Kidnapped SKoreans prepared to leave as Seoul denies ransom allegations

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Nineteen South Koreans freed by Taliban kidnappers prepared to fly home Friday as their government denied allegations that it paid a ransom to end the six-week hostage standoff. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi vowed to abduct more foreigners, reinforcing fears that South Korea's decision to negotiate directly with the militants would embolden them at a time of surging violence in the country.

"We will do the same thing with the other allies in Afghanistan, because we found this way to be successful," he told The Associated Press via cell phone from an undisclosed location.

The 19 hostages, all church volunteers seized as they travelled by bus in southern Afghanistan on July 19, were freed in separate handovers on Wednesday and Thursday under the terms of a deal struck between the Taliban and South Korean government representatives.

South Korean presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said in Seoul the former hostages would be leaving Afghanistan later Friday on a flight to Dubai, and then travel onward to South Korea.

Originally 23 South Koreans were seized, but the militants killed two men soon after taking them, and released two women earlier this month in what they termed a "goodwill" gesture.

Under the terms of Tuesday's agreement, Seoul repeated a pledge it had made long before the kidnappings to withdraw its 200 troops in Afghanistan before year's end and vowed to prevent missionaries travelling to the country.

The Taliban apparently backed down from an earlier demand for a prisoner exchange.

A senior Afghan official close to the negotiations alleged Friday the South Koreans also paid a ransom.

"Definitely there was money but I don't know how much. I do not want to lie," said the official on condition of anonymity, because of the sensitivity of the topic.

Cheon dismissed the claim, which other Afghan officials have also aired in recent days.

"There is no additional agreement other than what has been made public," he said.

The Taliban has repeatedly denied receiving any money.

Rumours of multimillion dollar ransom payments have swirled around other deals to release foreign hostages held by criminal gangs or the Taliban in Afghanistan, but they are difficult to prove, not least because neither side has any interest in acknowledging them.

Foreign governments would be strongly criticized because ransom payments are thought to encourage kidnappings, whereas the Taliban's image as a political and religious movement would be sullied if its motives were exposed as criminal.

The Afghan government was not party to the negotiations, which took place in the central Afghan city of Ghazni and were facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The final seven hostages were handed over Thursday to Red Cross officials in two separate exchanges close to Ghazni. The freed hostages did not speak to reporters.

The final three released - two women and a man - were handed over by armed men on a main road in Janda district after apparently walking through the desert for some distance. Covered in dust, they were quickly bundled into a Red Cross vehicle and driven away.

The men accompanying the three gave an unsigned note to journalists accusing the South Koreans of coming to Afghanistan on a mission to convert the staunchly Islamic country to Christianity.

"They came to our nation to change our faith," the handwritten note read. "The Afghan people have given their lives for their faith. This is the reason we arrested them."

The South Korean government and relatives of the hostages - all of whom belonged to a Presbyterian church close to Seoul - have insisted they were not engaged in missionary activities, but were doing aid work such as helping in hospitals.

In Washington, the State Department welcomed the hostages' release. When asked if South Korea's negotiations with the Taliban set a dangerous precedent, spokesman Tom Casey refrained from directly criticizing the Seoul government.

"I'd simply reiterate that the long-standing U.S. policy is ... not to make concessions to terrorists," he said.

South Korea has said it is not unusual to negotiate with hostage-takers.

Afghanistan has seen a spate of hostage-takings this year. The Taliban are still holding a German engineer and four Afghans kidnapped a day before the South Koreans.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Massage parlours seen as safer option for sex-trade workers

(CBC) - The dangers of working the street are driving prostitutes to work in so-called massage parlours, Vancouver sex-trade workers say.

Vancouver police say Nicole Parisien, who was found dead Monday behind an apartment block in the Kitsilano neighbourhood, was working as a masseuse in a unit of the building. She was allegedly killed by a customer who was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder.

Working from home or from apartments in highrise buildings that are used solely for that purpose is the safer way to go in an unsafe business, said Sue Davis, a Vancouver prostitute who says she was assaulted as many as two or three times a day when she was working on the street.

Davis said she knows all about the so-called "in service" that was allegedly operating out of the building in Kitsilano.

"As these types of services go, this was one of the better ones,'' she said.

Other residents of the Kitsilano building, who were interviewed by CBC News, said the operation was so low-key that none of them knew it was a massage parlour.

These operations may be more common then most people realize, said Tamara O'Doherty, a masters student who has researched the sex trade.

She estimates that 80 to 90 per cent of Vancouver prostitutes work inside and are not stereotypical street walkers. They tend to field calls that are generated from ads placed either in newspapers or on the Internet.

Davis and O'Doherty both would like to see prostitution legalized.

It is a move, they say, that would help to improve the safety of women who work in a business that can sometimes turn deadly.

Toronto mulls tax on 'big box' retailers, gas stations

(CBC) - Toronto city hall is considering an idea of forcing some businesses - including so-called big-box retailers and gas stations - to pay higher property taxes because they encourage car culture.

A report will be considered at council's executive committee next week that looks at putting mega-stores such as Wal-Mart and gas stations in a higher tax bracket.

The idea is that the money raised from higher taxes would offset the costs to the city of more driving. Any such move by the city would likely require provincial approval.

With a focus on climate change and public transit, councillors are looking for ways to keep people out of cars. Some big-box retailers estimate they can each generate a million car trips a year.

Coun. Cesar Palacio said big-box stores should pay higher property taxes, especially for the enormous lands reserved just for cars.

"They encourage the car culture more and more all the time, and that defeats the purpose of one of city hall's priorities to encourage public transit," Palacio told CBC News.

As for gas stations, Palacio insisted he isn't suggesting they should be eliminated, but should pay more as the city struggles with pollution, traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

Coun. Paula Fletcher and many in her eastern Danforth ward are trying to stop a Wal-Mart from setting up on their neighbourhood's waterfront.

She said she doesn't think a higher tax bracket will serve any purpose and would rather have the city go further by banning big-box stores.

"The problem is not how to tax the blight; the problem often is the blight itself," Fletcher said.

No more 'burnt lion's head'; Beijing cleans up menus for Olympics

BEIJING (AP) - Hungry visitors to next summer's Beijing Olympics won't have to struggle to decipher bizarre English mistranslations on restaurant menus.
Xinhua News Agency says the Beijing Tourism Bureau has released a list with thousands of proposed names for dishes and drinks, designed to replace confusing and sometimes ridiculous translations on menus. Foreigners are often stumped by dish names such as virgin chicken (a young chicken dish) or burnt lion's head (Chinese-style pork meatballs).

Other garbled names include the temple explodes the chicken cube (kung pao chicken) or steamed crap (steamed carp).

Xinhua notes these translations either scare or embarrass foreign customers and may cause misunderstanding about Chinese dietary habits.

It's the latest effort among Beijing Olympics organizers to clean up the city and ensure the best image is presented to the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected next summer.

Etiquette campaigns are afoot to stamp out bad manners like jumping ahead in line, spitting, littering and reckless driving. The revised menu names are part of an effort to ban unintelligible English, known as "Chinglish," that abounds on signs everywhere.

A team set up by the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and Beijing Tourism Bureau has been working on the menu names for more than a year, Xinhua said. Translators developed names for dishes based on one of four categories: ingredients, cooking method, taste or the name of a person or place.

For example, a dish with mushrooms and duck feet will be listed as simply "Mushroom-Duck's Foot." Other proposed names include "Fish Filets in Hot Chili Oil" and "Crispy Chicken." "Mapo Tofu," a tofu dish, derives its name from a woman named Mapo.

Once a final decision is made on the list of names, they will be used in restaurants across China, Xinhua said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Thailand lifts ban on YouTube after site agrees to bar videos that break law

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The Thai government said Friday it has lifted a four-month ban on YouTube after the popular video-sharing website's operator agreed not to allow videos that violate the country's laws or are deemed offensive to Thai people.
The government blocked access to YouTube on April 4 after its owner, Google Inc., turned down Thailand's request to remove clips seen as offensive to Thailand's revered monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

One of the controversial clips that led to the ban depicted shoes with the soles pointed toward the king's image - a major taboo in a culture where feet are considered extremely dirty and offensive. The video's soundtrack was the Thai national anthem.

Information and Communication Technology Minister Sitthichai Phokai-udom said the government lifted the ban without providing further comment. But in an interview in The Nation newspaper, he said the ban was lifted after the site operator agreed not to run video clips that violate Thai law or are "deemed offensive" in a reference to the monarchy.

Sitthichai told The Nation that YouTube had finished creating a program that would block sensitive video clips from being accessed through Thai Internet service providers.

A spokesman for Google, which is based in Mountain View, California., could not be immediately reached for comment.

"We have the deepest respect for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej," Google wrote earlier this year in a letter to the ministry. "We likewise respect Thailand's law and tradition and hope that we will be able to reach a mutually acceptable resolution to the current controversy."

The ministry in May talked of filing a criminal lawsuit against Google on charges of lese-majeste, or offence against the monarchy, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Thai authorities take the issue seriously. A Swiss man was sentenced to 10 years in jail in March in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai after he defaced posters of the king during a drinking binge. He was later pardoned and deported.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Chinese-language films rise at VIFF

By Craig Takeuchi
Straight.com

Although the Vancouver International Film Festival has had a special program for Asian films since 1985, the VIFF will place special emphasis on Chinese cinema with an expanded Dragons & Tigers series this year.

Dragons & Tigers programming will be divided between long-time D&T programmer Tony Rayns, who will handle non Chinese language East Asian films, and newcomer Shelly Kraicer, who will oversee Chinese-language film programming. Kraicer is a Canadian film scholar who speaks Mandarin and has lived in Beijing for five years.

In a phone interview from Toronto, Kraicer spoke about how Chinese cinema is flourishing. "One of our focuses is on new documentaries because there's an incredible amount of vitality and creativity in the indie Chinese Mainland documentary scene." One such discovery was Bing Ai , an eight-year project by female director Feng Yan about a Chinese woman farmer living near the Yangtze River's Three Gorges dam project who refuses to move when ordered to. The film will have its world premiere at the VIFF.

The Chinese-language program will feature numerous North American and Canadian premieres and will include selections from Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Kraicer says films will range from big-budget features like The Sun Also Rises to zero-budget wonder (shot with a crew of four) Little Moth , about a young girl forced to beg on city streets.

Kraicer also spoke highly of Taiwanese film. "For a long time, people have been saying the Taiwan film industry is stuck, dead, and just producing a few famous art-house films for international audiences. And this year I was excited when I went to Taipei that there are all sorts of signs of revival in the Taiwanese commercial-film industry and among independent young filmmakers."

Chinese North American content includes Arthur Dong's documentary Hollywood Chinese and the Canada-China thriller/horror coproduction They Wait , starring Vancouver's Terry Chen.

Researchers question traditional schooling model in high-tech age

EDMONTON (CP) - As students across Canada head back to classrooms in this high-tech Information Age, there's a question in the front row that demands to be heard:
Why, in the Information Age, are students heading back to classrooms?

Researchers say students weaned on collaborative learning with high-tech devices are suffering in classrooms ruled by defenders of lecture-based orthodoxy wielding overhead projectors and reciting from dog-eared history textbooks that climax with Paul Martin's run for 24 Sussex Drive.

"It's not about using technology for technology's sake. It's allowing students to access the right information because of the information explosion," says Mohamed Ally, director of the Centre for Computing and Information Systems at Athabasca University, Alberta's distance-learning pioneer.

Ally is among a group of researchers across Canada looking at how to overhaul a method of teaching that, in some ways, has not fundamentally advanced in hundreds of years.

"It's pre-Gutenberg," says Don Tapscott, futurist, lecturer and author of bestsellers such as "Wikinomics," laughing as he recalls the assessment he heard from a university president.

"It's a prof working from handwritten notes. The students are all writing it down and the prof is writing on a blackboard. The assumption of the printing press is not even a fundamental part of the learning paradigm."

Dentists, doctors and other professionals asleep for 100 years would awake, he says, to a world where they would not recognize their jobs, much less perform them. But in education, a teacher could walk into a classroom after a century and get busy.

"There's a huge generational clash that's happening in the universities and schools," said Tapscott.

Students, he suggests, forced to line up at the photocopier to run off reams of paper off reading lists wonder why the professor just doesn't set up links to websites containing the material.

"The entire model of pedagogy is wrong for young people," he said.

Students who interact on the web, talk to each other digitally to resolve questions, post to the web and blog on the web are going to have problems adapting to sitting, listening, then regurgitating on an exam the words of one person standing at the front of the room, he said.

Ally notes that the sheer speed of information change makes textbooks, such as those in computing, outdated not in years but months.

"The read-and-remember and the listen-and-remember is kind of an old paradigm because information is changing at such a fast rate," said Ally.

He said the marriage of distance learning at institutions like Athabasca University with technology means the future is limited only by the imagination.

Consider, he says, a future where:

- Other countries could deliver courses to students in Canada. A student living in Calgary could graduate from a high school in Bonn.

- Software can detect ways in which a student learns and can tailor course material to those strengths: more examples if a student learns by example or more graphics if a student excels that way.

- Students continue to work together for much-needed social interaction, but advance according to outcome-based models rather than the age-based cohorts of Grades 1, 2, 3, etc.

- Teachers aren't in the classroom but are available to assist peer-to-peer learning or online to answer questions and give guidance.

Ally is helping to pioneer delivering course work tailored for mobile use on PDAs, iPhones, iPods and the like.

The goal is to free a student from the classroom. A student will be able to complete their course work while travelling the world or just sitting in an airport.

"They will do their reading on the mobile device, and in some cases they can actually take test questions and get immediate feedback."

Tapscott knows how he thinks the future should look: "Every kid has a laptop. They're clustered into groups. It's self-based interactive, student-focused, collaborative learning."

If so, then the future appears to be now at a pilot project beginning this year at Edmonton's St. Mary Elementary School.

About 100 Grade 5 and 6 students in four classes will be equipped with tablet PCs. With those detachable screens, they will be free to move about the wireless facility, doing homework or researching on the web in, say, the gym or library. Should learning stop because there's a system crash, IT staff are on site to get the students back online.

In the classroom, their desks are arranged in clusters to foster peer-to-peer and group problem- solving through a variety of tools like Smart Boards and LCD screens.

"We're not trying to get the technology to replace everything. We want it to be as an additional resource that helps student learning," said Joe Estephan, the teacher of the tablet PC Grade 6ers.

"Technology is the future and we need to catch up, and students are highly motivated when it comes to technology."

Ally and Tapscott say the challenge is not the technology.

"The biggest wall we have to knock down is the attitude of the teachers and some of the faculty to get them to actually use the devices," said Ally. "Some of them, because they've been in the system a long time, are kind of afraid to move toward the technology."

The Canadian Press, 2007

Taliban free 4 more South Korean hostages; 3 others still held

JANDA, Afghanistan (AP) - The Taliban have released four more South Korean hostages.
An Associated Press reporter witnessed the release of the two men and two woman earlier today.

The reporter says they were turned over to representatives of the International Red Cross on a road in the Janda area in central Afghanistan.

That leaves just three South Koreans still in the hands of the insurgents and all are expected to be freed shortly.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Vancouver hotel workers vote to strike

(CBC) - Workers in four of Vancouver's largest hotels have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike.

The 1,400 workers at the Hyatt, Westin Bayshore, Renaissance, and Four Seasons hotels are members of Unite Here Local 40 and have been without a contract since June.

Saying their employers aren't taking them seriously, they have voted 85 per cent in favour of hitting the picket lines. The vote gives union leaders the authority to call a strike if they feel negotiations with the employer aren't going well.

If the union delivered on the threat, it would be a blow to a city which is already suffering through a six-week-old strike by civic workers.

"I think we've met for 12 sessions up until now and we haven't received any offer whatsoever from the employers,'' said Randall Cooper, a banquet worker and member of the bargaining committee. "I think we've agreed on one very very minor bit of language and that is it."

The union wants higher wages and better benefits. They argue that the cost of living in Vancouver has skyrocketed in recent years, and that benefits and salaries have not kept up.

"I've worked 30 years in the business, and I am retiring in 13 days, and I'm only going to get $200 per month, so that's not a very good pension, is it?" said Carol Spence, who works at the Hyatt.

More talks are scheduled for mid-September.

Border advisory council needed to address Canada-U.S. trade challenges: report

SARNIA, Ont. (CP) - The advocate for Ontario's business community is urging the province to create a borders advisory council to help combat costly border delays.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce says at least 44 different Canadian and U.S. agencies have jurisdiction over border operations.

A report released today by the chamber says more than 4,500 new or revised border regulations are introduced each year by Ottawa and the province.

They say a borders advisory council is needed to bring together governments on both sides of the border to address those concerns and streamline cross-border trade.

The chamber notes that almost 90 per cent of Ontario's exports went south to the U.S. last year.

They say government regulations and deteriorating infrastructure are creating trade challenges that are costing the Ontario economy $5.25 billion a year.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Country-specific domain names popular

NEW YORK (AP) - The number of domain name registrations worldwide reached 138 million midway through 2007, a 31 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to the company that operates much of the Internet's core address directories.
Although the ".com" suffix continues to be the most popular, with about 55 million registrations, VeriSign Inc. said country-code domains such as ".fr" for France are strong. There were more than 51 million country-code registrations collectively, a 36 per cent hike from mid-2006.

Germany's ".de" is the leading country code and the second-most popular suffix overall, followed by ".net" in third place. The United Kingdom's ".uk," China's ".cn" and ".org" are among the other leading suffixes.

VeriSign runs the databases listing all ".com" and ".net" names as well as the master directory, or root server, that lists all the Internet's suffixes, meaning all traffic touches the company's computers at one point or another. Domain names are key for helping computers find websites and route e-mail messages.

There are currently 267 domain name suffixes in the main root server, with ".asia" being the latest addition. Most of them are country codes, ranging from ".ac" for the Ascension Island to ".zw" for Zimbabwe.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Ontario grape grower selling $7 million stake to Chinese firm

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. (CP) - The Chinese wine maker Tonghua Grape Wine Co. Ltd. has announced plans to pay $7 million for a 75 per cent stake in King's Court Estate Winery in St. Catharines, Ont., according to filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The family owned winery, established in 1990 by Joe Zimmermann, is known for its ice wines produced from grapes grown on 30 hectares.

It exports its wines to several countries, including China, Japan and Korea.

Zimmermann was in China and was unavailable for comment, King's Court assistant winemaker Roland Zimmermann said from his home on Wednesday.

Tonghua Grape Wine is based in Jilin in northeastern China and was one of the first in the country to produce ice wines.

The aim of the purchase is designed to enhance the company competitive edge by producing high-end ice wines, Tonghua said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Canada says seniors and registered aboriginals shouldn't need passports

WASHINGTON (CP) - Canadian seniors and registered aboriginals shouldn't have to produce passports when they cross the border by car or boat, Ottawa has told American officials. And there should be an alternative plan for emergency workers and medical evacuation cases, Canada said in an official response last week to U.S. plans requiring passports next summer from people entering the country by car or boat.

Canada objects to that deadline, saying it should be extended, and wants an explicit agreement that high-technology driver's licences could be used instead of passports.

Ottawa is also considering whether to devise a passport card like the one the United States is developing that would cost less but provide the same proof of identity and citizenship.

In June, U.S. officials issued a reprieve on passports from people entering at land and sea crossings until at least the summer of 2008. It was supposed to go into effect in January.

But that still doesn't leave enough time to cut all the confusion and reduce damage to trade and tourism, Canadian officials say.

There have been long delays in getting passports on both sides of the border since the rules for air travellers were announced, forcing the United States to give its citizens a break until the end of September.

It will be worse for the land and sea border crossings, Canadian officials said, because they account for more than 85 per cent of all cross-border visits and less than 60 per cent of those who make the trip have passports now.

In 2006, there were nearly 160 million cross-border visits and US$710 billion in two-way trade, or US$1.9 billion a year.

The United States has already said it will allow minors to cross with a birth certificate.

But Canada wants the passport leniency to extend to seniors, aboriginals who have certificates of Indian status, people with a Canadian seafarer's identity document and emergency workers.

The break should extend to family members of medical evacuation patients, Ottawa said.

There have been cases where family members of evacuated patients weren't allowed to get on U.S.-bound planes because they didn't have a passport, the Canadian officials said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

'Product of Canada' label misleading: Consumer

(CBC) - A Charlottetown shopper recently found that food labelled "Product of Canada" didn't necessarily originate here at home.

On a recent visit to the canned fruit and vegetable aisle, Jenny Likely came across different brands of mandarin oranges.

Because of recent recalls on Chinese products like pet food and seafood, Likely said she avoided the cans that said they were from China.

"I like to buy Canadian if I can't buy it local and I will avoid if I can anything from China because of the problems that we've heard about," Likely said.

She bought a jar of mandarin oranges labelled "Product of Canada," but wanted to follow up and called the company.

"I really didn't think that we grew mandarin oranges in Canada, and lo and behold, no, these mandarin oranges come from China," she said.

But the word "China" wasn't on the label.

CBC Radio contacted the company that packaged the oranges, and a spokesperson said it could take a day or two to confirm where the oranges originated.

But it doesn't matter. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the fruit could still be legally labelled "Product of Canada" as long as the product is re-processed in this country, with at least 51 per cent Canadian labour and/or materials.

Consumers deserve more details on the label, Likely said.

"We have all these labels for everything else, such as energy and cholesterol. One of the basic things is where they were grown," she said.

The CFIA said it investigates about 600 complaints about labels every year.

CD prices cut at all HMV stores

(CBC) - CDs are about to become a lot cheaper with an announcement by music retailer HMV that it is cutting prices.

On back catalogues from popular artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Metallica and U2, the cuts could be high as $10 per CD.

Effective immediately, prices will drop an average of 20 per cent, with some titles reduced as much as 33 per cent, HMV reported in a press release.

HMV, Canada's biggest music retailer, is billing the move as a result of demand by consumers for lower CD prices.

But Graham Henderson, president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, says it's an effort to stem the tide of illegal downloading that threatens retailers and everyone else in the recording industry.

"The effect is to put CDs in a price range that will attract more people," Henderson said.

Retailers such as HMV are suffering from plunging sales of CDs, Henderson said.

The price cuts are deepest on older recordings, in an effort to keep baby boomers buying CDs, and stem illegal downloading of older recordings, which is on the rise.

"Canada has the highest rate of illegal downloading in the world," he told CBC News. "It's affecting our ability to build a digital industry."

Other countries, including the U.S. and Britain, have been able to stem the tide of illegal downloading by updating laws and increasing enforcement, he said, but calls from the recording industry for updated copyright laws in Canada have gone unheeded.

"A succession of Canadian governments have sat on their hands and done nothing," he said.

Venetian aims to transform Chinese gambling enclave into full-fledged resort

MACAU (AP) - With the crash of a champagne bottle against a gondola, Macau's Venetian casino opened Tuesday, dwarfing anything in Las Vegas and big enough, its operators say, to shift the magnetic north of the gambling world to this small city in southern China. American billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, inaugurated the US$2.4 billion Venetian Macao Resort Hotel on Cotai by smashing the bottle against the gondola. The boat will float down one of three indoor canals - the Venetian in Las Vegas has only one.

Casinos like the Wynn and Adelson's Sands have led this small city in southern China past the Las Vegas Strip as the world's most lucrative gambling centre.

Adelson, chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., wants to take it a step further with the 10.5- million-square-foot Venetian.

Hundreds of visitors streamed under the golden dome just inside the entrance Tuesday, treading on thick champagne-coloured carpet and taking in the fresco paintings on the wall.

Adelson hopes the complex will transform Macau from a gambling pit stop for Chinese tourists to a vacation and business convention destination, where visitors shop, watch shows - and roll the dice.

"Today is the beginning of what has been a dream of mine for some time - to reproduce the capital of entertainment in Asia for Asians," Adelson said at a news conference.

Macau's casinos are currently scattered across the small territory, a peninsula connected to mainland China and two outlying islands by a reclaimed strip of land called Cotai.

Adelson said his Venetian Macao Resort Hotel on Cotai is the cornerstone of what will become a concentrated resort area he calls the Cotai Strip.

Las Vegas Sands claims the Venetian Macao - twice the size of the Las Vegas original - is the largest building in Asia and the second-largest in the world. Boeing Co. claims it has the world's largest building - a plant in Washington state.

The Venetian boasts what it claims to be the world's largest gaming space of 550,000 square feet, housing 3,400 slot machines - with room to expand to 6,000 - and more than 800 gambling tables.

It has 3,000 rooms, a 15,000-seat sports arena, retail space for 350 stores, 1.2 million square feet of convention space, fine dining and a Cirque du Soleil-produced show.

Its decor is Venice inspired - with a Chinese touch. Chinese-style sampans as well as gondolas will sail down canals. The resort also features a replica of Venice's St. Mark's Square.

Adelson also plans to open more hotels under brands such as Four Seasons, Sheraton and St. Regis. In all, his Las Vegas Sands Corp., which also runs the Sands Macao on the Macau peninsula, plans to invest up to US$12 billion and build 20,000 hotel rooms on the Cotai Strip by 2010.

Las Vegas Sands President William Weidner said 44 major conventions have already been scheduled at the Venetian over the next two years.

He also said he expects the Venetian Macao to lengthen the average guest stay to three to four days, from 1.2 days in other Macau hotels.

But it may take time to make Macau a major tourist destination.

Rob Hart at Morgan Stanley said Macau will never be Las Vegas.

"It's going to be slow transition," he said. "It's never going to happen to the same extent."

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Chinese police launch virtual Web patrols to scare surfers from illegal sites

BEIJING (AP) - Police in China's capital say they will start patrolling the Web using animated beat officers that pop up on a user's browser and walk, bike or drive across the screen warning them to stay away from illegal Internet content.
Starting September 1, the cartoon alerts will appear every half-hour on 13 of China's top portals and by the end of the year will appear on all websites registered with Beijing servers.

China stringently polices the Internet for material and content the governing Communist party finds politically or morally threatening.

Despite the controls, nudity, profanity, illegal gambling and pirated music, books and film have proliferated on Chinese Internet servers.

The animated police appear designed to startle Web surfers and remind them authorities closely monitor Web activity.

The male and female cartoon officers will offer a text warning to surfers to abide by the law and tips on Internet security as they move across the screen in a virtual car, motorcycle or on foot.

If Internet users need police help, they can click on the cartoon images and will be redirected to the Beijing Public Security Ministry's website.

China has the world's second-largest population of Internet users, with 137 million people online and is on track to surpass the United States as the largest online population in two years.

The government routinely blocks surfers from accessing overseas sites and closes down domestic websites deemed obscene or subversive.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Taliban release first 12 of 19 hostages being freed under deal with South Korea

QALA-E-KAZI, Afghanistan (AP) - The Taliban on Wednesday released 12 of 19 South Korean captives they promised to free under a deal struck with the South Korean government to resolve a nearly six-week hostage crisis. The hostages were released into the care of officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross at three separate locations in central Afghanistan close to the city of Ghazni, an Associated Press reporter who witnessed the handovers said.

The first group of three women were released in the village of Qala-e-Kazi. Several hours later, four women and one man were released in a desert close to Shah Baz.

As dusk approached, four more hostages were freed on a main road around 50 kilometres from Ghazni, the reporter said.

The three women arrived in Qala-E-Kazi in a single car, their heads covered with red and green shawls. Red Cross officials quickly took the three to their vehicles before leaving for the office of the Afghan Red Crescent in Ghazni, witnesses said.

In Seoul, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Hee-yong said the three, who he identified as Ahn Hye-jin, Lee Jung-ran and Han Ji-young, did not appear to have any health problems.

To secure the release of the church workers, South Korea reaffirmed a pledge it made before the hostage crisis began to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year. Seoul also said it would prevent South Korean Christian missionaries from working in the country, something it also had already promised to do.

The Taliban apparently backed down on earlier demands for a prisoner exchange.

The Taliban originally kidnapped 23 hostages as they travelled by bus from Kabul to the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar on July 19. In late July, the militants killed two male hostages, then earlier this month released two female captives.

The insurgents have said they will free all the hostages, whom they are holding in different locations, over the next few days.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister, welcomed news of a deal and called for all the hostages to be freed quickly.

He said he used "all possible efforts" as secretary general to help obtain the release of the hostages, talking to leaders in Afghanistan and the region who might have influence.

The deal, concluded Tuesday, was made in face-to-face talks between Taliban negotiators and South Korean diplomats in the central Afghan city of Ghazni. The Afghan government was not party to the negotiations, which were facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The South Korean government and relatives of the hostages have stressed that the South Koreans kidnapped in Afghanistan were not missionaries, but were doing aid work such as helping in hospitals.

The Taliban had been demanding the release of captured insurgents in exchange for freeing the hostages. But Afghan officials ruled out any exchange, saying such a move would only encourage further abductions.

Abductions have become a key insurgent tactic in recent months in trying to destabilize the country, targeting both Afghan officials and foreigners helping with reconstruction. A German engineer and four Afghan colleagues kidnapped a day before the South Koreans are still being held.

Elsewhere, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces killed more than 100 suspected Taliban insurgents, and a suicide bomber blew himself next to an army patrol, killing two Afghan soldiers and four civilians, officials said.

The insurgents were killed Tuesday in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan after the joint force was attacked by a large group of militants who tried to overrun their position, a statement from the coalition said.

The force called in air strikes, which killed more than 100 suspected insurgents, the coalition said late Tuesday. The casualty figures could not be independently verified because of the remoteness of the area.

The clash left one Afghan soldier dead and three wounded. Three coalition soldiers were also wounded, it said. The nationality of the coalition soldiers was not disclosed, but the vast majority of foreign troops in the area are American.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Taiwan's Acer Inc. plans to acquire Gateway for US$710 million

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Acer Inc. plans to acquire U.S. computer maker Gateway Inc. for US$710 million in a deal that will push the Taiwanese company past China's Lenovo Group as the world's third largest vendor of personal computers. Acer said Monday it is offering to buy Gateway for $1.90 per share - representing a premium of 57 per cent to Gateway's Friday closing price of $1.21, but only two per cent of Gateway's high of US$82.50 in late 1999.

Shares in Gateway increased 59 cents, or 49 per cent, to $1.80 in trading Monday.

With the acquisition, Acer will absorb a company founded in 1985 in an Iowa farmhouse and known for packaging computers in cow-spotted boxes. Now based in Irvine, Calif., Gateway struggled in recent years amid fierce competition and had difficulty selling its products over the Internet and the phone.

The deal will create a multi-branded computer company with more than US$15 billion in revenues and shipments in excess of 20 million units per year, Acer said in a statement.

"This strategic transaction is an important milestone in Acer's long history," said J.T. Wang, Acer's chairman, in the statement. "This will be an excellent addition to Acer's already strong positions in Europe and Asia."

Acer president Gianfranco Lanci said the acquisition will allow Acer to implement an "effective multi-brand strategy and cover all the major market segments."

The takeover will result in reductions in per unit procurement and component costs, and also create an opportunity for the cross-selling of product portfolios, he added.

Ed Coleman, chief executive of Gateway, welcomed the buyout.

"Joining with Acer will enable us to bring even more value to the consumer segments we serve and capitalize on Acer's highly regarded supply chain operations and global reach," he said.

In the second quarter, Acer was the world's fourth-largest PC maker behind U.S.-based Hewlett- Packard, No. 2 Dell, and third-ranked Lenovo Group Ltd. of China, according to research company Gartner Inc.

Gateway is the third-largest PC vendor in the U.S. by market share after Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc.

Bryan Ma, an analyst at U.S. market research firm IDC, said Acer's acquisition of Gateway is expected help the Taiwan company's relatively weak presence in the U.S.

"Acer ranked sixth in the U.S. market, while Gateway ranked third as of the second quarter. Combined, they are expected to double their shipments," he said.

Citigroup Inc. is the financial adviser for Acer, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is acting as the financial adviser for Gateway.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Pakistan test fires cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear warhead

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan on Saturday successfully test-fired a new air-launched cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, the military said.
The missile, named Hatf-8 or Ra'ad, has a range of 350 kilometres, an army statement said.

The missile gives the air force a "strategic standoff capability" - the ability to strike over a long distance - and could be fitted with any type of warhead, the army said.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf congratulated the scientists and engineers who developed the weapon, it added,

Pakistan routinely tests various nuclear-capable missiles in its arsenal, believed to be designed mainly to match that of neighbouring archrival India.

The two countries have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Both carried out underground nuclear tests in May 1998.

However, in 2004 they began negotiations to normalize relations and settle their dispute over the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir, over which two wars have been fought.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Silk Road Music concert

Qiu Xia He, Andre Thibault and special guest: Jun Rong

Friday Aug 31,2007
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
578 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC
Door opens at 7pm with concerts beginning at 7:30pm

tickets are on Sale now !
call Melisa 604 662 3207 ext 205

Choice of parking, Street parking on Columbia or in the Parkade near the corner of Columbia St. on Keefer St.

Silk Road Music was formed in 1991 by virtuoso pipa player Qiu Xia He, who came to Canada in 1989 to play the Vancouver Folk Music Festival as part of a touring ensemble from China. She stayed in Canada and has become a vibrant addition to the Vancouver Music scene. Over the years, Qiu xia has had many successes with Silk Road as she introduces new repertoires and artists to the Enchanted Evening series every year. For this special concert, she will present her recent work on the Chinese Pipa, accompanied by guitarist Andre Thibault, and a very special guest on the Chinese Erhu who’s name is Jun Rong.

2006 has been very exciting and eventful for Silk Road Duo.Their new CD Autumn Cloud was nominated in two categories at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Thanks to Canada Council’s support they started working with manager Derek Andrews of Global Cafe to promote their music in Canada and abroad. The winter tour in toronto featrured a CBC appearance with a terrific public response, performances at the Now Lounge and schools with the Prologue Agency went extremely well; the spring tour taking part in Vermont, Montreal Access Asie Festival and the prestigious International Guitar Festival in Rouyn-Noranda which included stars like John Pizzarelli,Manuel Barrueco and others. The busy summer tour led to exciting festivals in Canada such as the Stan Rogers Fest in Nova Scotia, Sunfest in London ON, Folk on the Rocks in Yellowknife, Harbourfront TO and Blues and Roots in Salmon Arm BC.

Silk Road Duo also did two successful showcases in Artstarts and Pacific contact. 2008’s performances are taking shape.The enthusiastic presenters will bring the group to Vancouver Islands and lower mainland in Feb for Chinese New Year, Central BC in March and Nov, Toronto in April, Washington state in the fall and a special invitation to perform with the Victoria Symphony on Oct 17, 08.

Silk Road Music would like to thank Canada Council for their support to commission Moshe Denburg to write us a fantastic duo piece which will be premiered at today’s concert! Thanks to the Chinese Garden for keeping the Enchanted evening program and provide us an opportunity to perform in our own town! Thanks to all of you for being so encouraging and generous over the years!

Please do write us a note, so we will keep in touch: www.silkroadmusica.ca

Qiu Xia He was born in Baoji China, who once taught at the Xian Academy of Music , toured with the popular Shaanxi Music and Dance Troupe, then decided to become a Canadian. Since arriving in the country 15 years ago,speaking no English and knowing no one - Qiu Xia has risen to the top of her profession once again, performing as a featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony, Glacier Orchestra of Montana,USA, playing with many top musicians, touring with groups like Silk Road Music and Joutou, and earning a Juno award nomination, and winning twice of the Westcost music award for her CDs of Endless and Village Tales.

Andre Thibault is well respected in the acoustic music world. He is a brilliant guitarist, whose fiery rhythms and stunning technique result from a unique blend of Flamenco and Moorish traditions colored with jazz, classical, and world music. His interest in world music led him to study bouzouki and oud, lutes of the Arabic world. He is also skillful on flutes and percussion. The noted musician Sal Ferreras says: “Andre is a voyageur whose quest for the spirit of Spanish, Arabic and Brazilian folklore is amply evident in the breadth of his work and the beauty of his interpretations. He can transport the listener from the Casbah to the Gypsy caves of Andalucia.”

Special guest: Jun Rong Erhu
Born in a musical family in China's Hebei Province, Jun Rong graduated from the China Music Academy after 9 years of intensive study with well-known professors such as Cao De Wei. After working for the prestigious China Opera and Dance Orchestra of China, she moved to Vancouver and established a second musical career in her new homeland. Her extraordinary command of the erhu (Chinese violin) and her passionate artistic expression have overwhelmed her audiences.She has been invited to perform in many concerts such as the featured soloist for the BC Chinese Orchestra at the Chan Center in 2003. The last few years, she has often been a guest with Silk Road Music for touring and the Autumn Cloud CD.

World Premiere of Passion’s Promise. By Moshe Denburg
A new composition in a modern style using complex harmonies and rythmic divisions featuring the Pipa and guitar.

Silk Road Music
Tel: 604-434-9316
e-mail: qxcloud@telus.net
www.silkroadmusic.ca

Yuriko Kubota

Exhibition opening: August 30, 2007 6-9pm. Artist will be in attendance

PIKTO opens a new exhibition of Yuriko Kubota, Recent Works

Presently, Kubota is working with layering and cutting photographs in order to explore the ambiguous space between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional object. Kubota places two photographs on top of each other; the image on top has been manually cut into with a utility knife removing ¼ inch strips to reveal the image below. This merging of two images creates an uncertainly in the planes and in the medium of photography itself, crossing over into the realm of sculpture. Kubota's painstaking and time consuming process of cutting the photographs results in images that point as much to the deliberate absence of what is cut away to the presence of what is left behind.

Kubota uses photography as a tool to study and reconfirm her thoughts as well as record what she feels in her journey through life. Kubota studied oil painting at Joshibi University of Art and Design in Tokyo, Japan. Following her studies, she started to experiment with photography as an extension of her painting and found different and exciting possibilities in photography. This exhibition is a result of these explorations.

Pikto is open from Monday to Friday 9-7, Saturday 10-7, Sunday 12-6

Pikto Inc.
The Distillery District
55 Mill St Bldg. 59-103
Toronto ON M5A 3C4
416-203-3443

www.pikto.com

PLAY/GROUNDS at the Queen West Art Crawl

Parkdale Town Square at 1303 Queen St. W. at Cowan Ave.
Saturday, September 15, 10am - 11pm
Sunday, September 16, 10am - 8pm

FREE

Search for the mysterious mushrooms of Parkdale, a friendly bus stop attendant distributes mints and moist towelettes, the glow of black lights illuminates the local thrift store and the first annual tailgatecrasher party invites you to let off some steam! Curated by Elaine Gaito and Chris Reynolds. Presented by Parkdale Liberty Economic Development Corporation and Parkdale Village BIA for Artscape's Queen West Art Crawl, an annual weekend-long festival celebrating Toronto's Queen Street West, happening September 14 - 16, 2007.

The Parkdale Town Square will serve as PLAY/GROUNDS' home base for site specific installations and performance art that engage and interact with passers-by. PLAY/GROUNDS will include work by: Oliver Husain, Katie Bethune-Leamen, Katherine Lannin, Nick Tobier, Jon Sasaki, Laura Nanni, Adam Paolozza, Joy Walker, Anthea Foyer and the Gladstone Cooperative.

Parkdale's streets, empty store fronts, vacant lots, and parks reveal intriguing and adventurous work including: Nick Tobier's Bus Stop Attendant welcoming passengers on board the ubiquitous 501 Queen Street streetcar - this unofficial ambassador of the TTC transforms The Better Way into a place where riders can connect in usual ways; Joy Walker's private studio wall is moved into the public viewing of a storefront space inviting viewers to view her art, and the work that goes into making it, from the other side of the display case; Katie Bethune-Leamen's life-size and miniature Mushrooms of Parkdale appear in the nooks and crannies of the neighbourhood; and Parkdale's Art All Stars and their fans invite you to "kick-back in the lot" long after the wine and cheese marathon ends - bands, beer, pick-up trucks and performance mayhem will converge on the patio of The Rhino, one of Parkdale's favourite local bars - it's time to cheer on the home team!

PLAY/GROUNDS is presented by the Parkdale Liberty Economic Development Corporation (PLEDC) in partnership with Artscape's Queen West Art Crawl. Gladstone Variations, Time Out/Game On and Hidden Toronto: Intimate Walking Tours are co-presented by Artscape & PLEDC. PLAY/GROUNDS is sponsored by the Toronto Arts Council, the Parkdale Village Business Improvement Area, Employment Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. www.parkdaleliberty.com

JOIN US! The Queen West Art Crawl kicks off with a LAUNCH PARTY at the Gladstone Hotel on Friday, September 14, starting at 7pm. You can take in all of the Gladstone Hotel's Queen West Art Crawl events and party until the last person is left standing!

ABOUT THE QUEEN WEST ART CRAWL
Organized by Artscape, the fifth annual Queen West Art Crawl is one of the largest multi-disciplinary, community-based festivals that Toronto has to offer. In association with Artscape's community partners Parkdale Liberty Economic Development Corporation, Parkdale Village BIA, Gladstone Hotel, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Workman Arts, West Queen West BIA, and 401 Richmond, the Queen West Art Crawl celebrates the buzz, character, edge, authenticity and soul of historic Queen Street West with an annual weekend-long festival happening September 14 - 16, 2007. www.torontoartscape.on.ca/qwac

Canadian sci-fi scribe Sawyer honoured in China

Mississauga man given Galaxy Award for being China's most popular foreign sci-fi writer

CBC Arts

Chinese science fiction readers have honoured acclaimed Canadian writer Robert J. Sawyer with a Galaxy Award at the China International Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival and Conference this weekend.

Sawyer picked up the reader-voted honour, which recognizes the most popular foreign author of the year for his or her body of work, at a gala ceremony Sunday at the Museum of Science and Technology in Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province.

Sawyer — who lives in Mississauga, Ont., with his wife, poet Carolyn Clink — is the award-winning author of Hominids, Mindscan and The Terminal Experiment.

"The great thing about science fiction is that it transcends national boundaries," Sawyer said in his acceptance speech.

"It's wonderful to be at a conference along with writers from the United States, England, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, New Zealand and Canada. Science fiction really is the literature of planet Earth."

Organized by Chengdu-based Science Fiction World, China's leading science fiction magazine, the four-day festival and conference has attracted more than 4,000 Chinese fans to the city for a weekend filled with panels, lectures, book sales, autograph sessions, stage shows and other events.

In addition to Sawyer, other award-winning authors in attendance include David Brin, Nancy Kress, Michael Swanwick and Neil Gaiman, who spoke on behalf of the foreign guests at Friday's opening ceremony.

"It is important for the world to pay attention to Chinese culture," Gaiman told the crowd during the festival's kick-off, according to local media. "I believe great science fiction will be written by you."

At the ceremony, Chinese officials hailed the imagination of the science fiction and fantasy community.

"A nation's revitalization mostly depends on the taking off of its imagination," said Li Xiuting, an executive of the China Association for Science and Technology.

"Today we have the most imaginative people on the globe here. They can not only boost the development of sci-fi in China, but also enhance human beings' awareness of science and culture."

As the festival winds down in Chengdu, the World Science Fiction Convention will get underway in Yokohama, Japan on Thursday.

