival Schlumberger Ltd. said last week it will cut up to 5,000 jobs worldwide in the first half of 2009 and consider further reductions this spring.
The flurry of layoffs comes on the heels of similar action by big-name companies just last week.
Microsoft Corp. said it will slash up to 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months. Intel Corp. said it will cut up to 6,000 manufacturing jobs. And United Airlines parent UAL Corp. said it would get rid of 1,000 jobs, on top of 1,500 axed late last year.
And there's no end in sight. In a survey by the National Association for Business Economics, 39 percent of forecasters predicted job reductions through attrition or "significant" layoffs over the next six months, up from 32 percent in the previous survey in October. Around 45 percent in the current survey anticipated no change in hiring plans. About 17 percent thought hiring would increase.
A new report by the placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that companies are often turning to a creative combination of measures to cut costs — beyond layoffs. Those measures include pay freezes or reductions, forced vacations, travel cutbacks and the elimination of year-end bonuses.
Not all the economic news was as grim Monday. Sales of previously owned homes and a separate barometer of economic activity each logged unexpected gains in December. But economists didn't view them as signs of improvement.
Economists said the uptick in home sales was due to sinking prices spurring buyers. In the other report, a government-influenced balloon in the nation's money supply largely affected the outcome.
Wall Street closed moderately higher. The Dow Jones industrials rose 38.47,or 0.48 percent, to 8,116.03, after briefly moving into negative territory.
The National Association of Realtors said sales of existing homes rose 6.5 percent to an annual rate of 4.74 million last month. Buyers took advantage of dramatically lower prices, especially in distressed states like California, Florida and Nevada, where foreclosures are soaring.
The nationwide median sales price sank to $175,400, down 15.3 percent from a year ago. That marked the biggest annual drop on records going back to 1968. The median is the middle point, where half the homes sell for more and half for less.
For all of last year, existing-home sales totaled 4.9 million, down more than 13 percent from the previous year, and the lowest since 1997.
Meanwhile, the Conference Board's monthly forecast of economic activity rose 0.3 percent in December. But that pickup was influenced mainly by federal efforts to ease the credit crisis, which caused the supply of money to expand. If the jump in the money supply were excluded, the board's index would have dropped sharply, economists said.
The national economy, meanwhile, is continuing to backslide.
Many analysts predict the economy will have contracted at a pace of 5.4 percent in the fourth quarter when the government releases that report Friday. If they are correct, that would mark the worst performance since a 6.4 percent drop in the first quarter of 1982. The economy is still contracting now — at a pace of around 4 percent, according to some projections.
More pink slips, pay freezes and other hits are expected to slam workers in the months ahead as companies desperately look for ways to survive.
There's certainly other firms beneath them that will lay off workers as quickly or even quicker.
Looking ahead, economists predicted a net loss of at least 2 million jobs — possibly more — this year even if President Barack Obama's $825 billion package of increased government spending and tax cuts is enacted. Last year, the economy lost a net 2.6 million jobs, the most since 1945, though the labor force has grown significantly since then.
The unemployment rate, now at a 16-year high of 7.2 percent, could hit 10 percent or higher later this year or early next year, under some analysts' projections.
Obama called on Congress Monday to speedily enact his recovery plan, warning that the nation can't afford "distractions" or "delays."
With the recession expected to drag on through much of this year, more damage will be inflicted on both companies and workers.
The mounting toll was visible Monday as roughly 40,000 more U.S. workers got the grim news.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., which is buying rival drugmaker Wyeth in a $68 billion deal, and Sprint Nextel Corp., the country's third-largest wireless provider, said they each will slash 8,000 jobs
Home Depot Inc., the biggest home improvement retailer in the U.S., will get rid of 7,000 jobs, and General Motors Corp. said it will cut 2,000 jobs at plants in Michigan and Ohio because of slow sales.
This year could be as bad as last year in terms of layoffs.
In response to deteriorating business conditions, Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest maker of mining and construction equipment, disclosed nearly 20,000 job cuts, most of which already have been made. They include 5,000 new layoffs of white collar workers, which will occur globally by the end of March.
