BEIJING, CHINA: Beijing Seen Vacant for 50% Commercial as Chanos Predicts Crash

Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Jack Rodman, who has made a career of selling soured property loans from Los Angeles to Tokyo, sees a crash looming in China. He keeps a slide show on his computer of empty office buildings in Beijing, his home since 2002. The tally: 55, with another dozen candidates.

“I took these pictures to try to impress upon these people the massive amount of oversupply,” said Rodman, 63, president of Global Distressed Solutions LLC, which advises private equity and hedge funds on Chinese property and banking. Rodman figures about half of the city’s commercial space is vacant, more than was leased in Germany’s five biggest office markets in 2009.

Beijing’s office vacancy rate of 22.4 percent in the third quarter of last year was the ninth-highest of 103 markets tracked by CB Richard Ellis Group Inc., a real estate broker. Those figures don’t include many buildings about to open, such as the city’s tallest, the 6.6-billion yuan ($965 million) 74- story China World Tower 3.

Empty buildings are sprouting across China as companies with access to some of the $1.4 trillion in new loans last year build skyscrapers. Former Morgan Stanley chief Asia economist Andy Xie and hedge fund manager James Chanos say the country’s property market is in a bubble.

“There’s a monumental property bubble and fixed-asset investment bubble that China has underway right now,” Chanos said in a Jan. 25 Bloomberg Television interview. “And deflating that gently will be difficult at best.”

Third Costliest

Investor concerns have spread beyond real estate. Among 15 major Asian markets, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index is valued third-highest relative to estimates for this year’s earnings, after Japan and India, even after falling 8.5 percent in the past six months.

A glut of factories in China is “wreaking far-reaching damage on the global economy,” stoking trade tensions and raising the risk of bad loans, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said in November.

More than 60 percent of investors surveyed by Bloomberg on Jan. 19 said they viewed China as a bubble, and three in 10 said it posed the greatest downside risk. The quarterly poll interviewed a random sample of 873 Bloomberg subscribers and had a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.

Digesting the debt from a popped property bubble may slash bank lending and drag growth lower for years in an economy that Nomura Holdings Inc., Japan’s biggest brokerage, says will provide more than a third of world growth in 2010.

The risks are so great that a decade of little or no growth, as Japan experienced in the 1990s, can’t be dismissed, said Patrick Chovanec, an associate professor in the School of Economics and Management at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, ranked China’s top university by the Times newspaper in London.

‘Astronomical Rates’

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average surged sixfold and commercial property prices in metropolitan Tokyo rose fourfold before the bubble burst in 1990. The Nikkei trades at about a quarter of its December 1989 peak.

“You have state-owned enterprises using borrowed funds from the stimulus bidding up the price of land -- not even desirable plots of land -- in Beijing to astronomical rates,” Chovanec said. “At the same time you have 30 percent-plus vacancy rates and slumping rents in commercial property so it’s just a case of when you recognize the losses -- or don’t.”

China’s lending surged to 1.39 trillion yuan in January, more than in the previous three months combined. Property prices in 70 cities climbed 9.5 percent from a year earlier, the most in 21 months.

Reasonable Control

Policy makers are starting to rein in the loans that helped fuel the property boom. Banks should “strictly” follow real estate lending policies, the China Banking Regulatory Commission said on its Web site on Jan. 27. It called for banks to “reasonably control” lending growth.

“The liquidity bubble last year went to the property market,” said Taizo Ishida, San Francisco-based lead manager for the $212-million Matthews Asia Pacific Fund, in a phone interview. “I was in Shanghai and Shenzhen three weeks ago and the prices were just eye-popping, just really amazing. Generally I’m not buying Chinese stocks.”

Chanos, founder of New York-based Kynikos Associates Ltd., predicted that

China could be “Dubai times 100 or 1,000.”

Real estate prices there have fallen almost 50 percent from their 2008 peak as the emirate struggles under at least $80 billion of debt. The economy may shrink 0.4 percent this year, Shuaa Capital, the biggest U.A.E. investment bank, says.

The commercial property space under construction in China at the end of November was the equivalent of 6,800 Burj Khalifas -- the 160-story Dubai skyscraper that’s the world’s tallest.

Industrial Loans

It’s difficult to determine how exposed Chinese banks are to real estate debt because loans booked to some state-owned companies as industrial lending may have been used to invest in property, say Xie and Charlene Chu, who analyzes Chinese banks for London-based Fitch Ratings Ltd. in Beijing.

A downturn in the property market may be accompanied by a surge in nonperforming loans. The Shanghai office of the banking regulatory commission said on Feb. 4 that a 10 percent fall in property values would triple the ratio of delinquent mortgages there.

Shares of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., the world’s largest bank by market capitalization, are down 13 percent this year. China Construction Bank Corp., the second- largest, has fallen 10.2 percent. Both are based in Beijing. The Shanghai index is down 9 percent.

Fund manager Joseph Zeng says he has a contrarian view on China’s banks, on the grounds that rising interest rates this year will benefit their net interest margins.

Economic Cycle

“For us, non-performing loans are not expected to be a big issue until 2013, the peak of the current economic cycle,” said Zeng, head of Greenwoods Asset Management Ltd.’s Hong Kong office, in a phone interview.

He declined to say what he is buying. Greenwoods has more than $500 million under management.

China has firepower to deal with a crisis. The nation has the world’s largest foreign exchange reserves, at $2.4 trillion, and government debt of only about 20 percent of GDP last year, according to the International Monetary Fund. That compares with 85 percent in India and the U.S. and 219 percent in Japan.

CB Richard Ellis doesn’t count empty office buildings bought by banks and insurance companies when calculating vacancy rates, since some of the space is for the owners’ use. The Los Angeles-based company said in a report that vacancy rates are starting to fall and rents to rise for the best office buildings as China’s fast economic growth buoys demand.

Gross domestic product expanded 10.7 percent in the fourth quarter from a year before, a two-year-high, after the government introduced a $586-billion stimulus package.

Full Buildings

“In many cases when you look at these buildings and say, that’s never going to be fully occupied, somehow 12 to 18 months later the building is full,” said Chris Brooke, CB Richard Ellis’s Beijing-based president and chief executive officer for Asia.