Creativity holds key to success, expert says

Dave Hall
Windsor Star

Communities across North America which are able to embrace the shift from a manufacturing economy to one which values creativity and diversity are the ones which will survive in a newly defined global economy, said a noted author and urban studies expert.

Richard Florida, who now teaches at the University of Toronto, told an economic summit "this is even larger than the shift from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy and how communities and cities deal with that shift will determine their economic future."

Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class and The Flight of the Creative Class, said more than 35 million jobs in the creative sector have been added in the U.S. since 1980 and the sector now comprises between 35 and 40 per cent of that country's labour force.

"And what determines where those jobs go is a community's sense of place," said Florida.

"What is it about a city that attracts concentrations of people?

"My critics have suggested this is all about latte bars, music venues and Frisbee-playing fields," said Florida.

"But it's been shown that economic success goes to those places which capitalize on creativity.

"It goes to those which are open-minded and open to immigrants, artists, gays, writers, engineers and anyone else who could be considered creative."

Florida said that "we don't pay for raw materials in our products anymore, we pay for design and creativity. That's where the added value is coming from today."

Florida also said that Windsor-Detroit is part of the second-largest mega-region in the world with more than 45 million people in an area which also includes Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania and developing a binational economic development strategy is critical.

Florida, who's now working on a new book called Who's Your City, said that the number one reason why people choose to live in a particular city is its "esthetic value, its physical beauty, its openness to different cultures.

"While the river has to be part of any development plan, you also need to encourage more residential, office and commercial investment in your downtown but you're almost better off doing nothing than doing it wrong.

"You have a chance to do it right but it has to be economically and environmentally sustainable, creative and provide economic equality for all residents.

"Ultimately, it's those concentrations of people which drives innovation, creativity and economic growth."

Florida said North America's competitors a generation from now will not be from China and India but from Scandinavia and Northern Europe where they have realized the importance of having a creative class which employers also realize is important to their workforce and their ability to recruit talented employees.

© The Windsor Star 2007

Fujifilm announces price increase for color negative photo film products

Fujifilm U.S.A. Inc., Valhalla, N.Y., says it is studying the best pricing structure for its color negative photo film products in the U.S. marketplace. This follows an announcement by its parent company, Fujifilm Corp., regarding worldwide price increases for its color negative photo film products slated for October 2007. Prices are expected to increase globally by around 5 percent, says the press release, but the rate of increase may differ by regional market.

Globally, Fujifilm says it has undertaken intensive structural reforms to adjust to the harsh market conditions in the photo imaging business. Despite these efforts to reduce fixed costs and improve productivity, however, the company says it can't continue to absorb the rapid rise in costs of silver, oil, and other raw materials.

Sony launches PlayTV

MATT MOORE
Associated Press

FRANKFURT — Sony Corp. took another step to lure new customers for its high-end PlayStation3, saying Thursday it will sell a device to let users record live television that can be stored on the game console or transferred to the PlayStation Portable for later viewing.

The combined television tuner and personal video recorder, dubbed PlayTV, is aimed at helping Sony boost sales of its high-end gaming console as well as its portable gaming unit. Sales are due to start in Spain, Germany, France, Italy and Britain in early 2008.

Sony announced the new product at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany.

Using a format known in Europe as Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial, the PlayTV integrates into the PlayStation 3 console and lets users record individual episodes or entire series to its hard drive.

Sony said the device's twin TV tuners are high-definition ready and able to view, record and play back in that format. Recorded video can be sent wirelessly from the console to a PSP.

For all its advances, Sony's PS3 has faced formidable competition from rivals like Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.

Sony had sold 4.3 million PS3 consoles as of June, compared with 11.6 million Xbox 360s and about eight million Wiis.

The PS3 retails for 599 euros ($808 U.S.) in Europe and $499 in the U.S. The company did not say how much PlayTV would cost or when it would be available elsewhere in Europe, Asia or the Americas.

Jonathan Arber and Jonathan Coham, analysts at Ovum, a London-based research firm, said PlayTV was the “next logical step” for Sony in competing with the Xbox 360, but said Sony still has to overcome the console's price and bring out more games.

Sony develops prototype battery, runs on sugar

Sony Corp., Tokyo, Japan, has developed a prototype battery that runs on sugar, breaking down a glucose solution to generate electricity, reports MarketWatch. The method has so far generated 50 milliwatts, enough power to run a Walkman music player, says the company. Since sugar is a renewable resource, use of it as a power source should be environmentally friendly, reports said. The battery's casing is made from a vegetable-based plastic and Sony said it would produce the batteries for commercial use but didn't say when, says MarketWatch.

British Airways, Korean Air fined US$300M each in price-fixing conspiracy case

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two major airlines were fined US$300 million apiece Thursday after admitting they conspired to fix prices on international flights and agreeing to help prosecutors investigate other airlines. British Airways PLC, Britain's largest airline, and Korean Air Co., South Korea's national carrier, pleaded guilty to antitrust conspiracy charges. They acknowledged colluding with rivals over cargo rates and fuel surcharges, which were added to fares in response to rising oil prices. That meant higher costs for international shippers and passengers.

U.S. District Judge John Bates said the case "involved considerable commerce and reflected long-term and widespread conduct involving major airlines and players."

Both saw their potential fines reduced because they co-operated with U.S. Justice Department investigators. Korean Air's fines could have been twice as high and British Airways could have faced fines closer to $900 million, but the Justice Department and the judge credited the company with co-operating.

"Any anticompetitive behaviour is to be condemned at British Airways or at other companies. It will not be tolerated and we remain vigilant in this respect," British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said in a statement released after court.

Korean Air released a statement saying it was "committed to antitrust compliance" and was taking steps to make sure the conduct was never repeated. Neither company addressed the extent of its co-operation or how widespread the practice was in the industry.

Earlier this month, authorities in London announced $246 million in fines for British Airways in a parallel transatlantic investigation. Both inquiries are ongoing.

Scott Hammond, deputy assistant attorney general for criminal antitrust issues, said the sentences proved that "those who violate the antitrust laws and seek to deny American consumers and businesses the benefits of competition will be held accountable."

Other companies were not named, but Virgin Atlantic has been identified in London but is not expected to face a fine there because it reported its misconduct to authorities.

As part of their plea deals, the airlines acknowledged they colluded with other unidentified companies from 2000 to 2006. The cargo rate scheme meant higher shipping costs for businesses. For passengers, the scheme meant more expensive tickets because the surcharges were wrapped into the ticket fare.

Between 2004 and 2006, fuel surcharges rose from about $10 to about $120 per ticket for a round-trip, long-haul flight on BA or Virgin.

Bates credited both British Airways and Korean Air with turning over hundreds of thousands of documents, some of which needed to be translated, and making executives available for interviews with investigators. As foreign companies, they could have challenged the probe and refused to cooperate.

The $300 million criminal fines were the second-largest antitrust sanction by the Justice Department since 1995. The largest antitrust fine, $500 million, was against vitamin giant F. Hoffman-La Roche in 1999 in a price-fixing case.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Japan planning world's first countrywide earthquake warning system

TOKYO (AP) - It's still beyond the reach of science to predict exactly when an earthquake will strike, but Japan will soon get the next-best thing - televised warnings that come before anyone feels the ground shake. Japan's Meteorological Agency and national broadcaster are teaming up to alert the public of earthquakes as much as 30 seconds before they hit, or at least before they can bring their full force down on populated areas. The system will be the first of its kind in the world.

It is based on detecting the first seismic waves of a quake that often come seconds before the really destructive waves hit the surface of the Earth.

The system does not predict quakes but can give people enough time to get away from windows that could shatter, or to turn off ovens and prevent fires from razing homes.

And in one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, every second counts.

"If we can give people enough time to take even a few steps to protect themselves before the shaking starts, it could help reduce injuries and damage," said agency spokesman Makoto Saito.

The warnings, to begin in October, will be based on data provided by the Meteorological Agency, which maintains a network of sensors deep underground that estimate the intensity of a quake as soon as the ground ruptures.

Alarms can go out before the shaking starts because there is a lag between the time it takes for different seismic waves to travel to the surface.

Japan, which sits atop four tectonic plates, has been hit by 83 earthquakes strong enough to cause injury since March 1996, including one last month that killed 11 people and caused a fire and small radiation leak at a nuclear power plant.

The warning system works by detecting primary waves, which spread from the epicentre of a quake and travel faster than the destructive shear waves. When waves of a certain intensity are detected, the alarms are set off. The national broadcaster, NHK, will relay them almost instantaneously to its television and radio audiences.

The agency started issuing warnings last August to more than 500 organizations such as power companies and train operators.

The system is not perfect.

Lightning or other interference can cause false alarms, for example, and early warning won't work for areas directly above the ruptured fault because the two waves would be nearly simultaneous. And residents would have to be watching TV or listening to the radio to get an alert.

Still, the agency says the system helped it issue a tsunami alert for a magnitude-6.9 earthquake in northern Japan this March two minutes faster than its old early warning system would have. The agency also was able to put out a warning ahead of last month's magnitude-6.8 quake.

How the public will react has been a concern.

"Chaos and injuries could result, for example, if an urgent earthquake warning is sent to a facility with large numbers of customers and a crush forms at the exits as people rush to get out," a meteorological agency study group said in a report last year.

The warnings, it was decided, must come with explanations of what people should do - stop cars and elevators, get away from things that can fall and, most of all, protect their heads.

"We realized the warnings won't work if confusion is the result," said Saito. "The public needs to be educated about how and how not to react."

Since early last month, NHK has begun preparing Japan for the alerts, carrying promotional spots accompanied by skits that show how to respond.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Chinese official says toy recalls a result of new standards, not poor quality

BEIJING (AP) - A global recall of millions of Chinese-made toys was the result of new industry standards, not poor quality, an official said Thursday as a high-level panel announced the launch of a nationwide safety campaign. Earlier this month, Mattel Inc. recalled almost 19 million Chinese-made items, including dolls, cars and action figures. Some were contaminated with lead paint, while others had small powerful magnets that children might swallow and damage their organs.

Vice-Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said 18.2 million of the recalled products - including popular Polly Pocket dolls and Barbie play sets - were pulled off shelves because of a revision of international standards in May involving magnets.

"The U.S. dealer voluntarily recalled the toys that were made and sold before 2007, which at the time conformed to standards. This is a very responsible action for the health of children and consumers," Gao said at a news conference.

"But strictly speaking, it has nothing to do with the toys' quality or its manufacturers," Gao said.

Mattel first announced a recall involving magnets in November 2006, after several Polly Pocket-related injures were reported.

It extended that recall this month following the change in industry standards that required safety warnings for toys with magnets or magnetic components not attached tightly.

Gao said Mattel was partly responsible because it did not conduct "strict examinations" when it received toy shipments. But, he said, China was taking the quality issue seriously.

"Even if there is only one per cent of products that have quality problems, we will seek to establish the facts and take them very seriously and investigate and punish those companies involved," Gao said.

Toys are the latest in a long list of Chinese exports that have come under intense scrutiny in recent months because of safety concerns. Toxic chemicals have been found in products ranging from toothpaste to seafood and pet food ingredients.

This week alone, the United States has recalled tens of thousands of Chinese-made SpongeBob SquarePants products because of lead hazards, while New Zealand launched an urgent investigation after children's clothes imported from China were found to contain dangerous levels of formaldehyde.


Also Thursday, a cabinet-level panel announced the start of a nationwide safety campaign focused on food and drugs, as well as increased monitoring of exports, underscoring the government's ongoing efforts to win back consumer confidence.

"There are still many problems in product quality and food safety in some places, industries and companies," Vice-Premier Wu Yi, who is heading a cabinet-level panel on product quality and food safety, said at a conference where the campaign was announced.

The program, which runs through December, will ban false advertising, require all food producers to be certified and increase inspections for food, drugs, and agricultural products, Wu was quoted as saying on the government's website.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Ban smoking on screen?

Most Canadians think that would be a drag

ALWYNNE GWILT
Globe and Mail

Canadians are finding it hard to get lit up about the idea of a smoking ban in movies and TV shows.

A new Angus-Reid poll of more than 1,000 adult Canadians found that 52 per cent would be against a ban.

It's an issue that has the film industry alight, with Universal Studios and Disney both declaring they will cut smoking from all films that target a youth audience. Two years ago, India declared that its massive Bollywood film industry would also see actors butting out on screen.

But here in Canada, where stringent anti-smoking policies have come into effect in the past few years for offices, bars and shopping malls, viewers don't seem as concerned.

An Angus-Reid research manager said it's likely more out of a respect for freedom of choice than for support of cigarettes.

"I think the smoking numbers in Canada are under 20 per cent so obviously there are some people out there who see the artistic ability to have smoking in films," said Lucas Marshall, senior marketing manager.

Perhaps the most surprising numbers come out of the West, where in British Columbia anti-smoking laws have been in place for years. The province also has one of the lowest smoking rates in the country. Marshall said he thought that resistance to a ban would come more from the East.

"Traditionally Quebec has been the one province in Canada where smoking is more prevalent, but they're not very different as to whether they support the ban," he said. About 40 per cent of Quebeckers would want a ban, the same amount as Ontarians.

A large split that Marshall highlighted was between generations. In the fifties and sixties, scenes of starlets smoking were considered classy. But for those now in the baby-boomer age range of 55-plus, only 39 per cent wouldn't support the ban, while nearly twice as many (70 per cent) people 18 to 34 years old would be against the ban.

In the United States, more research has highlighted the effect of smoking in the movies. A study by the Centers for Disease Control last year found the number of depictions of smoking in movies was about at par with 1950 levels.

That's disheartening to some advocacy groups such as SceneSmoking.org, which are looking to protect children more than any other group, especially after a team from Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire found in a 2005 study that "exposure to movie smoking accounts for smoking initiation among over one-third of U.S. adolescents." SceneSmoking.org has asked the Motion Picture Association of America to place a big fat R on films that include smoking.

"It's very simple, very clean," said Kori Titus, the director of policy and communications.

In the U.S., ratings may soon include smoking as a factor as worthy of a strict rating as gore and foul language are, she said, highlighting the decision this year of the industry to start considering it.

But a lack of discussion is what may prompt Canadians to vote against banning cigarettes in movies, said one person with Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. And the U.S. rating system would not work this side of the border.

"In the U.S., the ratings are being put on by movie theatres," said Cynthia Callard, the executive director of the group. In Canada, she said, kids under 18 often go to see R-rated movies because the theatres don't regulate it as much.

Nonetheless, Callard added that she's actually quite "heartened" about the fact that 38 per cent of Canadians would be up for a ban when it hasn't even hit the minds of many studios in Hollywood North.

"Movie producers are much more willing to put someone on screen who is smoking but not someone saying 'fuck' because the rules say that swearing is bad but smoking isn't," she said. "[But] I think it's a very important thing to be looking at."

Muncipal strike means higher prices for homebuyers

(CBC) - A strike by municipal employees is expected to increase the already-high cost of buying a home in Vancouver as developers move to pass on their rising costs to consumers.

With the strike entering its second month, anyone wanting to buy a new home can expect a five per cent to 10 per cent hike in prices, said Jon Stovell a general manager with Vancouver property developer Reliance Holdings Ltd.

Stovell said this is because the strike is preventing developers from securing city hall approval for key building permits, putting many new projects in limbo and costing the developer.

"The developer is forced to pass those costs on because they have to have certain levels of profits or they won't be able to get financing from the banks," said Stovell.

He said most key building permits require city approval and, at this point, some projects are folding, while others are on hold.

Maureen Enser, an executive director with the Urban Development Institute in Vancouver says there is a ripple effect throughout the economy. Constructions crews and staff working on each project will soon have to be let go.

Enser says smaller developers are losing about $20,000 per day, while larger ones are taking around $35,000 in daily losses.

"If we don't see an end in sight in short period of time everyone needs to be alarmed," she said

Every prudent developer budgets a contingency fund to deal with problems like this, but now Enser says those funds are running on empty.

More than 6,000 city employees represented by three CUPE locals are into their fifth week off the job.

Most substance abusers out West, study finds

(CBC) - If Ontario and Quebec spring to mind at the mere mention of drug and alcohol abuse, think again. A new study finds the western provinces have a high number of substance abuse problems.

The study finds that the prevalence of substance abuse in Canada is about 11 per cent. Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island have the lowest rates of abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs, with a prevalence rate lower than the national average, while B.C, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have prevalence rates that are above average.

The report, Geographical Variation in the Prevalence of Problematic Substance Abuse in Canada, is authored by researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). It is published in the July issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

In Canada, the prevalence of substance abuse is higher in mid-size cities than in rural or larger cities, the research finds.

The researchers have a number of explanations for their findings. "Major cities include large numbers of immigrants, among whom drug and alcohol problems are less common. People who decide to come to Canada, and are accepted, tend to be healthy and high-functioning, and some immigrant cultures also reject alcohol and drug use," said Scott Veldhuizen, research analyst at CAMH, in a release.

Other possible factors discussed include migration within Canada, differences in the availability of alcohol or illicit drugs, the accessibility of treatment, the local culture, and local policies, say the study's authors.

The study reports that about 80 per cent of Canadians aged 15 and over have had alcohol in the past year and 13 to 15 per cent have used illegal drugs.

Nine per cent of these drinkers and 18 per cent of the drug users reported experiencing harmful side-effects, such as health problems, relationship issues, as well as financial, employment and legal problems.

Younger men are the most likely to be substance abusers, as well as those individuals who are single, have low income or low education, according to the study. Alcohol dependence, for example, is estimated at 8.6 per cent among those aged 20 to 24, versus two per cent for those 35 and older.

Of the households initially contacted for the study, 77 per cent responded, for a total sample size of 36,984 households.

Police forces must recognize mindset shift in cops, says labour expert

CALGARY (CP) - A growing shortage of cops across Canada demands a change in the mindset of police departments and the communities they protect to hire and retain officers, a leading workplace health researcher said Monday. Speaking to the annual chiefs of police conference in Calgary, Linda Duxbury said law enforcement - like many other sectors - is facing a critical shortage of new recruits as baby boomers retire.

And new officers coming in are recognizing that it's a sellers market and they can pick and choose the best jobs, she said. Poaching is also becoming a more important issue among the hundreds of law enforcement agencies across Canada.

"In this market, if you don't deliver and if you expect people to give everything and be grateful for having a job, you're not going to have any cops," Duxbury said Monday.

"And then your community is going to go crazy."

Thousands of new police officers are needed in forces across Canada.

And the younger generation is putting far more stake into work-life balance, spending time with their families and children rather than working themselves into a nervous breakdown or divorce, she said.

"As we move into the sellers' market, it's not all about getting a job - people have a lot of choice. And if it's not in Alberta, it's in B.C., and if it's not in Alberta or B.C., it's in the Maritimes or in England or wherever."

Police forces are also being hit with the growing dilemma of secession planning caused by hiring freezes of the 1980s and 90s when governments opted to rein in deficits and spending.

Duxbury says because it takes at least five years to get a rookie street cop ready for promotion, police forces now have about half the talent pool from which to promote officers.

Chief Rob Davis of the Guelph, Ont., police service said the coming labour shortage in policing was identified 10 to 15 years ago but nothing was done.

"Now here we are at the crisis and we're still wondering 'what are we going to do to try and fix things?"' Davis said Monday.

"We're all in this competition of how to get the best people, and how to keep people."

Davis says his force needs about 15 new officers yearly, but some of the big police departments elsewhere in southern Ontario are "looking for hundreds all of the time."

He says there's been a "huge" change in attitude in officers over his 36 years of policing.

"Understanding the change in mindset gives you the option of now looking at the different and innovative ways of addressing the needs of your people. And it's not just giving them money anymore," he said.

"You need to somehow fulfil their wants and needs or you're going to lose them to other places that can."

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Chinese blog providers 'encouraged' to register users with their real names

BEIJING (AP) - Blog service providers in China are "encouraged" to register users with their real names and contact information, according to a new government document that tones down an earlier proposal banning anonymous online blogging.
At least 10 major Chinese blog service providers have agreed to sign the "self-discipline pledge" issued by the Internet Society of China, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

Online bulletin boards and blogs are the only forum for most Chinese to express opinions before a large audience in a society where all media are state-controlled.

China has the world's second-biggest population of Internet users after the United States, with 137 million people online. It also has 30 million registered bloggers, and more than 100 million Chinese Internet users visit blogs regularly, according to the ISC. The group is under the Ministry of Information Industry.

The guidelines, issued Tuesday and effective immediately, "encouraged" real-name registration of users, according to a copy posted on the Internet group's Web site.

The information - to be filed with the companies, not posted online - should include the user's name, address, contact numbers and e-mail address, it said.

Measures listed in the document were guidelines only and blog service providers were not required to comply, said an official at the Internet group, surnamed Zhu.

It was not clear whether the guideline calling for real-name registration covered bloggers only or whether it extended to people who post comments. Zhu refused to provide details.

The Chinese government had wanted to require real-name registration, but the proposal was met by "fierce opposition," Xinhua said.

"Conditions are not yet mature for implementing real-name registration as we lack reliable technology for privacy protection and identity verification," Huang Chengqing, secretary general of the ISC, was quoted as saying.

But he said service providers were still responsible for the content of the blogs. Chinese leaders often try to block online material deemed pornographic or a threat to communist rule.

"Blog service providers who allow the use of pseudonyms may be more attractive to bloggers, but they will be punished by the government if they fail to screen illegal information," Huang was quoted as saying.

The Xinhua report did not provide additional details of banned information, but other measures called for in the pledge include not spreading pornography and not speaking ill of other nationalities, races, religions and cultural customs. Bloggers also should not spread rumors or libelous information, it said.

"Blog providers should monitor and manage comments ... and delete illegal and bad information in a timely manner," the document said.

Blog service providers such as People's Daily online, Sohu.com, Sina.com.cn and cn.msn.com have said they would abide by the pledge, Xinhua reported.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Western pop stars hassled in Malaysia over sexy concert routines

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Some of the world's top pop stars are facing growing pressure to keep skimpy outfits and steamy dance moves off the stage during their concerts in Muslim-majority Malaysia, event organizers said Wednesday, citing protests by conservative Islamic critics who believe such western performers can corrupt youths. Gwen Stefani made what she called "a major sacrifice" by wearing clothes that revealed little at a Kuala Lumpur performance Tuesday. Muslim students and political activists had called for her concert to be scrapped because of her sexy reputation.

Promoters have announced that Beyonce is scheduled to perform Nov. 1 in this Southeast Asian country - but with caveats.

"We've informed Beyonce's management about this issue of clothes, but it takes some of the fun out of it," said Razlan Ahmad Razali, chairman of Pineapple Concerts, which is organizing Beyonce's concert.

"Beyonce won't be able to do the kind of show here that she does elsewhere," Razlan told The Associated Press. "She's a fashion icon, and we know that she often wears miniskirts and clothes that expose her navel during her performances. It's a pity to restrict her because her costumes are all tasteful and glamorous."

Kanye West faced a different problem when he came to Kuala Lumpur in April because government officials said he should not perform one of his biggest hits, "Jesus Walks," because of religious sensitivities about the title, Razlan said.

Malaysia's government guidelines for public performances require a female artist to cover up from the top of her chest to her knees, including her shoulders. Performers may not hug or kiss, and their clothes must not have obscene or drug-related images or messages.

A Pussycat Dolls concert last year caused its Malaysian organizers to be fined the equivalent of US$2,857 after the group was accused of flouting decency regulations.

Such concerns have made Malaysia less appealing to some stars. A concert promoter, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the hassle about clothes was one of the reasons that Christina Aguilera skipped Malaysia during a recent Asian tour that included neighbouring Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, the country's biggest political opposition group, which opposed Stefani's appearance, says it will probably protest further if Beyonce or others like Justin Timberlake perform here.

"Even with Gwen Stefani, we're not satisfied just because she covered up at the concert," said party official Kamarulzaman Mohamed.

"Outside, she still wears sexy clothes and influences teenagers who idolize her. It's bad to have immoral artists visiting Malaysia."

The Canadian Press, 2007

China, defensive over product safety, says U.S. soybean exports tainted

BEIJING (AP) - China, on the defensive over the safety of its products, lashed out Wednesday at the U.S. by claiming American soybean exports contained pesticides, poisonous weeds and dirt, and blaming U.S. manufacturer Mattel Inc. in part for lead tainting that prompted the recall of millions of toys. China is facing a global backlash following discoveries of high levels of chemicals and toxins in a range of Chinese exports, from toothpaste and seafood to pet food ingredients and toys. Beijing has tried to defend its safety record and reassure consumers by highlighting similar problems in other countries.

"Numerous quality problems" have been found with American soybeans, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a notice posted Wednesday on its website.

"We've already made exchanges with the United States, demanded an investigation into the cause, and asked that effective measures be taken to improve the situation to avoid similar incidents from happening again," the Chinese watchdog agency said.

Soybeans, which are mainly crushed for oil and used as animal feed, are the biggest single U.S. farm export to China, according to the American Soybean Association. China has bought billions of dollars worth since the current market year began in September.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not immediately comment.

The accusations against the U.S. come as a growing number of countries are rejecting or recalling Chinese exports.

Earlier this month, El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel recalled 19 million Chinese-made items including dolls, cars and action figures. Some were contaminated with lead paint. Others had small magnets that children might swallow.

Two weeks before that announcement, 967,000 Chinese-made plastic pre-school toys from Mattel's Fisher-Price unit were recalled because of possible lead-paint hazards.

In an interview published Wednesday, Li Zhuoming, executive vice-chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Toy Industry Association, said both Chinese manufacturers and American toy giant Mattel are both responsible for the recalls.

Blame "cannot be pushed to either side," said Li, whose government-backed association is in the southern province of Guangdong, the centre of China's vast toy export manufacturing industry.

The region's exporters stand to lose billions of dollars from cancelled orders if consumer confidence continues to decline. Sesame Street, Barbie and Polly Pocket products made in the province were among those recalled.

"The producers are responsible because they do not have tight controls over purchasing and production," Li was quoted as saying in the state-run Guangzhou Daily newspaper. "But the buyer Mattel cannot evade responsibility."

Mattel said Wednesday it was trying to improve its product safeguards.

"Safety of children is of the utmost importance to Mattel. We have been working around the clock to improve our system and have already instituted changes in our required procedures," the company said in a statement.


"This includes the launch of an improved three-point check system, part of which is testing of every production run of finished toys to ensure compliance."

But Li said Mattel neglected to "do its job well in quality inspections." He did not give any details or say how the producers did not follow standards.

Li said profit margins in China's toy industry are low and "it's hard to make money" because of the cost of labour and materials. He warned that foreign companies run the risk of getting shoddy products if they demand too low a price from Chinese manufacturers.

"If you give a high price for purchasing, the factories will use high quality raw materials to produce. But if the price is low, they can only use inferior raw materials," said Li.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Bush argues Vietnam bloodbath an indication that U.S. should stay in Iraq

WASHINGTON (CP) - President George W. Bush was accused of twisting history Wednesday after a surprising speech in which he said leaving Iraq now will only provoke the same horrendous bloodbaths that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. Bush, who's been under intense pressure to set a timetable for pulling U.S. troops from Iraq, served notice he's not caving. But using the Vietnam War to make his argument was stunning when so many Americans view the conflict as a tragic, unnecessary quagmire that lasted far too long and produced only humiliating defeat.

The president turned those lessons upside down in a major political gamble.

"One unmistakable legacy of Vietnam is that the price of America's withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like boat people, re-education camps and killing fields," he told a national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City.

"Then, as now, people argued the real problem was America's presence and that if we would just withdraw, the killing would end."

Bush said leaving Vietnam in 1975 provided fodder for future terrorists like Osama bin Laden, the 9-11 mastermind, to cite the U.S. as losers who cut and run.

"Here at home, some can argue our withdrawal from Vietnam carried no price to American credibility, but the terrorists see it differently," he said.

"Unlike in Vietnam, if we withdraw before the job is done, this enemy will follow us home."

Meantime, he said, critics of Iraq are ignoring that the "ideological struggles" fought in Vietnam and North Korea, and against Japan in the Second World War, contributed to a stable region years later where enemies became friends.

"The result of American sacrifice and perseverance in Asia is a freer, more prosperous and stable continent whose people want to live in peace with America, not attack America."

Bush is going on the offensive as the White House prepares for the release next month of a progress report on the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq, a critical juncture in the administration's attempts to persuade the Democrat-controlled Congress to keep supporting the war.


But some analysts say his tactics are risky.

"Desperate men reach for desperate measures," said Patrick Basham, director of the conservative Democracy Institute think-tank.

Others were outraged and accused Bush of distortion.

"What is Bush saying?" asked historian Robert Dallek. "That we didn't fight hard enough, stay long enough? That's nonsense," he told the Los Angeles Times.

"We've been in Iraq longer than we fought in World War II. It's a disaster. . . . But the disaster is the consequences of going in, not getting out."

Besides, said analyst David Gergen, an adviser to four presidents, everyone understands there will be extensive violence whenever the U.S. does pull back from Iraq.

And by advancing an historical context to justify continuing the conflict, Bush might prompt people to ask: "If you learned so much from history, Mr. President, how did you get us involved in another quagmire?"

Bush sent another 30,000 troops to Iraq this year, bringing the total to some 165,000, the highest-ever level.

After the U.S. left Vietnam, said Bush, tens of thousands of American allies, government workers and others perished in prison camps.

"Hundreds of thousands more fled the country on rickety boats, many of them going to their graves in the South China Sea," he said.

"In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge began a murderous rule, in which hundreds of thousands of Cambodians died by starvation and torture and execution," said Bush, who didn't mention the role of covert U.S. bombing in the country.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Bush's attempts to equate the Iraq war to previous conflicts in Asia ignores a fundamental difference.

"Our nation was misled by the Bush administration in an effort to gain support for the invasion of Iraq under false pretences, leading to one of the worst foreign policy blunders in our history."

More than 50,000 U.S. soldiers died in Vietnam. The war cost some US$200 billion.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Vancouver selected world's 'most liveable city by Economist magazine

LONDON (CP) - Vancouver has been selected as the world's most "liveable city" and Toronto the fifth most liveable in a survey of 132 cities by the Economist magazine.
The Economist Intelligence Unit says Vancouver was chosen number-one due to a low crime rate, little threat from instability or terrorism and a highly developed transport and communications infrastructure.

Vancouver scored a liveability index of 1.3 per cent, with zero per cent indicating exceptional and 100 per cent indicating intolerable.

It's the fifth straight time Vancouver has garnered the honour.

The list published on the Economist.com website shows four Australian cities - Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Sydney - in the top 10, which also included Vienna, Copenhagen, Geneva and Zurich.

The magazine says traffic and crime rates caused such cities as New York, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong and Paris to score lower.

Large centres like London and New York also lost marks by fears of terror attacks.

Algiers was the least liveable city on the list.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Hong Kong director plans Bruce Lee biopic

HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong director Fruit Chan plans to make a film about Bruce Lee's early years - the latest in several projects about the kung fu movie icon, a news report said Wednesday. Chan told Chinese news website Sina.com the Chinese-language movie, "Kowloon City," will be produced by John Woo's producer Terence Chang. Chan said he hasn't yet cast an actor to play Lee in the movie, Sina.com. reported.

The movie will be set in 1950s Hong Kong, revolving around the fortunes of Lee and another young kung fu student, Sina.com cited Chan saying.

The report did not say who will fund "Kowloon City."

Chang didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment and Chan didn't immediately return a call.

Chan, whose credits include "Made in Hong Kong," "Hollywood Hong Kong" and "Durian Durian," is known for his movies portraying Hong Kong's working class.

Another Hong Kong director, Stanley Kwan, said earlier he was negotiating with Lee's family for approval to shoot a movie about the late action movie star.

Kwan said his movie, backed by Chinese funding, will explore how Lee was influenced by the absence of his father and how he brought up his own son, Brandon Lee.

In April, Chinese media reported the country's national broadcaster has started filming a 40-part TV series on Bruce Lee in an apparent bid to promote Chinese culture ahead of next year's Beijing Summer Olympics.

Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco but his family returned to Hong Kong, where he grew up. He went back to the United States to study philosophy at the University of Washington and married in 1964 in Seattle, where he opened his first martial arts school.

He later opened a school in Los Angeles where a producer saw him in a kung fu demonstration and cast him as Kato in the "Green Hornet" TV show.

Lee is known for films in which he portrayed characters who defended the Chinese and the working class from oppressors.

The best-known biographical film on Lee is "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," starring Jason Scott Lee, which was released in 1993. Jason Scott Lee is not related to Bruce Lee.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Loonie dips, interest rate fears subside with annual inflation rate steady in July

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's annual inflation rate rested at 2.2 per cent in July, the same level it has held since April, further reducing the likelihood of any interest rate hikes. Statistics Canada said Tuesday that higher housing costs were the main driver of inflation in the consumer price index.

Mortgage interest costs alone jumped six per cent between July 2006 and last month, the largest increase since 2000. Without mortgage costs, the inflation rate would have been 1.9 per cent.

The Bank of Canada's "core" inflation rate, which strips away volatile factors to look at underlying inflationary pressures in setting interest rates, slipped to 2.3 per cent from 2.5 per cent in June. The bank's target for core inflation is two per cent.

Analysts said Tuesday's report will give the bank more breathing room for its September decision on interest rates. In the ongoing credit crunch, a lending rate increase has become much less likely.

"I don't believe that in current market conditions that raising interest rates is in anyone's best interests," said Aron Gampel, deputy chief economist at Scotiabank.

As markets digested the data, the loonie slipped 0.41 of a cent to 94.46 cents US after rising 0.65 of a U.S. cent Monday. Gampel said the dollar is buffeted by other factors beyond inflation, however.

"The currency is extremely volatile right now and I think that is a reflection of the instability in the marketplace and the fact that commodity prices have dropped a bit."

Douglas Porter of BMO Economics said the central bank will like the inflation data.

"This benign result is clearly good news for the Bank of Canada and will give them greater comfort as they wait on the sidelines for the storm to pass at the Sept. 5 decision date (on interest rates)," he said.

He said the core rate seems under control.

"While we've seen temporary dips before in Canadian core inflation in the past two years, only to see it come roaring back even stronger than before, it appears that trends will remain moderate for a few months yet."

Beata Caranci, director of economic forecasting at TD Bank, said the interest rate respite could be short-lived if financial turmoil ebbs.

"If recent central bank moves to prop up liquidity prove successful in returning stability to financial markets and easing credit constraints, the central bank could very well return to the table with a 25-basis-point rate hike on Oct. 16," Caranci said.

Royal Bank said the central bank has to look at underlying pressures.

"Since the economy is on track to record a second consecutive quarter of above-potential growth, the Canadian economy is increasingly operating in a state of excess demand," Royal Bank said.

"And, with the unemployment rate edging down to six per cent in July and wage growth accelerating, Canada's inflation rates are on track to remain above the bank's target."

The rising cost of home ownership - mortgage costs and replacement costs - contributed the most to inflation in July, while cheaper gasoline and computer equipment and supplies helped dampen prices.

On a month-to-month basis, prices edged up 0.1 per cent between June and July .

Higher prices for women's clothing, traveller accommodation and higher mortgage interest costs in July were largely offset by lower prices for cars and trucks, natural gas and fresh vegetables.

Higher property taxes and rents also helped push up the overall inflation rate.

Food costs were up 2.7 per cent last month, but that was the slowest pace in six months.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Matsushita faces significant expenses after mass battery recall

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Osaka, Japan, potentially faces painful repercussions after a mass recall of batteries from Nokia phones, reports Forbes.com. Nokia has offered to replace 46 million lithium ion batteries, after it was learned that they could overheat. If that many batteries are returned, at an estimated unit cost of ¥ 3,000 ($26), Matsushita could be suffering a loss of up to ¥138 billion ($1.2 billion), according to calculations by Nikko Citigroup analyst Kota Ezawa.

That number is equal to 28 percent of Matsushita's 2008 operating profit forecast and nearly five times the yearly revenue of its entire battery business for the fiscal year that ended in March, Nikko Citigroup estimates. Matsushita shares have fallen since the announcement of the recall, hitting a year low this week, according to Forbes.com.

Nokia is replacing the batteries at no cost to customers, but Matsushita will shoulder a significant share of the expenses.

Strike could last months, city official says

City, union making no progress toward settlement, spokesman says
Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun

Vancouver city officials say a simmering summer strike by three civic unions could last for months.
Saying a new proposal from the union representing striking library workers "is going in the wrong direction," city spokesman Jerry Dobrovolny said the public should brace for the strike, which began more than a month ago, to continue much longer.
"Typical city strikes tend to be about six to eight weeks," he said. "While I can't speculate on how long this one will now last, I can say that this one clearly isn't typical. I would say it is going to be a long one."
Dobrovolny's comments followed a meeting Monday with The Vancouver Sun's editorial board.
During the meeting, he accused the unions representing 6,000 striking inside, outside and library workers of engaging in a "larger political agenda," a comment a union official later dismissed as "rubbish."
Dobrovolny said the city offer essentially matches five-year contracts recently signed with 10 other municipalities, apart from some specific issues peculiar to each union.
Dobrovolny said no new talks are scheduled, and the city has no idea how it is going to resolve the dispute, which is actually three separate strikes, the longest of which is now in its 33rd day.
He said striking workers now appear to be trying to put new demands on the table, something that "takes the two sides in different directions."
For example, he said, library workers made significant new demands in a proposal opened by city negotiators on the weekend, and a statement on the outside workers' website warns that "the longer this strike goes on, our demands and costs to the employer will go up."
But the presidents of all three striking locals of the Canadian Union of Public Employees said Monday afternoon they are not making new demands and in fact are generally happy with the standard set in the other five-year municipal agreements.
Where they disagree is on issues that specifically affect their unions, they said.
The city has offered the inside and outside workers a five-year contract with raises totalling 16.5 per cent, while the library workers have been offered 17.5 per cent. Dobrovolny said the difference accounts for the fact the first two unions have a number of additional costly benefit demands on the table.
But he said city negotiators were "dumbfounded" on the weekend when they opened a counterproposal from Local 391, which represents the city's 785 striking library workers.
In addition to a five-year, 17.5-per-cent pay raise, the union also wants collective improvements to pay equity and job evaluations of another nine per cent, and another 4.25 per cent for 100 librarians.
"We are absolutely baffled," he said. "They increased their demands significantly. We frankly don't know what the issue is."
Local 391 chief negotiator Ed Dickson said the union's counter-proposal, made Friday, was virtually the same as its previous position, but for the first time put figures to the pay equity and job evaluation demands. The cost would be about $1 million over the five years, which he said the library has already saved because of the strike.
Local 391 president Alex Youngberg said library workers are predominantly women who are paid less than male counterparts with the same education.
"We have been trying to fight this for 30 years, and all we have been asking is for a basic start," she said, adding other accepted municipal contracts have included similar pay equity proposals.
Mike Jackson, acting president of CUPE Local 1004, which represents the city's 1,800 outside workers, said the union had already made several verbal concessions to the city that should help restart negotiations. But he said members remain concerned about whistleblower protection and improvements to dental and eyecare plans.
As for Dobrovolny's allegation that a statement on the outside workers' website indicated they would be demanding more the longer the strike went on, Jackson said it referred only to the standard union demand for a signing bonus for prolonged strikes.
Dobrovolny did not allege that the city's 3,500 inside workers, represented by CUPE Local 15, were putting more demands on the table.
In fact, said Local 15 president Paul Faoro, the city is continuing to demand several key concessions from the union, including weakening job security language that inside workers turned down before the strike. None of the new municipal contracts contain those concessions, he said.
"We have said consistently that we are prepared to bargain," Faoro said. "But with the city still pushing concessions that our members turned down four weeks ago, this is not going anywhere. They [the city] need to get off that."
Faoro, like the other presidents, said the city could get a settlement by the weekend if it is prepared to bargain.
But Dobrovolny said the city believes the unions are trying to prolong the strikes in order to destabilize the Greater Vancouver Regional District's labour relations bureau, of which the city is a member. The bureau was set up in the 1960s to collectively bargain for member municipalities, which Dobrovolny said had been "whipsawed" for years by unions when negotiating on their own.
But in recent years, several municipalities, including Richmond, opted out and began negotiating contracts themselves.
That, Dobrovolny said, is the main reason why the city's original 39-month, 9.5-per-cent offer was abandoned after Richmond last month signed a five-year deal of 17.5 per cent. Since then, many other municipalities, including North Vancouver District, which was struck the same week as Vancouver, have settled.
Faoro called Dobrovolny's idea "rubbish."
"With the amount of money my union is paying out on benefits and strike pay, if there was a larger political agenda we would have settled the contract and dumped that money into the next municipal election," he said. "The last thing I am going to do is keep my people out for some political agenda."

© Vancouver Sun 2007

Retail sales dialed back in June after May surge; quarterly figures high

OTTAWA (CP) - Retail sales were the highest in almost six years during the second quarter, despite a shopping break taken by consumers in June, lending support to solid growth in the Canadian economy this year, economists say. Total retail sales fell 0.9 per cent to an estimated $34.6 billion in June after advancing 2.6 per cent in May. Buoyed by May's advance, quarterly sales growth for the April-to-June period reached three per cent, the largest three-month gain in almost six years.

The June drop "is by no means symptomatic of weakness in overall Canadian retail trade," TD Bank economist Pascal Gauthier said in a note to clients, noting that the bulk of the decline came on the heels of the largest monthly increase in a decade and was due to a 2.7 per cent drop in sales in the automotive sector.

"Looking ahead, we expect continued strength in retail trade," Gauthier said.

"On the upside, a significant number of consumers in Quebec have benefited from a windfall under the pay-equity settlement which should continue to support consumer spending in that province. Furthermore, the overall backdrop for the nation remains positive with decent job creation and rising wages."

While central banks ponder halting or even lowering key interest rates in the wake of a crisis in global credit markets, the solid fundamentals of growth in consumer spending will likely keep economic growth around the three per cent mark for the year, said BMO Capital Markets economist Michael Gregory.

"While it now seems likely that the dislocations in local and global credit and money markets will keep the Bank of Canada on the sidelines next month (this morning's benign CPI report also probably makes the bank feel more comfortable about pausing), we still judge that if not for these liquidity issues, the upside inflation risks posed by household spending argue for a further rate hike," Gregory said.

Excluding automotive - which includes gasoline station sales - retail sales were essentially unchanged.

General merchandise stores (down 0.7 per cent), clothing and accessories stores (down 0.4), and building and outdoor home supplies stores (down 0.3) fell moderately in June.

Furniture, home furnishings and electronics stores sales fell for the second straight month after six months of consecutive growth.

Partially offsetting these declines were sales increases at food and beverage stores (up 0.7 per cent), at miscellaneous retailers (0.4) and in pharmacies and personal care stores (0.1).

Retail sales at constant prices fell 0.6 per cent in June, yet high sales levels throughout the second quarter resulted in a strong 2.6 per cent increase during this three-month period.

On Tuesday, Statistics Canada said the annual inflation rate was 2.2 per cent in July, the same as in June, amid higher housing costs.

The annual rate has been at 2.2 per cent since April.

The core inflation rate - which strips out volatile items such as fuel and food and doesn't count changes to indirect taxes - was at 2.3 per cent after posting a 2.5 per cent increase in June.