Earlier actions included the elimination of 2,500 Caterpillar workers through a buyout offer announced in December, the termination of about 8,000 contract and temp agency workers, and the reduction of 4,000 full-time factory workers through firings and buyouts.
Texas Instruments Inc., which makes chips for cell phones and other gadgets, will cut 3,400 jobs due to slumping demand. The Dallas-based company said Monday it will slash 12 percent of its work force — 1,800 jobs through layoffs and another 1,600 through voluntary retirements and departures. And Brooks Automation Inc. said it plans to get rid of 350 jobs, or 20 percent of its work force. It will be the second round of cuts for Brooks, which makes software and equipment for chip manufacturers.
Oilfield services provider Halliburton Co. said it will eliminate jobs in markets particularly hard hit by the recession, though it didn't provide details. Its larger rival Schlumberger Ltd. said last week it will cut up to 5,000 jobs worldwide in the first half of 2009 and consider further reductions this spring.
The flurry of layoffs comes on the heels of similar action by big-name companies just last week.
Microsoft Corp. said it will slash up to 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months. Intel Corp. said it will cut up to 6,000 manufacturing jobs. And United Airlines parent UAL Corp. said it would get rid of 1,000 jobs, on top of 1,500 axed late last year.
And there's no end in sight. In a survey by the National Association for Business Economics, 39 percent of forecasters predicted job reductions through attrition or "significant" layoffs over the next six months, up from 32 percent in the previous survey in October. Around 45 percent in the current survey anticipated no change in hiring plans. About 17 percent thought hiring would increase.
A new report by the placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that companies are often turning to a creative combination of measures to cut costs — beyond layoffs. Those measures include pay freezes or reductions, forced vacations, travel cutbacks and the elimination of year-end bonuses.
Not all the economic news was as grim Monday. Sales of previously owned homes and a separate barometer of economic activity each logged unexpected gains in December. But economists didn't view them as signs of improvement.
Economists said the uptick in home sales was due to sinking prices spurring buyers. In the other report, a government-influenced balloon in the nation's money supply largely affected the outcome.
Wall Street closed moderately higher. The Dow Jones industrials rose 38.47,or 0.48 percent, to 8,116.03, after briefly moving into negative territory.
The National Association of Realtors said sales of existing homes rose 6.5 percent to an annual rate of 4.74 million last month. Buyers took advantage of dramatically lower prices, especially in distressed states like California, Florida and Nevada, where foreclosures are soaring.
The nationwide median sales price sank to $175,400, down 15.3 percent from a year ago. That marked the biggest annual drop on records going back to 1968. The median is the middle point, where half the homes sell for more and half for less.
For all of last year, existing-home sales totaled 4.9 million, down more than 13 percent from the previous year, and the lowest since 1997.
Meanwhile, the Conference Board's monthly forecast of economic activity rose 0.3 percent in December. But that pickup was influenced mainly by federal efforts to ease the credit crisis, which caused the supply of money to expand. If the jump in the money supply were excluded, the board's index would have dropped sharply, economists said.
The national economy, meanwhile, is continuing to backslide.
Many analysts predict the economy will have contracted at a pace of 5.4 percent in the fourth quarter when the government releases that report Friday. If they are correct, that would mark the worst performance since a 6.4 percent drop in the first quarter of 1982. The economy is still contracting now — at a pace of around 4 percent, according to some projections.
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle (aka Devil triangle) is a triangular area bounded Atlantic ends of the Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. Legend says that many people, boats and planes and any other solid object have mysteriously disappeared in the area. The disappearance, however, depends on who is counting and location. Triangle size varies between 500 to 1000 square miles to three times more depending on the author's imagination. (Some include the Azores, Gulf of Mexico and West Indies in the triangle.) After some time should mystery from the time of Columbus. Even so, the estimates vary between 200 and 1 000 incidents in the past 500 years.