Overcapacity may be looming in manufacturing as well. China’s investments in new factories and properties surged 67 percent last year to 15.2 trillion yuan, more than Russia’s gross domestic product. Excess steel capacity may have reached about 132 million tons in 2009, more than the 87.5 million tons from Japan, the world’s second-biggest producer. The Beijing- based EU Chamber of Commerce report said a “looming deluge” of extra cement capacity is being built.

While neither Xie nor Chu see nonperforming loan ratios reaching the level of a decade ago, when they made up 40 percent of total lending, they say banks will see deterioration in their balance sheets.

Losing Money?

“A lot of people will lose a lot of money, but the banks will probably not go down like in the 1990s,” Xie said in a phone interview. “Of course there will be a lot of bad debts. There will be a lot of mortgages gone bad I think.”

Rodman displays the slide show to private equity and hedge fund clients brought in by banks such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. at his office in eastern Beijing.

“China is the only place in the world that despite having more empty buildings than the rest of the world has yet to reflect those valuations on their balance sheet,” Rodman said.

Gazing south from the building that houses the Beijing headquarters of Goldman Sachs, UBS AG and JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of the first structures in the field of vision is a 17-story office tower at No. 9 Financial Street. Empty.

Farther along are the two 18-story towers of the Bank of Communications Co. complex. Dirt is gathering at the doors and the lobby is now a bicycle parking lot. A spokeswoman for the Shanghai-based lender didn’t return phone calls and emails.

More Offices

The supply of office buildings will continue to grow. Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., a Chicago-based real-estate company, estimates that about 1.2 million square meters (12.9 million square feet) of office space in Beijing will come on line this year, adding to the total stock of 9.2 million square meters.

The city government is driving growth regardless of the market. Financial Street Holding Co., whose biggest shareholder is the local municipal district, plans to build 1 million square meters of additional office space starting this year, and is talking to potential clients such as JPMorgan, said Lydia Wang, the company’s head of investor relations.

Across town, the district government is seeking to double the size of the city’s Central Business District, which already has the highest vacancy rate ever recorded in Beijing. It was 35 percent at the end of 2009, according to Jones Lang LaSalle.

All Rented

For its part, Beijing-based Financial Street Holdings has “100 percent” of its properties, which include the Ritz Carlton hotel and a shopping mall, rented out, Wang said. The empty buildings along Finance Street don’t belong to the company, which is 26.6 percent owned by the district government.

Zhong Rongming, deputy general manager of the Beijing- based China World Trade Center Co., which built China World Tower 3, said the company is “optimistic about 2010 prospects” given China’s accelerating economic growth. He said the new tower will include tenants such as Mitsui & Co. and the Asian Development Bank.

One new addition to Finance Street may give real estate boosters cause for concern. No. 8 Finance Street will be the headquarters for China Huarong Asset Management Corp.

The company’s mission: selling bad debt from banks.

--Michael Forsythe, Kevin Hamlin. With assistance from Shelley Smith and Darren Boey in Hong Kong, Chris Bourke in London and Margaret Brennan in New York. Editors: Anne Swardson, Chris Anstey

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VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA: Railway terminal

When construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway was nearly complete, the railway managers decided that the end terminals should look alike. So the first Vladivostok railway station built in 1894 was pulled down hastily and a new one in XVII-century Russian style was erected. The building looked quite like Yaroslavsky railway terminal in Moscow. During the Soviet period some constructions of the railway station had been altered; however, in 1990s the building appearance of 1912 was restored.

Source:  Google and Russian Railways

CHINA: 15 places worth visiting in China: Longsheng rice terraces

The Longsheng rice terraces in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region  are built on the slope winding from the riverside up to the mountain top, 380 to 880 meters above sea level. The mountain is divided so that it looks like layers of water in the spring, layers of green rice shoots in the summer, and layers of golden rice shoots in the fall.

2009-12-01 17:02 BJT

Editor: Jin Lin | Source: China.org.cn

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KAMAKURA, JAPAN: Other soba houses to discover in Kamakura

Personal touch: Takenoya's soba is hand-chopped by the master and served to guests by his wife.

Friday, Jan. 8, 2010

By ROBBIE SWINNERTON

Kamakura has no shortage of good soba restaurants. Like Matsubara-an, many occupy freestanding traditional buildings. Here are three more worth tracking down on a visit to the ancient capital.

Issa-an

It's not hard to find Issa-an. Located close to the entrance to Kamakura's main shrine, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, this is a favorite lunch spot for visitors. And with good reason too: It's an attractive, old-style restaurant, recently refurbished but still boasting low tables, tatami floors and large windows giving views onto a narrow garden.

Besides the excellent noodles themselves, all freshly chopped, there is a small selection of side dishes, donburi rice bowls and desserts. In the peak tourist seasons (especially New Year's), it may be hard to get a look-in at meal times. But for a light afternoon snack, it's recommended.

If you don't want to leave Tokyo, Issa-an has a branch in the Marunouchi Building, in front of Tokyo JR Station.

Sobadokoro Goto

Because the noodles at Sobadokoro Goto aren't rolled and chopped by hand, hard-core soba aficionados tend to ignore it. All the better for the rest of us, as it boasts a classic traditional setting.

An ancient wooden gate and a narrow path lined with bamboo lead the way to a beautifully preserved old house set in a wooded compound well away from the street. You leave your shoes at the door and sit on tatami floors in the spacious dining room.

This architectural gem is hidden away a block north of the Kinokuniya store on the west side of Kamakura Station, off one of the backstreets leading up to Zeni-Arai Benten, the atmospheric "money- washing" shrine in the western hills.

Takenoya

Takenoya is a small family-run restaurant tucked away on the eastern fringe of the city. It's an area little visited by tourists, though there are some beautiful temples up in the hills. But this diminutive place is well on the map for committed soba enthusiasts.

There's just one table with chairs, plus a raised tatami area that gives a glimpse of a tidy little garden. If those places are taken, you sit on squat wooden stools around the large irori grill by the door.

RELATED STORY

Making soba a fresh tradition

The soba is righteous, hand-chopped by the master and served by his wife. There are usually three kinds to choose from: regular noodles; dark, coarse, country-style inaka-soba; and finer, lighter noodles with a seasonal flavoring, such as yuzu (citron) or powdered green tea. To sample each of these, ask for the sanshoku (three-colored) soba, which is served in three-level lacquered-wood trays.

