http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Wed, 15 Feb 2006 15:39:33 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/02/15/153933.php AyuWhile most of us celebrated Valentine's Day by purchasing gifts for our loved ones, seven Thai couples found it a bore. Luckily, Ripley's "Believe It or Not" Haunted House attraction in Pattaya, Thailand had the solution. It sponsored the first Valentine's necro-nuptials. The newlyweds had a traditional Thai wedding ceremony with chanting Buddhist monks; except that they had to dress as ghouls with scary makeup. Afterwards they were to spend their first night together by sleeping in a coffin at Ripley's Haunted House to symbolically consummate their union.Among the couples were Centipede King Boonthawee Seangwong, 29, and Scorpion Queen Kanjana Kaetkeow, 36. They were both Guinness record holders. Kanjana received her title in 2002 after spending 32 days in a glass cube with 3,400 scorpions, and Boonthawee made it a year after for living 28 days with 1,000 centipedes. At the wedding, Kanjana adorned her gown with live scorpions. Boonthawee on the other hand had cheekily placed a centipede in his mouth. Kanjana said, as quoted by Bangkok Post, "We met and fell in love at a snake farm in Samui Island where we were both performing. We've done plenty of strange things before so a strange wedding sounded fun, and besides Ripley's is paying for it." Ah, to be in love. It may have come to their mind that it would be more economical to celebrate wedding anniverary and Valentine's Day at once--and also Halloween. Nevertheless, despite the originality of the idea, one thing is for sure: kids, don't try it at home! Culture43656@blogcritics.org Wed, 15 Feb 2006 15:39:33 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/01/05/140246.php AyuWhen most of us were probably gathering together with our families for Christmas on December 23, poor little Miracle was strayed somewhere in Newark. He kept walking to where his feet led him. Suddenly a parked sport utility vehicle attracted his attention. His inquisitiveness then encouraged him to climb into the guts of the SUV. He played until he grew tired and fell asleep there. A moment later, the sound of an engine woke him from slumber. He started to panic when he realized his new home was moving. Terrified, the cat--yes, Miracle is a cat, mind you--grabbed on where he could. After a 70-mile journey along the New Jersey Turnpike, a person at last noticed him through a wheel well. The woman who was driving the SUV--she wished to remain anonymous--took him to the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, NJ, where they do not normally take in strays. He was in quite good condition despite some burnt paws and a missing claw. But nobody can tell how he escaped the fan blades inside the car. Since then, his journey has attracted inquiries from more than twenty people who are interested in adopting him. Karen Dixon-Aquino, shelter director, estimates that he is about eight months old and weighs about six pounds. "It's amazing that he lived," she said. "I've never heard of one surviving the engine being turned on, let alone surviving a ride down the turnpike. He's certainly used up eight and a half of his nine lives."Before Miracle, however, there have been several stories involving cats' survival, including a year-old kitten that stowed away in paper bales shipped from Wisconsin to Chicago, then to Belgium and France back in September. She made it back home, compliments of Continental Airlines, after the owners listed on her name tag were contacted.One of the co-authors of the book Mews Items: Amazing but True Cat Stories says that cats find themselves surviving the most precarious situations. And Miracle, he said, would have made his book. Culture41865@blogcritics.org Thu, 5 Jan 2006 14:02:46 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/11/15/083755.php AyuHIV has been a threat to people of all ages on all continents longer before most of us, including myself, knew that the H5N1 existed. Despite common belief that there is no cure for the HIV yet; there may be a man who holds the key to unlock the mystery. Step forward Mr. Andrew Stimpson.The 25-year-old Scot moved to London four years ago. He then had a long term relationship with Juan Gomez, 44; an HIV positive. In May 2002, Stimpson continuously felt tired, weak and feverish which led him to take three blood tests at the Victoria Clinic for Sexual Health in west London. The tests were negative, but he took more tests in August and this time it was positive.The result brought him nightmares followed by suicidal depression; knowing that a cure was impossible. He took no special medication, and had been keeping dietary supplements instead. Each month he went for routine blood tests, had check ups on his liver, heart, and immune system. Doctors said his immune system remained strong; which was unusual for an HIV positive. It continued until October 2003, where he took another HIV test--and the result was negative. He afterwards took three