Many theories have been trying to explain the extraordinary mystery of the disappearance of ships and planes. Evil aliens, crystal waste Atlantis, people with bad devices or other technologies antigravitaţionale strange, vortexuri to a fourth dimension assumptions are favorites of prose writers of the fantastic. Strange magnetic fields and oceanic flatulenţele (methane gas from the bottom of the ocean) are preferred explanations minds more technical. Weather conditions (thunderstorms, hurricanes, tzunami, earthquakes, high waves, currents, etc..) Unhappiness, pirates, explosive cargoes, incompetent navigators and other human and natural causes are the explanations given by investigators in May skeptical.
Many ships and planes that have been identified as being in the Bermuda Triangle were not there at all. Investigations have not yet presented scientific evidence of the existence of an unusual phenomenon involved in the disappearances. Therefore any explanation, including scientific ones such as those based on the release of methane gas in the bottom of the ocean, magnetic anomalies, etc.. The real mystery is how the Bermuda Triangle became a mystery.
In short, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle became a mystery on a mass media which transmitted without investigating speculation that something mysterious is going on in the Atlantic Ocean.
Many theories have been trying to explain the extraordinary mystery of the disappearance of ships and planes. Evil aliens, crystal waste Atlantis, people with bad devices or other technologies antigravitaţionale strange, vortexuri to a fourth dimension assumptions are favorites of prose writers of the fantastic. Strange magnetic fields and oceanic flatulenţele (methane gas from the bottom of the ocean) are preferred explanations minds more technical. Weather conditions (thunderstorms, hurricanes, tzunami, earthquakes, high waves, currents, etc..) Unhappiness, pirates, explosive cargoes, incompetent navigators and other human and natural causes are the explanations given by investigators in May skeptical.
Many ships and planes that have been identified as being in the Bermuda Triangle were not there at all. Investigations have not yet presented scientific evidence of the existence of an unusual phenomenon involved in the disappearances. Therefore any explanation, including scientific ones such as those based on the release of methane gas in the bottom of the ocean, magnetic anomalies, etc.. The real mystery is how the Bermuda Triangle became a mystery.
In short, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle became a mystery on a mass media which transmitted without investigating speculation that something mysterious is going on in the Atlantic Ocean.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sout Korean killed at Subic Shipbuilding
A South Korean expat Choi Dong Baek working here was killed Sunday when a forklift operated by Menti Dacanay ran over him at an assembly facility of the Hanjin Heavy Industries Corporation-Philippines.
Police reports Choi Dong Baek, a 51-year-old supervisor at the sprawling shipbuilding complex located at the Redondo Peninsula in Subic Bay. He was run over by a forklift operated by Menti Dacanay, a Filipino worker, at around 12:45 a.m. at the vicinity of assembly shop C where metal works are done.
Baek was rushed to the San Marcelino Hospital where he expired at about 1:30 a.m. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident.
Baek was the first South Korean killed this year and is the first expat to be fatally involved in a work-related accident. His death raised the total number of work-related deaths to 19 since Hanjin's construction and shipbuilding operations began in 2006.
A 19-year-old Filipino worker, Raldon del Rosario, died when a metal base of newly installed canvass door fell on him last Friday. He died of massive head injuries, also injured Camalao Bochie, 24, who suffered leg injuries.
Police reports Choi Dong Baek, a 51-year-old supervisor at the sprawling shipbuilding complex located at the Redondo Peninsula in Subic Bay. He was run over by a forklift operated by Menti Dacanay, a Filipino worker, at around 12:45 a.m. at the vicinity of assembly shop C where metal works are done.
Baek was rushed to the San Marcelino Hospital where he expired at about 1:30 a.m. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident.
Baek was the first South Korean killed this year and is the first expat to be fatally involved in a work-related accident. His death raised the total number of work-related deaths to 19 since Hanjin's construction and shipbuilding operations began in 2006.
A 19-year-old Filipino worker, Raldon del Rosario, died when a metal base of newly installed canvass door fell on him last Friday. He died of massive head injuries, also injured Camalao Bochie, 24, who suffered leg injuries.