The Bank of Canada likes to see the core rate - which it studies when setting interest rates - at just two per cent.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Paramount, Dreamworks to offer movies in HD DVD and drop support for Blu-ray

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. will offer next-generation DVDs in the HD DVD format and drop support for Blu-ray, further complicating the race between the competing technologies. Monday's announcement affects the upcoming DVD releases of the blockbusters "Shrek the Third" and "Transformers," along with movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films.

Movies directed by Steven Spielberg, however, will continue to be released in both formats.

Paramount, which owns DreamWorks Pictures and handles home sales for the separate company DreamWorks Animation, previously released movies in both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

"Part of our vision is to aggressively extend our movies beyond the theatre, and deliver the quality and features that appeal to our audience," said Brad Grey, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.

"I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high-quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount," he said.

The competition between Blu-ray and HD DVD has kept confused consumers from rushing to buy new DVD players until they can determine which format will dominate the market.

Until recently, many consumers were able to defer the choice because players have been so expensive. But prices have been slashed by about half - Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray player now sells for $499, and Toshiba Corp.'s cheapest HD DVD player sells for $299, with both likely to include as many as five free movies as an incentive.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, said consumers seeking to switch to high-definition DVDs will be enticed by the movies available for HD-DVD players. He added the lower price for the Toshiba devices will appeal to the family market.

"It's a game-changer, what they're doing, and it's why we decided to throw in with them," Katzenberg said.

Standalone HD DVD players have a bigger slice of the market than Blu-ray players. But when you count Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, which comes with a Blu-ray drive, there are more Blu-ray players in U.S. homes.

Rob Moore, president of Paramount Worldwide Distribution, said market data shows that people who own gaming consoles buy fewer movies than those who invest in a movie-only player.

The Blu-ray Disc Association trade group did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

Blu-ray discs can hold more data - 50 gigabytes compared with HD DVD's 30 GB - but the technology requires new manufacturing techniques and factories, boosting initial costs.

HD DVDs, on the other hand, are essentially DVDs on steroids, meaning movie studios can turn to existing assembly lines to produce them in mass.

Studios and retailers have been choosing sides in recent months.

With Paramount dropping Blu-ray support, Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. remains the only major studio releasing movies in both formats.

"Spider-Man 3" will only be available in the Blu-ray DVD format when it is released by Sony Pictures, while people with Blu-ray players won't be able to enjoy the action-thriller "The Bourne Ultimatum," which Universal Pictures will release only in HD DVD.

The Blu-ray format recently got a big boost as Blockbuster Inc. announced it would stock only Blu-ray titles when it expands its high-def DVD offerings this year.

Target Inc., the nation's second-largest retailer, said it will only sell Blu-ray DVD players in its stores in the fourth quarter.

Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures, News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox, The Walt Disney Co., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are releasing only in Blu-ray.

Universal, owned by General Electric Co., backs HD DVD exclusively.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Chinese village changes name to improve its fortunes, but gets chaos instead

BEIJING (AP) - Residents thought changing the name of their small village in southern China would improve their fortunes. Instead, it left them in a legal limbo after police computers were unable to register a very rare Chinese character that is part of the new moniker, newspapers reported Tuesday.

"Many villagers have not been able to get marriage certificates and are facing difficulties while seeking jobs, travelling and dealing in property," the China Daily said, citing an earlier report in the Nanguo Metropolitan News.

The 50 residents of the tiny hamlet in Wenchang county on the southern island province of Hainan followed a fortune teller's advice earlier this year and changed the name "to improve the village's prosperity," the reports said.

The village's name used to be Tianmeidong, but was changed to Tianwei, plus a third character that even the Nanguo newspaper was forced to describe in its article because its computer could not write it.

Great care is often taken by superstitious Chinese in picking characters for names based on the total number of lines, or strokes, in the characters. Some also consult experts of feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice for achieving health, harmony and prosperity according to the arrangement of dates, numbers, building design and the placement of objects.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Loonie dips, interest rate fears subside with annual inflation rate steady in July

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's annual inflation rate rested at 2.2 per cent in July, the same level it has held since April, further reducing the likelihood of any interest rate hikes. Statistics Canada said Tuesday that higher housing costs were the main driver of inflation in the consumer price index.

Mortgage interest costs alone jumped six per cent between July 2006 and last month, the largest increase since 2000. Without mortgage costs, the inflation rate would have been 1.9 per cent.

The Bank of Canada's "core" inflation rate, which strips away volatile factors to look at underlying inflationary pressures in setting interest rates, slipped to 2.3 per cent from 2.5 per cent in June. The bank's target for core inflation is two per cent.

Analysts said Tuesday's report will give the bank more breathing room for its September decision on interest rates. In the ongoing credit crunch, a lending rate increase has become much less likely.

"I don't believe that in current market conditions that raising interest rates is in anyone's best interests," said Aron Gampel, deputy chief economist at Scotiabank.

As markets digested the data, the loonie slipped 0.41 of a cent to 94.46 cents US after rising 0.65 of a U.S. cent Monday. Gampel said the dollar is buffeted by other factors beyond inflation, however.

"The currency is extremely volatile right now and I think that is a reflection of the instability in the marketplace and the fact that commodity prices have dropped a bit."

Douglas Porter of BMO Economics said the central bank will like the inflation data.

"This benign result is clearly good news for the Bank of Canada and will give them greater comfort as they wait on the sidelines for the storm to pass at the Sept. 5 decision date (on interest rates)," he said.

He said the core rate seems under control.

"While we've seen temporary dips before in Canadian core inflation in the past two years, only to see it come roaring back even stronger than before, it appears that trends will remain moderate for a few months yet."

Beata Caranci, director of economic forecasting at TD Bank, said the interest rate respite could be short-lived if financial turmoil ebbs.

"If recent central bank moves to prop up liquidity prove successful in returning stability to financial markets and easing credit constraints, the central bank could very well return to the table with a 25-basis-point rate hike on Oct. 16," Caranci said.

Royal Bank said the central bank has to look at underlying pressures.

"Since the economy is on track to record a second consecutive quarter of above-potential growth, the Canadian economy is increasingly operating in a state of excess demand," Royal Bank said.

"And, with the unemployment rate edging down to six per cent in July and wage growth accelerating, Canada's inflation rates are on track to remain above the bank's target."

The rising cost of home ownership - mortgage costs and replacement costs - contributed the most to inflation in July, while cheaper gasoline and computer equipment and supplies helped dampen prices.

On a month-to-month basis, prices edged up 0.1 per cent between June and July .

Higher prices for women's clothing, traveller accommodation and higher mortgage interest costs in July were largely offset by lower prices for cars and trucks, natural gas and fresh vegetables.

Higher property taxes and rents also helped push up the overall inflation rate.

Food costs were up 2.7 per cent last month, but that was the slowest pace in six months.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Fake Chinese Communist official arrested after earning US$2.6M in payoffs

BEIJING (AP) - A man earned US$2.6 million in payoffs in an elaborate scam in which he masqueraded as a senior official in China's ruling Communist Party, the government said Tuesday. The man - whose name was given only as Huang - was arrested along with his "secretary" and "guards" for fraud, after one of his victims tipped off police, a report on the official Chinacourt website said.

To make himself appear like a genuine party secretary of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Huang rented a traditional courtyard house for US$395,000 late last year as an office and living quarters.

It is not unusual for Chinese to pretend they are officials to earn perks or payoffs, but rare for someone to impersonate a person of such a high level. The Central Committee is one of the most powerful bodies in China.

Huang hired a dozen retired soldiers to be guards at the compound, the report said. He also had fake photos of him with China's top state leaders hanging in the office.

In January, a man surnamed Han was invited to meet with "top party official" Huang, the report said. Huang told Han that the Yanshan Hotel in Beijing was about to be sold off and convinced Han to pay US$1.3 million in advance for shares.

Han later found out that Huang was not who he claimed to be and contacted the police, the report said.

Another four companies gave US$1.3 million to Huang, the report said without giving further details.

In a separate report, the China News Service said 24,900 cases of commercial bribery worth US$820 million were registered in the first half of the year, citing figures from the Central Committee's Discipline Department.

Party and government officials were involved in 22 per cent of them, it said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Gwen Stefani is a good girl in Malaysia, just as she promised

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Gwen Stefani was a good girl, just like she promised.
The American pop singer wowed fans in Muslim-majority Malaysia on Tuesday and dressed demurely to show virtually no skin, after Islamic critics claimed that her revealing clothes could corrupt the country's youth.

"I am very inspired tonight. . . . It is great to be here again," Stefani, 37, told some 7,000 cheering, screaming fans at an indoor stadium on the latest leg of her Sweet Escape world tour.

"The Sweet Escape" was her first song after she burst onto the stage, wearing a black leotard under a white short-sleeved shirt and black-and-white striped hot pants suit, with black gloves up to her elbows.

She changed costumes for every song - putting on a cape once and tying a cloth around her waist like a skirt - but made sure she was fully covered while she belted out "Rich Girl," "Wind it Up," and "Hollaback Girl" among others.

International media photographers were not allowed to take pictures at the concert for copyright reasons. Fans had to leave their cameras outside.

Stefani had promised before the concert to dress modestly after the 10,000-member National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students protested against the concert, claiming her fashion sense and cheeky performances clash with Islamic values.

The opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party also accused Stefani of promoting promiscuity and corrupting the country's youth.

But most fans in the stadium thought the protesters had gone overboard with their criticism.

"I think they were making a big ho-ha for no reason. Even the local artists, they dress even much worse, much more indecent," said Denise Chan, a 15-year-old ethnic Chinese.

About 60 per cent of Malaysia's 26 million people are Malay Muslims, while ethnic Chinese - who are Christians and Buddhists - make up 25 per cent. Ethnic Indians - most of them Hindus - are about 10 per cent.

While Islam is the official religion, Malaysia does not consider itself a theocratic Islamic country.

However, most fans said their esteem for Stefani has gone up because of her respect for Malaysia's cultural values.

"All international artists have to dress down a bit to respect our religion. When you come to any country you have to respect the culture," said Linda Yusof, 33, a Malay Muslim and fan.

Malaysia's government guidelines for public performances require a female artist to cover up from the top of her chest to her knees, including shoulders. No jumping, shouting or throwing of objects on stage or at the audience is allowed. Performers may not hug or kiss, and their clothes must not have obscene or drug-related images or messages.

A local company that organized a Pussycat Dolls concert last year was fined 10,000 ringgit (US$2,857) after the American girl group was found to have flouted decency regulations.

In an interview with the local entertainment magazine Galaxie, Stefani said she made a lot of changes to her concert just for Malaysia, calling it a "major sacrifice."

"I've been in the music industry for 20 years and this is the first time that I'm facing opposition from people who have misunderstood me," Stefani was quoted as saying.

"I'm not a bad girl," she said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Call for Submissions for Open Studio, Canada's leading print media centre

Exhibition Program in the Open Studio Gallery
Visiting Artist Residency Program
Guest Renter Program

DEADLINE: Submissions for all 3 programs must be postmarked on or before September 15, 2007.

For more information about each program and guidelines on how to apply for them, including digital submission requirements, visit http://www.openstudio.on.ca .

EXHIBITION PROGRAM IN THE OPEN STUDIO GALLERY

Submissions are being accepted to exhibit in the Open Studio Gallery for the period between April 2008 and July 2009.

Open Studio is an artist-run printmaking centre that presents a wide range of print media-based works from traditional to experimental, including work that, although not produced using traditional printmaking techniques, shares through its conceptual concerns a relationship to printmaking. Accepted formats include: 2 and 3-dimensional works, bookworks, digital and multi-media installation-based work. Proposals by individual artists, groups and curators will be considered. CAR/FAC Artist Fees are paid.

Mail Application to:
The Gallery Committee
c/o OPEN STUDIO
401 Richmond Street West, Suite 104
Toronto, Ontario Canada
M5V 3A8

phone/fax: (416) 504-8238 E-mail: office@openstudio.on.ca

VISITING ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Through this program, Open Studio is accessible to all professional artists, with or without printmaking experience, to explore and develop a new body of work through print media. Artists produce their work in the Open Studio facilities followed by a two-person Visiting Artist exhibition in the Open Studio Gallery.

Projects will be scheduled between September 2008 and April 2009.

Mail Application to:
The Visiting Artist Committee
c/o OPEN STUDIO
401 Richmond Street West, Suite 104
Toronto, Ontario Canada
M5V 3A8

phone/fax: (416) 504-8238 E-mail: office@openstudio.on.ca

GUEST RENTER PROGRAM

Each year, Open Studio accepts Guest Renters who are established printmakers.

Guest Renters are responsible for securing their own funding to cover travel and accommodation expenses if necessary. Artists will also pay the appropriate studio area supply fee during their residency and will be required to sign the standard studio rental contract.

Projects will be scheduled between September 2008 and June 2009.

Mail Application to:
The Guest Renter Committee
c/o OPEN STUDIO
401 Richmond Street West, Suite 104
Toronto, Ontario Canada
M5V 3A8

phone/fax: (416) 504-8238 E-mail: office@openstudio.on.ca

DARK

A free evening of inspired performances in the Valley

August 25, 7 pm, Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Centre

Saturday, August 25 will be a summer night to remember as a diverse cast of more than 50 actors, dancers, playwrights, musicians and spoken-word artists take over the sprawling Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Centre for DARK, an exciting evening of free performances.

Nestled in the Don Valley at Pottery Road, the Todmorden site features historic homes, the Brewery Gallery, the Papermill Theatre & Gallery, an historic train station and a 9.2 hectare wild flower preserve. Each of these spaces will be utilized in site-specific, overlapping performances as audiences move about the grounds from 7 - 11 pm in what promises to be a magical and entertaining evening.

Mainstage performances in the Papermill Theatre include premieres of new works from Dora Award-winning Fu-Gen Asian Canadian Theatre Company and Tapestry New Opera Works. The AMY (Artists Mentoring Youth) Project combines drums, dance and drama, while dancer/choreographer Santee Smith performs a new, original piece in the Papermill Gallery space during the mainstage intermission.

Sponsored by Toronto Culture's Live With Culture program, DARK is curated by Marjorie Chan (Cahoots Theatre Project) who has charged the performers with transforming Todmorden Mills into "a thrilling evening of performance happenings."

Other performers include banjo-playing storyteller Sean Dixon (author of The Girls Who Saw Everything), performance artists Hyun Liya Choi, Belladonna and Lisa Pijuan-Nomura, actor Melissa D'Agostino, INpulse Dance artists Diana Groenendijk and Suzanne Liska, improv troupe The Wrecking Crew, the Actors Repertory Company and Korean drum ensemble Samul Nori Canada. Seven playwrights, including Governor General's Award nominees Lisa Codrington and Mark Brownell, will perform 15 minute readings of their works.

"DARK will be a wonderful showcase for Todmorden Mills," says site administrator Ulana Baluk. "Our theatre and gallery spaces are state of the art and our historic buildings will provide evocative backdrops for the performers."

For more information visit www.livewithculture.ca , the ultimate guide to Toronto's culture scene. Live With Culture is a celebration of Toronto's extraordinary arts and cultural communities, shining a spotlight on the vibrant and diverse activities happening in the city each and every day.

City of Toronto Culture, Museums and Heritage Services, operates 10 historic museums offering public, education and special event programming.

Todmorden Mills is located at 67 Pottery Road
For details call (416) 396-2819

SUPERFAN

February/March 2008

Call for proposals
Deadline September 21st, 2007

Goals; runs; touchdowns; strokes; points; rank; wins; losses; world records; time trials; points against; plus/minus; fumbles; strikeouts; shut outs; power play goal percentage; total personal fouls; fourth down conversions; intentional walks.

This short list shines only a small light on the statistical landscape of sport. The generation of this detailed documentation of competitive sports produces a vast and massive movement of numerical information back and forth through newspapers, magazine, websites, speciality channels and newscasts. Like an athletic stock market, talent is commodified, codified and reduced to columns of percentage points. With this call for new electronic artworks Artengine hopes to bring a poetic perspective to this statistical landscape.

In Winter of 2008 Artengine will present Superfan, to be exhibited in public locations in Ottawa's Elgin Street area, a popular night-life district with many sports bars. The theme of the commissioned work is to be centred around the statistical information generated from professional and amateur sport.

Proposals from all disciplines will be considered however, some preference will be given to art works with greater engagements with the technological aspects of their production and presentation.

Artists are encouraged to keep in mind that the commissioned works may be presented in the context of a sports bar or similar public location, and so fragile or expensive interactive projects may be difficult to secure.

Commissioned Artists will receive:

1. $1000.00 commissioning fee for the creation and presentation of the work.
2. $200.00 towards production materials.
3. Producing membership for one year. This membership gives access to Artengine facilities and equipment. (For those artists from outside the Outouais region a On-line Membership will be awarded.) Please check artengine.ca/html/newmember-e.php for more information on Artengine memberships.

Proposals should include:

1. Project Proposal (2 pages max.)
2. Artist Statement (1 page max.)
3. Current CV (3 pages max.)
4. Supporting Materials (digital images; websites; video documentation etc. Please do not send 35 mm Slides.)
5. Self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage.

For further information and questions please contact Ryan Stec, Artistic Director at artistic@artengine.ca .

Send submissions to:

Superfan Commissioning Project
c/o Artengine
2 Daly, Suite M70
Ottawa, ON
K1N 6E2

[text]

(As part of Propeller's "Curated Exhibition" series, the 2007 show will have noted Canadian cultural critic, journalist, and poet Gary Michael Dault as curator.)

The use of words as a core for the creation of works of visual art can now claim a century of history, and arguably occupies centre stage in current cultural discourse via an organic relationship to the World Wide Web, and the algorithms of digital programming.

From Constructivism and dada, to fluxus, conceptualism and net.art, not to mention the agitprop of global marketing and its culture-jamming adversaries, works of art produced at the cutting edge have fixed upon the Word: as text, structure, constraint, syntactical word-play, object, or meme. It is a fixation as various as the uses of language itself, and is marked by the intrinsic democracy of words. The products of this activity range from the narrative to the analytical to pure poetry, which is both and neither.

Ludwig Wittgenstein said "The limits of my language are the limits of my world," and linguistic theory has suggested that the Mind and Language are one. We use language as a bridge and as a bomb; words are ciphers, gestures and commodities. Their power is their flexibility: they can illuminate or disguise, enrich or debase.

Propeller Center for the Visual Arts is seeking works of art that are made of words: the word as tool, as structural unit, as expressive dynamo.

For info and prospectus: http://www.propellerctr.com

Submissions should include the following:

1. CD/DVD of the work, or Photos/Slides - CD or DVD is preferred.
2. A detailed list of the work on the disc.
3. A written description of the work, relating it to the exhibition parameters.
4. Curriculum Vitae and contact information (must include address, phone number, and email [if applicable]).
5. Non-refundable Entry Fee of $35 (Cdn). Cheque or money order made out to Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts.
6. A self addressed, stamped envelope for return of materials. Entry materials without a SASE will not be returned.

Send entry to:
Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts
984 Queen Street West
Toronto. ON M6J 1H1

contact: Ruth Tait or Ian Amell
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: November 9th 2007

China state TV launches campaign to defend reputation as safe exporter

BEIJING (AP) - Chinese state television has launched a weeklong series of programs dedicated to defending the country's reputation as a safe maker of global goods, pushing forward its campaign to woo back international trust. The first program was aired Sunday on China Central Television's economic channel and featured the head of a quality watchdog criticizing the recent furor over the quality of Chinese exports as "demonizing China's products."

"Personally, I believe it is new trend in trade protectionism. Although recalls are necessary, it is unfair to decide that all products made in China are unqualified," Li Changjiang, director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said on the inaugural 90-minute show.

Li said his department was doing everything possible to monitor and check product quality, especially after recent recalls of millions of toys by Mattel Inc., the world's biggest toy maker, because of lead paint and small magnets.

"I'm here to tell you: have faith in made-in-China," Li told a group of foreign and Chinese executives and journalists invited to the show.

While the shows can be seen only in China, they will have interviews with Chinese producers and officials, as well as foreign buyers and chambers of commerce, CCTV said on its Web site. Monday's show will focus on exports, including green tea.

The programs are the latest in China's recent push to prove it is a safe manufacturer and exporter of goods amid discoveries of high levels of chemicals and toxins in Chinese products by countries around the world.

On Monday, New Zealand launched an investigation after children's clothes from China were found to contain dangerous levels of formaldehyde.

The government ordered the probe after scientists testing clothes for TV3's "Target" consumer watchdog program discovered formaldehyde concentrations up to 900 times above the safe level in woolen and cotton clothes.

The chemical gives a permanent press effect to clothes and is also used as an embalming fluid. It can cause problems ranging from skin rashes to cancer.

The television station says it will not release details of brand names or importers ahead of the show's airing on Tuesday.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

A movie highlights Vietnamese efforts to reconcile once warring north and south

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A new breed of characters has replaced the old Communist heroes on Vietnam's big screens: hustlers and dancing girls, drug dealers and cross-dressers. But perhaps the most startling character of all is Tai, a soldier from the former South Vietnamese army. In a country where anti-communist soldiers were traditionally cast as villains, "Living in Fear" portrays Tai sympathetically.

Vietnam's film world is changing fast. The government is easing control over content, old taboos are fading, and private money is for the first time entering an industry that was entirely state-run until 2003.

The changes reflect the broader transformation of Vietnamese society, where the economy has been booming over the last decade as the government has eased economic controls and made room for private enterprise.

"I was surprised that the government allowed my film to be shown," said director Bui Thac Chuyen, 39. "The censorship committee didn't cut anything."

In fact, "Living in Fear" may suit the Communist government's purpose; Ever since the war between North Vietnam and U.S.-supported South Vietnam ended in 1975, it has made reconciling north and south a top priority and still hangs out banners promoting "doan ket," or unity.

The film, while financed with government grants, has an independent spirit befitting its director, a northerner who admires Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick. It is based in part on the experiences of a real-life southern soldier who spent 15 years clearing unexploded ordnance from his farm.

Tai is struggling with a complicated personal life - he has two wives - and with a daily reality that invites viewers' sympathy.

Each time he picks up a land mine on his four-hectare farm, we wonder whether it's going to blow up in his hands. Each time he goes into the field, we wonder whether he'll return.

"I wanted to show that no matter what side you were on in the war, when it was over, we all started in a land scarred from bombs," Chuyen said. "But we can adapt and overcome."

Southern soldiers suffered discrimination for years after the war. They were indoctrinated with Marxist dogma in "re-education camps" and had trouble finding anything better than menial jobs. Their children were turned away from schools and universities.

Today, the old wounds have mostly healed, although regional differences remain strong. "Living in Fear" nudges reconciliation along by portraying both northerners and southerners in shades of grey.

Chuyen's film has been screened at several international festivals and U.S. colleges but hasn't found a U.S. commercial distributor. It was among the last produced under the old government system.

Now moviemaking has become a full-blown commercial industry, typified by the crowds that flocked to 2003's "Dancing Girls," which dealt with previously off-limits themes such as drug addiction and prostitution.

"The prospects are bright," said Tran Vu Hoai, president of Galaxy Studios in Hanoi. "People have more money, and they're looking for new entertainment experiences."

Instead of grungy state-run theatres showing formulaic films, American-style cineplexes are springing up complete with air conditioning, comfy seats, big screens and popcorn.

Galaxy has opened two 1,000-seat, three-screen theatres in Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, and plans to build two more, plus two in Hanoi. The company is also producing its own unabashedly commercial films to packed audiences.

The most successful so far is "Two In One," a slapstick comedy about a man impersonating a woman - and falling in love with a real woman who doesn't know he's actually a man.

Under the old state-run system, which produced some quality films despite its limitations, most directors were trained in the former Soviet Union. A new generation is studying in the United States, some sponsored by the Ford Foundation, which is sending several directors to the University of Southern California's film school.

Michael DiGregorio, who manages Ford's cultural programs in Hanoi, hopes the budding filmmakers will document the rapid social changes in Vietnam by telling compelling human stories.

"The more the Vietnamese free themselves from the sort of stereotypical films they made in the past, the better they will be able to represent the world as it is today," DiGregorio said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Aging in an era of digital downloads, CD celebrates 25th anniversary

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) - It was Aug. 17, 1982, and row upon row of palm-sized plates with a rainbow sheen began rolling off an assembly line near Hanover, Germany. An engineering marvel at the time, today they are instantly recognizable as Compact Discs, a product that turns 25 years old on Friday - and whose future is increasingly in doubt in an age of iPods and digital downloads.

Those first CDs contained Richard Strauss' Alpine Symphony and would sound equally sharp if played today, says Holland's Royal Philips Electronics NV, which jointly developed the CD with Sony Corp. of Japan.

The recording industry thrived in the 1990s as music fans replaced their aging cassettes and vinyl LPs with compact discs, eventually making CDs the most popular album format.

The CD still accounts for the majority of the music industry's recording revenues, but its sales have been in a freefall since peaking early this decade, in part due to the rise of online file-sharing, but also as consumers spend more of their leisure dollars on other entertainment purchases, such as DVDs and video games.

As the music labels slash wholesale prices and experiment with extras to revive the now-aging format, it's hard to imagine there was ever a day without CDs.

Yet it had been a risky technical endeavour to attempt to bring digital audio to the masses, said Pieter Kramer, the head of the optical research group at Philips' labs in the Netherlands in the 1970s.

"When we started there was nothing in place," he said in an interview at Philips' corporate museum in Eindhoven.

The proposed semiconductor chips needed for CD players were to be the most advanced ever used in a consumer product. And the lasers were still on the drawing board when the companies teamed up in 1979.

In 1980, researchers published what became known as the "Red Book" containing the original CD standards, as well as specifying which patents were held by Philips and which by Sony.

Philips had developed the bulk of the disc and laser technology, while Sony contributed the digital encoding that allowed for smooth, error-free playback. Philips still licenses out the Red Book and its later incarnations, notably for the CD-ROM for storing computer software and other data.

The CD's design drew inspiration from vinyl records: Like the grooves on a record, CDs are engraved with a spiral of tiny pits that are scanned by a laser - the equivalent of a record player's needle. The reflected light is encoded into millions of 0s and 1s: a digital file.

Because the pits are covered with plastic and the laser's light doesn't wear them down, the CD never loses sound quality.

Legends abound about how the size of the CD was chosen: Some said it matched a Dutch beer coaster; others believe a famous conductor or Sony executive wanted it just long enough for Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

Kramer said the decision evolved from "long conversations around the table" about which play length made the most sense.

The jump into mass production in Germany was a milestone for the CD, and by 1982 the companies announced their product was ready for market. Both began selling players that fall, though the machines only hit U.S. markets the following spring.

Sony sold the first player in Japan on Oct. 1, with the CBS label supplying Billy Joel's "52nd Street" as its first album.

The CD was a massive hit. Sony sold more players, especially once its "Discman" series was introduced in 1984. But Phil ips benefited from CD sales, too, thanks to its ownership of Polygram, now part of Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group.

The CD player helped Philips maintain its position as Europe's largest maker of consumer electronics until it was eclipsed by Nokia Corp. in the late 1990s. Licensing royalties sustained the company through bad times.

"The CD was in itself an easy product to market," said Philips' current marketing chief for consumer electronics, Lucas Covers. It wasn't just the sound quality - discs looked like jewelry in comparison to LPs.

By 1986, CD players were outselling record players, and by 1988 CDs outsold records.

"It was a massive turnaround for the whole market," Covers said.

Now, the CD may be seeing the end of its days.

CD sales have fallen sharply to 553 million sold in the United States last year, a 22 per cent drop from its 2001 peak of 712 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Napster and later Kazaa and BitTorrent allowed music fans to easily share songs over the Internet, often illegally. More recently, Apple Inc. and other companies began selling legal music downloads, turning the MP3 and other digital audio formats into the medium of choice for many owners of Apple's iPods and other digital players.

"The MP3 and all the little things that the boys and girls have in their pockets ... can replace it, absolutely," said Kramer, the retired engineer.

CDs won't disappear overnight, but its years may be numbered.

Record labels seeking to revive the format have experimented with hybrid CD-DVD combos and packages of traditional CDs with separate DVDs that carry video and multimedia offerings playable on computers.

The efforts have been mixed at best, with some attempts, such as the DualDisc that debuted in 2004, not finding lasting success in the marketplace.

Kramer said it has been satisfying to witness the CD's long run at the top and know he had a small hand in its creation.

"You never know how long a standard will last," he said. "But it was a solid, good standard and still is."

Associated Press Business Writer Alex Veiga contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Ottawa kicks in $100K to study plans for cyber-crime centre

CALGARY (CP) - Ottawa will help fund a study that will look at the feasibility of building an international cyber-crime fighting centre in Canada to combat rising criminal activity on the Internet. Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said the federal government will contribute $100,000 toward the study that will consider the cost of such a centre and where it would be located.

He also said the study will examine "other possible gaps that exist right now" between levels of government, crime-fighters and the criminals and terrorists they seek.

"We want to see that closed, we want to see good collaboration," Day said in Calgary Saturday.

Current plans for the centre, called Cyberpol, are championed by the Canadian Association of Police Boards.

The centre would focus on a variety of growing Internet-based crimes including child exploitation, pornography, identity theft, stock market manipulation and credit card scams.

Ian Wilms, chairman of the police board association, said the City of Calgary will contribute the rest of the cash required for the $300,000 study. It should take nine months to complete.

Wilms, who is also chairman of the Calgary Police Commission, said law enforcement across Canada is already battling criminals on the Internet but they lack centralized and dedicated resources.

"It's being fought everywhere of course, but not with the resources it requires and that's why we're doing this study," Wilms said at the association of police board's annual meeting.

"Law enforcement hasn't caught up to the criminal world. This ship has changed direction so quickly and we're so used to fighting it in the physical world, that we're playing catch-up right now."

Wilms said the Cyberpol building could be built within four years. Direct access to a major Canadian university that has supercomputing capacity will be key.

And while Calgary and the University of Calgary's interest in the project puts the Alberta city high on the list for possible locations, Wilms said the study will examine the issue of building in one of Canada's most overheated construction markets.

The police board's association hopes a Canadian-based cyber-crime fighting centre will also attract resources and law enforcement personnel from around the world.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Cross-border travel still less than half pre-9/11 levels, despite June rise

OTTAWA (CP) - Same-day car trips in both directions across the Canada-U.S. border increased for the fourth straight month in June. But levels remained at less than half the 2.3 million same-day car trips from the United States observed each month between January and August 2001, prior to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Americans made a million same-day car trips to Canada, a 2.5 per cent increase over May, while Canadian residents made just under two million same-day car trips to the United States, up 2.3 per cent.

Overall, United States-to-Canada travel rose 1.3 per cent over May to 2.3 million trips.

All categories of overnight travel from the United States increased, except overnight air travel, which fell 2.1 per cent.

Canadians took more than 3.4 million trips to the United States in June, up 2.1 per cent from the previous month as all categories of overnight trips increased.

Canadians made an estimated 606,000 trips to overseas countries in June, unchanged from the record high in May.

Taking into account travel to both the United States and overseas countries, Canadians made more than four million trips abroad in June, up 1.8 per cent from May.

Overseas residents made an estimated 392,000 trips to Canada in June, a 1.6 per cent increase over May.

Travel was up for seven of Canada's top 12 overseas markets. Travel from India rose 7.3 per cent, the largest gain, while travel from South Korea fell 5.2, the largest decline.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Malaysia honours DVD-sniffing dogs as they end six-month assignment

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia gave a hero's send-off Monday to Lucky and Flo, honouring the two DVD-sniffing dogs with medals as they ended a six-month assignment that netted 1.6 million illegal movie discs. The two black Labradors looked puzzled when a multitude of press photographers' flash bulbs went off as Malaysia's deputy trade minister S. Veerasingham placed medals around their necks.

"What they have helped us achieve in such a short time is remarkable," said Veerasingham. "Malaysia is committed to wiping out piracy and pirates. We will go after them very fast."

The world's first dogs trained to identify optical discs by the scent of their chemicals, Lucky and Flo were loaned to the Malaysian government in March by the Motion Picture Association, a U.S.-based watchdog.

During that stint - dubbed Operation Double Trouble - they helped unearth 1.6 million DVDs and other optical discs, three DVD replicating machines and 97 compact disc burners, worth $6 million. Twenty-six people were arrested during the raids.

The operations were so successful that Malaysian movie pirates were reported to have placed a bounty of $29,000 on the dogs, prompting them to be kept under close guard.

The two dogs will leave on Aug. 23 for New York, where they will take part in shows and also help in raids on movie pirates.

The dogs cannot distinguish between pirated and legal discs, but that can be easily done by enforcement officers once the dogs had unearthed the caches. In at least one instance, the dogs uncovered a secret room behind a false wall.

The domestic trade ministry will set up a canine unit later this year to unearth pirated DVDs. Two new dogs will be trained in Ireland by the same trainer who taught Lucky and Flo, said Veerasingham.

According to the MPA, its member studios in the U.S. lost $6.1 billion to worldwide piracy in 2005, of which the Asia-Pacific region accounted for $1.2 billion and the United States for $1.3 billion.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

New Delhi city councilor suggests shipping stray dogs to Korea for soup

NEW DELHI (AP) - New Delhi's stray dogs lead a difficult life. But if it was up to one city councilor, they would find themselves in more hot water - soup to be precise. Shipping the thousands of strays to Korea, where dog meat is widely consumed in soup, was one of the more outlandish ideas proposed at a city council meeting to deal with the problem, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported Thursday.

None of the ideas - from the aforementioned Korean plan to drugging the canines so they sleep through the day - are likely to be implemented anytime soon. Instead, the council chairman asked the presumably more responsible veterinary department to come up with a workable plan.

Tens of thousands of strays live in New Delhi. Many are often cared for by people in the areas they live, but some become aggressive, and bites and rabies are a problem. Efforts to sterilize them have been largely unsuccessful.

City councilor Mohan Prashad Bharadwaj said he had read that Koreans are fond of dog meat and "maybe we can send all the stray dogs of Delhi there," the paper quoted him as saying.

A soup with dog meat called boshintang is popular in Korea, especially on the three hot "dog days" of summer on the lunar calendar. The traditional belief is that dog meat helps boost stamina and virility, but activists regularly criticize the practice and call for bans on eating dog meat.

City officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Ipico signs deal to supply transportation software to China

BURLINGTON, Ont. (CP) - Ipico Inc. (TSXV:RFD), a southern Ontario-based supplier of radio frequency identification systems, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with a Chinese agency to supply vehicle tracking technology over the next three years. The Burlington, Ont. company said Monday it will sell a minimum of C$3 million of the traffic management technology to China Academy of Transportation Sciences over the next three years under the deal.

"Through this exclusive agreement with China Academy of Transportation Sciences, Ipico has taken another important step in establishing the acceptance of its RFID technology in key targeted global markets," said Gordon Westwater, Ipico's president.

In Monday trading on the TSX Venture Exchange, Ipico shares were unchanged at 80 cents.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Business world finally sees potential profits in joining global warming battle

LONDON (AP) - Big business fears that the fight against climate change will cost billions are now giving way to a different view: green can be the colour of money.
The United States, Europe and Japan are locked in a frantic race to cash in on the exploding business of saving the planet. London has become the centre for the multibillion dollar market in carbon emissions, attracting investors who trade CO2 allowances.

Silicon Valley is leading the way in attracting venture capital for green technologies that shows signs of mirroring the dot-com boom - and critics say eventual bust - of the 1990s. And Japan's Toyota has sold more than a million Prius hybrid models, its cutting-edge eco-friendly car.

Like all markets, the clean energy industry faces risks.

A sustained fall in the world's steep oil prices could make investment in alternatives to fossil fuels seem less attractive.

More important, to sustain business' new attraction to clean energy, governments must maintain, or even step up, efforts to cut carbon emissions. Toward that end, a major UN meeting will be held in Bali, Indonesia, in December aimed at reaching a new global climate pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

But for now, the battle against global warming continues to offer investors an unusual chance to be idealistic and greedy at the same time.

"Everybody is jumping on the bandwagon," said Milo Sjardin, a senior associate at New Energy Finance, a research house in London on the world's clean energy and carbon markets.

The City of London financial district has taken the lead in making billions from the management of CO2 emissions, one of the fastest-growing segments in financial services.

The carbon market was created after Europe signed the 1997 Kyoto agreement on curbing green house gases. In 2005, European governments started capping the amounts of carbon dioxide that industries could emit, while letting them buy and sell CO2 emission allowances.

The cap-and-trade system encourages factories and industries to cut emissions by giving them "pollution permits." If they produce less greenhouse gases than the total of their permits, they can sell the surplus certificates - also known as credits - to companies that find them cheaper than cutting their own emissions.

That created the fast-growing carbon markets, where certificates are bought and sold like a commodity. It also includes investments in projects that help to generate additional credits.

About US$30.4 billion of allowances were traded last year, representing about 1.6 billion tonnes of CO2, double the volume of 2005, said Point Carbon, a company of market analysts based in Norway.

New Energy Finance estimates that $33.8 billion carbon credits will be needed to meet targets under the Kyoto Accord and the European Emissions-Trading Scheme by 2012.

Britain has emerged as the clear leader in carbon fund management, with 72 per cent of private carbon funds and 50 per cent of all carbon funds being managed out of London, New Energy Finance said.

The United States, which rejected the Kyoto agreement, has never adopted a federal system of controls for carbon-dioxide emissions, although California has binding targets to cut CO2 emissions and other states are expected to follow.

America, however, has emerged as the world leader in developing clean energy technologies.

It involves a wide range of sectors, including wind, solar, biofuels, biomass (organic material to produce power and heat), energy efficiency technology, hydrogen and fuel cells, and tidal power.

"General Electric has been a leader in the campaign to develop new clean technologies that allows one to save energy and make money at the same time," said Dr. Andrew Dlugolecki, head of Andlug Consulting, a strategic consultancy on climate change and the financial sector based in Perth, Scotland.

He said oil companies, carmakers and power generators are increasing their investments in renewables and biofuels.

Silicon Valley venture capitalists also are rushing into the business, hoping to design revolutionary technologies, drive down prices and defeat energy business giants, said Dlugolecki.

Some entrepreneurs are seeking technological and scientific innovations to produce alternatives to oil and coal, while others hope to find ways of using those fuels in cleaner and more efficient ways.

Other investors are pouring money into wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower as countries such as China and more than 20 states in America require a certain portion of energy sold to come from renewable sources.

A recent survey of investors found many of them are turning green.

Deloitte Touche's 2006 "Global Venture Capital Survey" in the Americas, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa found that for a second year in a row respondents selected energy/environment as the sector most likely to see the highest increase in investment focus.

That also has led to a word of caution for investors.

"There's a lot of money chasing not so many ideas, so the prices are going up fast, raising some concern that this activity by venture capitalists and hedge funds could produce the next dot-com bust," said Dlugolecki.

New Energy Finance, which tracks all investment flows in the clean energy market, said 1,250 capital and private equity funds were investing in companies involved in the market in 2006.

In that year, $4 billion in investment originated in the Americas, mostly the United States, compared to $1.6 billion for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The investment in the clean energy market also doubled from 2005 to 2006 in the Americas, while remaining about the same in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, New Energy Finance said.

However, when it comes to initial public offerings for clean energy companies in 2006, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, turned the tables, producing a total value of $4.8 billion, compared to $2 billion in the Americas, said New Energy Finance.

One reason is that clean energy IPOs appear to favour London because AIM - the Alternative Investment Market submarket of the London Stock Exchange - allows smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable to the main market and Wall Street.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Toronto Philharmonia Concert | Awakening

Presented by: Toronto Philharmonia
World Premiere of a newly commissioned, haunting new work for erhu (chinese bowed lute) and orchestra highlights this program.

Lee Pui Ming: Awakening (concerto for erhu & orchestra)Tchaikovsky: piano concerto No. 1Schubert: Unfinished Symphony Kerry Stratton, conductor Jeibing Chen, erhuHaiou Zhang, piano. Awaken your senses to the classical sounds and artists of today's China. Conductor, Kerry Stratton.

Thursday, September 20, 2007; 8:00pm

Toronto Centre for the Arts,
5040 Yonge Street, Toronto ON
(TTC Yonge subway line - North York Centre or Sheppard stops)

Tickets $25 to $59

For more information contact: Toronto Centre for the Arts Box Office
Phone: 416-733-0545
Email: office@torontophil.on.ca
Web site: http://www.torontophil.on.ca

Chinese couple tries to name baby with the e-mail 'at' symbol

BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese couple seeking a distinctive name for their child have settled on the e-mail 'at' symbol - annoying government officials grappling with an influx of unorthodox names. The unidentified couple were cited Thursday by a government official as an example of citizens bringing bizarre names into the Chinese language.

Written Chinese does not use an alphabet but is comprised of characters, sometimes making it difficult to develop words for new or foreign objects and ideas.

However, the letters 'a' and 't' can be pronounced in a way that sounds like the phrase "love him," said Li Yuming, vice-director of the State Language Commission.

Li told a news conference that the father explained his choice by saying the whole world uses the symbol to write e-mails and that "translated into Chinese, it means 'love him,' "

Li did not say if police, who are the arbiters of names because they issue identity cards, have accepted or rejected the name.

As of last year, only 129 names accounted for 87 per cent of all surnames in China, Li said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Miss Ten Beauty Pageant

Call for Contestants - Club10 Super Spokesperson Contest
Friday, September 7, 2007; 6pm – 11pm

Very Fair Chinese Restaurant
4040 Finch Avenue East,
Scarborough ON

Prizes:
- Spokesperson title for Club 10 for one year
- $ 500 cash prize

Contestant confirmation by email is required. We only accept up to 10 contestants. Audition is required if more than 10 contestants apply. Contestants may register online at; www.TorontoTV.net.

Miss Ten Beauty Pageant 2006 video link : http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-6141456924803228766&q=torontotv-super&total=18&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Miss Ten Beauty Pageant 2006 supplement in TorontoTV News
www.torontotv.net/torontotvnews09082006.pdf

Super Spokesperson Contest 2006 video
http://video.google.ca/videosearch?q=torontotv-super

For further information, contact:

Joseph Lau
Mobile: 416-200-8900
email: info@TorontoTV.org

Citing safety, China to reduce domestic flights, ban new airlines

BEIJING (AP) - China's aviation authority, citing safety concerns, has announced plans to scale back flights at overstretched Beijing airport and ban the creation of new airlines before 2010. China's airlines have carried 19.6 per cent more passengers so far this year than last year, straining ground support, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, known by its initials, CAAC, said in a statement posted on its website.

"Along with the rapid development of the industry have come ever-more urgent problems with the supply of technical personnel, air space resources, and airport safety guarantees," said the notice, dated Wednesday and posted on the website Thursday.

Fight arrivals and departures at Beijing Capital Airport will be restricted to 1,050 per day, or 58 per hour at peak times, by the end of October, and fall further to 1,000 per day, or a maximum of 55 at peak hours, by the end of March 2008, the notice said.

China's three biggest carriers, Air China, China Eastern and China Southern, will be required to cut a total of 336 daily flights, the notice said.

Spokesmen for the airlines confirmed plans to cut flights but said they had yet to be given official notice by the CAAC.

