Bamboo, the fastest growing plant, is a renewable resource that is used for many things. It is a grass and grows back faster than trees. A bamboo plant can grow about four feet in 24 hours, and a full plant will grow back in about two months. Since it takes a tree many years to grow back, it is quicker to make more bamboo products while keeping a high supply of plants as well. The plant can regenerate without replanting if they are harvested using selective cutting. It can also be harvested faster than trees and can produce 20 percent more timber than trees in the same amount of area.

The bamboo plant grows all over the world, and it is native to every continent except Europe and the North and South Poles. China has the largest amount of bamboo, and they have made products from it for over 3,000 years. The plant has green leaves that filters carbon dioxide and other harmful toxins in the air around us, and it produces 30 percent more oxygen than trees. Bamboo can survive in a drought or when there is a lot of rain. Bamboo plants have a large root system and a large canopy that prevents soil erosion when there is a lot of rain runoff. The roots of the plant absorb a lot of the rain in the soil.

Bamboo is processed just like most other materials before it is used. Sodium hydroxide is used for the processing, the same chemical used for making soap, food, paper, and most cotton fabrics including organic cotton. The chemical is safe if it is used properly. Most companies reuse the sodium hydroxide to decrease waste as well. Even though chemicals are used in the processing of bamboo, it is still eco-friendly. The process can and will be improved in the future. Since there is a large supply of bamboo that grows back without replanting, it is grown without pesticides or fertilizers.

Bamboo is an excellent replacement for plastic and other products because it will improve the environment and help you live a greener life. Bamboo products that replace plastic items are biodegradable, making them environmentally friendly. It is often used to replace plastic water bottles, pens, mats, shades and blinds, umbrellas, buckets, diapers, umbrellas, and even toys.

Bamboo can replace a lot of other items that people use because it is one of the strongest materials to work with. It is stronger than aluminum, and it is more durable than oak wood. Companies use bamboo plants to make furniture, flooring, and other construction materials. Materials made from bamboo are visually appealing, so you don’t have to give up your style by going green. Bamboo is also used to make fabric clothing. It is a better choice than cotton or polyester because it is breathable, helps to regulate your temperature, keeps you dry, and resists odors.

When it comes to planning your vacations, there is a wide array of tourist destinations to choose from, but people wanting to enjoy an exotic Asian city with the taste of the Western World, would not look further, and pick Hong Kong hands down.

There is not other region in People’s Republic of China comprising the mystery of millennial traditions with the dynamic modern life of any big metropolis in Occident. Hong Kong is, along with Macau, the two only Special Administrative Regions of this giant Asian country.

Even though Macau was a former Portuguese colony, which its historic trace differs from that of Hong Kong, a former British colony, factor that influences the lifestyle of this port city situated on the Pearl River Delta in the south of China, bordering with the former province of Canton (Guangdong) and surrounded by the China Sea.

Due to its geographic location, Hong Kong has been an important trading port since ancient times to the present day. Hong Kong is also one of the biggest cities of the world with 6.9 million inhabitants as of the last census. Trading, however, was the key factor of the territory’s British occupation for nearly a century after the Opium Wars between China and the Great Britain that began in 1839 that lead to sign the Treaty of Beijing in 1860 and the leasing of the territory to the Britons for 99 years starting on July 1st, 1898.

When the Treaty of Beijing came to an end in July 1st of 1997 and Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories were returning to China, a new millennium was approaching and everything was uncertainty despite the negotiations on the future of Hong Kong made by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1984 granting to the port the assignment of Special Administrative Region of China.

While many locals emigrated to other countries in the 1990s fearing drastic changes in their lifestyle after the Chinese administration would take place, people who stayed in the peninsula has witnessed the arising of Hong Kong as a stronger financial, commercial and tourist center. The magic of Hong Kong when compared with other Chinese tourist destination resides in the historic period of British occupation that amalgamated the best of two different and contrasting cultures into one.

This way, visitors can enjoy a city tour through the cosmopolitan view of the skyscrapers in West Kowloon, the majestic 55-storyey Financial Center, visiting exotic temples, such as Man Mo Temple and the Wong Tai Sin Temple, or a traditional Chinese Tea House inside a sampan taking a ride around the Victoria or Aberdeen harbors.

Hong Kong is as city with multicolor dragons just everywhere, many of which are outside theaters and venues that host the countless festivals celebrate throughout the year, although many of them take place in public parks or travel through the streets, as the New Year, Lantern, and Mid Autumn Festivals, However there is too much to see in Hong Kong.