• Issa-an, 1-8-24 Yukinoshita, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken; (0467) 22-3556; open daily 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; soba from ¥985. www.issaan.net
• Sobadokoro Goto,1-1-3 Ogigayatsu, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken; (0467) 24-4855; open 11 a.m.-7 p.m., closed Thurs., soba from ¥630 hw001.gate01.com/eric/goto.htm
• Takenoya, 4-3-2 Omachi, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken; (0467) 25-3872; open 11 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Mon.; soba from ¥1,000. gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/0001456823/P001858

View Article in the Japan Times

DALIAN, CHINA: Tiger Beach Amusement Park (Laohu Tan Haiyang Gongyuan)

CHINA NATIONAL TOURISM ADMINISTRATION:

The Tiger Beach Amusement Park is located in southeastern Dalian.  It is a large, multi-functional recreation center consisting of Tiger Beach Park, the Marine World, and the Birds Forest.  In the middle of the park is a newly-established Amusement Center, where people can watch performances of sea lions, visit the Science Fiction Palace, and enjoy delicious food in the Food City.

LONELY PLANET:

Tiger Beach Park has a massive carved-marble tiger sculpture, a small beach and a honky-tonk amusement park. On either side of the park the coastal road provides excellent views of the ragged cliffs and crashing waves. Buses 30 and 712 from Zhongshan Sq travel to Tiger Beach Park (Y1, 20 to 30 minutes).

FROMMER’S:

• Hours:  7:30am-5:40pm
• Address:  Binhai Lu 9
• Transportation:  Bus: no. 2, 4, 403, 404, 30, 521, or 524
• Phone:  0411/8239-9398
• Prices:  Admission ¥15 ($1.95/£1)
  

Tacky cartoonish signboards, dancing clowns, and cheesy shows with dolphins abound, but the locals love it. It's worth a look for its aquarium, its display of polar animals, and a wild bird park, called the niaoyulin. Avoid the "4-dimension pleasure theater" at all costs.

Just west of Bangchui Dao is Laohu Tan (Tiger Beach), a popular beach that also features Dalian's best aquatic theme park, Laohu Tan Haiyang Gongyuan.

RUSSIA: On this day: 24 February

Submarine “K-19”

On February 24, 1972, a fire onboard the Soviet nuclear submarine “K-19” took the lives of 29 sailors. 12 crew members survived and were saved after spending 23 days in an isolated section of the submarine. The tragedy was classified until 1980s.

The sailors nicknamed K-19 “Hiroshima” because it had a very high breakdown rate. The fire in 1972 was not the first of the tragic accidents with the submarine.

The first wreck of K-19 occurred on July 4, 1961, during manoeuvres. The submarine had been on the way to the North Atlantic when an alarm went off signaling that the coolant system of the nuclear reactor had broken down. The heat increased to a dangerous rate and the captain, Nikolay Zateev, ordered a build of the emergency coolant system. Eliminating the damage, 42 crewmembers were affected by a high dose of radiation, and in four hours they showed symptoms of radiation sickness.

The antenna of the main radio transmitter appeared to be damaged, too, so the captain could not report the accident to the navy base. Using the emergency transmitter, he managed to contact two vessels, C-270 and C-159, sailing near the place of the wreckage, and they headed towards the sub in distress immediately. One of the ships contacted the Naval Staff, and four destroyers were dispatched to save the crew of K-19. On July 4, the evacuation started. C-159 was ready to torpedo the submarine down, but the destroyers tugged K-19 and returned it to the base.

87 hours after the accident, the sailors were hospitalized. Some of them died in a week. The government decorated all the crewmembers of K-19 with orders. It was the first wreckage in the history of the Soviet nuclear fleet – and the first time a major nuclear disaster was averted.

On February 24, 1972, K-19, under the command of Captain Victor Kulibaba, was returning from patrol in the Atlantic. A fire started half an hour before breaking the surface. The crewmembers not participating in firefighting were evacuated, and when the fire was put down, 12 sailors found themselves isolated in the 10th section of the submarine, between two sections filled with carbonyl. The other crewmembers managed to convey air to the section through the ventilation system. The air was saturated with smoke and steam, so the isolated sailors made an improvised filter out of a blanket. They had neither food nor fresh water, and the section was meant for four, not twelve, people.

On March 8, a rescue squad arrived to the scene of the accident. In ten days, all the crewmembers were saved. All the sailors were decorated with orders, but the ceremony was classified – and so was the accident itself.

View RT Article

BEJING, CHINA: 700-km-long Additional Section of The Great Wall found in China

Great Wall of China at Badaling (image: Samxli via creative commons)

February 11, 3:15 AM

By Will Hunt

The Great Wall of China may be visible from outer space, but that doesn't mean it's easy to keep track of. The China Daily newspaper reported yesterday that archaeologists have discovered over 700 km of previously undetected sections of the wall in the Gansu and Shanxi regions of northwest of China. So we can tack on those 700 km to the previous length of 8,852 km, giving us a mind-boggling figure roughly equal to the distance between London and Tokyo. 

Of course, the 'Great Wall,' in singular form, is something of a misnomer. What we refer to as the Great Wall is, in fact, not a single wall stretching in a continuous chain, but a series of walls, built piecemeal across history between the 5th century BC and 16th century. As the map below shows, these walls are built near each other but are mostly disconnected. 

Map of the Great Wall of China (image: wikimedia commons) (For a blow-up version of the map, click here).

Liu Yulin, an archaeologist from the Jinta Museum, and his colleagues discovered this section of the wall while working on a nation-wide survey of cultural relics, which began in 2007 and will end in December of 2011. His colleagues found chunks of the wall in remote, uninhabited sections of the Gobi Desert.

"As the ancient buildings were built in the remote mountainous and desert areas, the remains of the wall were well protected without being destroyed by human activities. They were only partly destroyed by flood and sandstorm," Liu told China Daily.

According to reports, 26 kilometers of the wall were found in the Jinta (Gansu) province. Dating back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD), this section has been called by surveyors one of the best preserved in the country. Another roughly 700 km of walls were found in the Shanxi province, with these sections being built in the Qin (221-206 BC), Western Han and Sui (581-618 BC) dynasties.