more tests: all of them came back the same."There was a massive relief but I was also deeply confused. And the doctors seemed as confused as me. I thought the first positive tests must have been wrong," said he, even admitted that he tried to sue the hospital for its inaccuracy in the testing system. But an investigation by the hospital proved otherwise."I can't help wondering if I hold the cure for Aids. There are 34.9 million people with HIV and if I have something to contribute, then I am willing and ready to help," Stimpson said.Yet experts remain skeptical about the news. Dr Patrick Dixon, an expert from Acet, an international Aids group, said, "You have to be rock-solid sure that both samples came from the same person, no mix-up in the laboratory, no mistakes in the testing. This is the first well-documented case." Those were absolutely important, as there have been several similar claims made in South Africa. Such a case, however, have never been heard in the UK, said a spokeswoman for the Terence Higgins Trust.Dr Gert van Zyl, an Aids expert at Tygerberg Hospital, suggested that there have been cases that made it look as if there is something like a "passing HIV infection". However, these were cases where the virus was contracted through a needle prick or during birth - cases where the virus passed on before it turned into a systemic infection of the body."In this case (Stimpson's) it seems however that he had a well established infection for which he tested positive more than once and then became negative. In such a case, one has to ask whether the virus was in fact cured or whether our tests are no longer picking it up."The major point now is that Stimpson agrees to undergo further tests to reveal more about the working of the disease--and develop vaccine, if possible. The decision will surely bring a new hope to many. Statistics showed that there have been about 39.4 million people who had HIV at the end of 2004. Sci/Tech39566@blogcritics.org Tue, 15 Nov 2005 08:37:55 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/26/050244.php AyuThe avian H5N1 virus spread has become larger than ever as it was found in several places in Europe; including Greece, Romania, Turkey, and even England. Since the virus was identified in Hong Kong back in 1997, this was the first case when it reached outside Asia. Those countries are now slaughtering their chickens. Turkey, for example, has been eliminating more than 9,000 animals in quarantine. In Hungary, which shares border with Romania, people seem to avoid buying poultry. "We keep telling the customers that our chickens are healthy, but they hardly buy any. Even when they stopped by, they did so only to complain about the flu," said Iren Kirilla, a butcher in Budapest market. South East Asia is in no better situation. After killing more than 60 people in Asia since 2003, the virus is still spreading terror. People panic at the thought of death caused by it. Last July, Lien Rosalina--a wife and mother of three--in Tangerang, Indonesia had to lose her husband and two children within one week; presumably because of bird flu. Yet nobody could tell where or how they could get infected. They lived far from any farm; they had no pet; and the whole family mostly ate the same food. In fact Rosalina and a child are in healthy condition.Accurate explanation however may have to wait as the matter is still under investigation. But the facts are there: most H5N1 patients did not work on farmhouses; on the contrary, there are not many farm workers who have caught by this virus--even on the farms with low bio-security systems. Sometimes they work with using neither gloves nor mask. This raises a question whether they have become resistant to the virus.So far it is certain by now that the H5N1, although very dangerous, is nonetheless weak. It becomes completely inactive under the heat, which actually gives no reason to avoid eating properly-cooked poultry. It spreads through the respiratory system; and not food digestion.The biggest possibility for the virus to spread is through the migrating wild birds. They might drop their infected feces to human settlements. And if these dry feces mingled with dust and were inhaled by humans, it would infect them. It might be the logical explanation to Rosalina's family in Indonesia. There is also chance that it is also carried by flies, as well as pig and other wild animals.And for the medicine, despite common belief that Tamiflu is the cure, WHO stressed that it could only reduce the effect of the illness but was not a vaccine to prevent it. A few cases were also found when the virus was Tamiflu resistant.But there is always hope. As the demand of an effective vaccine is increasing, recently the Hungarian government announced that their bird flu vaccine has proven to be effective against the H5N1 variant that spread from animals to human. "Now we can confirm unequivocally that the vaccine is effective," health minister Jeno Racz said, adding that an antibody was found in the blood of the vaccinated people, including