But for the Eurocentrism of Western historians, the Taiping rebellion in China (1850-1866) was the greatest single revolution of the nineteenth century. Even in the nineteenth century, China was the most populous country in the world with a population of over 400 million. The scale and ferocity of the civil war in the Taiping rebellion exceeded any other in history up to that time. It is estimated that over 20 million people were killed during the Taiping rebellion (close to the total of lives lost in the titanic Nazi Germany-Communist Russia struggle of the Second World War).

China has a long history of ideological tradition which assumed the immortality of the “Celestial Empire,” with its emperor, scholar-bureaucrats and system of civil administration. The Chinese were convinced of the eternal nature of their “Celestial Empire” most likely because it had existed from time immemorial and characterized by a cycle of renewal, growth, decay and renewal. Chinese ideology therefore looked upon the breakdown of law and order in the course of the life of a dynasty of kings as evidence that the dynasty had lost the “mandate of heaven,” and was due to be replaced by the regime of a new dynasty. This ideology, of course, encouraged revolution in the form of insurrection, banditry,popular peasant uprising and general rebellion when the dynasty had become unpopular. In Chinese thought such “end-time” chaos was necessary and even desirable phenomenon to look forward to at the right time, for the eternal life of the “Celestial Empire” through an endless cycle of birth, growth, decay, death and renewal in the succession of dynasties depended on the it.

Thus, we find that Chinese history is a long succession of dynastic regimes. The Mongol dynasty had, in the fourteenth century, been replaced through popular revolution by the Ming dynasty. The Ming dynasty had in turn been replaced by the Manchu dynasty in the middle of the seventeenth century.

Historians attribute the crisis which led to the Taiping rebellion and the fall of the Manchu dynasty in the nineteenth century to the sudden dramatic increase in China’s population between the 18th and 19th centuries. It has been estimated that China’s population increased from about 140 million in 1741 to about 400 million in 1834. This is believed to have resulted in severe economic pressures which sparked off civil unrest that would snowball into bloody revolution.

The Chinese had always considered their “Celestial Empire” immune to conquest, thus the defeat of China in the First Opium War (1839-1842) by a small British naval force(the British were barbarians in Chinese estimation) sent shock waves through the strata of Chinese society and contributed to an intensification of the clandestine activities of secret political societies as the Triad dedicated to the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty.

The prevailing situation in 1847 and 1848 in China was, therefore, very conducive for the obsessed messianic leader Hung Hsiu Chuan (1818-1864) who had failed the almighty imperial civil service examination which determined a young man’s future in Imperial China(only about of five percent of candidates pass the examination!). Hung suffered a nervous breakdown after repeated failure of the examination and like the Christian Paul had a religious conversion experience in which he received confused visions of end-time millennial messages which led him to the conviction that he was the younger brother of Jesus. In 1848 Hung founded the “society of those who venerate God,” in Kwangsi province and the society was promptly swelled by the seething masses of people of all classes: miserably poor peasants, vagrants,minorities, members of secret revolutionary orders who accepted his apocalyptic end of world prophecies with its social revolutionary agenda. Hung is said to have been influenced by Christian eschatological ideas having spent some time with a European missionary in Canton. But Europeans of that time tended to explain native millenarian movements which bore any similarity to Christian teaching by claiming Christian influence (it is indeed true that he had read a Christian pamphlet given him by a protestant missionary before he came to the conclusion that he was the younger brother of Jesus).

Rebellion burst out in 1850 beginning in the Kwangsi region. The social revolutionary character of the movement was plain from the outset. Within three years (1850-1853) the Taiping had more than one million active militants and controlled the greater part of south and east China having captured Nanking. Hung declared his territory the “Celestial Realm of Universal Peace,” and himself “Celestial King.” He abolished private property (land was distributed for use and not for private ownership purchase). He prohibited tobacco, opium, alcohol and lowered taxes. The success of the Taiping Rebellion in the south and east of China sparked off other popular uprisings in the north, south-west and north-west of China. The government went from defensive to offensive with the aid of Western powers (who preferred to prop up the conservative Manchu than have a new revolutionary government of popular uprising). The tide of the war finally turned in favor of the Manchu and by 1864 Nanking was recaptured at great cost.

There are a number of best places to travel throughout South Korea, China and Japan. There are many places which are historic and many which are entertaining. However, there are also numerous places which have been designed to give visitors the most fantastic and marvelous views of Asia. Here is a list of 5 best places to travel in Asia that attract thousands of visitors all year long.