President Obama avoid devisive stand
Obama was sworn in Tuesday with huge support — 68 percent in a Gallup poll released Saturday — and incredible optimism from the public; Bush left Washington with record-low job approval ratings.
A picture of poise, Obama didn't get rattled when Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the oath of office, an exercise repeated a day later to ensure constitutionality. He breezed through his speech — which repudiated Bush's tenure though never personally attacked him — without a misstep. Even with the weight of the country's troubles now on his shoulders, he was relaxed as he twirled his wife, Michelle, at celebratory balls.
President Barack Obama opened his presidency by breaking sharply from the former President George W. Bush administration, but he mostly avoided divisive partisan and ideological stands. He focused instead on fixing the economy, repairing a battered world image and cleaning up government. Obama overturned a slew of Bush policies with great fanfare. He largely avoided cultural issues; the exception was reversing one abortion-related policy, a predictable move done in a very low-profile way. Obama was making good on his promise to bring change. Yet domestic and international challenges continue to pile up, and it's doubtful that life will be dramatically different for much of the ailing country anytime soon. His biggest agenda items — stabilizing the economy and ending the Iraq war — are complex tasks with results not expected soon. Even as Obama made broad pronouncements and signed a stream of executive orders to usher in a new governing era, his actions leave unanswered or unresolved questions, including how he will close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp for suspected terrorists.
He decreed that interrogators must follow techniques outlined in the Army Field Manual when questioning terrorism suspects, even as he ordered a review that could allow CIA interrogators to use other methods for high-value targets. Also, while a new White House rule limits staffers' previous lobbying activities, exceptions were made for at least two senior administration officials.
Certainly, some Republicans are griping about Obama's economic stimulus plan and closing Guantanamo. But their protests are somewhat muted, perhaps because little of what Obama has done thus far is a surprise. He had prepared the country and Congress for such steps during the campaign and transition. He also has emphasized a pragmatic, bipartisan approach, and enjoys broad public support.
Most of what he tackled came in areas where there is agreement across the political spectrum for a new direction, although the country is divided over shuttering Guantanamo. Obama long has emphasized solutions over partisanship, and he doesn't seem eager to address issues — at least for now — that create great ideological divides.
So far, Obama's only real brush with issues that stoke partisan passions came when he revoked a ban on federal funding for international groups that provide or promote abortions. He did that quietly by issuing a memorandum late Friday afternoon. The move was expected; the issue has vacillated between Republican and Democratic presidents.
Maybe not. But he has yet to face a crisis head-on as the country's leader, and it's only then that his confidence truly will be tested.
Still, Obama clearly has made the transition to governing.
In a mix of symbolism and substance, Obama used a host of executive tools to put his stamp on the country without having to go through Congress, making statements from the bully pulpit and signing White House directives.
He pledged to take bold steps to reverse the recession while meeting with his economic team, and told top military officials to do whatever planning necessary to execute a responsible military drawdown from Iraq. He issued new ethics rules for his administration and pledged to preside over a transparent government.
He ordered the Guantanamo detention center shut within a year, required the closure of any remaining secret CIA "black site" prisons abroad and barred CIA interrogators form using harsh techniques already banned for military questioners. He also assigned veteran troubleshooters to the Middle East, and Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Throughout it all, Obama demonstrated noticeable stylistic differences with his predecessor.
The high-tech Obama chose to keep his cherished BlackBerry, becoming the first sitting president to use e-mail. He made an impromptu visit to the White House's cramped media quarters just "to say hello." He also was spotted at one point ducking into the White House press office to consult with an aide. Bush avoided both areas at all costs. That sort of deferral to someone else in a public setting and admission of a less-than-perfect command of the facts was never Bush's style.
A picture of poise, Obama didn't get rattled when Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the oath of office, an exercise repeated a day later to ensure constitutionality. He breezed through his speech — which repudiated Bush's tenure though never personally attacked him — without a misstep. Even with the weight of the country's troubles now on his shoulders, he was relaxed as he twirled his wife, Michelle, at celebratory balls.