himself. For the virus spread between humans, the result remains unclear as so far there is no report on such a case. The vaccine will soon be available for free in Hungary; and other countries have shown interest, include: Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, Mongolia, the United States, Britain, and Germany.While waiting for the vaccine, we might consider a practical step to prevent the virus infection; that is by taking care of the hygiene. Wash hands often; watch out for bird feces and flies; wear mask in farms. By doing so, we could keep our fitness in order to prevent the H5N1 or other viruses to come. "H5N1 virus, as well any other viruses, has close link with one's body condition. The chance of the virus to infect into one's body depends on their physical fitness. The healthier they are, the more difficult for the virus to infect them," says dr Tjandra Yoga Adhitama, SpP, director of a hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. Culture38537@blogcritics.org Wed, 26 Oct 2005 05:02:44 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/19/043202.php AyuSurviving from a war is never easy. Tibor Rubin (76) had not only survived from two wars, but he also came up as a remarkable hero. For his valor, the Korean war veteran and Holocaust survivor received the highest military award in the USA, the Medal of Honor from U.S President George W. Bush on September 23--after fifty years he was a soldier and being recommended four times by two separate commanding officers for separate actions and his fellow soldiers. "By repeatedly risking his own life to save others, Corporal Rubin exemplified the highest ideals of military service and fulfilled a pledge to give something back to the country that had given him his freedom," Bush said in a White House East Room ceremony. Born in Hungary as a child of a shoemaker, in 1943 young Rubin (13) was taken to the infamous Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria during the Nazis' effort to eliminate Hungary's Jews. His mother and 10-year-old sister died in an Auschwitz gas chamber; while his father perished in Buchenwald. Rubin stayed long enough until he was liberated two years later by American troops. "We stunk, had terrible diseases. Still, they picked us up and brought us life," Rubin recalled recently. He then took a vow to join that Army one day. In 1948, his remaining family moved to America where he worked in New York City as a shoemaker, and then a butcher, before enlisting in the Army in 1950--not yet a U.S. citizen. Within months, he found himself on the front lines in Korea under the thumb of First Sgt. Artice Watson, an anti-Semite who repeatedly sent Rubin for dangerous assignments, such as to hold a strategically critical hill so his battalion could withdraw. So for the next 24 hours, the lone Private fought wave after wave of North Korean soldiers--ran around to fire from different directions and rolled hand grenades down so the enemy would think there were many soldiers to face in the battle. For his deeds, the two commanding officers ordered Watson to secure the Medal of Honor for Rubin. But they were killed soon after, and the First Sergeant never prepared the papers. Fellow GIs later signed affidavits stating that the Watson rebuffed Rubin because he did not want the combat honor to go to a Jew. "I really believe, in my heart, that (the sergeant) would have jeopardized his own safety rather than assist in any way whatsoever in the awarding of the medal to a person of Jewish descent," former Cpl. Harold Speakman wrote. His undaunted bravery did not stop there, however. In October 1950 at the Battle of Unsan, the US troops were attacked by a large Chinese army. Rubin defended his unit using the last machine gun to give chance for the badly injured ones to retreat. The battle ended with hundreds of US soldiers--including the severely wounded Rubin--were captured. Since then they had to fight the constant hunger, fatigue, and disease. Life was made difficult for those prisoners of war that nobody would help the others. But Rubin was an exception. having survived the Nazis concentration camp, he knew how to get through the hardest times. Almost every evening he stole food from the Chinese and North Korean supply depots and share anything he could get with the others. In a letter written in 1982, fellow prisoner James Bourgeois told how everyday Rubin would boil a helmet full of snow to clean his bandages and tend to a large open wound on his shoulder; when the wound filled with pus, Rubin foraged for maggots and placed them in the gash to eat away the infection, saving Bourgeois' arm. "he was a godsend," says Leo Cormier, another fellow POW. "Tibor saved my life, as well as many other guys."More than 1,600 prisoners were reported to die at the camp that winter in Korea. Rubin was said to keep at least forty inmates alive. Yet he received nothing from the Army but his discharge; kidneys half gone; plenty of implanted stents to keep his heart beating; bad arthritis and an unusable right leg: 100 percent