Tokyo Disney Land

The Tokyo Disneyland was the first Disney theme park that was built of US. This theme park comprises of both Tokyo Disney Sea and Tokyo Disney Land. This wonderful park attracts well over 25 million people each year which makes it one of the best places to travel in Asia.

The Great Wall Of China

The Great Wall of China stretches well over 4000 miles. It was initially built to protect China from invaders. But now, it is a hot tourist destination and one of the most famous places to visit in Asia. This historic place is visited by around 12-16 million tourists each year.

Temple of Heaven In Beijing, China

This is a series of buildings which were built around the 15th century. This temple is so magnificent and it also represents some of the finest Chinese architectural works of the ancient times. Spiritually speaking, these structures represent the special tie between the earth and heaven. Close to 12 million tourists visit this historic site every year.

Mount Tai in China

Mount Tai is not far from the Tai’an City and is considered as one of the scared mountains to Taoism. These Mounts attract millions of people every year and there are many who also climb the 7000 steps to make their way right to the top of the mountain which is the Azure Clouds Temple.

Nagashima Spa Land in Japan

The Nagashima Spa Land is more of a tourist complex than just an amusement park. The largest flower festival that is held in Japan is often organized at the Nagashima Spa Land’s botanical gardens every year. There is indoor as well as outdoor hot springs which visitors just love to enjoy while spending their time at this beautiful amusement park.

There is much more than this to see in Asia. Asia is full of contemporary as well as ancient attractions that are bound to draw tourists from all over the world. When you are visiting Asia, make sure you see and experience as many famous places as possible. Asia is truly one of the best places to travel in the world.

Table tennis evolved first in China and eventually moved to Europe, and then the United States. Some say “Ping-Pang” was the first name of the game because it sounded like the words spoken in the Chinese language in the 7th Century, which later evolved to “Ping Pong.” By the 8th Century, the game began to spread to India, Persia and ultimately to the West. These early games were played by hitting a dried Chinese fruit called a lichee.

Others say that the sound heard when playing ping pong on European rackets (made of pieces of paper stretched on a frame) resulted first in the nickname of “Whiff-Whaff” and later “Ping-Pong.” In Europe many people believe ping pong was invented by army officers who used rounded wine corks for balls and old cigar boxes as paddles. Ping pong remained popular as a party game for rich people in England until it officially became a competitive sport in 1927.

Eventually, the popularity of ping pong in Europe led game manufacturers to sell ping pong equipment commercially, at first under the name “Gossima.” But the name “Ping-Pong” was already widely used before English manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd. formalized it in 1901. Jaques & Son eventually sold the rights of the “Ping-Pong” name to the American company Parker Brothers.

James Gibb, an English enthusiast of the game, discovered novelty celluloid balls on a trip to the U.S. in and found them to be the ideal balls for the game. In the 1950s, a plastic balls were mass produced and table tennis exploded in world wide popularity, especially in Asia, where countries like China and South Korea have produced most of the top players in the world. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, in America the majority of people played ping pong in their homes — in attics or basement recreation rooms. Table tennis attracts larger followings in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Denmark and Germany. In comparison with sports like golf or baseball, it is inexpensive.

As ping pong’s popularity has grown, changes have been made to tournament rules to make ping pong’s rapid game play more accessible to spectators. This back-and-forth sport has a ball that travels up to 100 miles per hour. In 2000, the International Table Tennis Federation changed the official size of ping pong balls from 38 mm to 40 mm to slow the action, and games were reduced from 21 points to 11 points to make them more exciting. Players are also no longer permitted to hide the ball in their palm during service.

Ping pong played a large role in the development of arcade games and the personal computer. Atari’s Pong, a ping pong game released in 1972, was the first video game to achieve significant commercial success. Home and arcade versions of Pong helped make electronic ping pong the gaming phenomenon of the 1970s, which was a good decade for ping pong. In April, 1971, nine American ping pong players spent a week in China playing exhibition matches against the best Chinese ping pong players. This “ping pong diplomacy” paved the way for President Richard Nixon’s historic visit 10 months later.

Ping pong has since become the largest participation sport in the world, according to the International Olympic Committee, which made ping pong an official Olympic game in 1988 in Seoul. Today, over 40 million people play ping pong competitively worldwide.

Introduction

Belaga District is one of the most remote and largest districts in Sarawak with a size area of ​​19,403.27 sq km, where mega Bakun Hydro Project (BHP) is situated. BHP is designed to supply cheap electricity power for the country and even being proposed to be exported to neighboring countries like Brunei, Indonesia and even to Thailand. Belaga District is part of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), encompassing an area of ​​70,000 sq km.