President Barack Obama opened his presidency by breaking sharply from the former President George W. Bush administration, but he mostly avoided divisive partisan and ideological stands. He focused instead on fixing the economy, repairing a battered world image and cleaning up government. Obama overturned a slew of Bush policies with great fanfare. He largely avoided cultural issues; the exception was reversing one abortion-related policy, a predictable move done in a very low-profile way. Obama was making good on his promise to bring change. Yet domestic and international challenges continue to pile up, and it's doubtful that life will be dramatically different for much of the ailing country anytime soon. His biggest agenda items — stabilizing the economy and ending the Iraq war — are complex tasks with results not expected soon. Even as Obama made broad pronouncements and signed a stream of executive orders to usher in a new governing era, his actions leave unanswered or unresolved questions, including how he will close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp for suspected terrorists.
He decreed that interrogators must follow techniques outlined in the Army Field Manual when questioning terrorism suspects, even as he ordered a review that could allow CIA interrogators to use other methods for high-value targets. Also, while a new White House rule limits staffers' previous lobbying activities, exceptions were made for at least two senior administration officials.
Certainly, some Republicans are griping about Obama's economic stimulus plan and closing Guantanamo. But their protests are somewhat muted, perhaps because little of what Obama has done thus far is a surprise. He had prepared the country and Congress for such steps during the campaign and transition. He also has emphasized a pragmatic, bipartisan approach, and enjoys broad public support.
Most of what he tackled came in areas where there is agreement across the political spectrum for a new direction, although the country is divided over shuttering Guantanamo. Obama long has emphasized solutions over partisanship, and he doesn't seem eager to address issues — at least for now — that create great ideological divides.
So far, Obama's only real brush with issues that stoke partisan passions came when he revoked a ban on federal funding for international groups that provide or promote abortions. He did that quietly by issuing a memorandum late Friday afternoon. The move was expected; the issue has vacillated between Republican and Democratic presidents.
Maybe not. But he has yet to face a crisis head-on as the country's leader, and it's only then that his confidence truly will be tested.
Still, Obama clearly has made the transition to governing.
In a mix of symbolism and substance, Obama used a host of executive tools to put his stamp on the country without having to go through Congress, making statements from the bully pulpit and signing White House directives.
He pledged to take bold steps to reverse the recession while meeting with his economic team, and told top military officials to do whatever planning necessary to execute a responsible military drawdown from Iraq. He issued new ethics rules for his administration and pledged to preside over a transparent government.
He ordered the Guantanamo detention center shut within a year, required the closure of any remaining secret CIA "black site" prisons abroad and barred CIA interrogators form using harsh techniques already banned for military questioners. He also assigned veteran troubleshooters to the Middle East, and Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Throughout it all, Obama demonstrated noticeable stylistic differences with his predecessor.
The high-tech Obama chose to keep his cherished BlackBerry, becoming the first sitting president to use e-mail. He made an impromptu visit to the White House's cramped media quarters just "to say hello." He also was spotted at one point ducking into the White House press office to consult with an aide. Bush avoided both areas at all costs. That sort of deferral to someone else in a public setting and admission of a less-than-perfect command of the facts was never Bush's style.
Kung Hei Fat Choi
Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is one of the most important day of Chinese holidays. It is calle the Lunar Ney Year, especially by people outside China. The tradition begins on the first day of the lunar month (Chinese正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New year's eve is known as Chúxī means Year-pass Eve.
The Celebration is considered a major holiday among the Chinese and has influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors. It is the most important oe the traditional Chinese holidays. It is the time of the largest human migration, when migrant workers in China, as well as overseas Chinese around the world travel home to have reunion dinners with their families on New Year's eve. The aboriginal Taiwanese people, Koreans, Mongolians, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, and formerly Japanese before 1873. In Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and other countries with significant Han Chinese populations.
Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, its years are often numbered from the reign of Huangdi outside China. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year 2008 "Chinese Year 4706, 4705, or 4645.