While stumbling upon 700 km of a monumental wall sounds like a rather uncanny discovery, the find is less unique than you might think. Just last September, surveyors found another previously uncharted section of the wall, this one reaching 11 km eastward in the northeastern province of Jilin. It appears the Great Wall, which was originally built to protect against invading barbarians from the north, has more secrets to reveal.

View Article in The Examiner

CRUISING: Offering Whatever Floats Your Boat

The Diamond Princess in Hong Kong. Asian itineraries that include Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai are increasingly popular.  Princess Cruises

February 14, 2010

By ELAINE GLUSAC

DESPITE rough economic seas, the cruise industry is staying the course this year with new destinations far and near, activities for young and old and amenities that seem to appeal to every niche.

Want to jam with Kid Rock or scream with fellow “Twilight” fans? There’s a cruise for that. Traveling alone on a budget? There’s a cruise for that, too. Or how about acupuncture for weight loss while sailing to Phuket. There are at least a dozen cruises for that.

From a boom in European cruises to a rediscovery of America’s rivers, cruises are trying to appeal to an increasingly fragmented clientele. After all, as cruise experts like to point out, just shy of 20 percent of Americans have been on a cruise — which means the remaining 80 percent are potential first-time passengers.

Return to America’s Rivers

Not since Lewis and Clark, perhaps, have America’s rivers seen so much cruising action. Spurred partly by the recession, which put more-extravagant cruises out of reach for many, river cruises are staging a steady comeback.

American Cruise Lines, a river cruise company based in Connecticut, is adding two vessels and three itineraries. The 104-passenger Independence, with a glassed-in dining room and staterooms with private balconies, is scheduled to launch in June. It will spend the summer sailing along the Maine coast before heading to the Hudson River for the October foliage season, with six-night fares starting at $2,820 (all prices quoted are based on double occupancy).

The Queen of the West, a paddle-wheeler, will make its American Cruise Lines debut, with seven-night cruises along the Snake and Columbia Rivers in the Northwest, with stops in Portland, Ore.; Clarkston, Wash., and elsewhere starting at $3,395. American will also introduce a route along the Potomac and Delaware Rivers, with stops along the way in Philadelphia, Washington, Mount Vernon and Annapolis aboard the 100-passenger American Spirit. The eight-day cruises start at $3,295.

Elsewhere in the Americas, the Caribbean remains popular, but the newest routes belong to the Atlantic. In May, Carnival Cruise Lines is stationing the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy in Charleston, S.C., with five-day departures to the Bahamas starting at $269.

Bermuda is seeing more action, too. Revisiting a route it hasn’t sailed for more than 15 years, Holland America returns to New York City, offering 24 trips to Bermuda beginning in April. The 1,350-passenger Veendam will depart from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, with weeklong cruises from $699.

Also newly bound for Bermuda is the Celebrity Summit, a 2,034-passenger ship that departs from Bayonne, N.J., to spend three nights in King’s Wharf. Fares start at $549, with optional excursions to swim with dolphins or snorkel to a shipwreck, plus cruise-by sightings of the Statue of Liberty.

Europe by Water

European cruises are growing, allowing cruisers to hopscotch the Continent with ease, while also helping Americans avoid high exchange rates by locking in fares in dollars.

“Europe is today where we were 15, 20 years ago,” said Bob Sharak, vice president of Cruise Lines International Association, which represents 25 major cruise lines that serve North America. “New ships used to debut here, but now we’re seeing them debuted and deployed in Europe.”

And it’s not just Americans who are onboard. In 2000, less than 10 percent of passengers on the cruise association’s member ships were not citizens of the United States. Today that figure is nearly 25 percent.

Though it has run Mediterranean cruises in the past, Disney Cruise Line, based in Florida, will expand its European offerings with four trips that sail from Dover, England. The 12-night Northern European Capitals Cruise takes place June and July onboard the 2,700-passenger Disney Magic, with fares from $3,649.

Similarly, Norwegian Cruise Lines, which is based in Miami and has run intermittent cruises in Europe, will post a ship in Venice for the first time this year. The 2,400-passenger Norwegian Gem will run seven-day cruises to Greece and Turkey with departures from April 24 to Oct. 23, priced from $719.

The growth in European cruises isn’t limited to big ships. Princess Cruises is introducing a series of seven-day Interlude itineraries in Europe aboard the 680-passenger Ocean Princess. The cruises, which start at $1,299, will sail from Rome to the Greek Isles, and from Dover to Scandinavia.

Variety Cruises, a five-year-old yacht line based in Athens, is offering its first Adriatic trips this summer, with seven-night cruises that include stops at the island of Hvar and the cities of Zadar and Venice aboard the 46-guest Pegasus. Fares start at $2,690.

The rivers of Europe are bustling, too. Avalon Waterways, a river cruise line based in Colorado, will launch two 138-passenger ships this year — the Avalon Felicity and the Avalon Luminary — that will sail the Rhine, including an eight-day cruise from Zurich to Amsterdam from $2,099.

AMAWaterways, a river cruise operator based in California, is offering five new European cruises including a 22-day excursion along the Douro River in Portugal and the Rhone in France, from $7,677. Viking River Cruises in California has a new eight-day sail down the Danube from Germany to Hungary from $1,456. And Seattle’s Cruise West launches two river cruises aboard the 148-guest MS Amadeus Diamond that goes down the Danube and the Rhine, from $4,999 for 11 nights.

Even landlocked Europe is seeing a spillover effect. Among the excursions highlighted by Cruise West, Princess and Viking this summer is the once-a-decade Passion Play. It takes place in the German village of Oberammergau.

Getting Shipshape

Gaining weight is one of the perils on the high seas, with the average cruiser said to put on several pounds on a weeklong cruise. To help passengers get shipshape and resist the buffet, cruise ships are offering everything from beefed-up gyms to macrobiotic menus.

Crystal Cruises’ 922-passenger Crystal Symphony, one of two ships run by the Los Angeles-based luxury line, recently opened a feng-shui-inspired fitness center with a walking program, indoor cycling and acupuncture treatments. In June, the three sailing yachts of Windstar Cruises, which is based in Seattle, will introduce Technogym-brand treadmills, stationary bikes, stair climbers and weight machines onboard.