medical disability! In the early 1980s, his fellow prisoners acted. They began a campaign to have his heroics recognized. In the affidavits submitted to the Army after their release they recommended him for the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star, the Army's investigation showed. In 1988, Sen. John McCain introduced a special bill on Rubin's behalf to force the Army to look into his valorous conduct. In 2001 U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida introduced a bill to force the Pentagon to review the records of veterans who may have been denied the Medal of Honor because they were Jews. And finally Pentagon moved and gave the heroes what they deserved. Rubin only said in his still-thick Hungarian accent, "After 55 years, I never figured I'm going to get it, so I'm very happy." Politics38155@blogcritics.org Wed, 19 Oct 2005 04:32:02 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/03/062147.php AyuSince 2002, there has been no year passed without bombings in Indonesia. Being the world's largest Muslim populated country does not offer any guarantee against Muslim terrorism, as three bombs exploded in Bali on October 1. The second time within the last three years, the blasts claimed 22 lives and injured 102 others. While the 2002 bombings killed 202 people, the latter may cause bigger devastation. Not only would it put a real dampener on the still-hurting tourism industry which may lead to the financial downturn; but it would also carry another aftereffect which is no less disturbing: vengeance. With the devastation they had caused, the terrorists more than deserve the vengeance. The only problem is that nobody knows for sure who they really are, except the talk is that they are Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)--a Southeast Asian terrorist group links to Al Qaeda. Terrorism is an unknown entity, which raises fear that "the absence of a clearly defined enemy will tempt the Balinese to take their anger out on the community that has many times been mistakenly associated with the terrorist organization". Thus the conflict may lead to interreligious conflict between Muslims and Hindus in the country--one thing that never happened in the past.In the brutalized area one kilometer to the south, a weeping community leader put that sadness into words of disbelief. "Why do they keep attacking us, singling us out. Have we wronged them in the past?" he asked. The following morning, a Denpasar housewife woke up with the pain of anger burning in her heart. "They attacked us because we are Hindus. It's about time we avenged this cruelty," she said, gritting her teeth. The truth is that no matter in what shape they keep their disguise, there is no justification in terrorism, whether it's viewed from cultural or religious reasons. By claiming to be Muslims, they raise the suspicion that they only wish to scapegoat Muslims. Hopefully the attack won't turn into a bigger disaster after world leaders condemned the attack and pledged to support Indonesia in its fight against terrorism. "The United States condemns the terrorist bombings today in Bali that claimed innocent lives and injured many more. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured," as the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement. Politics37294@blogcritics.org Mon, 3 Oct 2005 06:21:47 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/20/054328.php AyuThe marriage between Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt is now all but over. According to court records, the divorce will be official on October 2--after four and a half years of marriage. So, who gets the advantage? Apparently, there are many. Vanity Fair's interview with Aniston recently has made its September issue as an all time best seller. She also made an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show for the show's 20th Anniversary Season Premiere yesterday. Kitson boutique however seems to have its own way in capturing the moment. Inspired by the love triangle rumors between Pitt, Aniston, and the UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ms Angelina Jolie, it has been selling "Team Aniston" and "Team Jolie" baseball T-shirts. The creative maker, White Trash Charms, said that Aniston T-shirt is "overwhelmingly outstripping team Jolie and has been selling with unbelievable speed, so that in order to obtain one you have to join a three-month waiting list". Culture36503@blogcritics.org Tue, 20 Sep 2005 05:43:28 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/06/27/060109.php Ayu It was Sunday, December 26, 2004 in Aceh, Indonesia, when the eight year old Martunis (see the picture of Martunis with FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, on the left) felt that the ground under his feet was shaking badly. The furniture in his house started to fall down, followed by the pantiles. His father grabbed his hand and quickly asked him to go out. Together with his mother, brother and sister, they ran to the grandparents' house to see whether they were alright. There