China Southern's Peng Jun said she understood the airline planned to cut 10 flights. Others declined to give details.

Beijing is already the world's ninth-busiest airport by number of passengers handled, and is bracing for a jump in traffic around the time of the Olympic Summer Games one year from this month.

Frequent long delays have already prompted regulators to eliminate some chronically late flights. The airport, currently undergoing a $3.3-billion extension to be finished by year's end, handled 26 million passengers in the first half of the year, about 53 per cent of the 48.7 million handled all of last year.

Other high-traffic airports will be required to take similar measures by March 2008, the CAAC said, without mentioning any specific airports or numbers of flights.

There was no mention of foreign airlines being affected.

The CAAC said new airlines would be permitted from 2010 on, but the threshold for entering the market would be raised significantly, the CAAC said.

The CAAC said it would "support and encourage" cargo carriers based in less densely populated western and northeastern China, those flying during less busy night hours, those using foreign crews and those flying domestically made aircraft.

It said growth in cargo capacity would be encouraged but said flying time, aircraft maintenance and other conditions would be closely regulated.

"In order to ensure safety and bring about the positive, rapid, healthy and orderly development of the industry, the CAAC has decided to carry out an overall adjustment in the number of flights, entry into the aviation industry, and rise in cargo capacity," the notice said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Know Anyone Getting Married?

Red Pocket Media Inc. is publisher of White Dove Dreams, Red Dragon Desires, a comprehensive wedding planning tool for the bride that wants to integrate both Western and Chinese traditions into her wedding. Whether it's a destination wedding, a 10-course banquet or an intimate wedding celebration, White Dove Dreams, Red Dragon Desires will help any bride get organized.

Our first product line is inspired by the Chinese Canadian Bride. Featuring a printed, coil-bound handbook and an interactive and up-to-date website, White Dove Dreams, Red Dragon Desires is the place to find quality product and service vendors, chat with like-minded brides and record important appointments and details.

Pick up your complimentary copy of White Dove Dreams, Red Dragon Desires at The Bay and Home Outfitters, National Gift Registry. Available at most GTA locations. Check listings online at www.RedPocketOnline.com.

About Us - Red Pocket Media Inc. is an innovative new company, created to reach niche markets through targeted publications and websites. For more information, you may call us at 416-919-8375 or email: info@redpocketonline.com.

Industrial Alliance KiteFest 2007

Presented by The Mandarin Club of Toronto and the Toronto Kite Fliers

Saturday & Sunday, September 15 & 16, 2007; 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Milliken District Park,
McCowan Rd. & Steeles Ave.
Scarborough ON

KiteFest is ready to fly Toronto into a world of fun!

It's time to look up. Way up. And see the fabulous and fascinating kites that will take to the air featuring fast-paced stunts and Rokkaku kite battles, as well as colourful, original kites from around the world. Experience the multicultural performances, a bazaar and gourmet food area and games and prizes. KiteFest 2007 is an ideal family event, with a children's play area and opportunities for children to fly kites. Admission is free.

For media information please contact: Focus Communications Inc. or call: 905-305-0308 Ext. 201

Little Asia 2007

Presented by, NAAAP Toronto with the Mon Sheong Foundation
As part of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon Oasis Neighbourhood Challenge
Sunday, September 30, 2007; 8am - 2pm

Lakeshore Blvd and the Don Roadway
(At the base of the Don Valley Parkway)

Admission: FREE

More than just a cheering site,...More than a stop on the marathon,...Inspired by its award winning performance,... Little Asia 2007 presents an electrifying street carnival that's ready to thrill your senses with the vibrant sights, exciting sounds and palate enticing flavours of the Orient. A spectacular lion dance showcase, breathtaking martial arts demonstrations, tantalizing delicacies, and over 10 different cultural song and dance entertainers are only a sampling of the lively spectacle that awaits you. You can also try your hand at the Origami Arts and Challenge Game Tables or join our Mad Dash Team in cheering on the marathoners as they edge towards the finish line. Don't forget to meet our larger than life lucky dragon mascot - Monty; he'd love to have a personalized picture with you to make your time with us a memorable one. Little Asia is a fun-filled cultural celebration and not to be missed marathon destination for the whole family. Discover the splendor and the world of Little Asia for yourself!

Presenting - Little Asia Marathon Champion - Gregory Chang

Greg is running his second Toronto Waterfront marathon this year and looking to beat his 4 hour run time last year. He has served as NAAAP Toronto's Treasurer for four years and is currently Manager of Financial Reporting at Corus Entertainment's Radio Division. Greg enjoys summer canoe trips, good stories, creating videos, and traveling for good eats. "With NAAAP, I find I'm always meeting someone interesting or learning something new. The board always has fantastic energy and NAAAP members come from all kinds of professions and experiences. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the group also has a strong community voice, which I've truly come to appreciate." "Mon Sheong has such a great group of people and the work they do for the elderly is wonderful. Working together with their passionate and energetic volunteer team has been pure joy for us. Mon Sheong and NAAAP Toronto's "Little Asia" won 1st place in the cheering station competition last year. But if you thought that was great, wait till you see what's in store this year…"

To Pledge or for details Visit; www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/nc/nc7.htm

Hong Kong McDonald's head arrested for alleged bribery

HONG KONG (AP) - The head of McDonald's Hong Kong branch has been arrested for allegedly accepting bribes from food suppliers in return for using their products, local newspapers reported Tuesday. McDonald's Hong Kong declined to confirm the arrest of managing director Joseph Lau. It said in a statement that Lau is on leave, and wouldn't immediately say if Lau was suspended or had taken leave voluntarily.

Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News said anti-graft officials arrested Lau last week. Apple Daily said McDonald's suspended Lau pending the investigation.

Hong Kong's anti-graft agency, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, arrested 27 people for alleged bribery over food supplies to restaurants last week. It declined to say if Lau was among them.

Lau joined McDonald's in Los Angeles in 1983, according to the company website.

He was the managing director of McDonald's in the Philippines for three years before taking up the top post in Hong Kong in May 2004. Lau also spent 10 years expanding McDonald's business on mainland China.

McDonald's, headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., and has more than 200 restaurants in Hong Kong that employ more than 10,000 people, according to its website.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

China's agriculture minister says drought poses 'grave threat' to grain harvest

BEIJING (AP) - A drought that has stricken many parts of China poses a "grave threat" to grain production, Chinese media reported Friday. Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai urged local officials to find more irrigation sources and help farmers plant hardier crops, such as corn and potatoes, China Daily newspaper reported.

Hot and dry weather has affected large swaths of farmland in many parts of China, particularly in the northeast, south and east. More than 7.5 million people and five million livestock have suffered from a lack of drinking water.

Drought has hit about 110 million hectares of arable land, the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.

Sun said during a tour of Jiangxi province, where 866,000 hectares of crops have been affected, the conditions pose a "grave threat" to the autumn harvest, China Daily reported.

The drought-stricken areas are key grain production bases, Sun said.

China leads the world in consumption of rice and wheat. In the past, the country has satisfied nearly 100 per cent of its own grain demand for the sake of national security. It was not clear whether the drought would force Beijing to turn to imports.

Sun said growing crops like corn and potatoes - commonly used for pig feed - could boost pig farming, which would alleviate a recent shortage of pork, China's staple meat.

Pork prices were up 74.6 per cent in June from the same month last year, media have reported. Shortages were caused by farmers' reluctance to raise pigs due to high feed costs and low wholesale prices, as well as an outbreak of blue-ear disease, which has forced the destruction of thousands of pigs.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

4 pandas born in captivity in China on same day, reports say

BEIJING (AP) - Four pandas were born in captivity in China on the same day, a rare occurrence after 34 were born in all of last year, state media reported Tuesday.
Xinhua News Agency earlier reported that three pandas had been born, but later said that Eryatou, who had delivered a female baby on Monday evening at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Centre in Sichuan province, later gave birth to a second female baby.

Earlier on Monday, Jiaozi gave birth to a male and a female at the same centre.

Chinese panda breeding centres have now reported 14 cubs born so far this year, with nine at the Chengdu centre and the others at the Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, Xinhua said.

The panda is one of the rarest animals, with an estimated 1,590 living in the wild. Another 210 have been bred in captivity, Xinhua said.

Of the 34 pandas born by artificial insemination in 2006, 30 survived. Both were record figures, Xinhua said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Taliban resumes talks with SKorea on fate of 19 captive church volunteers

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) - A new round of face-to-face talks have begun between South Korean officials and the Taliban on the fate of 19 captive church volunteers.
Three South Korean delegates arrived Thursday at the office of the Afghan Red Crescent, where previous negotiations with the Taliban have been held.

A Taliban delegation arrived late in the afternoon, several hours after the talks were scheduled to start.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi says his group is still demanding the release of eight Taliban prisoners held by Afghan authorities before any of the remaining South Korean hostages can be freed. That demand has so far been rejected by the Afghan government.

The fresh talks come after the release Monday of two women among 23 South Koreans kidnapped by the insurgents on July 19 on the road from Kabul to Kandahar.

The kidnappers have killed two male hostages. Fourteen women and five men are still being held.

Two representatives of the Taliban held two rounds of face-to-face talks with South Korean officials Friday and Saturday at the Red Crescent office after the Afghan government agreed to guarantee their safety.

The Taliban want South Korean officials to pressure the Afghan government to free their imprisoned comrades and will not harm the rest of the hostages while the talks are ongoing, Ahmadi said.

The Afghan government was heavily criticized in March for freeing five Taliban prisoners to win the release of an Italian journalist, and have ruled out any further such deals, saying it would only encourage more kidnappings.

Ahmadi said the release of the two women was a show of goodwill. South Korean officials have called for the unconditional release of the rest of the hostages, while also calling on Afghan authorities to show flexibility.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Mother of 6-year-old Indian marathoner accuses coach of torturing boy

BHUBANESHWAR, India (AP) - The coach of a six-year-old boy who ran a marathon last year in an attempt to set a world record was arrested Monday and charged with torturing the child, police said. The coach was arrested and charged after the boy's mother said she discovered scars on the body of her son, Budhia Singh, said police official Sarat Chandra Sahu in Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the eastern state of Orissa. The boy had been living with the coach, Biranchi Das.

"Biranchi was beating him up regularly," said the boy's mother, Sukanti Singh. "He even once tied Budhia up from a ceiling fan and threw hot water on his body."

Singh became an instant celebrity in record-crazy India when he ran almost 65 kilometres at age four - a feat that also drew immediate widespread condemnation from medical officials and child-rights activists.

His mother also complained that Das was not fairly sharing the money he had earned from the boy's long-distance exploits.

"He has given me very little, but he was earning a lot of money from my son's hard work," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted her as saying in a report Monday.

Das alleges the mother was close to selling her son to another villager for $15 when he rescued the child from the slum where the family lived. The mother had supported Das's efforts to train her son in the past.

The boy was taken to a hospital for examinations and was assigned security guards after his mother claimed the coach had threatened their lives.

Das denied the allegations, calling the charges "a conspiracy against me hatched by the state government's child-welfare department."

The department had condemned the boy's participation in marathons as "torture" in May, a month before police stopped him from making a 97-km walk in scorching heat across east India.

In 2006, Singh attempted to run a 69-km marathon, sparking protests from child-rights activists. Doctors stopped him after about 65 km, when he showed signs of extreme exhaustion.

They found the child to be under-nourished, anemic and under cardiac stress.

Budhia Singh's father died when the boy was seven months old. Das, who met the family two years ago, has said he has raised Singh as his son.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Pokemon contest crowns world champions from Finland, U.S.A. and Japan

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) - Three new world championships from Finland, the United States and Japan have been crowned at the annual Pokemon games. Tom Roos, 18, of Finland won the masters division late Sunday, while Jeremy Scharff-Kim, 13, of the United States and Jun Hasebe, seven, of Japan won the senior and junior divisions respectively.

Hasebe is one of the youngest champions ever and the lightning-fast game between him and runner-up Hioki Yano, 11, of Japan, battled down to one prize card each.

The senior division rivals played the longest as each held the other at bay with no prize cards drawn.

The masters division final had moments of Energy drought, turn after turn of no Energy for Holon Castform that culminated in an exciting end match.

Runners-up in the masters division were Steffen From, 18, of Denmark, Tsuguyoshi Yamato, 22, and Yuki Akimura, both of Japan.

In the senior division, Akira Miyazaki, 12, and Wataru Hasegawa, 13, both of Japan, joined Alexander DeCosta, 15, of Canada in the final four.

Other top placers in the junior division were Yano, Andrew Choong, nine, of Australia, and Paul Atanassov, 10, of Canada.

More than 190 world-class Pokemon players battled it out over three days in hopes of winning the winners trophy and a share of US$100,000 in scholarship money.

The annual Pokemon Trading Card Game World Championships attracted national champions and competitors this year from 28 countries.

Pokemon USA: www.go-pokemon.com

© The Canadian Press, 2007

China sentences reporter who faked cardboard buns story to 1 year in jail

BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese court sentenced a reporter to a year in jail for faking a television story about cardboard-filled meat buns, state media said, in a case that drew widespread attention to the country's poor food safety record. Zi Beijia, 28, pleaded guilty to charges of infringing on the reputation of a commodity during his trial Sunday at the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court, the official Xinhua News Agency said. He was sentenced to a year in jail and a fine of 1,000 yuan (US$132; C97), it said.

Zi's buns story, reportedly shot with a hidden camera, briefly came to symbolize China's food safety woes that have alarmed people at home and hammered the country's reputation as a food and drug exporter.

The video report appeared to show a makeshift kitchen where people made steamed buns stuffed with cardboard softened with caustic soda plus a little bit of fatty pork.

The Beijing court heard that Zi paid four migrant workers from China's northern Shaanxi province to prepare the buns according to his instructions, Xinhua said in a report late Sunday. The buns were then fed to dogs, it said.

The story was first broadcast on Beijing Television's Life Channel on July 8 and then again on China Central Television. It was also widely seen on YouTube.com.

The court heard that Zi edited the footage at home and hid the truth from Beijing Television, where he was working as a freelance reporter. Xinhua said he fabricated the story to advance his career.

The report prompted Beijing's health authorities to carry out spot checks of more than two dozen vendors selling pork buns - a common breakfast food in China. None was found to be using cardboard.

Meanwhile, the four migrant workers enlisted by Zi - Wei Quanfeng, Zhao Xiaoyan, Zhao Jiangbo and Yang Chunling - filed a lawsuit against Beijing Television, claiming defamation, Xinhua reported separately.

"The Beijing TV station's failure to review the story carefully led to the fake bun scandal, which also damaged the reputations of Wei Quanfeng and three other migrant workers," their lawyer Zhang Shilei of Beijing's Jingzhe Law Firm was quoted as saying.

It did not say how much compensation they are seeking or give other details.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

For Harper, it's politics over culture

Martin Knelman
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/246365

Bev Oda is out as Ottawa's czarina of culture, and Josée Verner is in.

That's the score at the federal ministry of Canadian heritage, but for anyone trying to make sense of this change, there's really only one thing you need to know.

It's all about Quebec.

Oda made a mess of many things. As heritage critic while in opposition, she sounded like a determined visionary. But after Stephen Harper took power and she was named minister, her performance became one letdown after another. She seemed unwilling to fight for any cause; there was no sign she had any clout in cabinet; and she was too ready to cave in to bureaucrats in her ministry.

Over 18 months, Oda made little progress on major issues. She failed to deliver a new CBC mandate, or a new museums policy, or copyright legislation.

In the crucial broadcasting arena, she was far too cozy with the private operators she was supposed to be regulating. Embarrassingly, they made large donations to keep her afloat. Her worst gaffe was failing to yell foul when spoiled cable operators tried to sabotage the Canadian Television Fund.

But it wasn't her lacklustre performance in these areas that did her in. What likely persuaded Harper to reassign her to a less important portfolio was her knack for alienating Quebec voters.

Culture is not a vote-winning issue in Ontario. But in Quebec it is.

Strike one: Oda's inability to speak French.

Strike two: Her campaign pledge to double the Canada Council's budget and subsequent flip-flop when Harper was unwilling to honour it.

Strike three: Oda's alienation of arts groups all over Quebec through her department's stunning mishandling of a $30 million annual fund for arts festivals.

When Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced the fund in his March budget, everyone running an arts festival was jubilant, expecting to get funding for their 2007 events. But the heritage ministry wasted time and set up complicated rules of procedure and eligibility, which in effect meant it was too late for any summer festival to get money this year.

The mayor of Montreal publicly begged Oda to let some of the money flow, arguing that summer festivals bring seven million people and $200 million of economic benefit to the city. The National Assembly passed a unanimous motion calling on Oda to release Quebec's share of the money. She refused.

This fiasco was not perceived as helping Harper take votes away from the Bloc Quebecois.

Enter Verner, the new minister of Canadian heritage, who took 58 per cent of the vote in her Quebec City riding in the last election. She works well in both languages. She is considered progressive and more likely to be embraced by the arts community.

Even more crucial is her popularity in Quebec City, where 2008 looms as a very big year, and where the heritage minister will be required to sparkle in a way that translates into votes.

Next July marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Samuel de Champlain, who established the first permanent settlement of Europeans in Canada.

That is going to be the occasion for a massive year-long party featuring the Cirque du Soleil, the Roman Catholic Church, an exhibit from the Louvre, world hockey championship games and the world's francophonie summit, attended by leaders of 72 French-speaking governments.

Ottawa has promised to contribute $110 million, of which $40 million will come from the heritage ministry.

There can be no doubt that in 2008, the Conservatives have to sparkle in Quebec as never before if they hope to win a majority in the next election. As the new heritage minister, Verner is being given the job of making sure that amid the hoopla in Canada's most historic city, nobody rains on Harper's parade.

End of story.

Watched by Heaven, Tied to Earth: Summoning Animal Protection for Chinese Children

Presented by: Bata Shoe Museum
March 15 - October 7, 2007

Bata Shoe Museum,
327 Bloor St W,
Toronto ON

Times: Daily 10 am - 5 pm, Thurs 10 am - 8 pm and Sun 12 - 5 pm

Cost: $12 adults, $10 seniors, $6 students with ID, youths (ages 5 - 17) $4, children under 5 free

Featuring over 200 beautifully crafted Chinese children’s shoes and garments. Drawn largely from the private collection of Mr. Glenn Roberts, other private collections and from the Bata Shoe Museum, Watched by Heaven, Tied to Earth explores the many meanings and symbolism that Chinese mothers and grandmothers used to protect their precious children. Through an astonishing array of shoes, hats, bibs and accessories dating from the mid-19th century to the present, the exhibition explores long-standing traditions and beliefs that continue to resonate in China. With the majority of pieces never displayed in Canada, the abundance of colours and textures draw visitors into a playful world ruled by sewn, painted, appliquéd, and embroidered animals. Augmenting the displays of artifacts are photographs, paper cuts, and a video illustrating how shoes and garments were made and worn. A children’s activity area completes the exhibition and features Chinese masks, puppets, games and animal picture books.

For more information contact:
Phone: 416.979.7799 or visit www.batashoemuseum.ca

Treasures from Beijing Chinese Artifacts Exhibition

May 11 to October 28, 2007

In cooperation with The Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC), an exhibition “Treasures from Beijing” is a joint partnership between the CMC and the National Museum of China showcasing some of the finest artifacts of human civilization, illuminating the rich history and achievements of the Chinese people.

“As part of an exchange between two great national museums, many outstanding pieces from the National Museum of China will be displayed for the first time in Canada,” says Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the CMC. “Our Museum will also create a special exhibition showcasing the treasures of Canada’s First Peoples, to be shown in Beijing in 2008. This cultural exchange will strengthen mutual understanding and international cooperation and give Museum visitors in each country a privileged insight into ancient and enduring cultures.”

“We are very proud to offer our support for this important exhibition,” says Irene So, Chair of The Foundation. “The history of China dates back thousands of years. This exhibition gives us the opportunity to share China’s profound history with Canadians, while giving them a chance to learn about and appreciate these priceless treasures — without having to travel thousands of miles to China.”

The objects that will be displayed in Treasures from Beijing are rare and of great beauty. They include jade carvings and lacquer ware, paintings and calligraphy, silk textiles, ceramics, and bronze, gold and silver objects. Among the artifacts are a beautiful bronze zun (wine vessel) with dragon and tiger decoration from the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 B.C.), and a spectacular pottery horse and groom from the Tang Dynasty (618–907). The exhibition will trace China’s remarkable development through the ancient, dynastic and imperial periods, placing the artifacts in their historical context.

Treasures from Beijing will open on May 11, 2007, and will be on display at the CMC until October 28, 2007. The treasured artifacts will then return to Beijing for display in the National Museum of China.

Location of the Canadian Museum of Civilization:

Canadian Museum of Civilization
100 Laurier Street,
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4H2

For more information about the exhibition, please contact us at 416-298-2441 or visit the Museum’s website at www.civilization.ca

Chinese Lantern Festival 2007

July 19 - Sept. 3, 2007; 7pm - 11pm
Sept. 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28 & Oct. 4-5, 2007; 6pm - 10pm
Sept. 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 29-30 & Oct. 6-7, 2007; 5pm - 10pm

Ontario Place
955 Lakeshore Boulevard West
Toronto, Ontario M6K 3B9

NAAAP Toronto Members and friends are invited to attend at the reduced online NAAAP Group Rate:

General (13-64): $18.00 (Reg. $26.00)
Child (4-12): $12.00 (Reg. $21.00)
Senior (65+): $12.00 (Reg. $21.00)
Children under 4 years: FREE

Buy online by visiting; www.ontarioplace.com. click on your preferred language. Then scroll down the page to "Corporate Clients Click Here". VISA accepted. Full Ontario Place access tickets are also available.

Username: naaap
Password: 51246

Toronto's tourism hit of 2006 is back with an all new, bigger, more beautiful lantern display! Chinese Master Craftsmen from the China Colour Lantern Museum of Zigong, China returns to create the most magnificent depictions of Chinese Culture ever to be seen in North America. Enjoy nightly entertainment from local acts and performing groups direct from China; head to the authentic Chinese marketplace to taste a variety of cuisines and bargain for handicrafts; view China-themed IMAX® movies at the Cinesphere, and more…

The 2007 Rogers Chinese Lantern Festival will see a significant increase in lanterns with more than 40 massive, all new, illuminated, intricately designed scenes, depicting Chinese landmarks and mythology. This year the majority of the lantern sets will focus on three important dynasties in Chinese history; the Qin Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty.

Visit: www.chineselanternfestival.ca
General Information: Tel. (866) 666-8996

Harbourfront Centre's Taiwan: Ilha Formosa presents a free five film retrospective

Zero Chou, heralded as one of Taiwan's most important new directors, will be given a free five film retrospective at the Taiwan: Ilha Formosa festival from Friday August 24 through Sunday August 26 (times and dates below). Screenings will include her recent offering Spider Lilies, which won the Best Gay/Lesbian Feature Film Teddy Award at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival. The film cleverly intertwines the love affair of two women with a love of tattooing and is the highest grossing local film at the Taiwanese box office so far this year. The film also features popular Taiwan singer and talk show host Rainie Yang in one of the lead roles.

Also screening is Chou's 2004 film Splendid Float (also known as Drag Queen Tao) - which follows a Taoist Taipei priest through his daily rites and through his night time drag queen transformation as Rose (who lip-synchs shows with three other drag queens on the back of their gaudily lit truck). This film won multiple Taiwan film festival Golden Horse Awards, including Best Taiwanese Film Of The Year. The retrospective also has a rare screening of Vision of Darkness.

Born in 1969, Chou studied philosophy at university and first worked as a television reporter. She left journalism for filmmaking, creating documentaries like Corners (2002) and Poles Extremity (2003) that quickly established her as a talented director. Poles Extremity was the winner of the 2003 Marseille Festival of Documentary Film for Best Documentary while Corners was the winner of the 2002 Taipei Film Festival for Best Documentary.

Zero Chou Five Film Retrospective Screening Schedule:
All screenings are free admission at the Studio Theatre
Friday, August 24
7:30 p.m. – Corners (2002 - 66 minutes)
Saturday, August 25
1 p.m. – Poles Extremity (2003 - 56 minutes)
4:30 p.m. – Splendid Float (2004 - 72 minutes)
Sunday, August 26
1 p.m. – Vision of Darkness (2005 - 49 minutes)
3:30 p.m. – Spider Lilies (2007 - 94 minutes)

For more info on Spider Lilies visit http://www.encorefilms.com/spiderlilies/ and http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/06/arts/fmjessop.php

Harbourfront Centre visits the vitality of current Taiwanese culture at Taiwan: Ilha Formosa (August 24 to 26). Coproduced by the Formosa Cultural Society of Ontario and the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society (who have run a similar festival in Vancouver annually since 1990), the second year of the Toronto festival has free family fun, stunning art exhibits, oodles of beef noodles and talent direct from Taiwan. The festival also features a ticketed concert by top Taiwan Rock icons Mayday. Tickets can be purchased by calling 416-973-4000 or online at www.harbourfrontcentre.com. All festival events are located at Harbourfront Centre (235 Queen's Quay West, Toronto). For public information please call 416-973-4000 or visit http://taiwanfest.ca/events/tcf07/toronto/

Taiwan: Ilha Formosa Media Site - http://taiwanfest.ca/events/tcf07/toronto/media.php
Harbourfront Centre Summer Media Site - http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/wr/media/

Mayday Mayday Mayday ..... top Taiwan music act set to rock Toronto for the

One of Taiwan's most beloved music acts, Mayday, are set to Rock out Toronto for the first time August 24 at Harbourfront Centre's Sirius Satellite Radio Stage. This all ages event (tickets $48 and $68) launches the Taiwan: Ilha Formosa festival weekend. Doors open at 7 p.m. The band is set to perform for two hours. Tickets and concert info can be obtained by calling 416-973-4000 or online at www.harbourfrontcentre.com/noflash/info/schedule.php?moreinfo=1417

The five member Mayday have been together since 1998 and have released six studio albums. Mayday is one of Taiwan's few million plus selling bands, and has had several sold-out international tours and numerous appearances on MTV Asia. The homegrown pop idols have several of Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Melody Awards and still hold the record for the highest Taiwan concert ticket sales (40,000) – previously held by Michael Jackson. The group (also known as Wǔyuè Tiān) sings in the Taiwanese Minnan dialect and Mandarin and are heavily influenced by The Beatles. They briefly disbanded in 2002 for stints in the military and in strange Spinal Tap fashion have gone through four drummers. The current drummer changed his name to Guan You because a fortune-teller said it would be luckier!

Their current Jump the World Tour has taken the band in front of 10,000 in Hong Kong to fans in Singapore and Beijing. In North America, they will play in Vancouver on September 1 and in Los Angeles. The tour's final shows are in Tokyo and Shanghai in October. Part of the reason they are so popular is shown by their current 2007 Taiwan concerts (where tickets were included in the new Born To Love albums). After one performance they had a marathon 11 hour autograph session for thousands of their fans which lasted from 1 a.m. until noon that morning. Fans in the Toronto area will be treated to a two hour autograph session Wednesday August 22 at Markham's Metro Square (3636 Steeles Ave East) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Please phone 905-940-3636 for more information.

For more info on Mayday visit www.maydaymayday.net/ and www.imayday.com
For more info on Jump The World concerts visit http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/08/05/1261@257729.htm

Harbourfront Centre visits the vitality of current Taiwanese culture at Taiwan: Ilha Formosa (August 24 to 26). Coproduced by the Formosa Cultural Society of Ontario and the TCCS Special Events Association (who have run a similar festival in Vancouver annually since 1990), the second year of the Toronto festival has free family fun, stunning art exhibits, oodles of beef noodles and talent direct from Taiwan. The festival also features a ticketed concert by top Taiwan Rock icons Mayday. Tickets can be purchased by calling 416-973-4000 or online at www.harbourfrontcentre.com. All festival events are located at Harbourfront Centre (235 Queen's Quay West, Toronto). For public information please call 416-973-4000 or visit http://taiwanfest.ca/events/tcf07/toronto/

Taiwan: Ilha Formosa Media Site - http://taiwanfest.ca/events/tcf07/toronto/media.php
Harbourfront Centre Summer Media Site - http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/wr/media/

Mattel pulls more Chinese-made toys over lead paint in new blow to industry

WASHINGTON (AP) - Toy-making giant Mattel Inc. issued recalls Tuesday for millions of Chinese-made toys that contain magnets that can be swallowed by children or could have lead paint. The recall includes 7.3 million play sets, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 1.5 million die-cast cars that contain lead paint.

The Polly Pocket and Batman recalls were announced on the company's website. The recall of lead-painted cars was announced at a mid-morning news conference by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington.

Nancy Nord, acting CPSC chairman, said no injuries had been reported with any of the products involved in the recall.

"The scope of these recalls is intentionally large to prevent any injuries from occurring," she told the news conference.

It was the latest blow to the toy industry, which has had a string of recalled products from China, ranging from faulty tires to tainted toothpaste. With more than 80 per cent of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are nervous that shoppers will shy away from their products.

The recall involving lead paint was Mattel's second in two weeks. Earlier this month, consumers were warned about 1.5 million Chinese-made toys that contain lead paint.

Among the toys recalled Tuesday are 253,000 Sarge brand cars, because the surface paint could contain lead levels in excess of federal standard.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

China says slave workers still in factories months after scandal exposed

BEIJING (AP) - China is still freeing people - including children - forced to work as slaves in illegal brick factories, two months after the scandal involving the brick yards was exposed, officials said Monday. The scandal erupted in early June after Chinese media reported that children as young as eight were abducted or recruited from bus and train stations with false promises of well-paying jobs and sold to kilns for about C$68.

The victims were forced to work almost around the clock, were beaten and deprived of pay, nourishment and basic medical care.

"Another 359 slave migrant workers have been rescued in Shanxi since late June, including 15 child workers and 121 mentally handicapped ones," said Xue Yanzhong, executive vice governor of Shanxi province, in a statement posted on the central government's official website.

The workers were found in 17 newly discovered brick kilns that abducted workers, imprisoned them and forced them to work, he said.

One of the worst areas for the illegal kilns was in Shanxi province, said Sun Baoshu, vice minister of labour and social security.

"Nearly 66 per cent of the brick kilns in Shanxi were illegal," he said in a separate statement. But Sun said the kilns and slave workers have been found in other parts of China, and 1,340 migrant workers have been rescued nationwide so far.

Sun said 147 suspects who ran the 17 kilns have been arrested.

"Those criminals will be punished according to the law. Government officials who took part in the illegal business, used their power for profit and protected the gangs will be punished severely according to the law and Communist Party discipline," he said.

Dozens of people already have been jailed, and last month the foreman of a brick kiln in Shanxi where workers were beaten and forced to work 18-hour days was sentenced to life in jail. One of his subordinates was sentenced to death for the beating death of a labourer.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Artist behind Beijing's 'bird's nest' stadium boycotts Olympics

(CBC) - The Chinese artist behind the stunning Olympic stadium in Beijing, nicknamed The Bird's Nest, has lambasted the 2008 Games and says he wants no part in promoting it.

"I would rather be disconnected or forgotten," Ai Weiwei told The Guardian newspaper.

Ai, a prominent artist and designer living in Beijing, was hired by the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron to help create a design for the 91,000-seat stadium. The $400-million US building has been hailed as an architectural wonder, with its ribbons of intersecting steel resembling a bird's nest.

The artist is incensed by the positive show the Chinese government is putting forth ahead of the games, set to open Aug. 8, 2008, ignoring its human rights record.

"I hate the kind of feeling stirred up by promotion or propaganda ... It's the kind of sentiment when you don't stick to the facts, but try to make up something, to mislead people away from a true discussion."

Ai says he hates that the stadium has become a shining symbol of China's march towards modernism. He calls it a "pretend smile."

"I would feel ashamed if I just designed something for glamour or to show some kind of fake image."

Ai also had choice words for other artistic types participating in the hoopla - filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Zhang Yimou, a former classmate from their days at the Beijing Film Academy.

"It's disgusting. I don't like anyone who shamelessly abuses their profession, who makes no moral judgment."

Organizers announced last April that Spielberg and Yimou had been hired as artistic consultants for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Spielberg has indicated he would pull out if China opposed a measure to increase UN peacekeepers in Darfur. That proposition recently passed.

The director said he would like the ceremonies to "give the world a taste of peace, friendship and understanding."

While Ai castigates the Chinese government and those involved in the Olympics, the artist says he has no regrets designing the stadium.

"I did it because I love design and the idea of how it would be looked at by others."

The 50-year-old comes by his anti-authoritarianism honestly. He spent much of his childhood in a remote province where his father, Ai Qin, one of China's most respected modern poets, was exiled during the Communist era for being an enemy of the state.

"I spent five years with him at a labour camp where he cleaned toilets," he told the website Gamesbid.com

Five years ago, police shut down a show curated by Ai. It included self-mutilation, human corpses and body parts.

Snake bite deaths spike during South Asia's monsoon

NEW DELHI (AP) - South Asia's annual monsoon often seems like a calamity of Old Testament proportions - people are drowned in raging flood waters, crushed by collapsing buildings, wasted by plagues and struck down by snakes. Yes, snakes.

The monsoon rains that flood wide stretches of the subcontinent each year force creatures large and small, harmless and deadly, onto whatever dry land can be found, and the result is scores, if not hundreds, of fatal snake bites, say officials and experts.

"Everything, everyone, is restricted to tiny, tiny islands with very little space," said Romulus Whitaker, a snake expert. "Everyone is crammed in together and the chances of running into snakes, stepping on them, grabbing them and sleeping on them is much, much more."

So tight is the association of snakes with the annual rains - which are needed to water farms that provide a livelihood for two-thirds of India's 1.1 billion people - that the serpents have for millennia been revered as well as feared across much of the subcontinent.

With this year's monsoon particularly calamitous - at least 2,090 people have been killed across South Asia and 19 million forced from their homes - tales of snake bites abound, from the farming villages along the banks of Ganges River to the valleys of India's remote northeast.

"These serpents even climb up the trees. They are as nervous and scared as human beings and they bite only if they are disturbed," said Vinod Chaudhry, a government wildlife expert.

That's how Paltu Ram, a farmer in his 20s, died.

Stranded with a few hundred villagers on a sliver land encircled by flood waters in the Bara Banki district of northern India, about 600 kilometres east of New Delhi, he decided to climb a tree to see if he could spot a rescue boat.

On his way up, he reached for what looked like a brown rope. It wasn't - and when he grabbed it, the snake recoiled and then struck, sinking its fangs into his arm.

"Paltu jumped into water saying he was bitten by snake. Before he could be taken to a doctor he died," said his father, Rameshwar, who couldn't say what kind of snake got his son.

Officials in India don't keep exact figures for the number of snake bites during the monsoon, and experts say even annual totals are considered unreliable.

But in one indication of how many monsoon deaths are caused by snakes, Bangladesh's government said Thursday at least 35 of the 226 people killed in this year's monsoon died from being bitten by the creatures, the second-highest cause of death after drowning.

There are hundreds of different snakes on the subcontinent, many of which are venomous. But only four are responsible for the vast majority of deaths - kraits, russell's vipers, saw-scaled vipers and cobras.

All are extremely dangerous - and all are venerated.

The appearance of those snakes, especially cobras, has long been viewed as a harbinger of coming floods and the renewed fertility that follows. Their disappearance as an omen of a coming drought.

In some parts of India, it is also believed snakes can cause plagues by blowing their breath across the land, and malaria is known as snake-wind disease.

Hindu gods are often depicted with cobras: Shiva is seen wearing a girdle of serpents and cobras for earrings; Vishu is pictured resting on the coils of a multi-headed cobra.

In India and Nepal, where authorities say a handful of the 92 people killed by this year's monsoon died from snake bites, there is even a special holiday to worship the serpents.

Some Buddhist legends have also incorporated snakes, such as the tale of the giant cobra that used its hood to shield Buddha from the sun as he mediated in the desert.

There are no hard figures for the exact density of snakes on the subcontinent, but anecdotal evidence suggest it's high. Whitaker said the tribal hunters he works with can pull two or three cobras from a two-hectare rice paddy in a day. "That's a lot of snakes from a small patch."

The reason there are so many is the small farms that still cover much of rural India provide the perfect habitat for snakes' prey, such as rats or frogs.

"Plenty of water in irrigated rice fields; there are places in the country where rats are worshipped so they don't kill them."

The good news is that it usually takes hours or sometimes days for a snake bite to kill, and that only 10-20 per cent of such attacks are fatal, depending on who you ask.

Of course, that's little comfort to the many people who have to walk for days to get to hospitals - or those who decide to go to a traditional healer before getting the anti-venom.

Rahmat Mia, 45, a farmer, in northern Bangladesh was bitten a few nights ago while returning from a market.

His family first took him to a healer, and stayed for hours trying out various herbal remedies.

By the time Babul Hossain, the local doctor, convinced them to go to the hospital, it was too late - Mia died on the way.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Universal Music to test selling downloads without copy-protection

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Universal Music Group said Thursday it will sell digital music from artists such as Sting, 50 Cent and Stevie Wonder without the customary copy-protection technology for a limited time. Tracks from thousands of albums will be available for purchase on the recording artists' Web sites and through several established online music retailers, although Universal is excluding Apple Inc.'s iTunes store, the No. 1 online music retailer.

The songs, however, will play on Apple's market-leading iPods, as well as the slew of other devices compatible with the MP3 format.

Although many independent music labels have for years sold their tunes without copy restrictions, the major recording companies have insisted on so-called digital-rights management, or DRM, technology in hopes of curbing online piracy.

Earlier this year, Britain's EMI Group PLC became the first of the major labels to embrace DRM-free tunes, letting Apple sell versions of songs with higher audio quality and without any built-in copying hurdles.

The test by Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group, while only encompassing a portion of its catalog, is significant because Universal is the world's largest recording company. That raises the prospect that other major labels could follow.

"Clearly the handwriting is on the wall for DRM-protected content," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Research. "We are seeing more of the players fall as they recognize that it's just a hassle for the consumer and doesn't really help the piracy problem."

DRM technology is designed to block or set limits on copying and CD burning.

Although DRM can help stem illegal copying, it can also frustrate consumers by limiting the type of device or number of computers on which they can listen. Copy-protected songs sold through iTunes generally won't play on devices other than the iPod, and iPods won't play DRM-enabled songs bought at rival music stores.

By excluding iTunes from its test, Universal is looking to undermine Apple's hold on the online music market, Gartenberg said.

"There's no doubt these guys are poking a stick at Apple," he said.

Universal Music spokesman Peter LoFrumento said, however, that the company isn't selling DRM-free tracks on iTunes for now so it could use the Apple store as a control group for measuring the impact on pricing, piracy and sales.

In a statement, Universal Music Chairman and CEO Doug Morris said the test is one of many the company is conducting this year and "will provide valuable insights into the implications of selling our music in an open format."

"Universal Music Group is committed to exploring new ways to expand the availability of our artists' music online, while offering consumers the most choice in how and where they purchase and enjoy our music," Morris said.

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said the company had no comment.

Universal Music will make DRM-free songs available Aug. 21 to Jan. 31.

Regardless of whether it ultimately decides to continue selling DRM-free tracks beyond that, Universal said it plans to support online music subscription services and ad-supported download sites that rely on copy-protection technology.

Among the online retailers that will be selling the tracks are Amazon.com Inc., Google Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Best Buy Co., RealNetworks Inc.'s Rhapsody, Transworld, PassAlong Networks and Puretracks Inc., according to Universal.

The retailers are expected to sell the tracks for 99 cents and in a variety of bit rates. Universal will be offering the tracks in the MP3 format, but the retailers will be free to sell the tracks in any DRM-free format they choose.

Best Buy plans to sell the songs in the MP3 format for 99 cents each, said Mehrdad Akbar, an executive in the retailer's music division.

"This is pretty exiting for us and it's something we feel consumers have been asking for," Akbar said. "We're hoping that this will set the path for everyone to move toward the MP3 format."

Earlier this summer, Universal Music broke ranks with other major labels and declined to renew a one-year music licensing deal to sell its recordings on iTunes. The record company opted instead to enter into month-by-month arrangements similar to deals it has with other major online music retailers.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

The Tree Museum 10th Anniversary Exhibition

September 16 to October 30 2007
@ The Tree Museum
Doe Lake Road (Muskoka Road 6)
Muskoka, Ontario

WHAT IS PLACE?

Site-specific installations by MICHAEL BELMORE (Canada) JAFFA LAAM LAM (Hong Kong) WEN-CHIH WANG (Taiwan)
Photographic installation by E.J. LIGHTMAN
Temporary interventions on site by PERSONA VOLARE
Installation by NOEL HARDING
Curator: Anne O'Callaghan

OPENING RECEPTION SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2007 -12 to 5 p.m.
@ The Tree Museum, Doe Lake Road (east of Gravenhurst)

The 2007 10th Anniversary exhibition reflects the multi-level nature of site-specific installations. The artists in this year's exhibition show the evolution over the past decades of art practice as it relates to art and nature.

From--Tree House a massive built structure in the tree tops by Wen Chih Wang; a google earth inspired miniature building by Lorna Mills; Lisa Neightbour's and John Dickson's Reflections on Nature- a mirror encased, solar lighted outhouse", (that may make you order one for your own back yard); Insulated Pup by Carlo Cesta (a post modern pup-tent !); Noel Harding's Chrip- (a bird-feeder- like no bird feeder you have ever seen) to Jaffa Laam Lam Glass City-- there is a whole lot of building going on in Muskoka. Michael Belmore's metamorphosis of rocks into "soft" sensuous flowing objects, "pop-up" by Lyla Rye a grommet encased, fold filled tarpaulin and Rebecca Diederichs, Trail Hitch are ordinary objects, ground, folded, melded, conceptual transformations. Then there are the urbanities, Cold Drive II sinage by Kate Wilson's, (don't believe what you read). Chantal Rousseau's, birds on a banner (we could call it homage to Henri Rousseau), EJ. Lightman and Johannes Zits have created large format photographs, all three artists have created images of nature surrounded by nature? Michael Davey, takes a different approach, his Ex-Voto looks to nature as a way for remembering. And Brian Hobbs, want us to listen, to pause a moment. Humour to the conceptual questing, this group of artist, gives many different and complex answers to What is Place and the many ways of interacting with nature.

A Reminder: The Tree Museum, the only contemporary sculpture site in a rural setting in Ontario and one of the few in Canada, is open year round and free to visit. As well as this years installations there are 17 other works on site. Take time out and enjoy contemporary art and a walk in the woods.

The Tree Museum is east of the town of Gravenhurst in the Muskokas, north of Toronto. A 15-minute drive along Doe Lake Road/Muskoka Road 6 brings you to a blue sign: "The Tree Museum." The site has no washroom or coffee/gift shop.

The exhibition is made possible with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Mentor College and The Ontario Arts Council and Douglas Design Studio

Profile of Artists:
Michael Belmore: Long before the Dutch coined the term Landscape, and European artists discovered Wilderness, Canada's First Peoples celebrated and had a living connection to the land. The work of this contemporary Canadian artist and environmentalist addresses multiple issues from cultural tradition and identity to a growing urban society's relationship to the land. In the past Belmore's traditional styles and conceptual pieces expressed the concept of "wilderness" as an integral part of the Canadian psyche. His experience and knowledge of this landscape will enrich and elaborate our perception of site-responsive artworks. Belmore is also expected to offer valuable insight to the visiting overseas artists about Canadian arts practices and the complex relationship between First Nations Peoples and Canadians.