Wellness packages that bundle fitness classes and healthy menus are expanding. Holland America’s well-being package includes fitness classes, a 50-minute spa treatment, access to the whirlpool and steam room and daily fruit deliveries for a premium of $299 a person on seven-day cruises. Specialized tour companies like A Taste of Health offer cruises with vegan chefs and macrobiotic menus. Its Holistic Caribbean Cruise, for example, sets sail from Fort Lauderdale for a seven-night cruise to St. Thomas, Puerto Rico and elsewhere, with passengers learning to make dishes like seitan paella. Rates from $1,199.

Spas have had makeovers themselves. Regent Seven Seas Cruises recently added Canyon Ranch spas on its three high-end ships. And Paul Gauguin Cruises, which plies the South Pacific, just opened a thalasso spa onboard its namesake vessel.

A few spas are even beginning to resemble health clinics. In December, the 540-passenger Silver Spirit from Silversea Cruises introduced a spa that offers acupuncture for weight loss and stress management, as well as Botox injections and Restylane facial filler. Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess also offer Botox and tooth bleaching, so you’ll look good even if you put on a few extra pounds.

Floating Red Carpet

Celebrity cruises are not new, but the Q rating of headlining guests seems to be rising. “Theme cruises have always been a way to get new-to-cruise people aboard,” said Carolyn Spencer Brown, the editor in chief of Cruisecritic.com, an online cruise magazine. “Now they’re becoming more sort of glitzy.”

John Mayer sold out a four-night Carnival cruise from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas last year. And James Taylor was the star attraction on Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 bound from New York to Southampton, treating guests to concerts, interviews and autograph signings.

This year will see more stars. Kid Rock already sold out the five-day Carnival Inspiration cruise from Tampa to Grand Cayman starting in late April. Before that, in mid-April, the same ship and route will feature the pop bands 3 Doors Down, Lifehouse and Shinedown as part of a VH1 cruise (from $799). The Zac Brown Band headlines over Labor Day weekend (from $699).

The teenage heartthrobs Alex Meraz and Michael Welch, who star in the vampire movie “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” will join the four-day Twilight Cruise from Seattle to Alaska onboard Holland America’s Oosterdam. Prices start at $1,049, not including an optional off-shore excursion to Forks, Wash., where the vampire drama is set.

And if your idea of celebrity runs to radio stars, you can join Garrison Keillor and the cast of “A Prairie Home Companion” March 14 on Holland America’s Ryndam for a seven-night Tampa-to-Belize immersion in all things Minnesotan (fares from $1,700).

Far-Flung Ports of Call

Cruises are venturing into uncharted waters and docking at more far-flung ports of call in Asia, the Middle East and even the North Pole.

Asia, in particular, is seeing a wave of new ships. Yachts of Seabourn, a small-ships specialist based in Miami, is posting its first ship in Asia. The 208-passenger Seabourn Pride sails a variety of Asian itineraries out of Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Kobe, Japan, with fares starting at $4,050 for 12 days.

The Ocean Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, will spend this spring hopping between Singapore and Shanghai, Shanghai and Bangkok, and Shanghai and Tokyo, before heading for Europe. Fares start at $2,299 for a 14-day cruise.

River cruises in Asia are growing, too. Viking River Cruises will offer a two-day stop in Shanghai for Expo 2010 on many of its China cruises. In Vietnam and Cambodia, AMAWaterways is offering cruises along the Mekong between Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap, Cambodia, on the 92-passenger La Marguerite. Fares start at $1,499 a person for seven nights.

The Middle East continues to welcome more ships. Costa Cruises is docking its newest ship, the Deliziosa, in Dubai. The 2,260-passenger ship includes a roller skating track, a 4-D cinema — think 3-D with physical effects like wind — and a golf simulator with 37 courses. Seven-night cruises to Abu Dhabi and Bahrain start at $899.

The 2,501-capacity Brilliance of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International will return to Dubai for a second season, with seven-night sailings from $699. And the 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity will sail two Middle Eastern routes in March including the line’s first stops in Kuwait City; Bandar Abbas, Iran; and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (13-day fares start at $8,855).

Cruises are shifting from the South to the North Pole. With Antarctica possibly closing to big cruise ships because of new environmental regulations, cruises to Arctic waters are on the rise. New this year is a 24-day Northwest Passage cruise from Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. The 184-guest Hanseatic sails from Greenland to Nome, Alaska, with polar bear sightseeing in between. Norway-based Hurtigruten will offer an 11-day Climate Pilgrimage along the Arctic Circle north of Norway onboard the 318-passenger Fram. The cruise, which starts at $4,100, passes by glaciers and features talks with climate scientists.

Tauck, a small-ship operator based in Connecticut, has sold out its eight-day Iceland cruises aboard the new 264-passenger Le Boreal. Literary cruisers can still join the author Margaret Atwood aboard a 16-day Northwest Passage cruise with Adventure Canada, one of five new itineraries aboard the 118-passenger Clipper Adventurer. The Aug. 28 departure, from $5,995, includes readings and lectures by Ms. Atwood as well as tundra golf and iceberg ogling.

Virgin Voyages

In the wake of last year’s Oasis of the Seas, billed as the world’s largest ship, the class of 2010 might look small, but it isn’t. For starters, in December Royal Caribbean is planning to launch a sister ship, Allure of the Seas, that shares many of the same superlatives as the Oasis. Both share the title of world’s largest — 1,181 feet long with room for 5,400 passengers.

The next largest is the Norwegian Epic, a 4,200-passenger vessel that has a Vegas-style lineup of shows including Blue Man Group, Cirque Dreams, Second City and Legends in Concert. The ship also features a lavish water park, a rappelling wall (a first for the industry) and an ice bar. After its inaugural trans-Atlantic cruise scheduled in July, the ship will be based in Miami and offer seven-night cruises to the Caribbean with summer fares from $889.