had been around 30 relatives gathering in the grandparents' house when they arrived. They hardly discussed anything yet, when shouts were heard from outside a few short minutes later, "Storm! Water...the water comes out!"All of sudden each of them had to run for their own life, chased by the sea wave of tsunami. But human speed cannot race with the gush of water which soon flooded the whole area. Sarbini, Martunis' father, was the first to be carried out by the wave, followed by his brother. His mother felt the urge to try to save her oldest son, and trust her youngest daughter to Martunis, who then held her. But what could a boy do against such a nature's wrath? A tree fell down and hit his body badly. He could not endure to keep his baby sister on his arms. Soon the three year old girl too got lost within the waves. "I could see mother and Annisa's hands between the water. But I could not help," he recalled sadly. The next wave dragged him right onto a pile of wood floating on the water. He took a hold on the wood until it hit a pick-up truck which carried barrels of fish; then he moved onto it. His mother's face filled his memory that he tried to see through the water to search for her; but he could see nothing. The strong waves kept carrying the pick-up until it harshly hit a tree that it was almost turned reversed. Quickly Martunis hugged the tree and stayed there; even when other floating things hit his back repeatedly, including a nail from a ruin which was stuck fast into his waist. "I only let the tree go when the third wave brought a bed close to it," he said. There were two other people who shared the bed with him, but none survived. Martunis was never sure how long he was floating before the bed was stuck between mangrove trees in a sacred cemetery for the kings from the former kingdom of Samudera Pasai. He was completely trapped. There was 1 meter deep of water under the trees, surrounded by piles of garbage and ruins. He could not swim. Luckily, he could find a few packages of instant noodles, bread, a can of cookies and chips, and two bottles of mineral water. Ingenuously, the boy also admitted he found a piggy bank contained IDR 43,000 (USD 5). "I ate the instant noodle and drank two sips of water in the morning, and then 2 cookies and 2 sips of water in the afternoon," he continued his story. The rain which fell everyday helped him in surviving. On the fifteenth day, when he had run out of water, he refilled his empty bottles with the rain water. "I could still sleep, even when my clothes were wet. In the next day usually they were dried again." He said he was not continuously scared, the brave boy, although he saw many dead bodies floating around the tree which became his house for 19 days. "When fear almost occupied my mind; I closed the collar of my t-shirt onto my face; tried to imagine my parents' face, and went to sleep."Days went by so slowly for him. Tsunami had turned the area into a huge swamp. Poor Martunis had no chance to get down. Helicopters which often flew close to his tree could never see him. Helped came on January 13, when a rag picker came on a boat. He wanted to collect remains from the ruins when he saw Martunis was lying on top of the tree. It took a half day for him to clean the wreck before he could reach the child. Then they had to wait for a car because the rag picker was too tired after working alone. Shortly after, a car from CBC News (Canadian Broadcast Corporation) came. They took the boy to Save the Children, a Canadian organization which was helping the tsunami victims in Aceh, which then took him to the closest hospital because of his poor condition. A both happy and sad ending for Martunis; when he eventually met his father, Sarbini, and his grandfather; but also found out that only 17 people left among his relatives. The news was spread to the world when CBC News broadcasted it, showing helpless Martunis wearing a replica of Portuguese national soccer player's t-shirt; Rui Costa's. The coach of the Portuguese national soccer team, Luis Felipe Scolari, then bought a house for him and his family. The Portuguese Soccer Federation gave him EUR 40,000. Sarbini said that he saved the money for Martunis' education in the future. Rui Costa himself had a word over this, "The saving of the boy has special meaning for us because he was wearing our uniform. It shows that soccer has no boundary. I think such a disaster like tsunami can move everybody's heart. This boy, just like anybody else who became victims, needs our help." Another player, Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, promised he would take Martunis to his house in England and show him around. For this, Sarbini responded, "If Ronaldo really invited him; I would never let Martunis to go alone to England. He is the only one I have now; I could not lose him."The attention toward Martunis has not ended there. On July 4 he's invited as a special guest in the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, Portugal for the match against Slovakia on the upcoming World