Noel Harding is an international Canadian artist and urban innovator recognized for his monumental-scale public art projects and environmental sculptures that address the role and plight of nature in the midst of twenty-first century urbanization. Nature in the Garage - 'A Chirp' (2006) was first exhibited at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. The Tree Museum is pleased that A Chirp will become a part of the collection of installations on site. http://noelharding.ca/

Jaffa Laam Lam is a well-known Hong Kong sculptor, and a lecturer at The Art School of the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Working predominantly in wood and metal, Lam breaks away from conventional ways of looking at and thinking about the visual arts. Her work frequently weaves together the ideas and images of different cultures, juxtaposing two unlike realities to form an unexpected new reality. Jaffa Laam Lam has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her work was selected and shown in the Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition in 2005, 2003, 2001 and 1996. She has participated in numerous international residencies, from Kenya to Shanghai. In 2007 Jaffa will be in the United States as a recipient of the ACC fellowship and a visiting artist fellowship in US Urban Glass, Brooklyn, New York. http://www.jaffalam.com/main/intro.html

E.J. Lightman: An artist based in Toronto, E.J. Lightman is a founding member of The Tree Museum in Gravenhurst, Ont. (1997), and co-curator and organizer of its site-specific outdoor installations. In the Gallery she will exhibit photographs reflecting her experience of the site and her relationship to nature in an exhibition that will act as a bridge between the past and future at The Tree Museum. Lightman has exhibited in Canada, the United States, Europe, Central and South America and Mexico. Lightman was active as a member of WorkScene Gallery in Toronto from its inception in 1989, curating several group shows including Art & Technology (1994). She also co-curated Myths from Cyberspace (1996/97) with Carolyn Bell Farrell, a two-part exhibition at the Koffler Centre.

Persona Volare is a collective of eleven Toronto-based artists dedicated to exploring non-museum sites, especially sites that have a special symbolic charge. While their media is diverse -- sculpture, photography, painting, video and new media -- their single intention is to invade and transform unlikely spaces. (Carlo Cesta, Michael Davey, John Dickson, Rebecca Diederichs, Brian Hobbs, Lorna Mills, Lisa Neighbour, Chantal Rousseau, Lyla Rye, Kate Wilson and Johannes Zits). http://personavolare.com/

Wen-Chih Wang: "The inspirations of my work lie in the opposing yet fusing relationships among individuals, nature, and communities, and the longing for communion and primitivism derived from meditation," Wang has stated. "Also, through the physical interaction with the artwork, viewers are stimulated to contemplate values in different civilizations and experience the endless energies brought forth by the primal universe that are metaphorical, territorial, indigenous and intuitive." Wen-Chih Wang has produced numerous large architectonic structures, in a diverse range of settings, from rural and wilderness areas to high-density urban environments in Taiwan and Asia. Now living in Chiayi (Taiwan), Wang has been an active member in the contemporary art scene. His works were shown at the Venice Biennale in 2001; this year, prior to visiting Canada he will represent Taiwan at the Prague Biennale. http://www.caiguoqiang.com/bmoca/

A collaborative project with Visual Arts at York Quay Centre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

The Road North/The Road South
OPENING RECEPTION
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2007
6 to 9 p.m
@ York Quay Centre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

For our 10th anniversary Patrick Macaulay, Head of Visual Arts at York Quay Centre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, invited the Tree Museum to collaborate on a project using the vitrines and the out-door spaces. This project will address the connections between an urban and rural environment, and the diminishing space in between. We have invited Persona Volare to make that connection in a project titled The Road North/The Road South.

Anne O'Callaghan: With work extending from photo-based installation to site-specific sculpture, Anne O'Callaghan also has an independent curatorial practice. She is a founding member and co-curator and administrator of The Tree Museum Collective, Gravenhurst, Ont., and a member of the "intersperse curatorial collective," Toronto. O'Callaghan is represented by Oneo Gallery, in Picton, Ontario. As well as curating the 2007 annual exhibition at The Tree Museum, she is also the curator for a group exhibition at the Oeno Gallery in Picton: This is Not a Renaissance Garden with outdoor works by Lois Andison, J. Lynn Campbell, Shane Dark, E.J. Lightman, Anne O'Callaghan, Orest Tataryn and Robert Wiens.

The Tree Museum is east of the town of Gravenhurst in the Muskokas, north of Toronto. A 15-minute drive along Doe Lake Road/Muskoka Road 6 brings you to a blue sign: "The Tree Museum." The site has no washroom or coffee/gift shop.

The exhibition is made possible with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Mentor College and The Ontario Arts Council.

For more information:
www.thetreemuseum.ca
Anne O'Callaghan-current@attglobal.net

Philippine dancing convicts perform 'Thriller,' other pop songs on YouTube

CEBU, Philippines (AP) - Behind thick stone walls topped by electrified razor wire, one of cyberspace's most unlikely hits is already warming up as the rest of Cebu stirs from sleep. Pockets of prisoners stretch and practise their latest moves. Then the morning workout begins in earnest in the exercise yard of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre.

In their identical orange prison uniforms, up to 1,500 march and clap in unison as they perform precision dance routines with the Village People's "In the Navy" and "YMCA" pounding from six well-worn black speakers.

And why not? Their version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" had been watched nearly 4.5 million times on YouTube, uploaded to the Internet site by Byron Garcia, the Cebu provincial security consultant who came up with the idea of adding structure to poorly attended exercise sessions.

Prisoners with arms covered in tattoos and baby-faced guys who might have been gang members on the outside gyrate next to one another. They all seem to be enjoying themselves or at least taking pride as their sandals and tennis shoes slap in unison on the grey concrete. They laugh when they screw up, applaud when they get a new sequence right.

Forty-four female prisoners, held in a separate wing, join in for "I Will Follow Him" from the movies "Sister Act," which is among several other songs posted on YouTube. Ten have at least 100,000 hits each.

"If I was not in prison, I would not be famous," said Wenjiel Resane, the male prisoner who plays the role of the girlfriend in "Thriller" and is a featured dancer in other songs.

The 35-year-old Resane, a ponytailed former pizza chef, shares Cell 47 with 11 other openly gay prisoners. Already in prison three years awaiting trial on drug charges, he puts on lipstick and makeup for a TV interview.

"Before...we just get our food and go back to our cell and if we don't have anything to do we just talk," Resane said.

"But it is different now. Every day we are very busy preparing to dance for our upcoming shows."

"We are very proud of what we have done."

The prison, mostly for convicts with sentences of under three years or those awaiting trial, sits atop a hill. More than 300 are facing murder charges.

Security features include a fingerprint-recognition system for guards and other employees.

Through a window covered with a metal grill, the ocean is visible in the distance. Sheets are drawn across the narrow, wood-planked bunk beds to provide a little privacy. Cardboard boxes, glued to the walls, serve as shelves.

Crisanto Nierre, who plays Michael Jackson's role in "Thriller," finds his new fame bittersweet. Relatives as far away as Sweden, Denmark and Dubai have excitedly watched him on YouTube. But he can't escape the fact he's in prison, gently touching family photos hanging from the bed above him in sheets of protective plastic.

A fan of Jackson's music since he was in a dance troupe in high school - ironically, his favourites include "Bad" and "Smooth Criminal" - 36-year-old Nierre carefully lays out the orange-and-black outfit made for his performances, smoothing every wrinkle.

"I hope that all the people who see us will be happy in knowing that we, despite being prisoners, we were able to do this," said Nierre, in prison five years awaiting trial on drug charges.

"Before the dancing, our problems were really heavy to bear. Dancing takes our minds away from our problems."

"Our bodies became more healthy. As for the judges, they may be impressed with us, seeing that we are being rehabilitated and this could help our case."

"We are being rehabilitated in a good way."

With the court system overworked, officials have been trying to ease overcrowding and brutal conditions in prisons. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo once said a life sentence in a Philippine prison was worse than death.

Prisoners say that's how it used to be, with a fight or other violent incident breaking out an average of once a week.

"I wanted a program where everyone would exercise an hour a day," Garcia said.

"One day, I saw these waves of orange people (in the exercise yard). I thought it looked very nice."

The goal was something the prisoners could consider an accomplishment and that would teach camaraderie and teamwork.

First came marching to the cadence of a drum 15 months ago. Then Garcia chose one of his favourite songs, Pink Floyd's "The Wall." Village People standards followed, with the guidance of a choreographer. It takes about a week to work out individual sections of a new song, another week to pull them together.

The first video Garcia posted was of a challenging algorithm march. It generated only 400 hits in eight months on YouTube.

"Thriller" followed less than a month ago. It was an instant hit, averaging 300,000 views a day at its peak.

Garcia said it's been a year since the last fight. The cells, while cluttered with the meagre possessions of up to 17 prisoners in each one, are neat and clean. Shouts of "Good morning, sir" greet visitors.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said officials will look to encourage replication of the program at other prisons.

"These people may have their lives enhanced by something which removes their minds from the conditions they're in," Gonzalez said.

"It might help in their reformation. That's good."

From a wealthy family - his sister is the provincial governor - Garcia carries something of an imperial air. Smoking is banned in the prison but Garcia puffs away, a guard thrusting out a coffee cup when he's ready to douse a butt.

Critics claim he forces the prisoners to perform, an allegation the convicts deny. He's generated so much devotion about 20 prisoners, including four women, have tattoos with his name.

About 100 mostly older or sick prisoners opt out of the exercises, staying in their cells. Garcia said those who participate receive an extra afternoon snack and are sharing in recent income for their performances.

A donation worth C$37,000 followed a performance at the province's recent Founding Day celebrations. Each prisoner received $23 of the gift, deposited into a prison passbook account; the rest went to the province to defray the costs of incarceration.

A few local companies have found the video performances so inspiring they want to send employees for special performances. The first is Saturday - for a donation. Garcia suggested a news crew should pay to see "Thriller," too.

At 7:15 a.m. comes the call for prisoners who have court hearings. The departures take away six key dancers for "Thriller," so it won't be on the itinerary anyway. Instead, practice focuses on a new song, Phil Oakey and Giorgio Moroder's "Together in Electric Dreams," a carefully chosen homage to the prisoners' fans.

"Viewers are asking for more," Garcia said.

"We may be worlds apart, worlds may separate us but we still can be connected through electric dreams."

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Chinese police nab bogus martial arts masters headed to Canada

BEIJING (AP) - Chinese border police collared a dozen would-be illegal immigrants masquerading as the famed kung fu monks of Shaolin Temple, state media reported Friday. The 12 had joined a team of genuine martial arts masters headed to Canada for performances, the Xinhua News Agency said.

Their sole experience with martial arts was a one-day training session at a hotel to teach them the basics of the art of Chinese lion dancing, it said. Xinhua said the group was stopped after border guards' suspicions were aroused, but gave no details.

It quoted a policeman in the eastern city of Changle, from which the bogus monks originally came from, as saying the Shaolin Temple had been an innocent victim of the conspirators, led by a pair of martial arts coaches and a local people smuggler, or "snake head."

"The Shaolin Temple had nothing to do with it," Xinhua quoted the officer, identified by his surname, Wang, as saying.

The coaches and trafficker had charged the 12 hopeful immigrants, aged 17-19, up to US$90,000 for passage out of the country, Xinhua said.

The 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan province has fought hard against those its sees as exploiting its name for martial arts schools, performances, movies and consumer products.

In recent years, it has set up a corporation, Henan Shaolin Temple Industrial Development Ltd., and trademarked the names "Shaolin" and "Shaolin Temple."

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Video Pool is now accepting curatorial proposals for a touring screening

Call for Submissions:
Deadline: October 1, 2007

Video Pool is accepting proposals for a 60 - 90 minute thematic package of single channel videos. This opportunity is open to established, emerging or first-time curators in Winnipeg and beyond. All thematic approaches will be considered, however, special consideration will be given to projects that present the work of Aboriginal and culturally diverse artists.

The purpose of the package is to unify artworks with an engaging theme and to provide theoretical context for Video Pool's media arts holdings. The package is intended to promote independent media artists distributed by Video Pool, with a focus on developing international audiences.

The curator is responsible for selecting the works to be included in the package, writing a 2000 word contextual essay, overseeing the design of discursive and promotional materials, the creation of summary reports and contacting host venues for the tour of the package. The curator may also choose to travel with the package, dependent on funding, in order to introduce the package. The successful curator will work with Video Pool Distribution Department, reporting on a monthly basis, to coordinate and execute the tour.

Pending funding approval, the curator will receive a total of $3000 for creating the package, submitting an essay and arranging the tour. Video Pool will also support the curator's travel as required. Proposals will be reviewed by a jury made up of Video Pool Staff, Board and Producers Group Members.

How to Apply:
All submissions must be received by October 1, 2007 and must include:

* A statement of curatorial intent, including how the package will promote the purchase/rental of Video Pool titles internationally
* A proposed list of titles for inclusion in the program
* A professional resumé or CV

Please address your submission to :
Video Pool Media Arts Centre
Re: Curated Package
300 - 100 Arthur Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R3B 1H3

For more information, to view previous successful applications, or screen full length works from Video Pool's vault, contact Distribution Coordinator Gabriel Schroedter at 204-949-9134 ext 2. Short clips and descriptions of over 1400 works are available through the online catalogue at www.videopool.org

ROTUNDA GALLERY - CITY HALL, KITCHENER, ONTARIO

CALL FOR ENTRY

The Rotunda Gallery at City Hall, Kitchener, is accepting applications for its 2008 schedule from professional visual artists in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. The Gallery is located on the ground floor of City Hall, behind the hall's central rotunda. The space is open-concept and accessible to the public year-round free of charge.

Please submit your application package by September 14, 2007 at 4 p.m. to Cheryl York, Arts/Culture Co-ordinator, Community Services, 7th Floor, City Hall, 200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118, Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7. Information: cheryl.york@ktichener.ca .

SELECTION CRITERIA

Work is selected on the basis of

* excellence
* artistic merit
* Innovation
* relevance to the artistic and cultural diversity of the community.
* a complete application package
* images included in the application package must accurately reflect the works to be exhibited

Submission Requirements

* Proposal - description of exhibition
* Curriculum Vitae and Artist Statement
* 10 high quality jpg images of recent work on CD
* 50 - 75 word bio for use in promotional materials
* Preferred season for the month of your exhibit (number in order of preference, 1st choice is number 1): Spring Summer Fall Winter

Note: We cannot guarantee that your exhibit will be scheduled in the preferred season.

Terrorism eclipses hate as Internet concern, says watchdog group

VANCOUVER (CP) - The promotion of terrorism has eclipsed hate-mongering as a trouble area on the Internet, says a prominent watchdog organization. In its latest report, the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies says the two issues are closely linked but it's increasingly concerned about the web's role in terror recruitment, training and financing.

It says there are thousands of web sites, blogs, news groups and video-streaming sites that contain problematic material, including such mainstream sites as YouTube.

The centre's 2007 report, presented Friday, highlights 600 sites analyzed by volunteer researchers around the world.

"While 10 years ago the main issue was one of hatred, since 2001 the terrorist groups have come to dominate what we now see on the Internet as being the most problematic," Lou Adler, director of national affairs for the Toronto-based Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, said in an interview.

The report includes several Canadian sites, some familiar for their racist views, but a couple that appear to support Islamic holy war against the West.

Jihadunspun.com, which the report says is based in Vancouver, seems to carefully avoid breaching Canadian law governing hate-promotion by purporting to relay news from other media, Adler said.

"But it is a problematic site because when you take a look at the stories they cover and the way in which they deal with it . . . (they) look to justify acts of terrorism and try to diminish the role of terrorism in the world and over the Internet."

Jihad Unspun publisher Khadija Abdul Qahaar refused to address the report's concerns.

"We respectfully decline comment on any so-called report from the Wiesenthal Center whose lack of credibility is well known," he said in an e-mail to The Canadian Press.

Adler defended the centre's move from monitoring hate groups to tracking terror links.

"Terrorism is based on hate," he said. "You have to hate someone to become a terrorist.

"The second thing is that it's a form of communication. They raise funds, they recruit people, much in the same way that the people in England wanted to set off the car bombs by using cell phones as detonators. They were able to get instructions on how to do that on the Internet."

With millions of users worldwide, the web is a powerful tool for terrorists, Adler said.

"You don't need millions anymore to create havoc within society," he said. "All you need is one person who's prepared to sacrifice himself or who comes to believe that violence is the way in which to do things."

The report, issued as a CD-ROM, singles out Blakstone, a British Muslim hip-hop group whose angry lyrics urging action and condemning Muslim leaders who collaborate with the West play over images of violence in Iraq and Palestine.

The report also identifies video games that it claims promote hatred, such as one where the player scores by gunning down illegal Mexican immigrants as they try to cross the U.S. border.

Adler said the centre's international researchers use Canada's hate laws as the standard for measuring what is offensive.

Internet providers hosting offensive sites often remove them when contacted but in many cases, the information comes from overseas web servers.

Not always though. A site called bcwhitepride.org was originally based in British Columbia but now is run by a New Jersey resident using a server in Chicago.

The site's operator, Hal Turner, did not respond to a request for comment.

Adler said groups like his know they can't do much to stop the proliferation of hateful and violence-laced material. Their job is to educate people, especially parents and teachers.

"The Internet is a wonderful form of communication but there is a dark side to it," he said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

China moon survey to focus on energy

(CBC) - China plans to survey the entire moon, looking for helium-3 and other minerals, said Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist for the country's moon exploration project.

Helium-3 has been touted as a powerful and clean fuel source for nuclear energy. It is very rare on Earth and expensive to produce, but is found on the moon.

"The helium-3 reserves on the moon can serve human society for at least 10,000 years," Ziyuan said in a report carried by the official source Chinanews.

China has said it plans to launch an unmanned lunar orbiter later this year. It will take 3-D images of the moon.

The orbiter will be followed by a lunar landing, tentatively set for 2017. The unmanned vehicle will take samples, which will be brought back to Earth for analysis. He described that as the third stage in China's moon project.

China entered the manned space travel club when it put a "taikonaut" in orbit in 2003, and has said it plans to land a person on the moon, although the planned date is 15 years off.

Thailand considers law allowing transsexuals to claim title of adopted gender

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Mr., Mrs. or Ms.? Thailand may soon let people who have had a sex change officially alter their title, too. A proposal which would allow transgender men or women to choose how they are addressed is being considered by the country's National Legislative Assembly to support an anti-discrimination provision in the draft constitution, Thai newspapers reported.

Wiroon Tangcharoen, an assembly member who is also rector of Srinakharinwirot University, said he supported the move and did not believe it would affect room assignments in university dormitories, where students are segregated by sex, The Nation newspaper said.

Students wishing to live with members of their adopted gender would have to produce medical certificates proving they had undergone sex-change operations, he said.

"The university has nothing against male transsexual students staying in female dormitories on the campus," he was quoted as saying.

Even though Thailand is widely tolerant of gays, transvestites and transsexuals, many face family pressure, social prejudice and domestic violence.

Three years ago, a college in the northern province of Chiang Mai designated a bathroom for the exclusive use of the school's 15 cross-dressing students. The transvestites - who had to wear male attire at school but were allowed to sport feminine hairdos - had annoyed female students when using the women's bathrooms, and faced harassment in the men's facilities.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Google shutting down a service that sold and rented online video

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Google Inc. is shutting down a service that sold and rented online video, ending a 19-month experiment doomed by the proliferation of free clips on other Web sites like the Internet search leader's YouTube subsidiary. The decision, confirmed late Friday, underscores Google's intention to concentrate its financial muscle and brainpower on developing an advertising format to capitalize on the immense popularity of online video.

YouTube, which Google bought last year for $1.76 billion, is expected to be the focal point of the company's expansion into video advertising. Google executives hope to settle on an effective advertising system for video ads by the end of this year.

Google already makes most of its money from ads, but most of those are static, text-based messages posted alongside search results and other written content on the Web.

The video section on Google's Web site will remain open, but will stop showing paid programming Aug. 15.

Google has been selling the right to watch a wide range of video, including sports, music and news, since January 2006. Most of the video sold for anywhere from a couple dollars to $20. Customers could pay less to "rent" the right to watch a selected video for a day or buy the show so it would be available to watch indefinitely.

All paid programming had to be watched through a viewer on Google's site.

To compensate customers who will no longer be able to see the videos that they purchased, Google is providing refunds in the form of credits that can be used on its online payment service, Checkout. Hundreds of merchants accept Checkout.

Google spokesman Gabriel Strickler said the refunds won't materially affect the company, which has $12.5 billion in cash. Strickler declined to reveal how many people bought video through Google.

"The current change is a reaffirmation of our commitment to building out our ad-supported...models for video," Strickler said.

The move provides the latest indication that Google has become more willing to pull the plug on services that aren't gaining traction, something that its management rarely did until the past year. Last November, Google abandoned a service that hired researchers to find answers to specific questions posed by users.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Diaspora Dialogues reads from TOK: Writing the New Toronto, Book 2

Sizzing stories for a hot summer night! Free

From the nannies of North Toronto to the short-skirted girls of Scarborough to boys kissing boys on the island, writers from Diaspora Dialogues present their take on Toronto on Friday, August 17, at 7:00 p.m.

The reading will feature TOK contributors Devyani Saltzman (author of Shooting Water), Catherine Hernandez (author of the Dora-nominated play Singkil), short story writer Michele Chai and novelist/playwright Evan Placey. A reception will follow.

Michele Chai is an emerging writer/photographer who currently lives, dreams and agitates in Toronto. She is a Butch, Chinese-Trinidadian Feminist Warrior Dyke inspired by social justice movements and everyday acts of resistance. Her works endeavor to provoke conversation and action that build relationships and challenge accepted notions of sexuality, community and identity.

Catherine Hernandez is a writer and theatre practitioner. She is the associate editor of Sweetmama.ca, was a columnist for the National Post and contributes to countless other publications. As the former head of Factory Theatre's Education/Outreach/Publicity program, she developed several strategies to increase the diversity of the theatre's audiences and presented these tactics as a panelist at the City Summit 2007. Her play Singkil premiered as part of Factory Theatre's 2006/07 season and was produced by fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company. Singkil and "Saint Candice" are in a several-part anthology-in-the-works called The Scarborough Stories, which includes Kilt Pins (a play about sexuality in a Catholic high school) and "Jude" (a short story about a champion bowler with a taste for married women). Hernandez now works as the marketing and development director for Native Earth Performing Arts and loves it.

Evan Placey is a graduate of McGill University and the University of London in England. He is a poet and playwright whose plays include Caffeine, Saturday in the Aisles, Phone Play, Fragments of Us and Dinner on the Fourteenth Floor. Currently in development are Snow Falls on the Oublie Trees and White Other. His plays have been performed in Toronto, Montreal, Edinburgh and London. He is the recipient of the Clark Lewis Prize and the Lionel Shapiro Award for Creative Writing. Placey continues to write, produce and direct new work in both Canada and the United Kingdom.

Devyani Saltzman was born in Toronto. She received a degree in human sciences from Oxford University, specializing in sociology and anthropology. Shooting Water, published by Key Porter Books in 2005, received starred reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal and has been published internationally. Her writing has also appeared in The Globe and Mail, Marie Claire and is upcoming in The Walrus.

Toronto Women's Bookstore
73 Harbord Street

www.diasporadialogues.com

Movie-goers pack theatres to make 'Rush Hour 3' the weekend's top draw

LOS ANGELES (AP) - People jammed theatres to see the buddy cop comedy "Rush Hour 3," making the last of this summer's big budget Hollywood films the top movie at the weekend box office. The film from New Line Cinema took in $50.2 million according to studio estimates, enough to push last week's top film, "The Bourne Ultimatum," into second place with $33.7 million.

"Rush Hour 3" did not do as well as its predecessor, "Rush Hour 2," which took in $67.4 million when it was released in 2001. But it was the sixth "threequel" of the summer to open as a weekend's top film and it ranks as the fourth-best August opening on record.

"We really never felt we were going to get where the second one was," said David Tuckerman, head of distribution for New Line. "The competitive landscape has changed dramatically in the six years since the last film. We figured we'd be in the 50s and that's where we are."

"The Bourne Ultimatum" crossed the $100-million mark in its second week in theatres. And with "The Simpsons Movie" coming in third with $11.1 million, for a three-week total of $152 million, Hollywood might be looking at its first $4-billion summer.

"We've been riding a wave of momentum that started with 'Transformers' in July," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "We already stand at $3.6 billion at the box office. The $4-billion summer, once thought an impossibility, is definitely within reach."

The summer movie season runs from the first weekend in May through Labour Day.

No other blockbuster films are scheduled this summer. But next week's opening film, "Superbad," is from the same team that made this year's hit comedy "Knocked Up" and could do well, Dergarabedian said.

This weekend's top 12 movies grossed 37 per cent higher than the top dozen on the same weekend last year. So far this year, box office revenues are up 6.6 per cent to $6.324 billion and attendance is up 1.9 per cent.

The other film opening this weekend, Paramount's "Stardust," a well-reviewed adult fairy tale starring Michelle Pfeiffer, didn't fare as well. It took in $9 million, good enough for fourth place behind "The Simpsons Movie," but not as much as might be expected for a film with a cast that includes Robert DeNiro, Peter O'Toole and Claire Danes.

The movie's theme made it difficult to market in a 30-second TV spot, said Rob Moore, Paramount's head of worldwide marketing and distribution.

"When you make an original movie, it's always very challenging to be able to communicate to your audience what the genre is," Moore said. "These movies tend to be driven by word-of-mouth and home entertainment."

Moore said it is expected to do better in international markets. The movie, which cost about $70 million to make, will be rolled out in Europe and other markets in October.

Following are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Rush Hour 3," $50.3 million.
2. "The Bourne Ultimatum," $33.7 million.
3. "The Simpsons Movie," $11.1 million.
4. "Stardust," $9 million.
5. "Underdog," $6.5 million.
6. "Hairspray," $6.4 million.
7. "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," $5.9 million.
8. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," $5.4 million.
9. "No Reservations," $3.9 million.
10. "Daddy Day Camp," which opened Wednesday, $3.3 million.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

India resumes air drops of food and water to monsoon flood victims

NEW DELHI (AP) - Air drops of food and other aid will resume to flood victims in northern India on Monday, officials said, following violent riots over a lack of assistance. Devastating monsoon floods have laid waste to much of South Asia in recent weeks, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing millions. At least 34 more deaths were reported Monday in India, while a violent storm killed 22 people in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the United Nations warned that Bangladesh could face acute food shortages as the floods destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares (acres) of crops.

A wild storm triggered landslides and collapsed houses in a village in Pakistan's mountainous northwest early Monday, killing 22 people, many of them trapped inside collapsing buildings in Rano Mera, a village in the rugged Kohistan district, said Saeed Khan Aurakzai, the government's top administration official in the region.

Heavy rain triggered landslides in two other villages in Kohistan last month, killing 22 people.

Heavy monsoon rains and storms lashed many parts of Pakistan late Sunday and early Monday. In the capital, Islamabad, roads were cut by low-level flooding and falling tree branches.

In the northern Indian state of Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered government relief agencies to continue air drops of assistance to the worst-hit areas.

The decision was prompted by violent riots in the town of Sonebarsa, where police killed one person and wounded four after hundreds of people ransacked a local relief office to protest the lack of aid.

The government had earlier said it would end the air drops because land routes had been re-established to most of the flood-hit areas.

Meanwhile, the U.N. World Food Program chief in Bangladesh, Douglas Broderick, said he feared the country could face a food crisis.

"We are quite concerned over the significant damage to crops in the flood-affected areas," he told reporters late Sunday.

According to Bangladesh's government, this year's monsoon floods destroyed crops on more than 242,800 hectares (600,000 acres) of land.

Broderick said the WFP initially planned to distribute 1,500-2,000 tons of rice among the victims, and that as "needs increase, we would also increase the distribution."

While most of the flood waters have subsided, thousands of people were still being treated across India and Bangladesh for diseases that affect people who drink from stagnant pools left behind by floodwaters, or from wells contaminated by waste that gets washed into them.

More than 43,000 people were being treated for diarrhea in Bangladesh, said government health adviser Matiur Rahman.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Taliban free 2 South Korean women among 23 kidnapped in Afghanistan in July

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) - Two women among 23 South Koreans kidnapped by the Taliban in mid-July were freed Monday on a rural Afghan roadside, the first significant breakthrough in a hostage drama now more than three weeks old. The women, who broke into tears after seeing the international Red Cross officials there to take custody of them, got out of a dark grey Toyota Corolla driven by an Afghan elder and into one of two waiting Red Cross SUVs. The women said nothing to reporters alerted to the handoff location by a Taliban spokesman.

The women, who the Taliban have said are ill, were among church group volunteers kidnapped by militants on July 19.

The release is the first breakthrough in the hostage drama, which took a downturn in late July when two male captives were executed by gunfire.

The two women were brought to the arranged meeting point on the side of a road in rural Ghazni province by an Afghan named Haji Zahir, who also got into the Red Cross vehicle with the freed hostages.

The Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, said on Sunday the two women would be released in part because they were sick and because face-to-face negotiations that began on Friday were going well.

Two Taliban leaders and four South Korean officials met Friday and Saturday to discuss the fate of the hostages. Taliban leaders have demanded that 21 militant prisoners be released in exchange for the Koreans' lives; the government has said it will not release any prisoners.

The local governor has suggested in the past that the hostage standoff could be solved with a ransom payment.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Ontario to spend almost $80M to fight climate change by planting 50 million trees

OAKVILLE, Ont. (CP) - Ontario is spending almost $80 million to fight climate change by planting 50 million trees, The Canadian Press has learned. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is set to make the announcement later Monday in Oakville as part of the United Nations' Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign.

A government source says Ontario's contribution to the program is the most ambitious of any jurisdiction in North America.

The province has already planted 1.8 million trees this year and the rest are to be planted on both public and privately owned lands by 2020.

McGuinty will also announce Monday he's implementing the recommendations of Roberta Bondar, who chaired the government's review of environmental education.

The premier says a new Grade 11 course will be developed to focus on environmental issues.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Bombardier Transportation wins US$91M for rail signal equipment in China

MONTREAL (CP) - In what it calls a groundbreaking deal, Bombardier Transportation (TSX:BBD.B) has won a contract for rail signalling equipment in China worth US$91 million. The new system will manage high-speed trains travelling at speeds up to 300 kilometres an hour along nearly 1,000 kilometres of rail line between the cities of Wuhan and Guangzhou.

The order came from systems integrator China Railway Signalling and Communications Corp. and involves European Rail Traffic Management System Level 2 technology, Montreal-based Bombardier said Friday.

The new system is scheduled to enter commercial operation in January 2010 and the contract involves a 15-year agreement between CRSC and Bombardier.

"This contract reinforces our excellent business relationship in China and further demonstrates the customer's confidence in Bombardier," Andre Navarri, president of Bombardier Transportation, said in a release.

The system will be developed at Bombardier Transportation's rail control solutions sites in Sweden and Thailand, and will include technology transfer so that the final units for the contract can be built in China. Product design will be carried out in Sweden and China.

On the Toronto stock market Friday morning, shares in parent company Bombardier Inc. were down 42 cents, or seven per cent, to $5.32.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Some Asian markets recover; Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan higher

TOKYO (AP) - Some Asian markets rebounded Monday, recovering tentatively from a worldwide plunge set off last week by the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis. The Nikkei 225, benchmark for the Tokyo Stock Exchange, edged up 0.2 per cent to 16,800.05, recouping some of Friday's drop as investors bought back into stocks with strong earnings. Hong Kong's blue chip Hang Seng Index rose 0.45 per cent to 21,891.10.

Still, there was no firm conviction the volatility of the last few weeks has ended.

"The Hong Kong market is in directionless trade. Aftershocks of U.S. subprime mortgage woes are likely to continue rippling through markets in the Asia-Pacific region," said Peter Lai, director of DBS Vickers Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong.

Yutaka Miura, manager at Shinko Securities in Tokyo, said gains Monday weren't expected to be very big, and most investors were waiting to see how the U.S. markets later in the day.

"This was mainly a technical rebound from Friday," he said.

South Korea's benchmark stock index stabilized Monday as well, rising 1.1 per cent to close at 1,849.26. Friday, the Kospi fell 80.19 points, or 4.2 per cent, its third largest point drop ever.

South Korea said Monday that the impact from the U.S. subprime loan crisis on the country is limited, and vowed to deal with any credit squeeze by adding cash to the financial system if needed.

Last week, the U.S., European, Australian and Japanese central banks poured funds into money markets as stocks dropped on concerns over U.S. mortgages.

In Tokyo, the Bank of Japan Monday injected 600 billion yen (US$5 billion) into money markets to try to bring more stability to the markets.

Later Monday, the European Central Bank said that it was injecting cash again into the banking system in a bid to soothe rattled credit markets, but said that market conditions are "normalizing."

The ECB on Thursday provided US$130 billion in funds to banks and injected a further US$83.6 billion on Friday.

Monday in Asia Taiwan's main stock index ended up 0.09 per cent at 8,938.96. In Australia, Sydney's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 1.27 per cent to 6011.6 after hitting an intraday high of 6040.4. Singapore ended the day 0.64 per cent higher after spending much of the day in negative territory.

Stocks in New Zealand and the Philippines fell, and shares in Thailand were down late in the trading day.

New Zealand shares, which begin trade earliest in Asia, closed lower Monday, despite the later positive rebound in Australia and other Asian markets.

"There was perhaps a suspicion we never really suffered as much as the other markets did last week, so we might just be seeing an element of catch-up in terms of a percentage sell-off," said First NZ Capital research director Barry Lindsay.

The Dow Jones industrials closed out a volatile week Friday on Wall Street, ending with just a 31-point loss for the day and managing to post a gain for the week. Thursday, the Dow fell 387 points and extended a series of triple-digit moves that began in late July.

Stock markets in Europe declined Thursday and Friday as well, unappeased by the ECB's cash injections - the bank's biggest infusion ever.

Friday, the Bank of Japan injected 1 trillion yen (US$8.39 billion) into money markets to curb rises in a key overnight interest rate.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

First flight of Boeing 787 still set for September, but delay possible

SEATTLE (AP) - Boeing Co. is still targeting the end of September for the first flight of its new 787 Dreamliner, but the aircraft maker said Friday it could delay the flight due to several complex steps that remain in the passenger jet's final assembly. "That date could move into fall as we proceed to do all the work in front of us," Boeing spokeswoman Yvonne Leach said.

Leach said the final assembly of the midsize jet, the integration of its aviation, hydraulic, electronic and other systems and software, plus several rounds of structural testing could all influence the timing of the first flight.

Boeing continues to push ahead in spite of an industrywide shortage of fasteners that hold the plane together. Other snags, including fuselage sections that didn't precisely fit together, have been worked out, said Leach.

Even if the first flight were delayed, Leach said Boeing has plans in place to ensure the first delivery of the long-haul Dreamliner, to Japan's All Nippon Airways, will be as scheduled in May 2008.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Meltdown of sumo's Mongolian tough guy has all Japan abuzz

TOKYO (AP) - Talk about an image problem. The TV shows have had a field day, parading out psychiatrists, trainers, mavens, pop stars - anyone who might want to offer a comment, and that's pretty much anyone in Japan these days.

Shunned for ditching an official appearance, sumo Grand Champion Asashoryu, hitherto the toughest guy in Japan's toughest sport, is reportedly on the brink of a nervous breakdown, holed up in his apartment fighting back tears and begging he be allowed to go home to his native Mongolia.

Never mind political scandal or stock market jitters, the bad boy Mongolian's meltdown is the biggest story in Japan this summer.

For sports fans, it's bigger than Bonds, bigger than Beijing.

The 26-year-old muscleman was the very picture of strength and confidence just a few weeks ago, when he won his 21st Emperor's Cup - the coveted prize that hundreds of wrestlers vie for in the six major sumo tournaments held each year.

But his world took a turn for the worse when he ditched a summer exhibition tournament due to injuries and was later caught on videotape playing in a charity soccer event in Mongolia. The video, which has been shown almost daily for more than a week, showed the burly Asashoryu wearing sunglasses and smiling broadly as he greeted his local fans, and then - appearing quite fit - twisting and turning on an attempted header.

The Japan Sumo Association came down hard, slapping him with an unprecedented two-tournament suspension and a 30 per cent cut in pay for four months.

There are very few titles as lofty, or taken more seriously by the Japanese, as grand champion.

Like all wrestlers, grand champions are expected to wear kimono when they appear in public, to keep their hair in a well-oiled topknot and to avoid any kind of controversy. But grand champions - called yokozuna - are expected to set an even more demanding example of both humility and devotion to the sport.

Skipping a major exhibition tour, especially at a time when the Sumo Association is having trouble filling arena seats, was clearly a no-no.

"For a yokozuna, this was a serious indiscretion," Yukishige Isenoumi, a senior JSA official, explained. "Given that a yokozuna should act as a good example for the other wrestlers, this punishment for his action is appropriate."

What happened next, however, was even more of a shock to sumo fans.

Asashoryu - known for his bravado in the ring - went belly up.

Psychiatrist Masaki Honda examined him and said the wrestler was depressed and could be on the brink of a nervous breakdown due to a shock from the punishment. He said the wrestler was barely able to talk, and his trainer said Asashoryu was "holding back tears."

"He seemed extremely haggard," Asashoryu's trainer, Takasago, told a televised news conference after meeting the disgruntled wrestler. "I've never seen him in such a state before."

Even so, sumo officials weren't easing up.

On Thursday, the association denied Asashoryu's request to return to Mongolia, saying he could check himself into a hospital in Tokyo if he felt ill.

The fans were generally not sympathetic, either.

"Sumo is not like other sports where all that matters is strength," said office worker Keiko Fujimoto. "It's part of Japanese culture, and yokozuna have to set an example for everyone. If Asashoryu can't understand that or doesn't want to do it, he should just retire."

This isn't the first time Asashoryu has been in hot water.

In January, Asashoryu was accused of being involved in a bout-rigging scandal by a tabloid-style weekly magazine.

While the JSA conducted an internal investigation and determined there was no wrongdoing on the part of Asashoryu, the damage to his reputation was significant.

He was also involved in a bizarre hair-pulling incident earlier in his career when he yanked the topknot of fellow Mongolian Kyokushuzan during a bout. Hair-pulling in sumo is akin to ear-biting in boxing, and never before had a grand champion lost a bout for resorting to it.

Given his checkered past, many felt it was about time the sumo association got tough with the cocky yokozuna.

"The punishment fits," The Japan Times wrote in an editorial.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

China purges Tibetan government of Dalai Lama loyalists: report

BEIJING (AP) - A Hong Kong-based activist group says China is cracking down on pro-Dalai Lama sentiment in Tibet by firing dozens of Tibetan officials and criticizing others who don't speak out against the exiled spiritual leader. Hong Kong's Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy says since July, Communist party secretaries from 54 of Tibet's 74 counties have been fired and replaced by cadres from elsewhere in China.

The group says China is beefing up numbers of non-Tibetan government personnel by appointing 853 volunteers from 17 Chinese provinces and cities to act as government cadres for three years.

It says government promises of bonuses and generous stipends for living expenses helped attract more than 10,000 volunteers.

China says it has ruled Tibet for centuries, although many Tibetans say their homeland was essentially an independent state for most of that time.

Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1951 and Beijing continues to rule the region.

Beijing enforces strict controls on religious institutions and routinely vilifies the 71-year-old Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 amid an aborted uprising against Chinese rule.

Tibetans are especially concerned that an influx of China's Han majority, which has grown since a new railway linked Beijing to Tibet's capital Lhasa, will overwhelm the region's unique Buddhist culture.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Ottawa to ban cigarette makers from labelling products 'light' and 'mild'

TORONTO (CP) - Ottawa wants to ban cigarette companies from using the words "light" and "mild" on their products, Health Minister Tony Clement said in a statement Friday. "Research has shown that many smokers incorrectly believe that smoking 'light and mild' cigarettes is less harmful to their health," he said.

"These proposed regulations would put in place a mandatory - and permanent - ban on these deceptive terms."

The ban would stop all tobacco manufacturers - including importers - from using the words on the packaging of cigarettes and other tobacco products sold in Canada.

"Smoking any variety of cigarette poses a health risk," Clement said, adding the proposed regulations are "an important step to help protect Canadians from misleading information regarding their health and safety."

Clement said more than half of all current smokers say they smoke products labelled "light," "mild," or "ultralight."

He said those words prevent some smokers from quitting because they don't think the light or mild cigarettes are as harmful as others.

A 75-day comment period is in effect for the proposed regulations.

Similar rules have been imposed in Europe and Australia, though the United States has yet to follow suit.

Three of Canada's biggest tobacco companies agreed to change their labelling practices last fall ahead of the new federal rules. In 2001, then health minister Allan Rock unsuccessfully asked the companies to voluntarily make those changes.

Physicians for a Smoke Free Canada said in a statement July 31 - the day the companies' changes took effect - that the voluntary labelling doesn't go far enough. The group said cigarette makers are still free to use other marketing techniques to convey differences in strength.

"As predicted, the companies have not ended the deception," said Atul Kapur, the anti-smoking group's president.

"The tobacco companies have merely replaced the words 'light' and 'mild' with other marketing terms."

For instance, the group said some tobacco products can have lighter-coloured or white packaging to signal they're weaker than others. Another way to dodge the ban would be to make a distinction between products by placing the "weaker" ones above or below the regular one in store displays.

"The creative ability of the manufacturers to send positive messages about a product widely known to be noxious is impressive," said Kapur.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Toymaker Mega Brands says its Chinese production facilities are safe

MONTREAL (CP) - Toy manufacturer Mega Brands Inc. (TSX:MB) says its Chinese production facilities pass all safety standards and aren't facing the painful recalls that have affected some competitors. "We have very stringent testing and inspection procedures, especially related to lead and heavy metals," CEO Marc Bertrand said Thursday during a conference call to discuss second-quarter results.

"We can confirm that we are not working with any of the vendors identified with the most recent recall and from a cost standpoint we already have these procedures in place."

Health concerns have been raised recently about the paint and other materials used in the manufacture of the many products that are imported by western countries.

Mattel recently apologized for the recall of nearly one million Fisher-Price toys that had excessive levels of lead in the paint.

The plastic preschool toys included Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters that were manufactured at one vendor.

Mega Brands is especially sensitive to these safety issues. Its reputation has been tarnished because Magnetix has been blamed for the death of one child and injuries to several others who swallowed its powerful magnets.

"We are committed to making the highest quality and safest products that parents and caregivers can trust," Bertrand told analysts.

Safety is an issue that should preoccupy all toy manufacturers since 80 per cent of all toys are made in China, said analyst Gerrick Johnson of BMO Capital Markets.

"I think going forward it's going to add a lot of cost to doing business in China," he said in an interview from New York City.

Montreal-based Mega Brands experienced strong sales growth around the world in all of its business segments even though its quarterly net profit dipped slightly to US$4 million.

Earnings for the quarter ended June 30 were unchanged at 12 cents.