The Beauty of Belaga

Belaga beauty lies in its isolation. It is sited off the well-beaten tourists trek and accessibility to Belaga, also called Heart of Borneo, due to its fauna and flora found there, has been fairly limited until today. Therein lies Belaga's greatest asset; it's unspoilt and its charms remain unsullied by tourism industry.

The most spectacular sights in Belaga such as in Usun Apau are found in its interior nature where nature is at its glorious best, still undisturbed by any tourism activity. Accessibility into these parts is either by road, logging road, air or river. Here, green-clad mountains dominate the skyline. Occidentally, a waterfall gushes down a sheer cliff, catching the sun rays in the process and forming a rainbow. Underneath, the ubiquitous rivers move at lightning speed, forming rapids as they weave their way through rocks.

As the largest district in Sarawak and straddled in remote central Sarawak, Belaga encompasses within its boundaries some of the world's richest forest, one of important archaeological finds in Malaysia and some of the world's most spectacular scenery. Indeed, one would be hard put to find another area in the world that has so much diversity in nature, people and culture in one neat package.

Borneo's Biggest Man Made Lake

Belaga District is also home-to-be the largest water catchments area in South East Asia when Bakun Hydro Dam project completes sometimes in 2011, that supply 2400 mw of electricity power. The artificial lake will stretch up the upper Balui River, Murum River, Linau River and many medium size of rivers and streams that will form a lake that is larger than island of Singapore. Immediately beyond the artificial lake, visitors can see beautiful lowland mixed dipterocarp forest, with drooping trees overhanging the rivers. River transport is the main mode of communication here. The rivers are fast flowing and during dry periods, the water level gets quite low and visitors can pleasantly enjoy spectacular beautiful scenery nature.

Over and beyond the wealth Belaga derives from its land, however, are its people, its single richest asset. Its many ethnic groups, more than 15 in all and that is only the official figure, combine to lend Belaga a uniqueness that is all its own. The result is a colorful stew pot of culture, heritage and tradition.

The Indigenous People

Almost 100% of the district's population are Orang Ulu ethnics (Orang Ulu means interior people) which consist of Kenyah, Kayan, Penan, Punan, Kejaman, Lahanan, Sekapan, Tanjung, Ukit, Seping, Lisum and Sihan. Other bumiputera minorities are Iban, Malay and non-bumiputera Chinese that forms a total population of approximately 30,000 people.

Orang Ulu, which consist of many tribes in Belaga have the most colorful costumes. In most longhouses in Belaga, you will find ornaments and accessories, which have been inherited from their descendants, proudly displayed and jealously guarded by the owners. The skill of beadwork, passed on from generation to generation, has replied in a kaleidoscopic assortment of colors and designs in their crafts. The important role the hornbills play in the daily lives of the Orang Ulu also comes to life in their most popular Orang Ulu dances. The dancers clutch clusters of hornbill feathers in their hands and mimic a bird in flight, swooping and soaring. Movements are graceful and flowing.

The accompanying music is provided by the sound, which is one of the most popular musical instruments in Borneo. A lute-type, four-stringed instrument, it produces a rich and delicate tone. It is made and carved out from a single tree trunk. Traditionally, the four strings are made of split rottan. Today, steel wires are used. Costumes are again elaborate. The rich beadwork of the Orang Ulu adds a colorful dimension to the dance.

Little town of Belaga is located at confluence of Belaga River and Balui River. About 37 km beyond and up river of Balui is Bakun Hydro Dam. Bakun Hydro Dam is located rights at the confluence of Bintulu-Bakun Highway and Sibu-Kapit-Belaga-Bakun express boat ply route along Rejang River, Malaysia longest river. This location gives Belaga an advantage as a very strategic point as an ecotourism center in the heart of Borneo.

Access Concerned

Ready access and an efficient transportation network is the basic component of a successful destination. Belaga has fairly good road access from neighboring countries like Brunei and Kalimantan Borneo. While it is good to have a ready market at hand, regional cross-border traffic does have its limitations because of its nature and size.