Cup qualifying. How was Martunis to receive so many appealing invitations? The boy who has lost his mother, brother and sister during the catastrophe answered, "I only want to see my mother."Note: The piece has previously appeared here Culture31639@blogcritics.org Mon, 27 Jun 2005 06:01:09 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/06/13/095328.php AyuWho is the most annoying soccer player alive? It is not Diego Maradona. His "hand of god" goal might be irritating for some, but his individual honors had proven that he was a capable player. Romario could often be a jerk, but it cannot be too bothersome as we do not hear so often from him. The prestigious title would rather go to David Beckham. He is the man who inspired the movie "Bend It Like Beckham" starred by gorgeous Keira Knightley; the man whom you see on different kinds of advertisements featuring sexy celebs like Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce; the one who seems to pose for magazines and newspapers more than playing on the field. You would hear about him everyday on TV, gossip magazines to daily newspapers. I am not really exaggerating when I say he is the man who follows you no matter where you are.Absolutely not an arch enemy of mine, I simply have enough of seeing him everywhere I turn. I completely know that it is not his fault, as he just earns money for his living. I just cannot understand people's response towards him. He only needs to make sensational news, which matters not whether it was good or bad, to win people's heart. His bad temper is well-known, only to make him loved more. In FIFA World Cup 1998, he kicked out at Argentinean midfielder, Diego Simeone for retaliation after Simeone tackled him from behind. He was then sent off, which caused England had to play with ten people and beaten in a penalty shoot-out. People did criticize him, but he survived it. The gift then came from the national coach Sven Goran Eriksson who handed him the captain's armband in 2001.Well, he had an impressive track record back then; but surely no more impressive than Zinedine Zidane who was chosen as the FIFA World's Best Footballer of the year twice, for example. Of course, David Beckham cannot be compared to the world's most boring player for he has the money, the women, and the fame. The truth is that no other soccer player who could compete with Beckham's popularity nowadays. Things have been turned upside down for Beckham and his wife, former Posh Spice Victoria Beckham. Back in 1997, he was just a fledging soccer player at Manchester United while Vic was a member of the most famous group in the world, Spice Girls. Now he's untouchable. Is it the reason of all his love affairs? The tabloids started to spread the news by putting the blame on those whom they called as temptresses; and even Victoria, the pretty housewife who effortlessly has the whole fortune of money, media attention, and a perfect family, revealing that it was entirely her fault that the affair had ever happened. Apparently the public had the same opinion, and left David to remain not guilty. What is up with him? He's a good father, as people keep saying. Yes, agreed; a good and smart father who spends his time in front of mirror more than his wife does, and know how to kill his time with other women when his wife was not around. Victoria perhaps deserves some hatred for her fake breasts, bad voice (she was/is a singer, remember?), and greediness, but that does not mean Beckham is the innocent victim. There cannot be smoke without fire.That was about his personal life. Yet, on the field David is not less annoying than outside. While Liverpool won the UEFA champions league this year after struggling for nine months "only" to receive GBP 50 millions, Real Madrid would get GBP 15 millions during their 14 days tour to the USA, China and Japan starting from July 14. There is only one condition: David must come! It is mentioned on the contract that he must be played during the matches in Los Angeles, Seattle, Beijing and two more matches in Tokyo. "Because Beckham is the biggest selling point in Real Madrid right now," said an internal source to The Sun.On June 1, when the England team had a friendly match against Colombia in Giants Stadium, New Jersey, USA, he received a long applause from the viewers, although Michael Owen was the one who scored hat-trick. David was simply famous because the USA has been flooded with advertisements using him as the model. Have soccer fans turned blind? Despite all the title he won in the past, he has not yet had any impressive performance since the UEFA Super Cup 2003 went to Real Madrid. Rumor said that Real Madrid bought him from Manchester United only because of commercial reason. Right or wrong, that is for you to decide. As for me, I'm still wondering which one is prettier between David and Victoria. Would they look different without make-up? Culture30940@blogcritics.org Mon, 13 Jun 2005 09:53:28 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/21/064542.php AyuMiss Universe 2005 is taking place