A smaller but perhaps more stately christening is set for October, when the new Queen Elizabeth from Cunard makes its maiden voyage from Southampton to the Mediterranean. The 2,092-passenger ship features lush Art Deco-style interiors that pay homage to the original 1938 ship. The new QE also features a glass-vaulted lounge inspired by Kew Gardens and filled with potted palms, and a game deck with paddle tennis, croquet and British bowls. The inaugural cruise sold out in 29 minutes last April, but fares for subsequent cruises to the Mediterranean and the Caribbean start at $1,195 for five days.

Kiddie Cruises

Cruise lines have long appealed to parents. Now, they are catering more aggressively to children. In April, Norwegian Cruise Line will introduce a children’s program in partnership with Nickelodeon that includes live versions of the “SlimeTime” game show and breakfasts with SpongeBob SquarePants and other characters. The Nickelodeon tie-in will be offered on the Norwegian Jewel, on its weeklong cruises from New York City to the Bahamas, starting at $499. It will also be offered on the new Epic.

With all those kids onboard, keeping track of them can be a full-time job. To help, Royal Caribbean gives children ages 3 to 11 an electronic wristband onboard the Oasis of the Seas, so that the crew can find them. Parents can also keep an electronic eye on their children’s whereabouts by renting an optional locator for $17.50.

But maybe what parents need are full-blown GPS devices. Child-friendly cruises are crossing the Atlantic to Europe. Disney’s new cruises to the Baltics include stops at historic sites like Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, where characters like Snow White and Cinderella will greet passengers. The Crystal Symphony will make two seven-day trips in Europe — from London to Ireland and back, and Copenhagen to Stockholm — with those 17 and under staying free. And Tauck is offering family-only cruises along the Danube between Budapest and Regensburg, Germany.

Not everyone, of course, wants to be surrounded by screaming kids, especially parents seeking a vacation. Child-free zones, which were introduced over a decade ago, are expanding. The Carnival Dream reserves an 11,250-square-foot “serenity” area for grown-ups with sun beds, a bar and whirlpools. On the Oasis of the Seas, a two-deck adult section near the bow includes two whirlpools cantilevered over the side of the ship. And the coming Norwegian Epic has an adults-only beach club that offers bottle service in poolside cabanas, just like South Beach.

Boutique Hotels at Sea

The captain’s quarters don’t cut it anymore. Cruise liners are continuing to carve out luxury staterooms that feel like mini-boutique hotels with special perks for those willing to pay.

Royal Caribbean is taking the lead with the Oasis of the Seas and its forthcoming sister ship, Allure of the Seas. Instead of windowless staterooms, the interior cabins have been reworked to offer views of soaring atriums inside the ship. The Central Park balcony staterooms, for example, overlook a common area, a 12,000-plant garden and the 150 Central Park restaurant.

When it sails in July, the Norwegian Epic will banish the boxy room. Its New Wave cabins have curved walls and domed ceilings. The ship also features 100-square-foot podlike studios designed for solo passengers. A communal lounge encourages socializing. Prices are from $799 (single occupancy) for seven-day sailings.

Private villas and suites that function like gated V.I.P. communities continue to proliferate. Norwegian’s four Jewel-class ships have courtyard and garden villas that offer quiet pools, sundecks, fitness rooms and concierges that are available only to villa guests. Victoria Cruises, which specializes in Yangtze River cruises in China, has new suites that offer a private lounge and restaurant. And in May Windstar Cruises will introduce spa suites on the 312-passenger Wind Surf.

IF YOU SAIL

Adventure Canada, (800) 363-7566; adventurecanada.com.

AMAWaterways, (800) 626-0126; amawaterways.com.

American Cruise Lines, (800) 814-6880; americancruiselines.com.

Avalon Waterways, (877) 797-8791; avalonwaterways.com.

Carnival Cruise Lines, (888) 227-6482; carnival.com.

Celebrity Cruises, (800) 647-2251; celebritycruises.com.

Cruise West, (888) 851-8133; cruisewest.com.

Costa Cruises, (877) 882-6782; www.costacruise.com.

Cunard Line, (800) 728-6273; cunard.com.

Crystal Cruises, (888) 722-0021; crystalcruises.com.

Disney Cruise Line, (800) 951-3532; disneycruise.com.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, (49-40) 3001-4580; hl-cruises.com.

Holland America Line, (877) 932-4259; hollandamerica.com.

Hurtigruten, (866) 552-0371; hurtigruten.us.

Norwegian Cruise Line, (866) 234-7350; ncl.com.

Paul Gauguin Cruises, (800) 848-6172; pgcruises.com.

Princess Cruises, (800) 774-6237; princess.com.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises, (877) 505-5370; rssc.com.

Royal Caribbean International, (866) 562-7625; royalcaribbean.com.

Silversea Cruises, (800) 722-9955; silversea.com.

A Taste of Health, (828) 749-9537; atasteofhealth.org.

Tauck, (800) 788-7885; tauck.com.

Twilight Cruises, (800) 745-7545; www.twilightfanscruise.com.

Variety Cruises, (800) 319-7776; varietycruises.com.

VH1 Best Cruise Ever, (877) 749-8462; vh1bestcruiseever.com.

Victoria Cruises, (800) 348-8084; victoriacruises.com.

Viking River Cruises, (800) 304-9616; vikingrivercruises.com.

Windstar Cruises, (800) 258-7245; windstarcruises.com.

Yachts of Seabourn, (800) 929-9391; seabourn.com.

View Article in the New York Times

SEOUL, S. KOREA: Half-Day Traditional Cultural Experience

KTO's Suggested Itineraries

for Independent Travelers

▩ Course Itinerary

- Insa-dong (Ssamziegil) - traditional temple food restaurant Sanchon - Tteok and Kitchen Utensil Museum - Changdeokgung Palace

This traditional cultural experience course in Seoul invites participants to see, hear, and experience the traditional culture of Korea. The course starts out with a visit to Insa-dong, Seoul’s well-known street of traditional culture, and the newly emerging tourist attraction, Ssamziegil. After working up an appetite, enjoy a traditional lunch, featuring Buddhist temple food at the restaurant, Sanchon. Then try tteok (Korean rice cakes) and tea for dessert at the Tteok and Kitchen Utensil Museum, which provides a wealth of information on the traditional cuisine of Korea. The experience is topped off with a guided visit to Changdeokgung Palace, one of Korea's top five royal palaces and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.