Air access into Sarawak is also fairly good component of the system which has great impact towards Belaga as a destination. Location and juxtaposition of one destination to another are factors which contribute to traveling patterns. Sarawak is divided by South China Sea from Peninsular Malaysia by hundreds of miles. Belaga in the heart of Borneo so to speak, is isolated in the heart of Borneo. Travelers who go to Kuala Lumpur can disperse to destinations within Peninsula Malaysia by direct flight to Bintulu via Kuching; travelers who land in Singapore can go to Belaga by direct flight from Singapore via Kuching and tourist to Bangkok can go to Belaga using direct flight via Kuala Lumpur or Singapore to Kuching. Tourists from Kota Kinabalu can come to Belaga by direct flight to Miri or Bandar Sri Begawan and than proceed to use land transport to Belaga or Bakun.

Domestic air access is another important factor for destination. Belaga has its airfield since colonial era which is few km away down river of Belaga little town. Frequency of domestic air service access is fairly poor. Arrivals in Belaga are mostly by river and road although there is an alternate route by air.

Conclusion

Within the domestic market, tourism in Belaga is still in its infancy which is steadily and aggressively growing with opportunity to set in place the basis for planning and developing a sustainable industry. The Heart of Borneo is free from the spoils of tourist stampedes and can learn from the mistakes of other districts or states in Malaysia. Feel free to contact us at http://belagahomestaysarawak.com

Having married a Chinese bride myself and also having lived in China for over eight years I’ve heard a great deal of comments that are way off the mark where Chinese brides are concerned. Take my friend for example, who the other day called me up from America and informed me that he had heard that the Chinese government was going to put a heavy tax on its countries females if they wanted to marry a non-Chinese!

Now before you get worried, let me first tell you that, that is plainly ridiculous. It turns out my friend had heard this from another friend who in turn had read some kind of article online. In fact the ‘article’ turned out to simply be a forum post by someone who had just commented that he thought ‘maybe’ the Chinese government should do that in order to reduce the amount westerners marrying them!

Although the above is a fairly uncommon example, I’d like to bust a few very commonly held myths about Chinese brides for you, right here, right now:

1. Chinese brides are all short! Actually not. China is a vast country and the genetics vary from region to region. This belief came about due to the first Chinese migrants to the west being from the more prosperous south of China, and this region is famous for ‘short’ girls as every Chinese will tell you. The more north you go, the taller the females. There are some really tall Chinese women in the north in serious need of men of matching height!

2. Chinese women are all dying to leave their country! This one is really more uncommon than common, in fact. Chinese women are exceptionally filial, family is everything and most wish to stay close to them. It’s really only a small percentage of Chinese women that want to leave their country by comparison to the population. If you can find one that is willing to leave their own country and is also loyal and filial, then you are onto a winner where marriage is concerned!

3. Chinese girls only care about money when looking for a man to marry. This one is repeated so often that you’d be surprised if someone doesn’t mention it when talking about Chinese females! It’s not quite the case, in actual fact what a Chinese woman may hope for from a material perspective, is often much less than what a western female expects!

The difference is this: In Chinese culture it’s perfectly acceptable to talk about material desires in all situations (so they do so, openly and honestly), whereas in western culture it’s unacceptable for females to materially expect anything from a male, so they hide it, but it’s still one of their unspoken criteria in their choice of marriage partner!

China is a country that only started to open up to the rest of the world in nineteen seventy-nine, and still now, there are a great many misconceptions about the country and its women. Make sure you clue yourself up and you can be sure to end up with a truly happy marriage!

Whether we know it or not, most of us are familiar with the genus Vaccinium as it has among its members several current or potential commercial crops, such as blueberry, cranberry, bilberry and huckleberry. Vaccinium delavayi, however, is strictly ornamental and very unlikely to be our next export success.

The name vaccinium is an ancient one taken directly from the Latin vernacular: it was used to refer to Vaccinium myrtillus, the delightfully named whortleberry. Vaccinium delavayi takes its specific name, like so many Chinese plants, from the French Jesuit missionary Abbé Jean Marie Delavay (1838-95), who discovered the plant and introduced it to cultivation. He was also responsible for such well-known plants as Abies delavayi, Magnolia delavayi and Osmanthus delavayi reaching our gardens.

Vaccinium delavayi, a native of Burma and south-west China, is a hardy evergreen shrub with small, rounded leaves that are tough and leathery. In spring it produces clusters of small, bell-shaped to almost globular, white flowers that open from pink buds. The flowers are very much in the style of Pieris, Gaultheria, Andromeda and several other closely related genera in the erica family.

Pretty as the flowers are, the real appeal of this little blueberry lies in the deep bluish-black berries that follow. They are just like small blueberries and have a similar flavour but are rather acidic unless very ripe. Although it seems a shame to pick the berries, you might as well because the birds will have no such reservations.