However, its pretax earnings were down by 60 per cent to US$2 million.

Sales rose 19 per cent to US$121.5 million from $102.2 million. The firm reports in U.S. dollars.

For the first six months of the year, sales grew by 17 per cent to $211.6 million.

"The strong topline growth in the first half of the year demonstrates that we have great innovation and the right licences," Bertrand told analysts.

"These are the key fundamentals of our business and they provide a solid foundation for our growth and profitability."

Toy sales were up 40 per cent to $57.9 million on higher demand across all categories - preschool, boys five and up, Magnetix and games and puzzles.

North American sales increased 10 per cent to $87.1 million. International sales increased by 50 per cent to $34.3 million, driven by very strong demand for construction toys.

After settling lawsuits over safety issues, Mega Brands said its revamped Magnetix product line is back on store shelves around the world following a sorting program to remove older product.

While some retailers have dropped or reduced sales of the line, all large stores are selling the product.

Chief operating officer Vic Bertrand said he expects the Icoaster that has hit store shelves will be a key driver for the Magnetix brand.

"With great innovation in the pipeline, the Magnetix brand has a strong consumer following and our products continue to sell well," he said.

Mega Brands has conducted two global recalls of Magnetix products, the second prompted by confusion about the safety of the building sets.

No new cases have been reported.

The company recouped $1 million in lawsuit settlements from its insurers in the quarter and expects to receive $4 million this year and up to $9 million in 2008.

Mega Brands expects to take a charge of up to US$35.2 million related to the Magnetix recall.

Despite the company's assurances, Johnson believes Magnetix could face a 20 per cent drop in sales in the second half because of lingering U.S. public concerns over the product and reduced retailer support.

On the TSX, company shares were up 57 cents or 3.14 per cent to $18.74 Thursday. Mega Brand shares have ranged over the past year between a low of $18.02 and a high of $27.60.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Growth found in paid media usage; online ads seen surpassing print ads in 2010

NEW YORK (AP) - A study finds that U.S. consumers are increasingly shifting their attention away from traditional, advertising-supported media in favor of entertainment such as the Internet, video games and cable TV, which consumers pay for. As a result, the boom in online advertising is expected to continue, with all Internet advertising spending - including ads on Web sites of traditional media outlets - overtaking print newspaper advertising in 2010 as the largest advertising category, according to a report released Tuesday by Veronis Suhler Stevenson, a media investment firm.

From 2001 to 2006, the average amount of time spent by the typical consumer on paid media has jumped 19.8 percent. Over the same period, overall time spent with traditional or ad-supported media - such as broadcast television, radio and newspapers - declined 6.3 percent, the study found.

The study expects total Internet advertising to grow an average of 21 percent through 2011, including online-only outlets such as Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. as well as digital revenues from traditional media outlets such as newspaper publishers and TV broadcasters.

In 2010, that would put overall online ad spending at $54 billion, overtaking print-only newspaper advertising as the largest advertising category, which is expected to stand at $51.5 billion that year.

At the same time, the study also predicted rapid growth in the amount of digital advertising that newspapers would take in, jumping from $3.2 billion last year to $7.7 billion in 2010.

As of 2006, ad-supported media still had a 53.8 percent share of the total amount of time people spent with media, versus 46.2 percent on for-pay media, which include the Internet, cable and satellite TV, movies seen in theaters, books and recorded music.

At the same time, the study found that the total amount of time spent on all types of media actually declined slightly last year for the first time since 1997, dipping 0.5 percent to an annual total of 3,530 hours.

Leo Kivijarv, vice president of research at PQ Media, a media research consulting firm that worked on the report, said the slight decline came after several years of growth amid rapid adoption of new kinds of hardware and services such as high-speed Internet connections, satellite TV and digital video recorders.

With many of those services now already purchased by those who want them, Kivijarv said that time spent with media had reached a saturation point.

Also, researchers found that users generally spent less time with online media than they did with traditional media such as newspapers. Since people are online more often, that's resulted in an overall decline in total time spent consuming all media.

The Canadian Press, 2007

Taliban, South Korean officials meet in person for negotiations over hostages

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) - Two top Taliban leaders and four South Korean officials met face-to-face for the first time Friday to negotiate the fate of 21 members of a church group held hostage for three weeks, an Afghan official said. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said two members of the top militant council - Mullah Bashir and Mullah Nasorullah - travelled to the central Afghan city of Ghazni, near where the South Koreans were kidnapped on July 19. He said the government in Kabul gave the Taliban a written guarantee that the two officials would be safe.

The meeting began Friday evening at the office of the Afghan Red Cross in Ghazni, said the Afghan official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to release the information. He said four members of the International Committee of the Red Cross were also participating.

The Afghan and local governments did not immediately comment. The Interior Ministry spokesman said he was not aware of a meeting taking place.

Ahmadi also said the Taliban would not kill any of the 21 remaining South Korean hostages until the face-to-face meetings have been held. Two men among the 23 South Koreans originally kidnapped have already been killed.

The captors have repeatedly threatened to kill more hostages if their demands to release Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government and the U.S. military are not met.

The Afghan government has said it will not release prisoners because doing so could encourage more kidnappings. Afghan authorities say talks with the Taliban are the best way to resolve the problem.

The local governor, Marajudin Pathan, has said a ransom payment might resolve the crisis.

The South Korean government has issued guidelines to its aid organizations telling them to leave Afghanistan by the end of the month for safety reasons, a South Korean Embassy official said on condition of anonymity due to policy.

Last month, the government banned its citizens from travelling to Afghanistan.

Ahmadi said the departure of Korean aid workers would have a "positive effect." He did not elaborate.

In South Korea, a spokesman for the hostages' families said Friday that the mothers of several hostages - five women and a translator - will travel to the emirate of Dubai next week to seek help from the Arab world in securing their loved ones' release.

"The reason why we are sending women, especially mothers, to Dubai is that Islamic culture has more sympathy for women," said the spokesman, Cha Sung-min.

The 23 South Koreans were abducted in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province as they travelled by bus from Kabul to the southern city of Kandahar. The captives - volunteers from a church group who planned to do health work in Afghanistan - include 16 women and five men.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Unemployment inched down to 6.0 per cent in July, lowest rate since 1974

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's unemployment rate edged down 6.0 per cent in July, from 6.1 per cent in June, to the lowest rate since 1974. Only Alberta showed a significant increase in jobs, however, with 14,000 more people working in the province.

There were 20,000 new manufacturing jobs created, along with 25,000 new positions in the professional, scientific and technical sectors and 17,000 more in transportation and warehousing.

Those gains, however, were offset by the loss of 57,000 positions in educational services and 13,000 more in finance, insurance and real estate.

Although Ontario's overall employment level was little changed in July, there were 27,000 new manufacturing jobs created in July. That was the first significant increase in this sector in more than a year.

The job picture in Quebec was also essentially unchanged, with the jobless rate holding at a 33-year low of 6.9 per cent. So far this year, Quebec has gained 69,000 jobs.

Nationally, job prospects were especially bright for the young, with the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 hitting 10.6 per cent, a rate last seen in September 1989.

So far this year, the rate of job growth for young people is 2.1 per cent - outstripping gains among adult men (0.7 per cent) and women (1.5 per cent).

The report also noted that wages have increased and, on average, now are running ahead of inflation, after slower increases in the first quarter of the year.

In July, Canadians on average were making 3.7 per cent more than they were in July 2006, while inflation was running at 2.2 per cent.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

New housing prices continue slowdown

OTTAWA (CP) - The increase in new housing prices slowed for the eighth straight month, with contractors' selling prices increasing 7.8 per cent from June 2006 after an 8.6 per cent year-over-year rise in May. Monthly, prices rose 0.7 over May. Saskatoon's new-housing market continued its strong growth, setting another record year-over-year increase, at 48.4 per cent.

Regina also had a hot housing market, posting a record increase of 22.5 per cent over June 2006.

New-housing price inflation continued to fall in Alberta as prices in Edmonton receded to a 31.9 per cent increase, down from a high of 42.8 in November 2006.

At 14.7 per cent, Calgary's year-over-year increase continued to moderate from historic highs recorded in 2006.

At -2.3 per cent, Windsor, Ont., remained the only city where new housing prices declined - due largely, say homebuilders, to competitive pricing in a weak market.

Saskatoon had the highest monthly increase, at 8.8 per cent, followed by Winnipeg (5.2) and Regina (1.9).

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2007

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche will return Saturday, September 29, 2007. From sunset at 7:03 pm to sunrise on Sunday, September 30, everyone is invited to rediscover Toronto through contemporary art. The city will be divided into three geographical zones to accommodate more than 195 destinations. Each zone will feature one curated Exhibition and a series of Independent Projects.

For 2007, 125 Toronto museums, galleries, cultural and educational institutions and neighbourhoods will participate with more than 150 individual projects. This represents a 55% increase in the number of Independent Projects from the inaugural event. These additions will expand the reach of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche into new areas across the city including the Distillery District, Bloor/ Landsdowne, Parkdale, Church/Wellesley and Downtown Yonge. Each project is produced and financed by the individual partners.

The University of Toronto and the Ontario College of Art and Design played major roles in the inaugural Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. Both will return for 2007, joined this year by Ryerson University and George Brown College, all of which will contribute multiple projects to the event. The scale of the involvement by these educational institutions demonstrates the important role Toronto's emerging artists play in this event.

Each Independent Project partner will open their doors all night long with free admission. From interactive video art, a balloon maze, an all-night Salsa dance party and steamy saunas to floating clouds, Parisian vampires, a pom-pom exchange and electroacoustic music, these Independent Projects will make September 29 an unforgettable night.

"An event of this magnitude requires participation of the entire community," said Mayor David Miller. "Hundreds of artists, institutions, galleries and neighbourhoods have invested their talents, time and precious funding to be part of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche and make it an international success. This collaborative effort on such a grand scale is something we should be very proud of."

"We are very pleased to see the growth of Independent Projects at this year's Scotiabank Nuit Blanche," said John Doig, Scotiabank Senior Vice-President, Marketing. "Art and artists enrich our communities and enable all of us to experience richer lives. The tremendous number of Independent Projects this year means people in new areas of the city will have access to this exceptional event in their own neighbourhoods."

For details on all Independent Projects, visit the Media Room at www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca .

Scotiabank returns as the title sponsor of Nuit Blanche in 2007. Scotiabank is committed to supporting communities both in Canada and abroad. Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for its charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2006 the Bank provided more than $42 million in sponsorships and donations to a variety of projects and initiatives, primarily in the areas of healthcare, education, social services and arts and culture.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of more than 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. In the past three years Toronto has won more than 50 awards for quality and innovation in delivering public services. Toronto's government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and livability for all its residents.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is produced by the City of Toronto's Special Events section.
For more information about Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, the public can visit www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca or call Access Toronto at 416-338-0338

Bollywood Director To Remake 'Casablanca'

Indian director Rajeev Nath is making a Bollywood version of the WWII classic Casablanca, which starred Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Berman. Moreover, he plans a premiere of the movie in Casablanca, Morocco itself. "My film will be a tribute to the original," Nath told the Associated Press. "As a student of films, I had watched this great classic 20 times." In the new version, the Bogart character has been changed to an Indian diplomat-turned restaurateur who helps his lover and her husband, both Tamil separatist rebels fighting the Sri Lankan government, escape from India.

Malaysian student defends YouTube rap video of national anthem

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - A Malaysian Chinese student has defended posting a racially provocative rap video of the national anthem on YouTube that enraged ethnic Malays, saying he was merely exposing the truth in his music, according to a report Thursday. Wee Meng Chee has come under fire for mocking the national anthem and racial slurs in his rap video posted on the Internet site last month, which sparked a flood of abusive criticism from Malays but expressions of support from the ethnic Chinese community.

The divergent responses expose the deep divisions in the multiethnic country, where minority Chinese and Indians have long resented the privileges that the majority Muslim Malays receive in jobs and education under an affirmative action program.

More than half a million people have viewed the six-minute clip, in which Wee blends the national anthem, "Negaraku," with a rap song that bemoaned discrimination that Chinese face in Malaysia.

He also poked fun at Muslim morning prayers broadcast from mosques, corrupt policemen and laid-back civil servants, who are mostly Malays. Some of the lyrics implied that Malays are arrogant and Chinese are hardworking.

Officials have said they are investigating whether Wee has flouted the Sedition Act, which carries a maximum prison term of three years.

But Wee, who is studying at the Ming Chuan University in Taiwan, insisted he was patriotic and didn't mean to be seditious or to attack the government, The Star newspaper said.

"I'm simply reflecting the truth about our society through my music and I did not mean to offend anyone by producing such a video clip. I still love my country," the 24-year-old was quoted as saying.

Wee said in the report that he wrote the song in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th independence on Aug. 31, describing it as his "gift" to the country. He said he had removed the video from the website after receiving negative responses but it was uploaded again by some other supporters, the newspaper said.

His face can be clearly seen in the video and he sings with the Malaysian flag as a backdrop.

Such direct lampooning of a race in public is highly uncommon in Malaysia, where the three main ethnic groups have lived peacefully together since racial riots on May 13, 1969, left at least 200 people dead.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Hollywood producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein launch $285 million Asian film fund

HONG KONG (AP) - Harvey and Bob Weinstein said Wednesday they have launched a $285 million movie fund that will invest in Asian-themed projects, such as a remake of the 1954 Akira Kurosawa classic, "The Seven Samurai." Chinese media reported earlier that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star Zhang Ziyi has signed on for two projects.

The movie company founded by the Weinstein brothers, New York-based The Weinstein Co., also said in a statement it has invested in "The Forbidden Kingdom," the first movie featuring both Jackie Chan and Jet Li, which is filming in China.

The Weinstein Co. said it hopes to take advantage of lower costs by shooting in Asia while adding a "Western sensibility" to produce movies that appeal to both Asian and Western markets.

It said the Asian film fund aims to either produce or buy the rights to 21 movie productions and 10 straight-to-video productions that will be released through its Dragon Dynasty label, which Quentin Tarantino will help manage. Tarantino is known for his interest in Hong Kong film.

The Weinstein brothers founded Miramax, which became part of the independent film movement in the 1990s and produced several high-grossing movies.

The Walt Disney Co. bought Miramax in the early 1990s, but the Weinstein brothers continued to run the studio until 2005, when they left to form The Weinstein Co.

http://www.weinsteinco.com

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Payday lenders face new rules, but consumers group says problems remain

WINNIPEG (CP) - New rules in several provinces are supposed to protect consumers from sky-high interest rates and fees at payday loan companies, but a consumer lobby group says they will likely do nothing to prevent the poor from becoming trapped by crushing debtloads. Manitoba has become the latest province to unveil detailed rules that payday loan companies will soon have to follow. Regulations approved by the NDP cabinet this month, which are expected to take effect next winter, will require payday loan companies to post large signs near their doorways that will detail the full cost of borrowing $300 for two weeks.

The signs must also reveal the loan rate, including any fees, and must read in large letters "Payday Loans are High-Cost Loans".

The aim, the province says, is to make borrowers more aware of how much they are paying for quick cash.

"That will make them in a position to make a more informed decision as to whether they want to take out the loan," said Donna Tardi, manager of dispute resolutions with the Consumers' Bureau branch of Manitoba's Finance Department.

"It also would allow them to check out the cost from location to location and then decide which business they want to deal with."

The Ontario government recently enacted similar rules, and Saskatchewan and other provinces are preparing to follow suit, in the wake of complaints that some payday lenders charge rates and hidden user fees that work out to more than 1,000 per cent a year.

But the Consumers Association of Canada says revealing the full cost of loans will not deter low-income earners, who cannot get credit at the big banks.

"They are not going to react to a sign that says 'It's costing you 100 per cent' or 'It's costing you 5,000 per cent,' association vice-president Mel Fruitman said in an interview from Toronto. "They're just looking at ... (what they) need to keep going."

Interest rates are so high, Fruitman says, that some borrowers who roll over their loans for another week or two quickly find themselves with a spiralling debt they cannot pay off.

The real answer, according to Fruitman, is to enforce the maximum legal interest rate under the Criminal Code - 60 per cent on a one-year basis. But the industry has said it cannot make money at that rate for short-term loans. A payday lender would have to charge less than $1 interest on a $100 one-week loan, for example, to stay within the existing limit.

The federal government passed legislation this year to allow the provinces to set their own rates for short-term loans.

Manitoba Finance Minister Greg Selinger has said he recognizes the rate may have to be higher than 60 per cent in order for payday lenders to survive. That's why he and some other provincial ministers are letting arm's-length utilities boards determine what rate is appropriate. In Manitoba, public hearings on the issue will start this fall.

The Canadian Payday Loan Association, which represents about 40 per cent of payday loan outlets across the country, says it provides an important service that many Canadians need.

The group also says regulations are needed to ensure everyone is scrupulous.

"Those companies which have bad business practices ... will either have to comply with the new regulations or they'll be out of business," said group president Stan Keyes.

The new regulations approved by the Manitoba government will also require payday lenders to pay a licence fee of $5,500 a year for each retail outlet. The regulations also provide for fines starting at $1,000 for a first offence, for companies that break the rules.

The province has already implemented other payday loan rules, to prevent lenders from seizing the paycheques of borrowers who default, and to prevent lenders from charging borrowers extra fees for taking out a new loan to pay off their initial one.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

China orders price probe amid sharp rise in food costs

BEIJING (AP) - China's government announced an investigation Friday of sharply rising food prices, accusing companies of hoarding and threatening social stability.
Communist leaders are alarmed at a jump in politically sensitive food prices, which hit China's poor majority especially hard. Authorities have ordered measures to increase supplies of pork and other basic goods.

Investigators will look into why prices of grain, vegetable oil, pork, beef, mutton, and poultry are rising so fast, the National Development and Reform Commission said on its website.

Food prices in June were up 7.6 per cent from the same month last year, driven by a 74.6-per-cent jump in prices for pork, China's staple meat.

"Some industry groups have organized co-ordinated price rises and some companies have colluded to raise prices," the NDRC statement said.

"This seriously disrupts normal price order and influences social stability."

Pork prices have risen especially quickly but consumers also have seen the cost of other basic goods, including vegetable oil and instant noodles rise.

A Chinese consumer association asked the NDRC this week to look into increases of up to 40 per cent in the price of instant noodles, suggesting producers might have colluded to fix prices, Chinese media reported.

Premier Wen Jiabao last week promised to boost pork production by helping pig farmers with free vaccinations, subsidies and other aid.

Shortages have been caused by farmers' reluctance to raise pigs due to high feed costs and low wholesale prices, as well as an outbreak of blue-ear disease, which has forced the destruction of thousands of pigs.

Wen also ordered local governments to pay subsidies to poor families and students who are hurt by higher food prices.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Japan's Nikkei and South Korea's main stock index fall after Wall Street slide

TOKYO (AP) - Asian stocks plunged Friday as fallout spread from global market turmoil set off by concerns about credit weakness in the U.S. The Bank of Japan joined its U.S. and European counterparts in pouring cash into money markets to calm growing jitters. The Nikkei 225 index dropped 406.51 points, or 2.37 per cent, to close at 16,764.09 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The broader Topix index, which includes all shares on the exchange's first section, fell 49.88 points, or 2.96 per cent, to 1,633.93.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell as much as 80.88 points, or 4.24 per cent, to 1,827.80 with issues falling across the board, especially financial stocks.

Asian markets across the region followed the general slump.

Hong Kong's blue chip Hang Seng Index was down three per cent midday at 21,771.94. Singapore's Straits Times Index was down 3.4 per cent at 3,298.88. The Philippine benchmark index was also off three per cent, and the standard market measure in Australia was down 2.8 per cent.

The plunge came after the Dow Jones industrial average fell 387.18, or 2.83 per cent, to 13,270.68 in New York on Thursday after a French bank announced it was freezing funds that invested in U.S. subprime mortgages, deepening fears of a credit crunch.

Amid Friday's decline, the Bank of Japan said it injected 1 trillion yen (US$8.39 billion) into money markets to curb rises in a key overnight interest rate.

The injection followed similar moves by its European and U.S. counterparts overnight.

The European Central Bank provided more than $130 billion to money markets, the bank's biggest infusion ever.

The U.S. Federal Reserve also added a larger-than-normal $24 billion in temporary reserves to the U.S. banking system.

In South Korea early Friday, blue chip stocks Samsung Electronics Co., the country's largest corporation, and Posco, the world's fourth-largest steelmaker, were down 2.6 per cent and 3.6 per cent, respectively.

Moves in international markets affect the Korean index, said Kang Moon-sung, a strategist at Korea Investment and Securities Co.

"So no one is confident this level is (the) bottom," Kang said.

The index has been on a tear for most of this year, rising as much as 40 per cent. Last month, the benchmark closed past 2,000 for the first time.

Japan's government spokesman Yasuhisa Shiozaki tried to play down the fears about the fallout on the world's second largest economy.

"Our economy is recovering smoothly, spurred by private sector demand," Shiozaki told reporters Friday. "The government will continue to closely watch share prices and overall economic indicators," he said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Music publishers join copyright infringement case against YouTube

NEW YORK (AP) - A group of music publishing companies said Monday it is joining a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google Inc.'s video-sharing site YouTube.
The National Music Publishers' Association said it was joining the lawsuit out of concern that many songwriters weren't receiving proper compensation when their music appeared on YouTube videos.

The lawsuit also includes as plaintiffs the Football Association Premier League and Viacom Inc., a media company that owns MTV, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central.

The plaintiffs say YouTube is breaking the law by hosting video clips that they hold the copyrights to. However, YouTube says it's complying with the law by immediately taking down any clips found to be violating copyrights after receiving notification.

David Israelite, chief executive of the NMPA, said in a statement that the music publishers' group was "very concerned about YouTube's approach to copyright."

The lawsuits have been combined for trial purposes into one case being heard by U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton in New York.

Music publishing companies administer the copyrights of songwriters and composers and collect the royalties that are due to them.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Less-than-purr-fect Thai police to sport Hello Kitty armbands as punishment

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Thai police officers who break police rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring "Hello Kitty," the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday. Police officers caught littering, parking in a prohibited area, or arriving late - among other misdemeanours - will also be forced to stay in the division office with the deputy chief all day, said Police Col. Pongpat Chayaphan. The striking armband features Sanrio's Hello Kitty sitting atop two hearts.

"Simple warnings no longer work. This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offence, no matter how minor," said Pongpat, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok.

"(Hello) Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It's not something macho police officers want covering their biceps," Pongpat said.

He said police caught breaking the law will be subject the same fines and penalties as any other members of the public.

"We want to make sure that we do not condone small offences, " Pongpat said, adding that the CSD believed that getting tough on petty misdemeanours would lead to fewer cases of more serious offences including abuse of power and mistreatment of the public by policemen.

Hello Kitty, invented by Sanrio Co. in 1974, has been popular for years with children and young women. The celebrity cat adorns everything from diamond-studded jewelry, Fender guitars and digital cameras to lunch boxes, T-shirts and stationery.

Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Mariah Carey have been spotted with Hello Kitty gear.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Establishing a foothold in China is a big-bucks proposition for American sports leagues

(AP) - The NBA has 92 employees working in four cities in China, a country where 300 million people - the population of the entire United States - play basketball.
The NFL is trying to find a niche in China's huge group of 18-to-34-year-old men, figuring they'll love fantasy football, video games and online updates as much as young American guys do.

Major League Baseball wants to find its Yao Ming, hoping someday to bring a star or two to America and give Chinese fans someone to cheer.

Yes, sports is big business in the world's biggest country, and not just because of the upcoming Olympics.

China has 1.3 billion people and a rapidly growing economy. Disposable income has grown by 11 per cent annually since 1995, according to one study, and the size of the middle class is growing by 18 per cent.

"I absolutely think there's opportunity in China," said Robert Tuchman, CEO of TSE Sports and Entertainment, who recently returned from a trip to Beijing to scout marketing opportunities. "There's no doubt that this is definitely the holy grail when you look at China's standing compared to the rest of the world."

Of America's three biggest sports leagues, the NBA clearly has the biggest foothold. The NBA makes about $300 million from overseas each year, and China is the biggest contributor toward that figure, said Heidi Ueberroth, NBA Entertainment's president of global business operations.

"The NBA is unique in that, the very best players in the world aspire to play in our league," said Ueberroth, the daughter of U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth. "The Chinese see the NBA not as an American sport, but as a global sport. It's something people around the world have aspirations for."

Indeed, part of the NBA's success comes because the Chinese have been playing and watching basketball for a long time. American missionaries brought the sport to China in the 1890s. The NBA has had a presence in China since 1979, when the Washington Bullets travelled there to play the Chinese national team.

NBA games are broadcast on 51 television networks, and the league's Chinese website is the most popular sports internet site, averaging 12 million views a day.

And Yao's jersey sales rank sixth in China behind Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Tracy McGrady and Dwyane Wade - perhaps a sign that basketball has legs beyond the country's biggest star.

Still, many experts believe giving Chinese fans someone to follow is a big part of the equation for success there.

"That's how it opens up," Tuchman said. "When you have a player who can capture the excitement of a country, that's when they can get drawn into a sport."

The Yankees and Mariners each recently signed two Chinese prospects, recognizing the vast potential if they can identify the country's first baseball star. Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino visited China recently and saw what could happen if a Chinese player makes it in America and fans connect with him.

"The transformation of the society is creating a middle class with leisure time and money for sports," he said, answering an e-mail question about his trip. "There is a history there of baseball. The new media opportunities are gigantic."

It also helps if a sport's familiar, a part of the culture of a country that loves its recreation. That's a model with which the NBA has found success, co-sponsoring a series of 2-on-2 tournaments being played in 112 cities this summer.

"Baseball has to be played day in and day out," said Jim Lefebvre, manager of the Chinese Olympic team, in a recent interview. "When we play four or five games in a row, the players break down and get hurt. If China wants to compete, they have to play day in and day out and realize who they are competing with."

Football might have the longest way to go, though the NFL is trying to catch up.

To most people outside North America, football is an ungainly mess, filled with long breaks between the action, strange position names and complicated strategy.

The NFL planned to stage a Patriots-Seahawks pre-season game in China this year but awkwardly cancelled those plans a few months after scheduling the game.

Mark Waller, senior vice-president-international for the NFL, conceded the league might have put too much on its plate in trying to work the China game in along with the upcoming regular-season meeting between the Dolphins and Giants at Wembley Stadium.

"I personally believe that following the Olympics is better than preceding it," Waller said. "I believe there will be more fan space, fan attention and government interest in how to fill stadiums."

While the NFL prepares to play a pre-season game in China by 2009, it's busy trying to build its brand. The league has sponsored a school-age, flag-football league for about 5,000 players, and an NFL game is shown each week on state-run TV. The league also opened its first Chinese office in June, recognizing the need to establish a physical presence in China.

With live-action football in short supply, the NFL also is trying to find a way to market the game to fans through fast-moving highlight packages, video games, fantasy football and other internet-driven products.

"Our emphasis is going to be around how much we can deliver to fans in a technological way," Waller said. "It's a sport that looks great on TV, looks great on the internet. We can do a lot around video gaming. It will be a technological-based modern approach underpinned with the ability for a limited number of people to play."

Tuchman said finding business opportunities in China is the No. 1 project these days at his company, which caters to companies looking for sports-marketing investments around the world.

But it takes more than simply showing up.

"Things would be going a lot more quickly right now if there were more of a guarantee when dealing with China that things will go as planned," Tuchman said. "Buying companies over there, getting data and the things that you need to have guaranteed before you make an investment is very difficult."

One project to note might be NBA commissioner David Stern's goal of establishing an NBA-operated league in China. Stern has said forming such a league was a project much closer to fruition than expansion in the current NBA or even his so-called 20-year plan of having five franchises in Europe.

But the 12-year-old Chinese Basketball Association, which produced Yao and Milwaukee draft pick Yi Jianlian, is well entrenched.

"Entirely unworkable," is what Duke professor Grant Farred calls the NBA's plan to establish a league in China.

Farred wrote a recent book discussing the difficulties of assimilating different cultures into basketball. He recognizes the potential of the American sports projects in China but doesn't think the partnerships will evolve so seamlessly.

"Can you imagine the Chinese government saying it's OK for an American conglomerate to run the CBA? How unthinkable is that?" Farred said. "Also, is there a market for these games? On the one hand, lots of people will wake up at ungodly hours to watch Yao Ming play for the Houston Rockets. He's great. But how many are going to pay good money to watch a bunch of also-ran Chinese?"

And indeed, money is an issue.

One thing that struck Tuchman on his recent visit was the poverty. For all the reports of an improving economy and growing middle class, Tuchman said he still saw a very poor, developing city in many places.

"You see all the billboards of Yao wearing his Rockets jersey," Tuchman said. "You can bring in a lot of fans like some of the leagues are going to do, but when you want to convert fans into customers, you've got to have people with TVs and money."

Where money exists, the Chinese seem willing to spend it on basketball.

The NBA says the branded sports apparel market in China is expected to grow 20 per cent annually to US$2.5 billion in 2010. About 20,000 Chinese stores carry NBA merchandise.

Despite the inherent roadblocks and his own skepticism, Farred acknowledges there is, indeed "a profound fascination, particularly with their growing middle class, in things American."

"There's always going to be money to be made in China," he said. "Nobody would deny that."

© The Canadian Press, 2007

'Nanking' by Diana Tso

Nanking' by Diana Tso,
directed by Nina Aquino-Lee
SummerWorks Reading Series www.summerworks. ca
August 9 (Thursday) @ 3pm
Factory Theatre Mainspace
(tickets available at the Factory Theatre Courtyard box office PWYC/FREE)

The story surrounds three generations of a Chinese family. Over the years pain and shame have buried specific chapters of the family's history. The love between the granddaughter and a Japanese Nisei, reopen the grandfather' s unhealed pain as a survivor of the Nanking Holocaust and propel the family's Pandora's Box to burst open. The work is a play of healing and redemption.

DARK

A free evening of inspired performances in the Valley

August 25, 7 pm, Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Centre

Fu-GEN performs Singkil by Catherine Hernandez, Photo by Mark McNeilly

Saturday, August 25 will be a summer night to remember as a diverse cast
of more than 50 actors, dancers, playwrights, musicians and spoken-word
artists take over the sprawling Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts
Centre for *DARK*, an exciting evening of free performances.

Nestled in the Don Valley at Pottery Road, the Todmorden site features
historic homes, the Brewery Gallery, the Papermill Theatre & Gallery, an
historic train station and a 9.2 hectare wild flower preserve. Each of these
spaces will be utilized in site-specific, overlapping performances as
audiences move about the grounds from 7 - 11 pm in what promises to be a
magical and entertaining evening.

Mainstage performances in the Papermill Theatre include premieres of new
works from Dora Award-winning Fu-Gen Asian Canadian Theatre Company and
Tapestry New Opera Works. The AMY (Artists Mentoring Youth) Project combines
drums, dance and drama, while dancer/choreographe r Santee Smith performs a
new, original piece in the Papermill Gallery space during the mainstage
intermission.

Sponsored by Toronto Culture's Live With Culture program, *DARK* is curated
by Marjorie Chan (Cahoots Theatre Project) who has charged the performers
with transforming Todmorden Mills into "a thrilling evening of performance
happenings."

Other performers include banjo-playing storyteller Sean Dixon (author of The
Girls Who Saw Everything), performance artists Hyun Liya Choi, Belladonna
and Lisa Pijuan-Nomura, actor Melissa D'Agostino, INpulse Dance artists
Diana Groenendijk and Suzanne Liska, improv troupe The Wrecking Crew, the
Actors Repertory Company and Korean drum ensemble Samul Nori Canada. Seven
playwrights, including Governor General's Award nominees Lisa Codrington and
Mark Brownell, will perform 15 minute readings of their works.

"*DARK* will be a wonderful showcase for Todmorden Mills," says site
administrator Ulana Baluk. "Our theatre and gallery spaces are state of the
art and our historic buildings will provide evocative backdrops for the
performers."

For more information visit www.livewithculture .ca , the ultimate guide to
Toronto's culture scene. Live With Culture is a celebration of Toronto's
extraordinary arts and cultural communities, shining a spotlight on the
vibrant and diverse activities happening in the city each and every day.

City of Toronto Culture, Museums and Heritage Services, operates 10 historic
museums offering public, education and special event programming.

*Todmorden Mills is located at 67 Pottery Road*

For details call (416) 396-2819

Art Gallery of Mississauga Video Programme

Bedroom Community

Tuesday August 14, 2007
9:00 pm – 10:30 pm

Main Stage, On the grounds of the Mississauga Central Library

Curated by Su-Ying Lee, Curatorial/Administrative Assistant, Art Gallery of Mississauga

Peeking into bedrooms

Referring to commuter suburbs, the term “bedroom community” implies a primarily residential municipality that arises to feed the demand for workers in the urban centre. Suburban lives, it would seem, are ordered into predictable units of work and domesticity, a template that is used again and again. The conventional lore of the suburbs has been one of a place called “normal”; but what do we truly know about normal?

Built in 1954, our first Canadian suburb, the community of Don Mills, signified the recovery of famillies and the economy following WWII. Work, which is often synonymous with purpose, greatly shapes lives, permitting the ability to purchase a home and sustain a family. Tim Eckman, who has been working since adolescence, now lives in the rafters at the Scotia Bank towers, informed by a mystical being, “The Clock.” This scenario from A Cure for Being Ordinary by Emily Vey Duke & Cooper Battersby, although seemingly fantastic, is intensified from the same work/time locus which has suburban residents flocking en mass, daily. While the fictional Tim Eckman has moved away from the flock, the paradox of work limiting individual agency while enabling individual freedom has suspended the characters in Aleesa Cohene’s Supposed To.

Suburban identity, rooted in recent history and pervasive in popular culture, has mutated. The current perception of the suburbs is no longer of the idyllic, nuclear-family enclave of Leave It To Beaver but of unrestrained, gluttonous communities which cannot be sustained. In a story broadcast by the CBC on April 14, 1963, one suburban resident waxes idyllic while foreshadowing the vehicle dependency and consumption that suburbanites would come to be associated with: “There’s just one concern: A mother says she’s always having to taxi her children around. But besides the transportation issue, ‘it’s perfect.’” Mississauga’s expansive streets, more accommodating to vehicles than to pedestrians, lead to City Centre where Heather Keung & Michael Connor encapsulate the intensity of the municipality’s traffic—just one of the contemporary suburb’s larger-than-life attributes.

Torontonians often marvel disdainfully at all the ways in which the surrounding suburbs are not Toronto. Such intimate knowledge of our differences is come by honestly since, truth be known, many urban inhabitants lived their childhoods and adolescences in bouroughs, villes, and dales. It is this combination of superiority and sheepishness that marks a self-loathing suburban fugitive. Alex Grant’s Magic Memory captures the passing of a moment of childhood before the development of suburban self-loathing. A childhood set against a backdrop of orderly subdivisions does not preclude profundity. Libby Hague’s Our Town casts watercolour and ink children against a dolly shot of a subdivision: brutality and play exist side by side; children and adults share a world, but not without difficulty; the banal and the profound are inextricably linked.

The extraordinary emerges when individual lives push against the norm of the suburbs. From suburban detritus found on Mississauga’s Winston Churchill Boulevard, Alison Kobayashi gleans the disquiet typical of early adolescent desire in From Alex to Alex. Such ordinary tensions are at once enchanted and heart-rending, appearing interspersed throughout Songs of Praise for the Heart Beyond Cure by Emily Vey Duke & Cooper Battersby. Like a clamour rising up from the psyche of the suburbs, we praise and long for the natural world and loathe ourselves as we destruct it; youth impart insights, brave and regular; we struggle as inhabitants of a conflicted world; conjurers warn with advice; domesticated animals are charmed.

The themes of work, traffic, coming of age, and enduring our days are typical of those prescribed to the suburbs. The depths of these themes, when mined, reveal the fantastically banal, mystical, and absurd all residing in bedroom communities.

- Su-Ying Lee

Heather Keung & Michael Connor
City Centre, 2006
4 min 30 sec

City Centre examines how the suburban landscape functions and facilitates the lifestyles of the people who live there. Comprised of thousands of digital photographs, the video illustrates human traffic patterns and highlights the activities that happen at the centre of the city of Mississauga.

Emily Vey Duke & Cooper Battersby
A Cure for Being Ordinary, 2004
6 min

While in a self-imposed exile from the corporate world, a man describes his relationship to the clock from early recollections to his entry into the working world.

A Cure for Being Ordinary is one segment of a musical video-art science-fiction trilogy entitled The New Freedom Founders.

Aleesa Cohene
Supposed To, 2006
7 min

Supposed To examines how work in a capitalist system divides people from themselves. Work often succeeds at limiting our individual agency while paradoxically promoting individual freedom. Lack of agency breeds apathy and despondency: we feel guilty for things we didn't do, and shirk responsibility for things we made happen.

Re-editing sampled footage and dialogue from science fiction films, psychological thrillers, and corporate training videos, Supposed To builds a hybrid narrative of characters exhausted by work, acting out, escaping conflict, and misdirected blame, and ultimately returning to an inevitable deep, wordless knowledge that shapes our shared reality. Supposed To questions our ontological vocation, reminding us that our destiny is still unknown.

Alex Grant
Magic Memory, 2006
2 min 55 sec

This piece is about saying goodbye to one's youth and boyhood.

Libby Hague
Our Town, 2001
9 min 10 sec

A child’s society—its vitality, violence, and distance from the adult world—is underscored by the suicide of a friend’s mother. The slippage between the child’s and adult’s world is personified by a technique of static animation in which hundreds of watercolour ink drawings are superimposed on an out-of-register real world, composed of a nine-minute dolly shot of a suburban housing project.

Alison S.M. Kobayashi
From Alex To Alex, 2006
6 min 11 sec

In the fall of 2003 I found a letter on the Winston Churchill Blvd QEW overpass. It was labelled “From: Alex To: Alex.” This is a film based on the contents of that letter.

Emily Vey Duke & Cooper Battersby
Songs of Praise for the Heart Beyond Cure, 2006
14 min 40 sec

As with earlier works, Songs of Praise takes on difficult, often painful subject matter. Themes of addiction, violence, the destruction of the natural world and the agonies of adolescence are woven through the work, but as Sarah Milroy writes for the Globe and Mail, the tape is "anything but depressing... [it is founded in] a sense of wonder at the endearing weirdness of life and all the vulnerable, furry little creatures immersed in it (especially us)."

My Mississauga - Come Celebrate Summer at City Centre
June – September 2007

Bursting at the seams, the Art Gallery of Mississauga has exploded into the Civic Square offering dynamic summer performances and engaging multi-media presentations for the My Mississauga festival. The Gallery invites you to join our summer long open house of ideas and entertainment.

If you have any questions please contact 905-896-5507 or suzanne.carte-blanchenot@mississauga.ca

Art Gallery of Mississauga would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Pendle Fund at the Community Foundation of Mississauga, Ontario Trillium Foundation, My Mississauga, University of Toronto, and Vtape.

Oda's ouster would not be mourned

Martin Knelman
TheStar.com

The National Gallery's magnificent "Renoir Landscape" show and excitingly original programming at the annual Ottawa Chamber Music Festival made the capital a perfect place for celebrating the arts this summer, with happy cultural vibes rippling on for weeks after the Canadian Opera Company's outdoor Canada Day concert.

But the biggest cultural development of the summer could be an impending cabinet shuffle, said to be in the works for next week.

That's because Bev Oda – who has been an enigmatic and lacklustre head of culture as heritage minister since early 2006 – is a likely target for Stephen Harper.

Oda's exit would not be a matter of profound regret to many in the arts world who have concluded she is not an effective advocate, especially in the ``416.''

If Toronto is in the midst of a cultural renaissance that will benefit all of Canada, you'd hardly know it by the signals from Camp Oda.

More than a year after six Toronto arts organizations asked Oda and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty for $49 million in top-up funds for their building projects, despite positive hints, it seems that cheque was never in the mail.

And this summer, Oda was a non-player at Luminato, the biggest arts festival ever held in the country's biggest city. Queen's Park jumped in with millions, but Ottawa contributed exactly nothing to the festival despite repeated requests from its founders.

A few weeks ago, though, Oda delivered a rare piece of good news, announcing $30 million is being added to the base budget of the Canada Council, keeping it at its 2007 level of $180 million rather than dropping it back to its old $150 million budget.

But even this apparent good-news event has a bad-news side. The increase falls far short of the $300 million-plus annual budget announced by the Paul Martin Liberals just before the last election – despite Oda's campaign promise that Harper would honour the Liberal commitment.

Even more important, Oda has not convinced a lot of people that she is passionately devoted to strengthening the arts, or that she thinks a creative explosion could lead the way to helping Canada achieve greatness in the 21st century. She makes polite speeches on formal occasions, but without the spirit that earned her Liberal predecessor, Liza Frulla, and Frulla's parliamentary secretary, former Parkdale MP Sam Bulte, the trust of the cultural community.

Oda's public appearances can be painful. In March, after failing to deliver on her overdue promise of a national museum policy, the Canadian Museums Association presented her with a boomerang. By refusing to accept it, Oda came across as a poor sport.

In April in Winnipeg, Oda sat quietly while Harper announced the government was granting national museum status to the Museum of Human Rights, which insiders said was happening despite the opposition of her department.

Still, if Harper shuffles Oda, it won't be because she has disappointed the arts world. He may opt for the political advantage of a French-speaking heritage minister, knowing culture gets votes in Quebec.

Above all, there's the "whoops" factor. Last fall, Oda had to cancel a Bay Street fundraiser because it was run by broadcasters lobbying her ministry just weeks before a major federal review of broadcasting rules. Later on, she was criticized because a number of broadcasters made donations within weeks of the cancellation.

A few months later, just after the government announced a $30 million fund for summer arts festivals, Oda was again accused of foul play when, before festivals had rules for applications, she invited Tory MPs to provide examples of community activities in their ridings that should receive funding.

That could just add up to one whoops moment too many.

Filipinos Making Waves Festival

Discover the shimmering cultural wonders of the Philippines - Friday, August 17 through Sunday, August 19
(Complete event schedule included below)

TORONTO, August 8, 2007 – Harbourfront Centre’s World Routes 2007 presented by RBC is thrilled to host the Filipinos Making Waves festival. Co-produced with the Philippine Arts and Cultural Experience (PACE), this festival is a celebration of the exuberant and diverse Filipino cultures and features several celebrity talents.

A cultural cross-section of the 7107 islands of the Philippines, Filipinos Making Waves is a rare glimpse into the abundant variations of Filipino music, dance and art that has developed throughout centuries as an archipelagic trading port and colony. Aboriginal customs mingle with south Asian, European (mainly Spanish) and later American influences to produce a truly complex and vibrant people.

Art enthusiasts can enjoy Images: Filipino Visual Artists Making Waves, an exhibition of over 100 multi-disciplinary works reflecting the eclectic styles of Filipino artists from all over the world. World renowned dance troupe Likha from San Francisco make their Canadian debut and command attention with their unique and exquisite costumes. Closing the weekend is the Fluvial Regatta and Parade - a perfect way to spend the afternoon. All Filipinos Making Waves events are FREE unless otherwise noted.