on May 31 in Bangkok, Thailand. As an international event, it tries to embrace more delegations by tolerating more cultural differences. The organizing committee even has a special design of swimsuit for delegations from countries which give no permission for their representative to wear bikini for religious or courtesy reasons, for example. It is also proven in the policy for providing translators for those who do not speak English.Yet, rules and tolerance are only small parts. The real entertainment will for sure come from the contestants. Each year new delegates give similar impressions upon the viewers: pretty faces talked as if they could save the world, gauche smiles, and for some...bad English. For all those reasons, they have made the Miss Universe pageant a good amusement. But do not dare to look down upon these young ladies. They have passed a tough beauty contest in their own country to prove that they are worthy enough to join this one.Beauty is of individual opinion; nonetheless, there is no use to doubt one's when she had won a beauty contest. Intelligence is, on the other hand, another thing. But as most delegates are highly educated, they cannot be too dumb to give responds to the frequently asked questions on the interview session, such as: "Name one person, other than your parents, who has had the most influence on your life. Why?" or "What do you see yourself doing ten years from now?" We cannot avoid but to conclude that they must have been prepared for such questions. Yet, many still showed uneasiness that they failed in making up any good answers. The lovely Miss Hungary Szandra Proksa is among them. It was obvious that she was too nervous to talk during the interview. Why is that? Pressure is one thing; but there is also another interesting fact that mostly it happened to delegates who come from non-English speaking countries. Now the main source of this is perhaps because they have to speak in English, which is not their mother tongue.When Proksa was asked about the most interesting or unique thing that has ever happened to her (aside from winning her title) and/or what the most interesting thing about her would be, she said, "I have already managed to complete 2 language exams, in German and in English". It is then understandable that she wanted to prove her ability in speaking English. However, this is the result:Question: "What do you want the rest of the world to know about your country?" Proksa : "My country err is in central europe...err, I like err... my country very much (giggle). Err...err... (short pause) this err country isn't too big. My country is in Balaton. Balaton (giggle) is the biggest err... (short pause) lake err..in central europe."Let us now see what other non English speaker delegates say during interview:Miss Czech Rapublic Katerina SmejkalovaQuestion: "What do you want the rest of the world to know about your country?" Smejkalova: "In My country...err..I think Prague is a very nice city err..with lots of beautiful sightseeing. So I hope that you will be with it."Miss Indonesia Artika Sari DeviQuestion: "What do you want the rest of the world to know about your country?" Devi : "The latest fad in my country is the movie maker. You know (giggle) as everybody err..you know...many young ppl...try to uhm..make movie..err..because...err..they believe that this is.. it is the way to express uhm their idea and to express their their opinion and yeah and I think it is success because uhmmm you know the young generation in Indonesia are really like to uhmm enjoy the movie and to gather something value or meaningful in that film. So err and, I for me the movie gave a like moral support or uhmmm like a share experience..."It is more likely that they could have thought of better answers in their own daily language. One does not even need a diploma in order to be able to answer such questions. The English native speakers of course could reply better without the long pause and err and the uhm we heard from the above list (and some more).Yet, there is no such a thing as absolute fairness, is it? Even in choosing a language can cause jeopardy. If one opted to speak in her mother tongue, people would think she was stupid because she could not speak English. On the contrary, if she did use English then people would in respond compare it to the natives who can possibly speak English as fluent as CNN anchor women. The best would be that each one had to speak in a foreign language. However, it would cause another chaos in the management. Overall, this is not about fairness, it is just a damn beauty pageant. Back in 2003, Amelia Vega spoke Spanish when she was crowned as Miss Universe. Many people did watch the show at that time; and many more will this year. All for their own reasons: triumph, national pride, simply pretty faces, hilariousness; that is where silly judgments are made. No matter what language one will be using, the least she can do is to fight their own nervousness and be her best. You go girls! Culture29883@blogcritics.org Sat, 21 May 2005 06:45:42 EDT