The 2009 date for Chinese New Year is January 26.
In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. This means that the holiday usually falls on the second (very rare third) new moon after the winter soltice. In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.
Today, our Chinese brothers and Sisters around the world is welcoming the year of the Earth Ox, which symbolizes strength gathers through unity, harmony, obedience, courage and hard slog.
Each Year is named for one of the twelve animals in turn: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Alongside the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac there is a ten-year cycle of heavenly stems. Eachof the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the five elements of the Chinese astrology, namely: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The elements are rotated every two years while a yin and yang association alternates every year. The elements are thus distinguished: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These produce a combined cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang Fire Rat occured in 1936 and in 1996, 60 years apart.
It is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grand parents, or greatgrandparents. Members of the family who are married give red packets (ang pao) containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers. Red is the favorite color for Chinese New Year clothing and decorations, as it is said to bring good luck. Since it symbolizes fire, it is believed to ward away evil.
The houses doors are decorated with gold and red scroll that are inscribed with wishes with good charms, and windows are opened at midnight to out the evil of the past year and let in the luck and prosperity of the new year. The most colorful of the celebration is the dragon and lion dance. An enormous dragon and lion dance head, with a long body of colotful fabric, performs and energetic dance manipulated by skilled operators.
The food are serve during the Chinese New Year are mostly symbolic since Chinese believe food can directly affect one's fortune in the coming year. Dining tables are filled with food to ensure prosperity and abundance in the new year. Dishes or ingredients are chosen that will bring good luck, and long life, and hapinnes. It also signifies the end of winter and is a celebration to welcome spring in the company of family and friends, with Chinese music and dance, lanterns and feasts, and the thundering beat of drums, and fireworks ro dispel the bad and bring in good luck.
The Celebration is considered a major holiday among the Chinese and has influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors. It is the most important oe the traditional Chinese holidays. It is the time of the largest human migration, when migrant workers in China, as well as overseas Chinese around the world travel home to have reunion dinners with their families on New Year's eve. The aboriginal Taiwanese people, Koreans, Mongolians, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, and formerly Japanese before 1873. In Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and other countries with significant Han Chinese populations.
Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, its years are often numbered from the reign of Huangdi outside China. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year 2008 "Chinese Year 4706, 4705, or 4645.
The 2009 date for Chinese New Year is January 26.
In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. This means that the holiday usually falls on the second (very rare third) new moon after the winter soltice. In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.
Today, our Chinese brothers and Sisters around the world is welcoming the year of the Earth Ox, which symbolizes strength gathers through unity, harmony, obedience, courage and hard slog.
Each Year is named for one of the twelve animals in turn: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Alongside the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac there is a ten-year cycle of heavenly stems. Eachof the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the five elements of the Chinese astrology, namely: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The elements are rotated every two years while a yin and yang association alternates every year. The elements are thus distinguished: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These produce a combined cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang Fire Rat occured in 1936 and in 1996, 60 years apart.
It is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grand parents, or greatgrandparents. Members of the family who are married give red packets (ang pao) containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers. Red is the favorite color for Chinese New Year clothing and decorations, as it is said to bring good luck. Since it symbolizes fire, it is believed to ward away evil.
The houses doors are decorated with gold and red scroll that are inscribed with wishes with good charms, and windows are opened at midnight to out the evil of the past year and let in the luck and prosperity of the new year. The most colorful of the celebration is the dragon and lion dance. An enormous dragon and lion dance head, with a long body of colotful fabric, performs and energetic dance manipulated by skilled operators.
The food are serve during the Chinese New Year are mostly symbolic since Chinese believe food can directly affect one's fortune in the coming year. Dining tables are filled with food to ensure prosperity and abundance in the new year. Dishes or ingredients are chosen that will bring good luck, and long life, and hapinnes. It also signifies the end of winter and is a celebration to welcome spring in the company of family and friends, with Chinese music and dance, lanterns and feasts, and the thundering beat of drums, and fireworks ro dispel the bad and bring in good luck.
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