Filipinos Making Waves includes the Canadian debut of Passion (Tickets $25), a 20-year old rising pop sensation from California; former Canadian Idol finalist and BMG recording artist Mikey Bustos, plus the Canadian debuts of distinguished jazz pianist Boy Katindig and improvisational guitar virtuoso Angelo Pizarro, as well as the captivating traditional gong music of Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble, presented by FIDO, and everybody’s favourite Mon Torralba!

Filipino Films Making Waves showcases several great feature films including THE GREAT RAID, with a very special appearance from actor Cesar Montano, and Pulong Bayan – The Evolution of Phillipine Fashion features panel discussions and a bona fide fashion show.

For information on all Filipinos Making Waves events, the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com

Filipinos Making Waves – Complete Festival Schedule – All events are FREE

Friday, August 17

Visual Art (all weekend)
Images: Filipino Visual Artists Making Waves (Marilyn Brewer Community Space)
Filipinos Making Waves - Festival Reception
7:00 p.m. – Hosted by Edu Manzo with music from Josie de Leon & Lirio Vital (Lakeside Terrace)

Music
6:30 p.m. – Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble - melodic rhythms using traditional gongs, presented by FIDO (Toronto Star Stage)
7:30 p.m. – Filipino Folk Rock - with Amado Mamaril, Zena Zagala and Chito Sarabia (Toronto Star Stage)
9:30 p.m. – Mikey Bustos and For U (Sirius Stage – formerly the Concert Stage)
10:00 p.m. – Ticketed Event - $25.00 - Youth Wave – featuring Passion & DJ Jooce – Late Night NOW presented by Heineken (Brigantine Room)
Film
9:00 p.m. – THE GREAT RAID – with guest Cesar Montano (Studio Theatre)

Saturday, August 18

Dance
3:00 p.m. – Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble – from San Francisco, exquisite traditional dance – Canadian debut! (Toronto Star Stage)
4:30 p.m. – Culture Philippines Ontario – Igorot & Rural Suite (Toronto Star Stage)
6:30 p.m. – Culture Philippines Ontario – Muslim Suite (Toronto Star Stage)
Music
1:00 p.m. – Likha Rondala Band (Toronto Star Stage)
2:00 p.m. – Palabuniyan Kulintang Music – presented by FIDO (Concert Stage)
3:30 p.m. – Lirio Vital – the Queen of Philippine love songs (Sirius Stage – formerly the Concert Stage)
8:30 p.m. – Angelo Pizarro – improvisational guitar virtuoso – Canadian debut! (Sirius Stage - formerly the Concert Stage)
10:00 p.m. – Boy Katindig – extraordinary jazz pianist – Canadian debut! (Sirius Stage - formerly the Concert Stage)
11:00 p.m. – Banda Rito, Banda Roon – Mon Torralba and crew rock into the night (Brigantine Room)
Film
3:00 p.m. – SIGAW – THE ECHO (Studio Theatre)
5:30 p.m. – ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS – The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (Studio Theatre)
Children
1:00 p.m. – Fun with Philippines Arts and Crafts (Natrel Kids Zone)
Other
1:30 p.m. – Filipino Talents Making Waves – Isang Miendo, Isang Awit (Lakeside Terrace)
5:30 p.m. – Filipino Talents Making Waves – Salaneat Musika (Lakeside Terrace)
7:30 p.m. – Martial Arts Demo (Toronto Star Stage)

Sunday, August 19

Music
3:00 p.m. – Retro Manila: Sound Waves from the Past (Sirius Stage - formerly the Concert Stage)
4:30 p.m. - Philippine Variety Show (Sirius Stage - formerly the Concert Stage)
Dance
5:30 p.m. – Likha - Filipino Cultural Dance Finale (Toronto Star Stage)
Film
3:00 p.m. – THE GREAT RAID (Studio Theatre)
Children
1:00 p.m. – Fun with Philippines Arts and Crafts (Natrel Kids Zone)
Other
12:00 p.m. – Pulong Bayan – The evolution of Philippine fashion – panel discussion followed by a fashion show (Lakeside Terrace)
1:00 p.m. – Best of Filipino Talents Making Waves – finale! (Toronto Star Stage)
2:00 p.m. – Fluvial Regatta & Boardwalk Parade – a traditional boat parade in the water and on the Boardwalk
4:00 p.m. - Martial Arts Demo (Toronto Star Stage)

Filipinos Making Waves at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto. Friday, August 17 through Sunday, August 19. For information please call 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com

Harbourfront Centre’s summer long series of festivals, World Routes 2007 presented by RBC. Each weekend from June through September, Generations of top Canadian and international artists perform in all of the creative disciplines including music, dance, theatre, visual arts, readings and film. Harbourfront Centre’s unparalleled 10-acre waterfront site is prized for its fun and educational family activities at multiple venues, as well as the ethnic diversity of the International Marketplace and World Café. These rotating shops and cafés are nestled along an expanded boardwalk, and enable visitors to explore and access each weekend's cultural theme through the purchase of unique items and food. All World Routes 2007 summer festivals are FREE admission.

Air Canada flew more passengers on less-filled planes in July

MONTREAL (CP) - Air Canada (TSX:AC.A) flew more passengers in July, but an increase in summer capacity caused its load factor - the percentage of available seats that are filled with passengers - to slip, according to the latest monthly passenger statistics released Monday. Canada's largest airline said its revenue passenger miles were up 1.3 per cent in July to 4.46 million miles. However, its capacity increased by 2.7 per cent resulting in a load factor of 82.5 per cent, a decrease of 1.1 percentage points.

Its feeder airline, Jazz Air (TSX:JAZ.UN), increased its passenger traffic by 8.5 per cent over July 2006. Capacity increased by six per cent, resulting in a load factor of 74.4 per cent, compared to 72.7 per cent in 2006.

Overall system traffic rose 1.9 per cent on a capacity increase of 2.9 per cent. The resulting load factor of 81.8 per cent was down nearly one percentage point in the year.

Canadian traffic increased by 5.4 per cent, while traffic to the U.S. dropped by 3.8 per cent and international traffic was up by 1.4 per cent.

"On a combined basis with Jazz, system-wide traffic increased almost two percentage points from the previous year as consumers continue to choose the new Air Canada in growing numbers for its innovative fare products, subscription passes and new cabin amenities as we renew the fleet," Air Canada president and CEO Montie Brewer said in a news release.

"For the month of July, traffic continued to grow in all markets with the exception of the U.S. transborder market where we responded with effective capacity management that resulted in increased load factor year over year."

Montreal-based Air Canada said the U.K. market was affected by increased industry capacity, additional security measures and a doubling of the U.K. departure tax.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Nikon celebrates its 90th anniversary

Nikon Corp., Tokyo, Japan, celebrated its 90th Anniversary on July 25, and updated its Company History page on its website to introduce various events since its establishment on July 25, 1917, as Nippon Kogaku Kogyo (Nikon), reports JPEA International PEN News Weekly.

In commemoration of its 90th anniversary, Nikon has lunched "Nikon Scholarship Program" in Thailand. The company has had a close relationship with Thailand for years. In 1990, the company established Nikon (Thailand) Co. Ltd. in Ayutthaya as a manufacturing base for DSLR cameras, interchangeable lenses, and digital camera components. Thailand is beset with various problems including educational disparities so Nikon says it will lend support to its educational system to aid in the future of Thailand.

The new Nikon program in Tailand will provide junior and senior high school and university students with finsinacial support in order to defray their basic educational expenses. In cooperation with the Shanti Volunteer Association of Japan and Sikkha Asia Foundation of Thailand, Nikon will administer the program under Nikon Shanti Scholarship Institution. Grants will be awarded to 150 junior and senior high school students (25 students from each of six grades) and 20 university students (5 students from each of four grades), says PEN News Weekly.

Beijing's yearlong party begins as Olympic countdown clocks reach 1-year mark

BEIJING (AP) - China celebrated the one-year countdown to the start of the Beijing Games with dance, music and fireworks in Tiananmen Square on Wednesday night, while the Olympics chief warned that the capital's dirty air could force the rescheduling of some events. The sprawling plaza in the heart of the Chinese capital was the centre of the celebration that included dancers in glittery garb and pop singers belting out a theme song as a countdown clock hit 8 p.m. (8 a.m. ET), exactly 12 months until the start of the opening ceremony on Aug. 8, 2008.

Mixed in with the spectacle, politicians spoke of the smooth progress toward preparing for an event China hopes will showcase its rising political and economic clout.

"We want to take this opportunity to the show the world that the people of China are committed to the success of the Games and we believe we will deliver it," said Wu Bangguo, the head of China's parliament and the Communist Party's No. 2 official.

Hours before Wednesday's big party, however, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said the dirty air in Beijing might force some events to be postponed.

"Yes, this is an option," the normally cautious Rogge told CNN. "It would not be necessary for all sports, sports with short durations would not be a problem. But definitely the endurance sports like the cycling race where you have to compete for six hours, these are examples of competitions that might be postponed or delayed to another day."

Wednesday's ceremony intended to display the "immense enthusiasm" of the Chinese people and government for the Games, Wu said in a speech laden with communist jargon such as "Deng Xiaoping theory" and the building of a "harmonious society."

Rogge told the crowd that Beijing organizers had worked "extremely hard to give Beijing an Olympic shape."

"The world is watching China and Beijing with great expectations. The athletes also have great expectations and they are all looking forward to competing in the state-of-the-art Beijing venues," Rogge said.

"Beijing and China will not only host a successful Games for the world's premier athletes, but will also provide an excellent opportunity to discover China, its history, its culture and its people, with China opening itself to the world in new ways," he said.

"From what we have seen so far, the preparations for Beijing 2008 are truly impressive in every regard. I don't think we have ever seen preparations on this scale."

Beijing's new anthem - the just-released pop song "We're Ready" - opened the ceremony, sung by a chorus of Chinese celebrities on a stage surrounded by banks of searchlights.

The timing of the ceremony - the eighth day of the eighth month at 8 p.m. - was specially chosen: Eight is considered an auspicious number in Chinese because it rhymes with the word for "prosper."

China's government has been efficient in building venues. Except for the iconic "Bird's Nest" National Stadium, all of the 37 venues are to be finished by the end of this year. Venue construction has eaten up only a part of the US$40 billion being spent on new subway lines and skyscrapers to remake the capital.

There have been few delays, and the US$2.1-billion operating budget has been offset by the vast revenue expected from TV and sponsorships. That has allowed attention to focus on Beijing's choking pollution, campaigns to "civilize" the city and the risks involved for China's authoritarian government.

Although billions of dollars have been spent to move refineries and steel mills out of town to help stem the pollution, Beijing has been blanketed for weeks by choking industrial smog.

To guarantee clean air during the 17-day Olympics, about one million of the city's 3.3 million vehicles are expected to be kept off the roads. Officials are also hoping to control the weather. Meteorologists began tests last month, firing rockets to disperse rain clouds - a move to guarantee sunshine. They've also fired rockets containing sticks of silver iodide to induce rain to clean the air.

"They've told us the factories will be closed for three months in 2008 and that they will have a directive to encourage residents to stay off the roads with their cars," said Steven Roush, chief of sport performance for the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Like other national Olympics bodies, the USOC is monitoring the quality of Beijing's air, laden with ozone, dust and exhaust from some aging vehicles.

Image is important with 550,000 foreign visitors and about 22,000 accredited media set to attend. In addition, up to 10,000 non-accredited journalists are expected.

Old habits, such as spitting in public, jumping ahead in line and littering are under siege in various campaigns aimed at improving the behaviour of China's citizens. Everyone - from taxi drivers to Olympic volunteers - is being pressured to learn some English.

Revenue from local sponsorship is expected to be at least double that of Sydney or Athens, reported to reach US$1.5 billion, with billions more spent on advertising and promotional campaigns.

Although many athletes will eat specialized diets provided by their own teams, Olympic organizers also have promised to track food electronically from the field to the consumer. The state-run China Daily newspaper reported recently that mice will be used to test food samples.

The biggest security threat - to the Chinese government - may come not from al-Qaida but from protesters hoping to highlight causes like labour rights or China's role in the Darfur crisis. Other protests may centre on Tibetans who seek autonomy, religious activists, and calls for media freedom and the release of political prisoners.

"Great achievement is always accompanied by great challenges," said Jiang Xiaoyu, an organizing committee executive vice president. "While the Beijing Olympics are a great opportunity, we are also confronted with huge challenges."

© The Canadian Press, 2007

China frees 3 Canadians held for pro-Tibet protests before Olympic countdown

(CP) - Three Canadians detained in China for protesting the Communist government's rule in Tibet have been released and deported from the country, a New-York-based pro-Tibet group said Wednesday. "Right now what we confirm is that they have been released and that they have been put on a plane," Nick Gulotta of the group Students for a Free Tibet said in a telephone interview from New York.

The group's executive director, Lhadon Tethon, of Victoria, was the third Canadian detained when she was taken into custody earlier Wednesday. She had been visiting Beijing and writing on her blog and posting videos and photos online about what the group calls China's "propaganda campaign" in the year leading up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Two other Canadians - Melanie Raoul, 25, and Sam Price, 32, both of Vancouver - were detained on Tuesday.

They were among six protesters who unfurled a 42-square-metre banner from the Great Wall of China reading "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008" - the slogan used by the group to focus attention on Tibet during the countdown to the Olympics.

Gulotta said the group did not know where the freed activists were being sent, but another group member said witnesses have phoned from Beijing saying the plane was bound for Hong Kong.

In Ottawa, a Foreign Affairs spokesman said Canadian Embassy officials in Beijing have asked Chinese authorities for confirmation that Canadian citizens have been arrested. "There has been no confirmation yet from Chinese officials of the arrests," he said Wednesday morning.

In New York, Tenzin Dorjee, a spokesman for Students for a Free Tibet, said Tethong, 31, had been in Beijing for the past week.

In one of her video postings, Tethong called on everyone who believes in a free Tibet to "get into the streets with a global uprising over the next year" for the sake of the Tibetan people.

"If you can go to Beijing during the games, engage in simple, but strong and powerful peaceful protest," Tethong said.

"We will challenge the Chinese leadership to truly once and for all resolve the Tibetan issue and improve the life of the people living there on the ground."

Soon after the her blog started to receive attention, plainclothes security officials began following her, Dorjee said.

Tethong called her group's office from her cell phone as she was being detained around 2 p.m. local time.

The detention came just hours before the beginning of China's official Olympic countdown celebration in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Tens of thousands were on hand, including dignitaries from the International Olympic Committee.

Dorjee said the crackdown shows China is not yet ready to host the Olympics.

"On the one hand the Chinese government is trying to proclaim to the world that they are ready to host the Olympics and China is a modern and free nation that should stand alongside the rest of the world," he said.

"But even as they say all that and talk about the progress they have made in freedom and human rights, what actually happens is completely the opposite."

Tethong was born and raised in Victoria to a Tibetan father and Canadian mother.

Dorjee said Tethong's father spent years working for the administration of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader now based in India. Tethong herself has worked for Students for a Free Tibet for eight years and has been the group's executive director for four.

The Chinese government says Tibet has been part of China for centuries, but many Tibetans say their homeland was essentially an independent state most of the time.

Chinese Communist troops moved into Tibet in 1951, and the Dalai Lama went into exile. Tibetans regard China's presence as an occupation and say Beijing rules the region with a heavy hand.

The issue of Canadian citizens being detained in China isn't new.

Huseyin Celil, 38, of Burlington, Ont., has been held in China on terror charges since 2006. He was handed a life sentence in April and an appeal was turned down last month.

Celil belongs to China's Muslim Uighur minority. China has refused to recognize Celil's Canadian citizenship.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Sound of Canadian transit set to change with human rights ruling: lawyers

TORONTO (CP) - A blind Toronto lawyer's successful battle to have the city's transit system announce each and every stop has set a precedent that will reverberate through public transportation systems across the country, legal experts say.
Two years after the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ordered the Toronto Transit Commission to announce every station along its subway lines, the tribunal ruled it must do the same on buses and streetcars by the end of this month.

The case was championed by blind lawyer David Lepofsky, who said the July 26 ruling applies, at least in principle, to every province across the country.

"Blind people have the same need to know where they're getting off, whether it's a bus in Toronto, or Montreal, or Calgary, or Regina," he said.

"Tell me there's a city in Canada that has more traffic, or bus routes, or diversity than Toronto. If you can do it here then you can do it in London, or wherever."

In April, the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled in favour of Terrance Green, a blind lawyer from Ottawa who said a bus driver forgot to call out his requested stop not just once, but twice.

"We've been caught out. Not just us, but Toronto and every other place," said Alex Cullen, an Ottawa city councillor and chair of the their transportation council.

In Ottawa's case, he said they are only obligated to announce major intersections and requested stops, but that the tribunal's decision underlines the urgency of the issue.

"It's forcing us to move and I don't think that's a bad thing at all, but now it's about how we get there."

Last month, Ottawa city council rejected an $8-million proposal to install an automated announcement system. It's planning on announcing every major and requested stop, starting in September.

However, it's only a matter of time and money before the city buys an automated announcement system, said Cullen, particularly in the light of the recent ruling.

"It'll spread like wildfire, because if they can do it in Toronto then they should be doing it everywhere."

The Toronto Transit Commission would have been compliant with the order by the end of 2007 in any event, said chair Adam Giambrone. They are currently implementing a $6.6-million project on all Toronto surface routes, he said.

If the Ontario ruling is applied properly across the country, just announcing major intersections and requested stops won't be acceptable, said human rights lawyer David Baker.

Baker, who has worked on some of Canada's most high-profile disability rights cases, said that although individuals could sue their own cities to get equivalent rulings he would be surprised and disappointed if it were necessary.

"I would think it would be as simple as people raising the issue with their transportation providers," he said.

"They would very likely comply quite quickly in light of this decision, because it's hard to see how there could be a defence in their case if there wasn't one in this case."

Vancouver's Coast Mountain Bus Company recently upgraded their vehicles and they lobbied hard to have an automatic announcement system, said communications director Doug MacDonald.

"There are a lot of distractions for operators and they can forget. It's something we've always been trying to come to grips with," he said.

"We pushed pretty hard to have that feature simply because its difficult to ensure that all stops are being called. Clearly it's worthwhile."

Working with people like Rob Sleath, founder of Vancouver's Advocates For Sight Impaired Consumers, the city was able to institute driver sensitivity training and equipment designed to facilitate public transit for everyone.

Lepofsky said what disturbs him the most is that instead of doing the same and replacing an outdated system, Toronto spent taxpayer dollars fighting his case.

He said he's worried other cities may do the same.

"If they force blind people to go and sue them, then that's not a good sign," he said, adding that an archaic policy on disability rights hurts Canada's image abroad.

"The United States is significantly ahead of us in making public transit accessible to people with disabilities," he said. "It's hurting our public and it's hurting our tourism."

In Montreal, the subway system announces each stop and a spokeswoman for the city's transit corporation said bus drivers, if asked, will tell passengers which stop is up next.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Fisher-Price to recall almost a million toys worldwide due to lead in paint

WASHINGTON (CP) - Toy-maker Fisher-Price has issued a worldwide recall for as many as 83 types of toys - including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters - because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead. The recall being announced Thursday involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor. It is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products.

The recall is the first for Fisher-Price Inc. and parent company Mattel Inc. involving lead paint. It is the largest for Mattel since 1998 when Fisher-Price had to yank about 10 million Power Wheels from toy stores.

A statement released late Wednesday by the Canadian subsidiary of Mattel/Fisher Price lists 20 different toys under the recall.

Individual products and sets were sold at mass merchants and toy stores across Canada from May through August 2007.

The company said the toys may have some paints that could contain excess levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects. There have been no incidents reported in either the United States or Canada.

Mattel says the safety risk is considered low, and licking or touching an affected toy will not cause a problem. But if there is evidence the child has chewed the paint off the toy, it is recommended that parents speak with their pediatrician.

Parents are advised to should immediately take the toys away from children and contact Fisher-Price to arrange for return of the product and arrange for a replacement toy.

For additional information, contact Fisher-Price at at 1-800-916-4498 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.service.mattel.com

In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, David Allmark, general manager of Fisher-Price, said the problem was detected by an internal probe and reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall is particularly alarming since Mattel, known for its strict quality controls, is considered a role model in the toy industry for how it operates in China.

The commission works with companies to issue recalls when it finds consumer goods that can be harmful. Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 per cent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.

Allmark says the recall was "fast-tracked," which allowed the company to quarantine two-thirds of the toys before they even made it to store shelves.


In negotiating details of the recall, Fisher-Price and the government sought to withhold details from the public until Thursday to give stores time to get suspect toys off shelves and Fisher-Price time to get its recall hot line up and running. However, some news organizations prematurely posted an embargoed version of the story online.

Allmark said the recall was troubling because Fisher-Price has had a long-standing relationship with the Chinese vendor, which had applied decorative paint to the toys. Allmark said the company would use this recall as an opportunity to put even better systems in place to monitor vendors whose conduct does not meet Mattel's standards.

He added: "We are still concluding the investigation, how it happened . . . But there will be a dramatic investigation on how this happened. We will learn from this."

The recall follows another high-profile move from toy maker RC2 Corp., which in June voluntarily recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line. The company said that the surface paint on certain toys and parts made in China between January 2005 and April 2006 contain lead, affecting 26 components and 23 retailers.

"Any time a company brings a banned hazardous product into the U.S. marketplace, especially one intended for children, it is unacceptable," said Nancy Nord, acting chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

"Ensuring that Chinese-made toys are safe for U.S. consumers is one of my highest priorities and is the subject of vital talks currently in place between CPSC and the Chinese government."

Carter Keithley, president of the Toy Industries Association, praised Mattel's quick response to the problem, and suggested Mattel will use this setback as a lesson for not only the company but for the entire industry. However, he expressed concern about how the recall and other toy recalls will play out in consumers' minds in advance of the holiday season.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Beijing is where the rock stars, artists and other bohemians go

BEIJING (AP) - If you're planning a trip to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, but you fear you may tire of Olympic fever and flag-waving throngs, don't despair. Beijing has rich offerings when it comes to art, music, groovy boutiques and quiet temples. Most of the capital city's guided tours are about awe and acquisition. Visitors are stunned into submission by the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square, then quickly shuttled to buying sprees at the Pearl Market or Silk Street.

The humbling grandeur of those imperial masterpieces is offset by the giddy empowerment of buying quality knockoffs of brands like Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Tiffany for a fraction of the usual cost. Few can resist the temptation. It is usually followed by a belly-busting Peking duck feast.

But this kind of Beijing experience is not for everybody, and there are a wealth of unique, low-cost alternatives.

Cui Jian, a lifelong Beijinger and China's most famous rock star, says he never sends visitors to the Great Wall or Forbidden City.

"I am not really interested in all that Kingdom Culture, stuff that shows this was once the greatest kingdom city or something," said the veteran rocker who performed "Wild Horses" with the Rolling Stones last year in Shanghai. "The Great Wall? I think a lot of people died building that wall."

Cui recommends you instead soak up the atmosphere in the 798 art district in the city's eastern Dashanzi neighbourhood. The 1950s-era factory zone has been transformed into a bohemian oasis with galleries, cafes, bookstores, outdoor sculptures, and graffiti splashed on old factory walls.

Artist and fashion designer Feng Ling, a transplant from south China's Chengdu, has a studio in 798 and a house in the suburbs. She goes to Dashanzi's At Cafe for its good selection of red wine, Italian food and art.

She can't imagine leaving Beijing after 15 years here because "it has a great atmosphere for creating art and it's very international."

"You can meet people from all over the world here," Feng said.

Cui calls 798 "the new centre" of Beijing.

The Beijing of his childhood, best epitomized he says in actor-director Jiang Wen's 1994 film "In the Heat of the Sun" about coming of age in the 1970s, doesn't exist anymore.

That era's courtyards, ancient alleyways, tinkling bike bells and political chaos have made way for today's go-go economy with its designer high-rises, glitzy malls and relative social stability.

Historian and author Jonathan Spence says he still sees Beijing "through the eyes of the Manchu regime, which captured it from the peasant rebels in 1644 and recentred it as Imperial Capital."

He said 20th century efforts to win the city's centre from the emperors and bureaucrats and deliver it to the common people gained traction but then sputtered amid the country's headlong pursuit of wealth.

"We are now seeing how the central planners have managed to wreck so much of the civilized residential spaces that the people had managed to carve out for themselves," Spence said.

Wu Jianxin, the owner of a Chinese tea shop in Boston and a private wine club in Beijing, grew up near Houhai, a once quiet, lazy lakeside neighbourhood now overrun by loud bars and rental boats for tourists.

When he comes home these days, Wu likes to wander around the Baiyun Guan or White Cloud Taoist Temple. It has dynastic charm without the tourist crush and is a wonderful place to while away the afternoon. You can often stumble on ceremonies at the 800-year-old temple, which is staffed by Taoist monks and is also headquarters of the Chinese Taoist Association.

Designer Lin Jing likes to stroll around Nanluoguxiang, a well-preserved stretch of backstreets in downtown Beijing along which bars, hostels and boutiques have mushroomed in the past few years but that still retains a neighbourhood feel.

"It's a really nice area with that real old Beijing flavour and you can also find some very local restaurants there, pretty cheap ones," said Lin.

One groovy spot for shopping along Nanluoguxiang is Plastered 8, a T-shirt shop opened by a British expatriate that specializes in cheeky and iconic cotton shirts that make affordable and easily packable presents.

For those looking to pick up something a little more unusual, Plastered's self-titled "Creative Dictator," Dominic Johnson-Hill, recommends the Jindian Consignment Shop.

You won't find any stuffed pandas, jade chopsticks or cloisonne dragons here. But you will find "Flying Pigeon bicycles from the 1970s, stereo systems from the 1980s, old bus passes, beautiful old clocks," he says.

At the Nali Mall in the Sanlitun bar district, you'll find a warren of tiny boutiques selling clothes, shoes and jewelry. Expect to bargain. The offerings are a mix of local design plus some imports and knockoffs.

Beijing is most conveniently seen by taxi, but keep in mind that you contribute to the city's ever-present shroud of smog with every trip. Consider taking the subway or grabbing a "sanlunche," or three-wheeled rickshaw, if you are not going too far.

Pedalled by migrants from neighbouring provinces like Shanxi and Anhui, they are cheap and a fun way to see the city. A ride costs around US$1.30.

The Beijing city government stopped giving out new rickshaw licenses a few years ago, so most are illegal but police generally turn a blind eye especially if a foreigner is on board.

Though it's laid out on a grid, Beijing can be a hard place to wrap your head around, especially if you are here just for a short visit.

Get a headstart by first visiting the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall, which might sound dull but is a wonderful surprise.

If you tire yourself out touring the model or the real thing, a nice antidote is a massage at one of the many outlets of the Oriental Taipan Massage and Spa. This Hong Kong-owned chain is clean and reliably good, with four outlets around the city.

The masseurs here are often young migrants from the countryside. They are well trained. One who would not give her name said she and most of her colleagues live 40 minutes away by bike in dormitory-style housing and that they receive $3 for each $19 massage they give.

Taipan serves complimentary drinks and snacks and also offers facials, manicures and pedicures. Unlike many Beijing massage parlours, the Taipan outlets are not sex shops in disguise.

For nightlife, rock star Cui reeled off a few clubs where he likes to go for live music: New Get Lucky Bar, Nameless Highland and CD Cafe.

Finally, regardless of what Cui says, see the Great Wall. A nice stretch is found at Mutianyu. The wall itself is breathtaking but people are frequently as stunned by the fresh air and gorgeous green mountains north of the city.

If You Go . . .

BEIJING TRAVEL TIPS:

-Get a phone: Buy a SIM card at the airport for your mobile phone or buy a mobile phone and SIM card near your hotel. A Nokia with a China Mobile pay-as-you-go number and three hours of local talk time costs less than a duck dinner. Visitors frequently get lost and it's a nice lifeline. You can always call your hotel concierge for advice.

-Check the air: Cars, factories and construction choke Beijing with terrible smog. Check the State Environmental Protection Administration's website for daily air quality reports in English: http://www.sepa.gov.cn/english/air-list.php3. If it's particularly bad, consider staying in the countryside or taking a day trip there.

-Pack common sense: Petty crimes like pickpocketing are on the rise in Beijing so stay alert. Also beware of scams such as the friendly "art students" who offer to take you to a nice tea house. They are in cahoots with the owner and want you to buy absurdly expensive tea.

798 ART DISTRICT: http://www.798space.com/. Located in the Chaoyang district, between alleys No. 2 and 4 on Jiuxianqiao Lu, south of the Dashanzi flyover.

AT CAFE: Chaoyang district, No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu. Phone: 011-86-10-6438-7264.

BEIJING PLANNING EXHIBITION HALL: Chongwen district, No. 20 E. Qianmen Ave. Phone: 011-86-10-6702-4559 or 6701-7074. Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., closed Mondays.

BAIYUN GUAN DAOIST TEMPLE: Haidian District, Baiyun Guan Lu, east of the intersection with Baiyun Lu, (first right north of Baiyun Qiao, directly across from Baiyun Guan bus stop). Phone: 011-86-10-6346-3531. Admission: $1.25. Open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

ORIENTAL TAIPAN MASSAGE & SPA: Chaoyang district, Lido Shop, 2F Block 9, Lido Place, 2A Fang Yuan Xi Road. Phone: 011-86-10-6437-6299.

SHOPPING:

-Plastered 8: Dongcheng District, 61 Nanluoguxiang Hutong. Mobile phone: 011-86-139-102-05721.

-Jindian Consignment Shop (Jindian Xinqiao Xintuo Shanghang): Dongcheng District, Dongsi Bei Dajie, Bei Xin Qiao, No. 43. Phone: 011-86-10-8402-1939 (across street from post office). Open from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

NIGHTLIFE:

-New Get Lucky Bar: On Nuren Jie bar street, inside Oriental Qicai World. Phone: 011-86-10-8448-3335.

-CD Cafe: Chaoyang District, 16 Nongzhanguanlu, Dongsanhuan (next to Great Wall Sheraton Hotel). Phone: 011-86-10-6506-8288.

-Nameless Highland: Chaoyang District, Section 1, Anhuili, Yayun Cun. Phone: 011-86-10-6489-1613.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Media Arts Residency Program: The Western Front

Call for Project Proposals

The Media Arts Residency Program at the Western Front promotes experimentation and innovation by inviting local, national, and international artists to research and produce new works in media arts. In keeping with the Western Front's emphasis on the interdisciplinary, this program forefronts unique explorations of undefined creative arenas including, but not limited to: site-specific gestures, experimental projects, process pieces and unusual initiatives in media art practice today.

The Media Arts program seeks to present a range of artists: artists of all levels of experience are strongly encouraged to apply, as are artists from diverse sexual orientations and cultural backgrounds. Applications from artists from other disciplines who wish to expand their creative practices into media arts are welcomed.

Projects are made possible through access to production facilities and technical support from an expert team of qualified staff and volunteers. Financial support is available in the form of travel expenses and artist fees. Residency length varies according to personal needs and can range in duration from one week to six weeks. For further details, visit www.front.bc.ca or contact media@front.bc.ca .

Artists wishing to be considered for the 2008/2009 programming year are invited to submit proposals to Western Front's Media Arts Residency Program on or before September 5th, 2007.

Candidates should send a project description, expected timeline and CV by email or post to:

Alissa Firth-Eagland
Director and Curator of Media Arts
The Western Front
303 East 8th Avenue
Vancouver BC, V5T 1S1

media@front.bc.ca
604-876-9343
www.front.bc.ca

Media Action Network for Asian Americans

LOS ANGELES - MANAA (the Media Action Network for Asian Americans), the only organization solely dedicated to monitoring the media and advocating balanced, sensitive, and positive coverage and depictions of Asian Americans, is offended by Rob Schneider's "yellow face" portrayal of a Japanese man in the current #1 movie in the country, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James.

In a scene where the main characters journey to Canada to get married, Schneider plays a minister who makes their union official, donning prosthetic make up (slanted eyes, bigger nose, darker skin color, etc.) to play a stereotypical Japanese nerd with thick eye-glasses and a bowl-style hair cut who speaks in broken English with missing "r"s.

Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote, "I felt victimized by the stereotype shtick of ...Schneider." And Emmy-nominated actor Masi Oka ("Heroes") told USA Today he was also offended by the yellow-face portrayal. Says MANAA Founding President Guy Aoki, "In August of 2006, shortly after Mel Gibson's tirade against Jews, Schneider, pointing out he was half Jewish, took out a full page ad in Daily Variety promising to never work with the writer/director/actor. We wish Rob had the same pride about being part-Asian. Somehow, we don't think he'd make the same assertion against someone who spouted anti-Asian hatred because the actor has himself done quite a good job of putting down people of Asian descent. As Richard Roeper of Ebert and Roeper recently said in his review of Chuck and Larry, "Rob Schneider's Filipino background [he's a quarter] hardly excuses his portrayal of an Asian minister in perhaps the most egregious stereotype of its kind since Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Rob Schneider also repeatedly perpetuated the racist stereotype that Asian men have small penises in a 2005 movie he co-wrote, Deuce Bigalo: European Gigolo (e.g. an Asian male prostitute says in broken English, "I no more man-whore! Too much danger! I take my three inches elsewhere!").

Besides an Asian American fireman who gets no lines, the only other Asian faces we see in Chuck and Larry are five Asian women who come out of a van wearing Hooters-like clothes to "pleasure" Chuck (Sandler) and who're later seen "having fun" with each other while waiting for Chuck to come back to bed. "Therefore," Aoki points out, "the impression people get from watching this film is that Asian men are disgusting-looking geeks and that Asian women are sluts."

"Sandler showed his movie to GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and edited out scenes they deemed offensive because he didn't want to make a movie that would offend the gay community. He should've shown it to MANAA; we would've had quite a few things to say to him (MANAA has consulted with studios about their films, including Rising Sun and Pearl Harbor)."

The Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramists 2007

Call for Submissions:

As the only national award for young ceramic artists or potters, The Winifred Shantz Award presents $10,000 annually to an artist to both recognize achievement and invest in the future.

The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery welcomes submissions from Canadian artists working in ceramics and potters who have been working for a minimum of five years and a maximum of ten years in a productive studio capacity.

This award is designed to allow the recipient time away from the studio, travel for career development, connect with mentors, visit other studios, study museum collections, investigate kiln sites, or liase with industry to perform research that will further in-studio production. It may also be used for international residencies or symposia. While recognizing that not all ceramists arise from an academic background, this award is intended to assist at a post-graduate level of accomplishment and may not be used for tuition purposes.

Hard-copy applications should be delivered to the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery by August 10th, 2007 by 5pm.

Applications should include:

* 2-page cv detailing the applicant's accomplishments for the past five years
* Creative Material: 20 labelled .jpg images, 72 dpi, maximum 1024 x 768 (height must not exceed 768 pixels). Title each file with a number, your name, and title of the work. (ie. 01.artistname.title.jpg). Save images directly on the CD-ROM without creating folders, and do not submit PowerPoint. OR 20 slides clearly numbered and labelled with the artist's name
* image list indicating the number, title, date, process and size of each work
* single-page outline describing how the award will be used, i.e. a proposal of the research program and its intended relevance to the applicant's future work

Send submissions to:
Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramists
c/o Robert Achtemichuk, Director
Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery
25 Caroline Street North
Waterloo, ON N2L 2Y5

All submissions will be kept on file at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery's Artists' Registry for archival purposes and cannot be returned. All applications must be hard copy (email submissions will not be accepted); additional support materials are not required.

The award recipient must deliver a brief report to the Gallery, summarizing the benefits received from the award, no later than two years after the award is granted. Documents outlining itinerary, as well as confirmation by receiving mentors or industrial partners and disclosure of the terms of agreement between partners and the recipient, may be requested prior to disbursement.

Previous winners include Ying-Yueh Chuang (2006), Kate Hyde (2005), Joan Bruneau (2004), Marc Vincent Egan (2003), Laurent Craste (2002) and Susan Collett (2001). Ying-Yueh Chuang holds an MFA in ceramics from NSCAD University and a BFA from the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design. She will be using her $10,000 award to further develop her practice as an artist in residence at the Jingdezhen Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute in China. This program offers a broad range of facilities and will allow the artist to learn different ways of approaching the multiple. "Studying the cultural aspects of creative mass production from the traditional to the contemporary and being able to incorporate that process in my work will be a magnificent opportunity and a turning point in my career", notes Chuang.

The Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramists is administered by staff at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery and is funded by Winifred Shantz, an arts philanthropist and ceramics enthusiast from Kitchener, Ontario.

For more information, contact:
Robert Achtemichuk
Executive Director
519.746.1882, #231
robert@canadianclayandglass.ca
http://www.canadianclayandglass.ca

IRAH UPDATE: FIRST-RATE PROGRAMMING COMING THIS FALL

The staff at International Readings at Harbourfront (IRAH) is working throughout the summer to bring you a jam-packed fall programme. Watch out for IRAH's exciting new schedule of weekly readings, which resumes for the '07–'08 season on September 19. Keep an eye on www.readings.org for full details as they are announced. Tickets to most weekly readings are free for members, so if you haven't already joined, read the sidebar to find out how you can!

Mark the dates for the 28th annual International Festival of Authors (IFOA), which will run this year from October 17–27. An impressive roster of more than sixty bestselling, award-winning and hot up-and-coming authors from Canada and around the world will participate in IFOA. Those authors include:

Nancy Huston (Canada/France), whose books have won numerous awards, including the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, the Prix Elle and the Governor General's Literary Award. She presents Fault Lines, the story of four generations struggling with a family secret passed down from World War II.

Michael Ondaatje (Canada) has been hailed as "one of the most innovative and liberating writers of our time" (Geoff Dyer, Guardian). In Divisidero, Ondaatje tells the story of a father, his teenage daughters and the enigmatic young man who joins their makeshift family in 1970s California.

Helen Oyeyemi (U.K.) is the author of the highly acclaimed novel The Icarus Girl, which she wrote while she was still at school. Oyeyemi's second novel, The Opposite House, praised by the Toronto Star as having echoes of Toni Morrison, is the story of a young woman exploring her heritage – black and British, Catholic and Cuban.

Authors confirmed for IFOA also include: Amy Bloom, Justin Cartwright, Tracy Chevalier, Mohsin Hamid, Janette Turner Hospital, A.J. Jacobs, Lloyd Jones, Nikita Lalwani, Will Self, M.G. Vassanji and Vendela Vida, to name but a few.
visit readings.org!

THE CONCERNED KIDS Call Out for Volunteers

Be professionally trained as a PUPPETEER

EDUCATE young people about:
Substance Abuse
Violence, Gangs, and Prejudice
Multiculturalism
Bereavement

THE CONCERNED KIDS, a Toronto based non-profit organization, needs volunteers to present puppet programs to young people ages 4-14. Volunteers must be willing to commit to about 4 hrs/ week (one half day) for the school year from September 2007 to June 2008.

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals passionate about educating youth on social issues. We are hoping to have ethno-culturally diverse puppet troupes to reflect the communities we serve and encourage visible minorities to apply. Access to a car is an asset.

If interested, please email Linamaria at info@theconcernedkids.com with a resume and a brief statement of interest stating your experience and/or interest in puppetry, theatre, education, community social programs, etc.

Contact Linamaria at 416-636-1656 with any questions.
Check out our website: www.theconcernedkids.com

Linamaria Aristizabal
Executive Director
The Concerned Kids Charity of Toronto

Darryl's Hard Liquor and Porn Film Festival 2007

FESTIVAL DATES ANNOUNCED

TORONTO - Saturday October 13, 2007 - The Bloor Cinema
MONTREAL - Saturday November 24, 2007 - The Society for Arts and Technology (SAT)

CALL FOR FILMS

Make a funny short video or animation ( 4 minutes max. ) that has something to do with sex and send it to us. We take anything, live action shorts, animation, music videos, mockumentaries, parodies, etc. The final deadline is September 15, 2007 but if you get a film in before August 15, 2007 you don't have to pay an entry fee. The Montreal deadline is October 24, 2007. >>> http://hardliquorandporn.com/submit

69 HOUR FILM CHALLENGE

Second year running! If you are the kind of filmmaker who needs their ass kicked to make a film you should try our 69 Hour Film Challenge! It's like one of those 24 hour film challenges only you get more time and you're making PORN*. Roving teams of wild filmmakers will receive a package containing secret film making instructions. They will then have only 69 hours to complete their film. The best films will screen at The Festival. >>> http://hardliquorandporn.com/69h .

HARD LIQUOR AND PORN IN 3 D

This year some of the films will be presented in the miraculous THIRD DIMENSION !!! ( The naughty dimension ) 3D stereoscopic glasses will be handed out to everyone in the audience. So, here's your chance to make a 3D film !!! It could be live action, animated, or anything that crosses over from THE THIRD DIMENSION DIMENSION DIMENSION ... Sound's interesting yes. >>> http://hardliquorandporn.com/3d .

FESTIVAL HELPERS NEEDED

The Festival needs your help. We need helpers at the shows, help with marketing and PR, French translation, emails and online marketing, driving around, writing and designing, video post and technical mumbo jumbos, and hot chicks to show up at the party . (okay okay... studly guys too) It's a worthy cause. Maybe you know someone who can sponsor us. >>> http://hardliquorandporn.com/volunteers

Darryl Gold
Director of Programming
Hard Liquor and Porn Film Festival
http://hardliquorandporn.com

* PORN in this case does not mean "PORN" porn, we're just kidding around here.

Filmi South Asian Film Festival celebrates it 8th year

Filmi South Asian Film Festival in association with TELUS, will be
celebrating its 8th year in Toronto. The 5-day Festival will be
running from August 8th-12th. The festival celebrates cinema that
originates from the South Asian Diaspora. Some of the highlights this
year will be the feature film 'Life in a... Metro' about Mumbai, it
corporate world and its affairs. Filmi will also showcase
documentaries such as 'Personality' about the secret world of
Bollywood Dancers and 'Office Tigers' about the lives of those who in
outsourcing companies. We are very excited to premiere Toronto
Filmmakers Maninder Chana's 'FUKU' and Chandra Siddan's 'Remembrance
of things to Present'. Filmi8 will also have panel discussions, short
films and parties during its 5 days. For more details: www.filmi.org

China passes on 'Rush Hour 3,' report says censors worried about Chinese gangsters

HONG KONG (AP) - Jackie Chan's new action comedy "Rush Hour 3" won't be shown in China, an executive at the country's leading film importer said Tuesday, amid a report officials were concerned about scenes involving Chinese gangsters.

"We think the market for the movie is relatively weak," said Xiao Ping, a vice president at state-run China Film Group's import and export arm.

China limits the number of Hollywood films it imports each year, and Ping said "Rush Hour 3" was up against some tough competition.

China has already imported several Hollywood blockbusters, including "Transformers," "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

But Hollywood trade publication Variety reported on its Asian website Tuesday that Chinese officials believe "Rush Hour 3," which features Chan and Chris Tucker combating Chinese gangsters in Paris, is "fundamentally anti-Chinese."

The "Rush Hour" series revolves around the racial humour derived from the pairing of a Chinese (Chan) and an African-American (Tucker) police officer.