While scarcely a spectacular plant, Vaccinium delavayi is attractive throughout the year and is always interesting, whether in flower, fruit or just as a neat foliage plant. It is an ideal specimen for a rockery or partially shaded corner. It grows to about 45cm high × 60cm wide and can be kept trimmed to a small mound. However, any pruning will adversely affect either the flowering or fruiting.

As any blueberry grower will tell you, Vaccinium plants prefer acidic soil conditions. The small ornamental species are most at home when grown with other erica family plants such as dwarf rhododendrons, evergreen azaleas, ericas, callunas and pieris.

The native New Zealand Gaultheria species are interesting plants to combine with Vaccinium delavayi. Gaultheria crassa, in particular, looks very like its Chinese relative and provides a good illustration of how plants that evolve under similar conditions often resemble each other despite occurring thousands of kilometres apart.

Other small native berrying plants, especially those of the epacris family, also make good companions. An alpine rockery with good berrying forms of Pentachondra pumila, Leucopogon fraseri, Cyathodes empetrifolia, Gaultheria crassa and Vaccinium delavayi would be full of interest and colour throughout the year.

You won’t find Vaccinium delavayi in every garden centre, but it shouldn’t require too much of a search to locate a specimen. Try looking in the perennials as well as among the shrubs, as it’s often sold at a very small size and tends to get lumped in with the rockery perennials.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Perhaps the most famous South African movie is “Tsotsi” by Gavin Hood.”Tsotsi” is a story about a gang leader.On March 5, 2006, “Tsotsi” won the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film in Los Angeles.

In his speech, Gavin Hood said, “God bless Africa. Wow. I have a speech, it´s in my pocket, but that thing says 38 seconds. But mine´s way too long. Go to tsotsi.com and there is a huge long list of people. Because I´m accepting this not for myself. This is for best foreign language film. It is sitting right there to start with.Please stand up Presley Chweneyagae and Terry Pheto. My two fantastic young leads. Put the cameras on them, please. Viva Africa. Viva. I´ve got ten seconds.Ten seconds I just want to thank my fellow nominees who I´ve become deep friends with. We may have foreign language films, but our stories are the same as your stories. They´re about the human heart and emotion. It says please wrap.Thank you so much. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you”.

Winner: “Tsotsi” (South Africa)

Finalists:

-“Sophie Scholl” (Germany)

-“Joyeux Noel” (France)

-“The Beast of the Heart” (Italy)

-“Paradise Now” (Palestine)

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

For the first time since 1960, South Africa sent a delegation to compete in the Olympic Games. Certainly, South Africa sent 94 athletes to the 1992 Olympic Games, which were held in Barcelona, Spain.The African delegation had athletes competing in seventeen areas: archery, badminton, boxing, kayak, cycling, equestrian, fencing, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, weighlifting and wrestling. They returned to South Africa with two silver medals.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Nelson Mandela was one of the most important leaders in the 20th century.He played a fundamental role in the recuperation of the nation´s democracy. Under his leadership, South Africa adopted one of the best constitutions in the world.Mandela once said, “And so it has come to pass that South Africa today undergoes her rebirth, cleansed of a horrible past, matured from a tentative beginning, and reaching out to the future with confidence. Our pledge is : never and never again shall the laws of our land rend our people apart or legalize their oppression and repression”.

Since 1993, in South Africa you can feel the freedom. Different from Cuba, Iran, and Zimbabwe, South Africa is a democracy where the civil society has immense influence and power.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

South Africa has loads of national parks and reserves that are the home of some amazing wildlife. The Kruger National Park is one of the most popular tourist spots in the African continent. It is one of the world´s most beautiful national parks. The Kruger National Park provides an ideal habitat for animals such as elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses, monkeys, zebras, cheetahs, hyenas, hippopotamus, gazelles, elands, lions, and African wild dogs.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

South Africa has three capitals: Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (administrative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).However, Johannesburg is the most important economic, industrial and cultural center in South Africa.It is one of the most industrialized cities in the Third World along with Taipei (Taiwan), Mexico City (Mexico), and Seoul (South Korea).In 2006 Johannesburg had a population of 2.6 million

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

For the first time, Africa will host 2010 FIFA World Cup.The Football World Championship to be held in South Africa.In 2000,Joseph Blatter, FIFA president, wanted the FIFA to vote for South Africa.However, New Zealand´s Charlie Dempsey ducked out of the final vote and Germany nicked it.For this reason, Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006.

In 2007,Thabo Mbeki, South African president, said: “I have no doubt that our local organising committee, government at all levels, and everybody concerned will do the necessary work to guarantee that we host a better tournament in 2010 than the excellent 2006 German World Cup”.