▩ Brief Overview of Course Itinerary with Photos

Insa-dong, known as a street of traditional Korean culture

10:00 AM
Insa-dong is home to dozens of galleries, antique shops, traditional restaurants, teashops, and souvenir shops. In late 2004, the culture complex Ssamziegil opened. The new building has four above ground floors and two basement-level floors, where numerous shops exhibit and sell art. Both the building's architecture and the unique products and art are a pleasure to see, attracting throngs of digital-camera youngsters and tourists. A walk around Insa-dong and Ssamziegil takes about an hour.
Click here for detailed information on Insa-dong.
Click here for more on Ssamziegil.

Three-minute Walk

Traditional Buddhist Temple Food at Sanchon

11:30 AM
Sanchon is the most popular restaurant in Korea for Buddhist temple vegetarian cuisine. Prices for lunch (Noon ~ 4:20 pm / 18,700 won including tax) and dinner (5:00~10:00pm/ 31,900 won including tax) are quite different due to the staged performances in the evening. Of course, Buddhist temple food is always vegetarian.   The lunch takes about an hour.
Click here to visit Sanchon's website.

Ten-minute Walk

Tteok and Kitchen Utensil Museum

12:30 PM
The museum features café Jilsiru on the first floor, which sells traditional Korean rice cakes, or tteok, and tea. A restful stop to drink aromatic tea and savor tteok is sure to invigorate you. Make sure to bring your café receipt, and you’ll get free admission to the museum on the second floor. The time required for a visit of the museum, including the rice cake and tea break, varies but on average, it takes about 40 minutes.

Five-minute Walk

Changdeokgung Palace

1:30 PM
In order to safeguard the palace, listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, visitor access to the palace is limited to guided group tours. Guided tours in English are scheduled for 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 3:30 pm, so make sure to check the time in advance before visiting the palace. The guided tours take approximately 1 hour 20 minutes.
Click here for detailed information on Changdeokgung Palace.

▩ Course Map

▩ Total Expenses Incurred for the Course - As of March 2005

• Admission to Changdeokgung Palace: 3,000 won (Age between 19~64)
• Rice cake café Jilsiru: Red-ripe persimmon shake 6,000 won / Kkot sagwandanja rice cake 1,500 won / Yaksik (Steamed rice cake mixed with honey, dates and chestnuts) 1,500 won / Black sesame gureum tteok 1,500 won (Those holding a Jilsiru café receipt can visit the Tteok and Kitchen Utensil Museum for free. Otherwise, admission to the museum is 3,000 won)
• Lunch at Sanchon: 17,000 won (10% tax not included / 18,700 won including tax)
  Total: 32,200 won

View this itinerary on Korea Tourism Organization’s website.

S. KOREA: Top 10 Foods: Bibimbap

Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed cooked rice" or "mixed meal.” It is also sometimes spelled "Bibimbab" or "bibimbop.”  It is served with properly cooked rice in a hot or cold bowl, topping various vegetables, meats and egg in colorful fashion. As Bibimbap contains a variety of ingredients, it is very healthy and nutritious Korean food.

There are many origins for Bibimbap. First, it was originated from the customs for partaking of sacrificial foods after sacrificial rites. Second, it was originated from way of serving interim meal for workers in the field as it was difficult to prepare meal with many dishes for many people. Therefore they used one big vessel and mixed various foods in it. Third, at lunch time in the palace, a brief meal using only one vessel was served to a member of royal family when they visited palace.

Donghak troop mixed various foods in one vessel in the field for convenience sake. And lastly on the last day of a year, people tried to finish all the left over foods by mixing the foods together and shared the food amongst family members. As such there are many interesting stories and origins related to the Bibimbap. Jeonju Bibimbap is the most famous one and it is said that it is because of bean sprouts which is used as one of the ingredients for Bibimbap as Jeonju area is famous for the taste of bean sprouts. Bibimbap can have a variety by changing the ingredients and vegetables depending on season. One point of consideration is to try to keep good combination and harmony of nutrition and color.

Bibimbap is a unique representative Korean food which is hard to find anywhere in the world. Whenever our ancestors felt no appetite, they put various dishes into rice together with one spoon of red pepper paste and mixed it, from which we can see the wisdom of our ancestors. Nowadays various types of new bibimbaps such as stone pot Bibimbap, cereals Bibimbap and nutrition Bibimbap are introduced with new taste and unique type in addition to the traditional Bibimbaps of Jeonju Bibimbap or Jinju Bibimbap.

View Article in Food in Korea

RUSSIA: WWII hero awarded on Fatherland Day

Published 23 February, 2010, 09:23

After waiting for almost a lifetime, Nikolay Novikov, a Russian WWII hero, has received official recognition of his services to the military. He received his award as Russia celebrates Defenders of the Fatherland Day.

Fatherland Day, also known as Men’s Day, traditionally is an opportunity for Russia's leaders to pay tribute to those who have served their country.

It was only last week that Nikolay Novikov found out that, back in 1943, he had been awarded an Order of the Red Star for his heroic fighting on the front line – holding off Hitler's forces during the Siege of Leningrad.

Stepping forward to proudly receive a medal from the President, he did not mind that it took a little longer than usual to attach. He had already waited more than six decades for this day.

“As our president was fastening the order to my chest, I said to him, ‘You are fastening it for so long.’ To which he replied, ‘For eternity’,” Novikov says.

Over the course of the 900-day resistance, over 600,000 people are thought to have died in the city from cold, famine and the constant and devastating air raids.

“After occupying the enemy’s battery we went ahead along the road and heard mortar fighting. We stopped and tried to guess whether they were targeting us or not… I gave a command ‘hit the deck!’ and we all threw our bodies on the ground, but I only managed to squat down. A mine exploded just a meter away and my whole body was riddled with its fragments”, Novikov remembers.

It was as he lay wounded in hospital that he was awarded the order, but the news never reached him – and he had no idea that he was to be honored as a hero. This is a similar scenario for many war veterans.

“During the war it was often the case that a person earned an award, but then a couple of days later they were wounded and sent to the medical battalion. But they were often assigned to a different military unit after the injury and never received their awards”, historian Yuri Nikifirov explains.

There are still over half a million veterans who have not received their awards, and for the soldiers and their families it is an important recognition of the bravery of the men who fought so hard for their country.