China's Film Bureau often asks foreign filmmakers to edit scenes they consider offensive. Censors recently cut scenes of Chow Yun-fat depicted as a bald, scarred pirate in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," saying the images insulted China's people, state media reported.

The Chinese government carefully screens foreign media content and allows in only about 20 foreign films a year.

Variety said Chinese officials won't offer filmmakers a chance to edit "Rush Hour 3."

Asked if film executives were concerned about scenes of Chinese gangsters in "Rush Hour 3," China Film Group's Xiao said she didn't know.

Chan's JC Group owns the distribution rights to "Rush Hour 3" in Hong Kong and China. JC Group Senior Vice President Solon So said Tuesday New Line Cinema was in charge of distributing the movie and he did not know its status in China.

New Line Cinema said it had no comment.

"Rush Hour 3" is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on Aug. 10.

The loss of the China market, however, isn't a major blow to the filmmakers of "Rush Hour 3." Chinese box office income remains much smaller than in the U.S. A movie that makes tens of millions of U.S. dollars in China can be considered a hit, while a U.S. box office winners can make hundreds of millions.

Toyota's profit jumps 32 per cent to record for a quarter

TOKYO (AP) - Toyota, on track to overtake General Motors as the world's biggest automaker this year, said Friday its April-June profit jumped 32.3 per cent to a record high for a quarter, lifted by strong overseas sales and a weaker yen.
Surging gas prices have proved a big plus for the Japanese automaker, as drivers flock to Toyota's fuel-efficient models, including the Camry, the best-selling model in the U.S., and the Prius gas-electric hybrid.

"The results are fantastic," said Tsuyoshi Mochimaru, auto analyst with Lehman Brothers in Japan.

Foreign sales are going strong, and the weak yen, which raises the value of overseas earnings when converted into yen, is making rosy earnings even rosier as Toyota's exports grow, Mochimaru said.

Group net profit at Toyota, which also makes the Lexus luxury model and compact Corolla, totaled 491.54 billion yen ($4.1 billion) for the quarter through June, up from 371.50 billion yen the same period the previous year.

Quarterly sales rose 15.7 per cent on year to a record 6.523 trillion yen, or $54.7 billion. At current exchange rates, that's more than General Motors Corp.'s record quarterly sales of $54.5 billion, which the Detroit automaker marked in the second quarter of 2006.

But Toyota kept what some analysts say is a conservative forecast for the full fiscal year through March 2008, projecting net profit to inch up just 0.4 per cent to 1.65 trillion yen ($13.85 billion) on sales of 25 trillion yen ($209.78 billion).

It also kept its vehicle sales target for the full fiscal year the same at 8.89 million vehicles.

"We posted substantial increases in both revenue and profit, our highest ever quarterly results," said Toyota Senior Managing Director Takeshi Suzuki.

Toyota has already surpassed General Motors in global vehicle sales for the first half of the calendar year, selling 4.72 million vehicle to GM's 4.67 million. Many analysts believe Toyota will likely beat GM for the full year in both sales and production.

The title of world's biggest automaker - which GM has held for 76 years - typically is determined by annual global vehicle production numbers. For the first six months of the year, Toyota and its group companies made 4.71 million vehicles worldwide, while GM estimates that it made 4.75 million vehicles during the period.

For the calendar year, Toyota is projecting global sales of 9.34 million vehicles. GM does not give full-year projections, but sold about 9.1 million vehicles in 2006.

GM, meanwhile, has been battling back from losing money in recent years.

Earlier this week, the Detroit-based company reported its third straight quarter of black ink, earning $891 million on the back of strenuous restructuring efforts.

Toyota said sluggish domestic vehicle sales were offset by greater demand in North America, Europe and the rest of Asia.

But even in Japan, operating profit improved because of solid demand for the Lexus, a model that brings in more profit per car than cheaper models, it said.

In North America, a market that's proving tough recently, Toyota sold 762,000 vehicles in the April-June period, an increase of 15,000 vehicles from the same period the previous year, on the successful launch of the Tundra truck and Lexus LS.

The yen's relative weakness against the dollar added 100 billion yen ($839.1 million) to Toyota's bottom line.

Cost reduction efforts offset the damage from higher costs of raw materials, the company said.

Like other Japanese automakers, Toyota was hurt by a temporary closure of a key parts maker in northwestern Japan, which was hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that killed 11 people last month. But Toyota says it can make up for the production loss by the end of the year.

Toyota shares inched up 0.1 per cent to 7,080 yen ($59.41). The results were announced shortly before the market closed.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Sony recalling 416,000 digital cameras

(CBC) - Sony has recalled 416,000 Cyber-shot DSC-T5 digital cameras because metal on the casing may warp, potentially causing a "slight cut or scratch to the skin of the user when it is directly touched," the company said Thursday.

Sony spokeswoman Ryoko Takagi said about 30 customers in Japan and an undetermined number in other markets have identified the problem. A number reported cuts and scratches.

The company has offered to replace the bottom casing.

"Due to an irregularity during the initial part production, the adhesive strength of the metal plating declined. As a result, it became more likely that damage to the bottom casing could cause the metal plating to peel away and warp outward," the company said.

About 350,000 of the cameras were sold in the U.S., Europe and China and 66,000 in Japan, starting in September 2005. Sony became aware of the problem about a month later, Takagi said.

The company said the problem cameras have serial numbers 3010001 to 3081200. The number is located on a sticker on the bottom for the camera.

Sony has had camera problems before. Last year, it said liquid crystal display screens on eight Cyber-shot models might not display images correctly, and a year before that, it cited similar problems with 20 other models.

It also had a massive recall of laptop computer batteries in 2006.

With files from the Associated Press

Movie goers don't go: silver screen loses lustre in 2005, StatsCan says

OTTAWA (CP) - The silver screen lost much of its lustre for Canadian movie-goers in 2005 as attendance at cinemas slid, putting a profitability squeeze on the motion-picture theatre industry. Statistics Canada says cinemas - including indoor theatres, drive-ins and film festivals - sold just under 105.2 million tickets in 2005, a sharp 7.8 per cent decline from 2004.

Industry reports say there were few major blockbuster films released during the important summer months of 2005, dampening interest and accounting for some of the decline in attendance.

Other factors may include ticket prices and the growing popularity of cheaper home-entertainment equipment, such as DVD players and big-screen televisions.

The motion-picture theatre industry recorded total operating revenues of about $1.2 billion, down 5.3 per cent from 2004, while operating expenses edged up 1.3 per cent and salaries and wages increased by 1.9.

As a result, operating profits totalled just $29 million, a substantial decline from $110 million in 2004 as the industry posted an operating profit margin of 2.5 per cent in 2005 compared with 8.9 per cent in 2004.

Theatres in Ontario and Quebec accounted for about two-thirds of the total national operating revenue, with Ontario theatres earning 40 per cent of total operating revenues in 2005.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Study finds Canadians switching on to Internet, tuning out TV and radio

GATINEAU, Que. (CP) - Canadians appear to be slowly switching off conventional broadcast media and logging on to the Internet - including to watch and listen to conventional television and radio shows - says a new report on broadcasting.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's eighth annual report on the state of the industry shows that Canadians have more choices in both television and radio media than ever before, but are watching and listening less.

But more and more Canadians have access to the Internet and high-speed Internet and using the relatively new technology for everything from research, to, ironically, watching and listening to shows they could have seen and heard on their TVs and radios.

About 70 per cent of Canadians now have access to the Internet, while the number with high-speed connections has increased from 51 per cent in 2005 to 60 per cent in 2006.

And they are connecting through their computers or on any number of devices, from cellphones to BlackBerrys.

"I think we can safely say that more Canadians are indeed switching on to the Internet, but I think we can also say that overall broadcasting in Canada is doing well in terms of diversity, and because radio revenues are up and also television revenues are up," said Diane Maisonneuve, the senior business analyst for the federal regulator.

The voluminous 144-page CRTC report found that while about 30 per cent of Canadians connected to the Internet in 2005, that was up to 48 per cent in the survey conducted last December. Internet usage was highest in British Columbia and lowest in Quebec.

The vast majority used the Internet for e-mail and to research information, but 29 per cent said they also watch videos, 22 per cent said they listened to radio, and six per cent said they watch television on the Internet.

The types of programs watched on the Internet include television shows, news, sports and the weather.

And advertisers have noticed. Advertising revenues on the Internet in Canada totalled $1 billion in 2006, says the federal regulator, as opposed to $562 million the previous year.

While Internet access and usage seems to be up, Canadians are still watching a lot of television and listening to radio, although the report finds slight drop-offs in both conventional media.

On average, Canadians watched 27.6 hours of television per week in 2006, down from 28.1 hours the previous year. This continues a trend since 2002 and overall television viewing has dropped a full hour in the past five years, most notably among teens and young adults.

As well, they listened to 18.6 hours of radio per week, compared with 19.1 hours in 2005.

Despite fewer eyeballs and ears attuned to their shows, total revenues for both traditional broadcast media improved in 2006.

Convention television stations earned $2.6 billion in revenue last year, as opposed to $2.5 billion in 2005. And revenues for pay, pay-per-view and video-on-demand services totalled $2.5 billion last year, a $300 million gain from 2005.

But the improvement was not always reflected in the profits for the sector. Convention television profits dropped from 11 per cent to four per cent in 2006, although profits for pay TV and video on demand, as well as specialty services, were up 26 per cent over the previous year.

Revenues generated by radio stations totalled $1.4 billion, a $76-million increase over 2005.

Both conventional TV and radio broadcasters spent more on Canadian content in 2006 than they had the previous year, the report says.

Quebecers were far more likely to watch Canadian programs than other Canadians. Seventy-one per cent of total television viewing in the province was Canadian, whereas in English-speaking provinces, domestically produced programs accounted for only 59 per cent of total viewing.

The Canadian Press, 2007

CanWest Targets Ethnic Readers, Produces Gibberish

Chasing new markets. Bryan Zandberg photo. Automated 'instant translation' yields instant frustration.

Bryan Zandberg
TheTyee.ca

Seated at a table in the gallery of the Vancouver Public Library, D.I. Lee recalls how excited he was to hear he would soon be reading the Vancouver Sun in his native Korean.

Lee speaks and reads English himself, but he was anticipating what the new "instant translation" feature on CanWest's website would mean for the rest of the Lower Mainland's Korean community. Struggling to integrate and get ahead in a new country, on-the-spot machine translations would mean they would gain better access to regional news through CanWest papers like the Vancouver Sun.

But when he logged on and tried translating a Sun article, his excitement quickly turned to frustration.

"Read this and tell me what it is," he says, holding out a sheet of paper covered in part by the Korean characters rendered by the site's software. Lee, the editor-in-chief of a local quarterly called The Korean Community Magazine, has re-translated the article back into English for me.

"Movement elevation to investment tax increase," reads the enigmatic headline; "Parking tax, property tax to increase to be traded Hydro levy" goes the subhead.

"It's worse than this," says Lee, who points out how not even the name of the newspaper itself survived the software's rough treatment: the story has evidently been published in the "Vancouver Sunday's."

"It's completely nonsense," says Lee of the rest of the article. "I can't retranslate it properly back into English."

CanWest's translations are tough to decipher, but experts say the motive behind offering them is clear: they want to tap into Canada's thriving ethnic media readership, and the advertising revenues that come with them.

UBC journalism professor Mary Lynn Young notes mainstream metropolitan newspapers have seen declining circulation -- and increased ad sales -- over the last 50 years, a trend examined in a Tyee story last winter.

In a new media environment, however, winning new readers and ad dollars is key to any publication's continued survival, a fact made resoundingly clear in CanWest CEO Leonard Asper's speech this past May.

D.I Lee has no trouble getting advertisers for his magazine. They know his target audience is new to Canada, and buying a lot of consumer goods to outfit their homes.

Some speculate Canada's ramped-up immigration will only add to their numbers. According to Statistics Canada, by 2017 the majority of the population in the Vancouver metropolitan area will be people from visible minority groups.

'Growing interest'

Foreign-language media in the Lower Mainland is growing, says Sherry Yu, a Simon Fraser University doctoral student researching the phenomenon.

The big three in ethnic media in the Lower Mainland -- Chinese, Korean and Punjabi newspapers -- are actually adding reporters, bucking the trend in mainstream bureaus that has seen shrinking newsrooms across the continent, according to Yu.

Earlier this month, San Francisco Chronicle managing editor Robert Rosenthal called the widespread lay-offs of journalists in his country the "greatest upheaval our industry and the institution of journalism has ever faced," before tendering his own resignation.

According to a 2005 Environics Research survey, the Chinese-language dailies Sing Tao and Ming Pao have a daily readership of 65,000 and 50,000, respectively. The Taiwan-focused World Journal gets another 16,000 readers a day.

The Punjab-language Indo-Canadian Times has 55,000 weekly readers in the Lower Mainland, and double that across the continent.

While the Vancouver Sun still enjoys a healthy weekly readership of 463,400, pulling in tens of thousands more through online translations is an alluring idea for an industry battling for advertising revenues. One indication: the Sun sent its managing editor to this month's Chinese Media Summit, and CBC brass was there, too.

"There's a growing interest," said Yu, who was in attendance.

The question is how to spin English into other languages cheaply and quickly -- but accurately.

At the Canadian Press bureau in Montreal, reporter Les Perreaux says editors count on bilingual staff to make translations between the nation's two official languages. They have no plans to use translation software.

"I suppose if it worked 100 per cent perfectly [we could use it], but it's generally quicker to do it ourselves."

Experts, however, say perfect on-the-spot translations for all languages are still years away. Others doubt computers will ever be able to disentangle the complexities of language.

Google representative Daniel Pastor admits the current technology is "not perfect," but he says that it's good enough to give readers "a gist understanding."

While his company is making inroads with a new model of software known as statistical translation, Google's own home page still runs on out-dated software owned by Systrans. The latter is a lower-accuracy method based on grammatical rules, and is available for free on the Internet.

Lost in translation

Simple tests show the free Systrans version is the same version CanWest newspapers are using. Results on their digital edition in French, for example, are identical to the results users can produce themselves through Google.

Deb Hutton, a spokeswoman for CanWest, denied that this was the case in a phone interview with The Tyee, although requests for further information about the software they use were not responded to.

"We've obviously chosen a software that we believe suits our needs," she said.

Major firms, meanwhile, often opt for more advanced stats-based software like Language Weaver, which has surpassed Systrans and is yielding more precise results every year, though at a cost for their product's license.

Beth Walsh, a rep for the company, wouldn't say how much it would cost the Vancouver Sun to license their software, but she did provide a pay-per-usage scheme to give a rough idea.

To translate a total of two million words from English between one, two or three "Premium" languages (such as Korean), firms pay about $5000 U.S. For the same two million words to be translated into a choice of five European languages, it's half the price.

'Anglo mentality'

For now, costs still likely exceed the benefits for most newspapers to purchase or license software, but some wonder if it will be worth it when prices come down and quality goes up.

Raphaël Perdriau, editor-in-chief of Vancouver-based French bi-weekly L'Express du Pacifique, says it would mean little to francophones to have the Vancouver Sun available.

"What I would be curious to see is how far francophone people would actually buy into this, because the Sun is so characteristic of a certain business-oriented anglophone mentality."

On the other hand, Perdriau believes more press in French would help francophones hold on to their mother tongue while living in B.C.

'Hieroglyphics'

Like D.I. Lee, Perdriau was disappointed with how the online translations threw him off from understanding.

"Hieroglyphics should be only for scientists," he said.

SFU computing science professor Fred Popowich says reader responses to machine translations will continue to hinge on their expectations. By marketing the service from the platform of a major media publication, he said, CanWest is treading dangerous ground, the reason being that their readers are different than someone looking for an English version of a Japanese blog.

"If you as a user draw on something to ask for a rough translation, you're going to be happy and easier to please," said Popowich.

Though Lee tips his hat to the Sun for trying to extend their coverage to his community, he thinks the information is too important for it to be given so rough a treatment. He calls the translation feature an "irresponsible" way for CanWest papers to treat their journalism.

"They have to stop promoting that. They think that they have a publication available in 13 languages, [but] it's wrong, it's a lie."

Snow White Kung-Fu style

(KP International) It sounds like Snow White might be joining with The Seven Samurai for a retelling of the classic fairytale in Snow and the Seven.

According to Asianpopcorn.com, Disney is teaming up with martial arts choreographer and director Yuen Woo-ping. Asianpopcorn claims the film will be "set thousands of years after the original Snow White story, when the princess has reincarnated into a young woman, played by Natalie Portman." Also rumoured to be in talks with the filmmakers is Jet Li.

© 2007 Bell Inc., Microsoft Corporation and/or their contributors.

Hairy Chinese singer bids to join Beijing Olympic torch relay

BEIJING (AP) - Distinctive Chinese singer Yu Zhenhuan says he wants to be part of the torch relay for next year's Beijing Summer Olympic Games. Yu, a minor celebrity in China, has a condition known as hypertrichosis that causes 96 per cent of his body to be covered by hair. He has launched a campaign to participate in the relay and show the world the Games are for all, including the ultra-hirsute, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

"The Olympics belong to everyone - the common people and those with abnormalities included," Xinhua quoted Yu as saying.

Yu, 30, said his celebrity and experience coping with his condition "ties in with the notion of Olympic spirit."

Yu has starred in films and sings with a rock band in the northeastern province of Liaoning. A face known to many Chinese through appearances on television and in newspapers, he was forced to have an operation to surgically remove hair from his ears after losing 30 per cent of his hearing.

Xinhua said Yu has already won some support, including from Olympic gymnast Xing Aowei, but his chances with the Olympics organizing committee remain far from certain.

"We welcome celebrities to apply to join the torch relay," a spokesman for the organizers was quoted by Xinhua. "But it is hard to assess his chances, as the recruitment is open to everyone."

The organizers began recruiting the required 21,880 torch-carriers in June. The 137,000 kilometre 130-day relay is scheduled to begin March 25.

Hypertrichosis is an extremely rare condition.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt jailed 6 years over guns linked to Mumbai bombings

MUMBAI, India (AP) - Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt was sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison for illegally possessing guns he received from key plotters behind the deadly 1993 bombings by gangsters in Mumbai. The well-known actor has already served 18 months in jail following his arrest, and it appears he will have to serve another 4 1/2 years behind bars - a sentence that is sure to leave Bollywood scrambling to fill roles he was slated to star in.

"It is a body blow to the film industry," said Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt, who directed Dutt in the 1986 hit movie "Namm," or "Name."

There had been speculation that Dutt would get probation, but Judge Pramod Kode said that though he wasn't sure Dutt possessed the guns with the intention of committing a terrorist act, merely having them "shows scant respect to the law."

"In no sense can this be said to be a minor offence, " said Kode.

Dutt, who had been out on bail for the past 12 years while the trial dragged on, stood weeping before the judge, then was led away and into custody.

"Don't be sentimental, be calm and quiet," the judge told him.

The sentencing of Dutt, along with three others, ends the sprawling Mumbai bombings trial, which dragged on for 12 years and saw more than 100 people convicted, 686 witnesses and 13,000 pages of testimony. The series of bombings on March 12, 1993, killed 257 people.

A dozen people were sentenced to death, while 20 others face life sentences. More than 50 others will serve between three and 14 years in jail.

On Tuesday, three men were sentenced to probation or prison terms ranging from two to five years on charges related to Dutt's weapons.

Dutt was convicted last November on a charge of illegally possessing three automatic rifles and a pistol, but acquitted of more serious terrorism charges relating to the bombings.

A well-known action hero who found a comic niche over the past five years, Dutt's case was closely tracked in this movie-mad nation.

Dutt was able to complete pending movie projects during bail extensions over the past year and only recently finished filming comedies like "Dhamaal" or "Loud Noise," and "Phatafat" or "Pronto."

The industry film could lose about US $12 million for two unfinished Dutt films, "Alibag" and "Fraud," estimated Komal Nata, who runs Film Information, a trade guide.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

A Taste of Racism in the Chinese Food Scare

Jeff Yang

The French delight in preparing food; the Italians adore eating it. But no people on Earth are so engrossed in food as the Chinese, for whom it is not just craft, pleasure and sustenance but the fundamental building block of society. In the West, acquaintances greet one another with "How are you?" The Chinese ask, "Have you eaten?" So for the Chinese, tainted food is more than a health hazard -- it's a kind of sacrilege. As one Chinese shopper told National Public Radio , "People here think food is as important as the sky. If there's something wrong with the food, it's as if the sky is falling."

Nevertheless, China has been portrayed as a nation blind to hygiene and blissfully unconcerned about recent reports of food contamination. That's troubling, because it reinforces the notion that befouled food is the consequence of a foul culture. Chef and gustatory adventurer Anthony Bourdain may have said it best in a 2006 Salon interview in which he noted that there's "something kind of racist" about culinary xenophobia: "Fear of dirt is often indistinguishable from the fear of unnamed dirty people."

And this, in turn, spells danger. What one might call "food libel" has long been an aspect of a larger fear of China. The association of Chinese with dubious edibles has insinuated itself into our cultural consciousness in small and seemingly trivial ways -- in schoolyard taunting, in sitcom gags about takeout food, in standup monologues about puppy chow mein.

But when the stakes are raised, as they have been by recent scandals, such jokes turn deadly serious. The fringes of the pundit set have already been intimating that these tainted-food incidents are deliberate. In May, the conservative news organ WorldNetDaily.com asked, "Is China Trying to Poison Americans and Their Pets?" The nativist drumbeat has only pounded louder ever since, suggesting that China has been waging a secret biowarfare campaign to destroy the United States from deep, deep within -- planting WMDs in the Wal-Mart cart, if you will.

More troubling still, yellow-peril imagery has been oozing from the extreme margins into the mainstream. Recently, the Utah -based health food company Food for Health International even became the first to take this "China equals menace" meme to market, instituting a new label and ad campaign promoting its products as "China-Free." There's talk about calling the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing the B.Y.O. Olympics. The leading customer-advocacy blog Consumerist.com came up with a catchy nickname for the fiendish assault on American shoppers: "The Chinese Poison Train is still out there, lurking on a container ship headed our way," editor Carey Greenberg-Berger warns in one May post. "Nobody knows when it will strike again." Add some ominous music, and you can imagine the silent-movie tableau: the fiendish juggernaut of the Chinese Poison Train bearing down on the hapless American consumer, tied to the tracks by a nefarious evildoer with a Fu Manchu mustache.

Of course, serious problems exist in China's massive food-export complex, which is the source of the vast bulk of additives such as xanthan gum and ascorbic acid, as well as 12 percent of the world's fruit and vegetables and about half of the global supply of farm-raised fish. But many of these problems have stemmed from China's embrace of capitalist ethics, unrestrained by the government oversight present in more established industrial economies.

Ultimately, the reasons why Chinese goods make up such an enormous part of the U.S. shopping basket are the same as those behind our undocumented-immigration quandary: Companies want higher profits, and consumers want lower prices. If Chinese sources were stripped from the food-industry supply chain, corporations would simply turn to other low-cost exporters, with comparably poor safety records.

As it is, Food and Drug Administration records show that China isn't even the leading source of contaminated imports to the United States.India and Mexico have exceeded China in "refused food shipments" over the past year, and the leader in rejected candy imports was a country with an otherwise antiseptic image: Denmark. Domestic food sources also aren't exempt from scandal: Remember the California spinach scare last year? And last month, another California-based company recalled more than 75,000 pounds of hamburger distributed in the western United States, the latest in a lengthy series of tainted-meat incidents -- all from American suppliers.

But the media's obsessive focus on China is an easy one -- as easy as the old playground singsong slur that starts "Me Chinese, me make joke" and ends with a tainted Coke. . Pointing the finger at Asian imports was the default PR strategy for U.S. auto manufacturers in the 1970s because it was easier to blame faceless, nameless hordes of foreigners than to address the industry's real problems. Asian Americans have already seen the fruit that grows from such toxic soil: Twenty-five years ago last month, Vincent Chin, a young Chinese American man in Detroit , was killed by two disgruntled autoworkers who accused him of being part of a conspiracy to "take away American jobs" before beating him with a baseball bat. Bitter fruit indeed, and a dish we'd rather not see served up again.

Jeff Yang was the publisher of the defunct A Magazine// and is currently the "Asian Pop" columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle's Web site, SFGate.com, Instant Yang mailblog; senior director and consumer strategist for Asian and Asian-American markets, Iconoculture

Destination BC: Sixth Annual BC Cultural Crawl – August 3rd to 31st

Visit www.art-bc.com For All The Details

The Sixth annual BC Cultural Crawl kicks off BC Day weekend and runs from August 03 to 31, 2007.

More than 70 communities across British Columbia and thousands of visitors celebrate arts, culture and heritage this August. Take in art-walks, studio tours, exhibitions, performance arts, festivals and culinary delights on this month long crawl.

>From the seaside creations of the Sunshine Coast to the artisan wineries of Naramata, the Arts and Cultural Guide to BC and www.art-bc.com will start you along a journey you won’t soon forget. If you are a BC resident looking for an adventure, or a first-time explorer, this summer Discover SuperCultural British Columbia!

“The BC Cultural Crawl is a celebration of the vibrant arts and culture in British Columbia, hosted by the diverse artists and business owners in a specific region”, explains Trudy Van Dop, publisher of the Arts & Cultural Guide to BC.” This event continues to be dedicated to “raising the lights” on arts, culture & heritage.

For a complete listing of participating communities visit www.art-bc.com.

Here you will also find suggested art-friendly accommodations, itineraries for week-long adventures and featured afternoon escapes. Simply click on the community of your choice and print off the list of attractions in the area.

The Arts & Cultural Guide to BC is a full-colour, 128-page guide to over 300 art galleries, museums, studios, gardens, heritage and cultural sites in the province of British Columbia. The Guide is available for free at any BCAA Office, Visitor Information Centre, selected hotels, museums, galleries, cruise ship terminals, airports aboard BC Ferries throughout the province.

ALL SUMMER ALL FREE

18 May-19 August, 2007

For the second year running, ALL SUMMER ALL FREE offers free gallery admission throughout the summer, thanks to the Hal Jackman Foundation and NOW Magazine, Media Partner.

AUTO EMOTION
Autobiography, emotion and self-fashioning
18 May-19 August, 2007

Marina Abramovic, Reza Afisina, Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Sophie Calle, Andrea Fraser, Rodney Graham, Christian Jankowski, Yayoi Kusama, Nikki S. Lee, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Matt Mullican, Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay, Adrian Paci, Johannes Wohnseifer.

Curated by Director Gregory Burke and Senior Curator Helena Reckitt.

‘Auto Emotion' features a cast of leading and mid-career international and Canadian artists working at the slippery intersection of autobiography, emotional display and self-fashioning.

"Auto Emotion offers visual bombshells ranging from the violent to the hilarious to the intensely beautiful. This summer, The Power Plant is the place to get juiced."
- NNNN, NOW Magazine

Summer Hours
Tuesday to Sunday 12-6 PM
Saturday Summer Hours 12-9 PM (Until 19 August)

Admission
ALL SUMMER, ALL FREE Gallery Admission throughout the summer

For more information please contact:
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
at Harbourfront Centre
231 Queens Quay West
Toronto, ON Canada M5J 2G8
416.973.4949 // thepowerplant@harbourfrontcentre.com
www.thepowerplant.org

COME UP TO MY ROOM 2008

The Gladstone Hotel's 5th Annual Alternative Design Event
Feb 22-24, 2008

Expression of Interest Deadline: Aug. 20th (no later than 5pm)

The Gladstone Hotel seeks proposals for innovative, cutting-edge contemporary art and design projects for the annual alternative design event, Come Up To My Room 2008. The fifth installment will take place from February 22-24, 2008 at the Gladstone Hotel, in over 12 rooms on 2nd floor of the historic Gladstone Hotel.

Ideal candidates for juried consideration are practitioners who produce, focus and dedicate their practice in the areas of; experimental, inter-disciplinary, self-taught, hand-made/craft-based, installation, and environmental, art & design projects (including graphic, new media, lens-based: photography, film & video.) We are looking for practitioners and emerging designers who approach design with radical personal vision to create site-specific installations.

Please submit hardcopy or electronic proposals (MS-WORD docs only) no later than 5pm, August 20th, 2007. Proposals should include a; CD of 5-10 images, or jpegs/website url, CV, a 150 word bio of the artist, designer, or collectives, and a 1 page proposal specific to CUTMR 2008. This exhibition is curated by artist and not by proposed projects. Please do not submit detailed proposals. For more information please read http://www.gladstonehotel.com/callsforinterest.html

Participation fees are $650 + GST for room installations and $150 + GST for public space projects; includes installation day and 3-day space rental, exhibition administration, coordination, and inclusion in the promotion, publicity, marketing materials, and exhibition catalogue.

To see press coverage of past CUTMR events http://www.gladstonehotel.com/press.html

To see photos of past CUTMR installations http://www.gladstonehotel.com/cutmr2007.html

For more information contact the curators:

Pamila Matharu, pmatharu@rogers.com (+1) 416 846 6230
Christina Zeidler, christina@gladstonehotel.com (+1) 416 531 4635 ext. 7102

For more information regarding pricing, exhibition details and contracts contact:
Chris Mitchell, chrism@gladstonehotel.com (+1) 416 531 4635 ext. 7105

Submit proposals to:
Gladstone Hotel, Attention: CUTMR Curators, 1214 Queen St W Toronto ON

Or email to christina@gladstonehotel.com or pmatharu@rogers.com and cc chrism@gladstonehotel.com

U.S. returns stolen 12th-century artifact to Cambodia

(CBC) - The U.S. government has returned the sandstone head of a celestial dancer to Cambodia, saying the object had been smuggled out of the country.

The 12th-century Apsara dancer is one of hundreds created by master carvers of the Angkor era, when the southeastern Asian country was a great power.

The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh issued a statement Monday saying U.S. law enforcement agents seized the artifact early this year.

The object had been stolen and smuggled out of Cambodia in violation of a 2003 agreement between the two countries that aims to protect Cambodia's cultural heritage, the embassy said, but it did not say when the artifact was stolen.

"The U.S. government is very determined to assist the Cambodian government in protecting and preserving its heritage," Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said after a ceremony in which the artifact was officially returned.

Culture Minister Him Chhem thanked the U.S. government for returning the two-kilogram sculpture.

Cambodia is emerging from three decades of occupation and civil war. Funding from the EU, U.S. and Japan are helping to restore its stone monuments, especially those in the ancient capital of Angkor, near the city of Siem Reap. However, many priceless pieces have been looted and have ended up in the hands of private collectors overseas.

With files from the Associated Press

CALL FOR POEMS: "SEVEN FOR '07"

Chris Lee of the UBC English Department is heading up the call for poems to help recognize the Anniversaries of Change project that is drawing attention to significant events in Asian Canadian history from 1907, 1947, 1967 and 1997. The catalyst for these historic events is the 100th anniversary of the September 8th, Chinatown Riots by the Anti-Asiatic League.

Vancouver has come a long way from a small pioneer town on the edge of civilization, to become a bustling global city that celebrates ethnic and cultural diversity that no other city in Canada can match. Vancouver was one of the entry points for Asian immigration to Canada , and thus was also a lightning rod for Anti-Asian or anti-immigration sentiment.

A call for poetry to celebrate the historic event, and to recognize how far we have come, is a worthy project that will help bring contemporary insight to historical hindsight, combined with artistic creativity. Okay... I admit... I had a hand (or rather some brain cells) in helping to spark this creative project. Hope you can help out... write a poem... tell you poet friends...

CALL FOR POEMS: "SEVEN FOR '07"

2007 Anniversaries of Change is a broad-based coalition of
institutions and organizations that have come together to mark 2007 as
an anniversary year in the quest for equality and justice in Canada .
The years 1907, 1947, 1967, and 1997 each mark a watershed moment in
the history of Asian migrants in Canada and their struggles to fight
discrimination and oppression. These anniversaries not only call for
historical reflection, but also offer opportunities to renew ongoing
efforts in anti-racism.

On September 8, 2007, there will be an all-day public event at the
Vancouver Public Library Central Branch that will include panels,
displays, multimedia, and performing arts. We are currently soliciting
short poems (maximum 20 lines) from local writers addressing the
themes of this year of anniversaries. Please note: Writers do not have
be of Asian descent and submissions do not have to directly address
the historical events being commemorated. We are seeking entries that
can, in conjunction with other community events, creatively provoke
reflection on the current state of diversity and justice in Vancouver
and British Columbia .

Seven poems will be chosen and circulated in the following ways: (1)
large wall-size posters of each poem will be produced and displayed in
the VPL atrium on September 8; (2) smaller posters with all seven
poems will be printed and widely distributed as part of commemorative
activities in the fall. We will extend a token honorarium to each
writer chosen to participate in Seven for '07.

Please email entries to instrcc.events@gmail.com by August 9, 2007.
Please attach entries in either .pdf or .rtf formats and ensure that
no identifying notes or markers are included in the file. In the body
of the email, please provide the following information: name, address,
telephone number, contact email, and a short (maximum 40 words)
biographical statement. After a blind review process, chosen writers
will be contacted in order to arrange publication details.

For more information about Seven for ' 07 please contact Chris Lee (UBC
Department of English) at leechr@interchange.ubc.ca. More information
about the Anniversaries of Change can be found on
www.anniversaries07.ca. Thank you for your interest

Shepard, Churchill, Hwang headline the Public's 2007-2008 season

NEW YORK (AP) - Sam Shepard, Caryl Churchill and David Henry Hwang are among the playwrights being showcased during the 2007-2008 season at the Public Theater, one of New York's leading non-profit theatres. The lineup will also include the world premiere of Richard Nelson's "Conversations in Tusculum," a play about power and responsibility set during the time of Julius Caesar. It will star Brian Dennehy, David Strathairn and Maria Tucci.

The season was announced Monday by Oskar Eustis, the Public's artistic director, and Mara Manus, its executive director.

Shepard will also direct his "Kicking a Dead Horse," which will open next summer and star Stephen Rea. The play about a man stranded in the middle of nowhere - and trying to bury a dead horse - had its world premiere earlier this year at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.

Churchill's "Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?" was done in 2006 at London's Royal Court Theatre. The play deals with the special relationship between two men. It opens next spring.

The fall will see the New York premiere of Hwang's "Yellow Face," a play about race and identity. "Yellow Face" previously was seen at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

Also on the Public's fall schedule are an experimental production of "Hamlet" from the Wooster Group and the world premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney's "The Brothers Size," the story of two brothers filtered through West African myths.

© The Canadian Press, 2007

Secret Asian Man Now Syndicated Nationally

Beloved strip considered the first syndicated strip to feature Asian-American lead character

Stewart David Ikeda, Editor
www.imdiversity.com

July 25, 2007 - The editors are pleased/proud/thrilled to announce that our own hometown boy, Secret Asian Man, has been picked up for national newspaper syndication by the comics world uber-syndicator United Features Syndicate!

According to the UFS release, the move makes SAM the first Asian American to ascend to the Pantheon of such funnies titans as Charlie Brown, Marmaduke, Dilbert, and many more of the top drawn superstars to have graced the nation's lunchboxes and office cubicles, holiday specials and Sunday magazines!

A long time in development, the deal between former AAV Artist-in-Residence Tak Toyoshima closed earlier this year, and SAM made his official debut in newspapers on July 16th. The launch of the strip is part of a new direction by UFS, which has been increasingly releasing cartoons for more diverse audiences, and making them accessible through both traditional paper and new media outlets. In addition to syndicating the strip to newspapers on increased daily basis as well as in full color weekly strips, UFS also makes strips like SAM available for direct subscriptions through its Feature Bank web site.

When Toyoshima first conceived of the character of Secret Asian Man, he already had experience in comics publishing. He caught the bug and honed his art skills working at New England Comics on the noted comic book, The Tick. He soon went on to self-publish his own full comic book, The Couch.

An exploration of Toyoshima's own interests, identity and background as Asian American, SAM was first introduced in 1998 as a feature in the fledgling Boston Weekly Dig, an alternative weekly newspaper based in Boston's Chinatown, where Toyoshima was an original contributor and later served as its Art Director. In 1999, SAM became a regular feature at the Asian-American Village Online published by IMDiversity.com. By the turn of the Millennium, SAM was becoming a more than just staple or cult reading for online Asian Americans of diverse backgrounds -- he became a virtual addiction. Still something of a best-kept-secret among ethnic readers and in-the-know alternative comics buffs, SAM found devoted supporters and new publication homes among Asian American niche newspapers, student organizations, and websites. Modest attempts at creating homegrown "SAM-gear" -- T-shirts, locker stickers and the like -- proved so popular that in 2003, Toyoshima partnered with the California-based clothing business, Blacklava, to create a successful online SAM store.

Invited to conference events and comicons, as well as art exhibits and club showings, Toyoshima believed firmly that SAM could have appeal that was not exclusively -- nor even primarily -- limited to Asian Americans. Indeed, around the same time, two developments served to widen SAM's exposure to ever more diverse audiences around the country. First, Toyoshima dedicated himself to forging his own syndication agreements with a number of non-ethnic, alternative news weeklies similar to the Dig in major urban markets around the U.S. Second, SAM caught the attention of prominent book authors in both the alternative/political comics sphere and in academia. SAM was seen in the book Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists by Ted Rall, released in February 2004. Then, the following spring, Toyoshima himself was a prominent subject of widely read scholarly essay, "Secret Asian Man: Angry Asians and the Politics of Cultural Visibility," by cultural studies scholar Tasha Oren, in a surprisingly popular academic collection by NYU Press, East Main Street: Asian American Popular Culture. Toyoshima was also invited to by the Press to illustrate the book's cover, in which Tak's distinctive "SAM-style" is highly recognizable in a street scene that illustrates both varied Asian American cultural references as well as a detailed world of Asian influences on mainstream popular culture.

After reaching the current syndication milestone, we can hope that Secret Asian Man may soon be ripe to move on and conquer other media. (Secret Asian Man's Lunar New Year's TV Special, anyone?) In the meantime, Toyoshima has his work cut out for him with the much-accelerated, daily strip schedule, and says he doesn't yet know exactly how or if the nature of the strip may change down the road to suit the new audiences, formats, and frequency. For now, he's just hoping that the legions of SAM's long-time enthusiasts will write to their local papers and otherwise create a buzz and build demand for the strip in syndication.

Asian American Village's editors will be doing our part to this end, and we hope that all of SAM's devotees who have enjoyed the strip here these many years will do the same. And please join us in congratulating SAM on his great success. It couldn't have happened to a nicer 'toon!

B.C. developer sets sights on Downtown Eastside

MONTE PAULSEN
Globe and Mail

VANCOUVER — Vancouver's largest developer has quietly assembled a half-block-long chunk of real estate in the heart of the Downtown Eastside.

The Concord Pacific Group's acquisition of a pivotal property at the heart of Canada's poorest urban postal code is a dramatic illustration of the potential gentrification of Vancouver's most rough-and-tumble neighbourhood.

Concord Pacific has purchased seven lots at the heart of the West Hastings Street block between Abbott and Carrall streets.

“Right now all we've done is assembled some properties,” said Peter Webb, a vice-president at Concord Pacific, which is developing a forest of condo towers on the former Expo 86 lands along False Creek, as well as the 44-acre CityPlace development in downtown Toronto.

“We are still in the infancy of early design and development,” Mr. Webb said. “We are interested in having a discussion with the city about the opportunity to create non-market or subsidized housing, as part of a commercial and residential development.”

David Eby, a lawyer and housing activist at Pivot Legal Society, warned that unless Concord's plans include a substantial volume of low-income housing, its Hastings Street project could wind up compounding Vancouver's homeless crisis.

“Concord Pacific has an opportunity here to show they care about people and not just profits,” Mr. Eby said.

The Concord Pacific purchase comes during a period of intense trading of Downtown Eastside real estate. At least 292 properties changed hands there between March, 2005, and March, 2007, according to a compilation of city records. Across Hastings Street from the new Concord parcel is a corner lot owned by another major developer, the Holborn Group. One block west is the Woodward's redevelopment, which includes at 40-storey residential tower.

“We have no land left downtown, so the city is going to move east,” said Bob Rennie, whose sale of all 536 condos at the Woodward's redevelopment in a single day is credited with sparking the Eastside real-estate boom.

“[Concord Pacific CEO] Terry Hui is a really smart guy,” Mr. Rennie said. “He did something very creative getting in early. He sees land that might look expensive, but it's inexpensive compared to where condo prices have gone.”

Mr. Rennie, who is relocating his own offices to Chinatown, said that Concord will need to include a substantial amount of social housing in its proposal in order to obtain city permission to build a tower on the site. “It's going to be done with a social conscience or its not going to happen.”

Mark Townsend directs the Portland Hotel Society, a non-profit that rents to many of the neighbourhood's hardest-to-house residents. Portland operates a residential hotel next door to Concord's new Hastings Street property, and is redeveloping the historic Pennsylvania Hotel, at which Concord paid cash in advance for unused density rights.

“Concord Pacific has put a lot of energy into the Downtown Eastside. In our experience, they have been a creative and responsive developer,” Mr. Townsend said. “We could not have renovated the Pennsylvania Hotel without Concord Pacific's help.”

Wendy Pedersen, a housing activist at the Carnegie Community Action Project, was less welcoming. She accused Concord of having “whittled away” at social housing commitments related to its False Creek developments.

“Condo towers on Hastings Street would spell the end of the Downtown Eastside as a low-income neighbourhood,” Ms. Pedersen said. “I'm concerned that it's become open season on the Downtown Eastside.”

Elvin Wyly chairs the urban studies program at the University of British Columbia. “Just a few years ago, it would have surprised me to learn that a company like Concord Pacific was moving into the Downtown Eastside,” Mr. Wyly said.

“It does not surprise me now. This is a culmination of a long process by which the urban core is becoming a truly elite market.”

Sikh name-change letter challenged on Facebook

(CBC) - Sikh groups angry about a controversial government letter requesting name changes for Sikh immigrants have taken their fight to the popular social networking website Facebook.

At least five online groups dedicated to discussing the government letter, which asked people with the common Sikh surnames Singh and Kaur to change their last names before coming to Canada, have been created.

Kupreet Singh, an administrator for one of the groups protesting the letter, said his forum has already attracted more than 400 members.

He said the online members are proof that Canadians are dissatisfied with Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley's response last week. A spokesman from her department told CBC News a letter from the Canadian High Commission stating "the names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada" was not government policy and was "poorly worded."

Finley added that the letter did not demand that people named Singh or Kaur change their names, but was actually a request for them to add a surname in order to help the department be more efficient.

Singh said the members of his Facebook group are demanding more clarification on the issue.

"We would like Minister Finley to instruct her New Delhi office that not only should they not require people to change their names," he said, "but not even request a name change."

Immigrants fear delays in applications

Immigrants are in a vulnerable position, Singh said. They fear that if they do not comply with a government request, their immigration applications may be delayed or even ignored.

Asking people to change their names simply to ease up some bureaucratic filing is unreasonable, he said.

The name-change controversy erupted after Tarvinder Kaur, waiting for her husband Jaspal Singh to arrive in Canada, learned his application to become a permanent resident had been delayed for more than a month because of his last name.

When CBC News first asked about the letter, immigration officials said the policy to ask for a third name was put in place 10 years ago.