It also noted that millions of dollars have been spent in the past years on reforming South Africa´s sporting system.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

About half of the world´s gold is produced in South Africa.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

South Africa has many famous people: Christian Barnard (surgeon), Miriam Makeba (singer and anti-AIDS activist), Caron Bernstein (model,actress and singer), Nelson Mandela (former president and anti-AIDS activist), Nadine Gordimer (writer), Athol Fugard (writer),Mathosa (singer), Zola Budd (sportswoman), Charlize Theron (actress), Ilene Hamann (actress and model), Harry Oppenheimer (anti-apartheid industrialist), Richard Goldstone (international judge), Musetta Vander (actress and model), Danny Koppel (singer), Zakes Mokae (actor), Juliet prowse (dancer and actress), and Joe Mafela (actor).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

The South African Penny Heyns, won the 100-and 200-meter breaststroke events at the 1996 Summer Olympics.She is considered among South Africa´s national heroines. Like Anthony Nesty (Suriname), Felipe Muñoz (Mexico), Claudia Poll (Costa Rica), and Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe), Penny Heyns is a Third World swimming icon.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

South Africa has many World Heritage Sites by UNESCO: Greater Saint Lucia Wetland Park (1999), Robben Island (1999), Drakensberg Park (2000), Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (2003), Vredefort Dome (2005), and Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (2004).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

On March 26, 1998, American U.S. president Bill Clinton visited South Africa.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

South Africa has more Nobel Prizes than Mexico(3) India (2) Brazil (0)Argentina (3) Cuba (0), and the People´s Republic of China (1).

South Africa has six Nobel Prize winners:

1960: Albert J. Luthuli (Nobel Prize for Peace)

1982: Aaron Klug (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)

1984:Bishop Desmond Tutu (Nobel Prize for Peace)

1991: Nadine Gordimer (Nobel Prize for Literature)

1993: Nelson Mandela and Frederik W. de Klerk (Nobel Prize for Peace)

2003: John Maxwell Coetzee (Nobel Prize for Literature)

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

The people of South Africa are proud that their country is a society of people with many different backgrounds. Many people are mixture of several nationalities and races. About 2 million Asians live in South Africa. The ancestors of the most of them came from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

South Africa superstar Charlize Theron is an icon in Africa. She is a woman one can not fail to admire.

Academy Award winning actress, Halle Berry worked as a fashion model in the 1980s.Berry is not the only Hollywood star who made a living from special jobs before becoming famous. For many actresses, this early experience came in useful in their acting career. The South African actress Charlize Theron -who has appeared in over twenty films in a movie career lasting over ten years- was a supermodel in the 1990s.

Hollywood actress Charlize Theron was born on August7, 1975, in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa.She has German and French ancestry. Charlize grew up to be a beautiful young woman and attracted the attentions of many people.She speaks English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.

Charlize had been an international model since the age of 16. She began her career in Milan, Italy. In late 1996 she became an actress.On February 29, 2004, Charlize won an Academy Award for Best actress for her role as Aileen Wuournos in the film “Monster”. She became the first African actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress in the history.

Charlize Theron is one of the most beautiful women in the world.The elegant clothes she wears complement her perfect body.

Filmography:”Celebrity” (1998), “Reindeer Games” (2000), “The Yards” ( 2000), “Men of Honor” (2000), “The Italian Job” (2003),

“Monster” (2003), “The Life and Death of Peters Sellers” (2004),”North Country” (2005), and “The Brazilian Job (2006).

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The Nobel Prize Nadine Gordimer is a human rights activist. Her proudest moment was when she testified at a 1986 treason trial on behalf of 22 South African anti-apartheid activists.

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South Africa has had famous athletes in the past century: Reggie Walker (olympic 100m gold medallist in 1908), Esther Brand (olympic high jump gold medallist in 1952), Joan Harrison (swimmer,won 1 olympic gold medal in 1952), and Sam Atkinson (olympic 110m hurdles gold medallist in 1928).

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Mathosa was one of the best singers in South Africa. She was called “South Africa´s Madonna of the townships”. In the 1990s, Mathosa was considered among the most talented artists in Africa.

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The 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to South African author John Maxwell Coetzee. He was the fourth African Nobel laurate for literature after Wolle Soyinka of Nigeria (1986), Naguib Mahfouz of Egypt (1988), and Coetzee´s countrywoman Nadine Gordimer (1991). J.M Coetzee was born on February 9, 1940, in Cape Town, South Africa. He was cited by the Swedish Academy as an author “who in innumerables guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider”.Certainly, Coetzee is one of the most famous South African authors in the 21st century.

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South Africa hosted the 1999 Pan African Games.

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The golf is a popular sport in South Africa. South Africa has had famous golfers throughout its sports history.In the 1960s and 1970s, Gary Player was one of the best golfers in the world. He won many tournaments such as the Masters Golf Tournament ( 1961,1974, and 1978), the United States Open (1965), the PGA Championship (1962 and 1972), and the British Open ( 1959, 1968, and 1974).His countryman Bobby Locke won the British Open (1949, 1950, 1952, and 1957). Furthermore, South Africa won two times the World Cup Golf: 1965 (Gary Player and Harold Henning) and 1974 (Bobby Cole and Dale Hayes).

Worst nightmare for General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., employees, suppliers and stockholders reared menacingly last week. American customers are concerned.

The old “yellow menace” of once-thought bygone days is alive and well and starting to manufacture automobiles in China.

Who can forget Japan and South Korea’s similar venture into the United States’ once near-monopoly by the Big Three automakers?

The Chrysler Motor Car Co. succumbed in 1998 despite heroic efforts by the company, stockholders and the U.S. government to save it.

Our two remaining car giants got a wake up call recently by Germany’s Daimler-Chrysler chief executive, Ruediger Grube. He told reporters at the Shanghai Auto Show that his company will build a small-car factory in China for export to the United States.

Joint talks about the project between Daimler and joint-venture partners are expected to be completed within six months.

Daimler, be it remembered, inherited the bones of Chrysler when it collapsed.

China already manufactures many automobile parts for vehicles in other countries, including parking brakes and seat covers to the U.S.

More complex parts like gears are being manufactured for other companies abroad. Chinese authorities are working hard to improve quality.

Fully assembled cars by Chinese-owned automakers have already begun to developing nations in South America, Africa and the Middle East.

Industry analysts say “significant numbers” of cars will be shipped from Chinese plants to the U.S. and Europe within three years. Robert A. Lutz, vice chairman of General Motors, says “at least one” Chinese firm will be exporting in five years.

Whatever. General Motors and Ford have their backs to the wall.

Chinese entrepreneurs have been suppressed by high costs of quality steel, a shortage of experienced engineers and an anti-capitalism government. However, the political leaders are being drawn – kicking and screaming – into the 21st Century global economy.

General Motors and Ford executives are faced with reality — and the difficulty of convincing their labor unions to get real.

Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Automobile Workers, last week denounced Daimler’s plans:

“The $1.50-to-$1.95-per-hour labor cost in the Chinese auto industry is not arrived at by any ‘natural’ operations of a free market. It comes by through artificial repression of wages by a brutal regime which outlaws independent trade unions, and jails more labor activists than any country in the world!”

He declares: “China’s repression of its workers, and manipulation of its currency, are unfair trade practices which must no longer be tolerated by the U.S. government.”

Gettlefinger is correct in his analysis of the Chinese government. Yet, he is naive in believing the U.S. government can do more than jawbone the problem.

China has the largest population in the world that is ambitious, hard working and prone to revolution. Who is to bell the dragon? Americans can fight only one war at a time.

An improving economy in China eventually will bring competition for labor and market. One may not like the level, or time requirement, but the alternatives are more unpalatable.

Damiler-Chrysler’s Chinese forecast shook short-time investors. Many took their General Motors and Ford stakes elsewhere.

Automobile stocks declined sharply, but recovered when famed investor Kirk Kerkorian bought 22 million shares of GM shares on the open market and offered to buy 28 million more.

Nevertheless, the Standard & Poors investments rating firm, downgraded GM and Ford bonds to “junk” status.

S&P based its conclusion on the companies “sluggish sales and declining market share in the face of growing competition from overseas automakers.”

Also, on “whether their management strategies are sufficient to counteract mounting challenges.”

It cited their financial commitments to retirees for exceptional pension and health care costs. GM is said to be the nation’s largest private health-care provider with l.1 million workers, retirees and their families.

Industry analysts blame sluggish GM and Ford sales on high gasoline prices and emphasis on oversize cars with poor mileage.

G.M, Ford, and the UAW will huff and puff, but they will build more efficient cars at lower labor costs. They have no other choice.

Charles E. Wilson, chief executive officer of G.M. in 1953, had it right when he famously declared – to great criticism:

“What is good for the country is good for General Motors, and vice versa.”