A state commission searches for the unawarded veterans using the help of volunteers, whose aim is to revive more success stories like Nikolay’s.

View RT Article

CHINA & US: Why Americans love the Dalai Lama

February 22, 2010 9:31 a.m. EST

By Jessica Ravitz, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, has broad base of fans in America
• His sense of peace inspires; 56 percent of Americans view him favorably, poll shows
• He fills symbolic placeholder left by Gandhi and MLK, Tibet House executive says
• Buddhism helps him avoid trappings of fame, by not allowing ego to take over

(CNN) -- He's been decorated with awards and called one of the world's most influential people. He's addressed packed auditoriums and waved to crowds who line streets just to catch a passing glimpse of him. He's shaken the hands of countless global dignitaries and earned a fan base following on Facebook that might rival that of Hollywood stars.

He is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the 74-year-old spiritual leader of Tibet and the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, based in Dharamsala, India. And though he describes himself, according to his Web site, as "a simple Buddhist monk," the love so many Americans and others have for him has, no doubt, bestowed on him iconic status -- whether he sees it that way or not.

"I'd love to be in his presence. I'd love to be in an audience where he speaks," said Jerilee Auclair, 55, of Vancouver, Washington, who has yet to have that pleasure. "I yearn for it. I watch his schedule to see if/when he'll be in my area. ... I love what he stands for. His inner peace inspires me to find mine, daily."

She's far from alone in her admiration.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday, the same day the Dalai Lama visited the White House, showed that 56 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of him, putting him "in the same neighborhood as other major religious figures," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Favorable ratings for the pope, at 59 percent, and Billy Graham, at 57 percent, are virtually identical."

Not bad for a guy who lives on the opposite side of the globe, is entrenched in a decades-old political and cultural struggle many don't understand, and lives according to a tradition few Americans follow. Less than 1 percent of Americans identify themselves as Buddhist, with less than 0.3 percent of those being Tibetan Buddhist, according to The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

But what he represents resonates with Americans who may need a figure like the Dalai Lama to look to, said Ganden Thurman, executive director of New York City's Tibet House, an organization dedicated to preserving Tibetan culture and civilization.

"He stands for achieving peace by way of peace, and since Gandhi and Martin Luther King aren't around, he's a placeholder for that kind of position," he said. "He says he's a 'simple monk,' but that's wishful thinking. He's a monk that's been saddled with the responsibility of shouldering the hopes and dreams of millions of Tibetan people. ... He's doing the best he can with that, and frankly, these are the kind of people we admire."

Not that Thurman, 42, always treated the Dalai Lama with this kind of reverence. His father, Robert Thurman, co-founded the Tibet House, is an Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies professor at Columbia University and holds the first endowed chair in Buddhist studies in the West, according to the university's online biography. The older Thurman, who also happens to be the father of actress Uma Thurman, was a personal student of the Dalai Lama, and it was through this relationship that his son first met the spiritual leader.

"My earliest memory of meeting him, I was around 4. I was a pretty rambunctious 4-year-old," he said with a laugh, guessing that he probably jumped on His Holiness and grabbed at the man's glasses. "Diplomatic protocol wasn't high on my list of priorities."

Tenzin Tethong has known the Dalai Lama since he was a child. He worked in the exile government and served as the spiritual leader's representative in New York and Washington during the 1970s and 1980s. Now the president of The Dalai Lama Foundation, a Redwood City, California, organization that promotes peace, Tethong said he organized the Tibetan leader's first visit to the United States in 1979, 20 years after he had gone into exile

He recalled not being sure they'd be able to pull off the visit because by the early 1970s, the U.S. had normalized its relations with China, which has long viewed the Dalai Lama as a threat to its national unity on the issue of Tibetan autonomy. But they came at the invitation of various colleges and religious groups, and the American fascination with the Dalai Lama -- the curiosity about his exotic past, his beliefs and his teachings -- spoke volumes then, Tethong said.

In the decades since, the Dalai Lama's star power has only risen as Americans have learned more about his commitment to nonviolence, interfaith outreach and more. For starters, there was that Nobel Peace Prize he won in 1989.

High-profile supporters, like actor Richard Gere, helped give him and his people's struggles pop culture prominence, as did several mainstream films including "Seven Years in Tibet," starring Brad Pitt, and "Kundun," directed by Martin Scorsese.

With the increased exposure, there has also been a growing prevalence of "Free Tibet" bumper stickers, the appearance of Tibetan prayer flags in suburbia and Facebook fans who shower the Dalai Lama with praise.

"Have a nice and easy day with Obama! Namaste," one woman wrote Thursday. "thank you for all your love, guidance and wisdom ... u changed my life," a man added. And then this from a college-student fan: "HH Dalai Lama!! You kick metaphorical ass!!!"

How has all this attention not gone to his head?

RELATED TOPICS

• Dalai Lama
• Tibet
• Buddhism

"When fame happens, people get carried away, right? The Dalai Lama, despite tremendous adoration as well as adulation ... is very conscious of that," Tethong said. "One of the Buddhist practices is to always be very aware of one's self and how one looks at one's self and not to be carried away with one's ego."

Not standing on formalities -- he playfully threw snow at reporters outside the White House on Thursday -- staying grounded and his constant ability to exude warmth and joy have made him easy to love, people who admire him say.

"He really is the real deal -- a truly loveable guy. He lives his values," said Jamie Metzl, executive vice president of the Asia Society, a global organization that seeks to increase understanding and relationships between the U.S. and Asia. "Recognizing someone who lives their life according to such positive principles helps us all grow."

And Metzl, who said he's met the Dalai Lama three times, suggested the Chinese government, through its denunciation of the spiritual leader, has bolstered his recognition. He said that by saying the Dalai Lama is "a wolf in sheep's clothing," a claim Metzl said doesn't match what people read and see, "the Chinese are doing a great deal to turn him into a rock star."

But nothing does more to make people appreciate the Dalai Lama than being with him, said Charles Raison, a psychiatrist with Emory University Medical School.

Raison, who's been involved in a program where Western doctors work with and exchange teachings with Buddhist monks, recounted a time when he, his wife and several others met with the Dalai Lama about four years ago.

"Many people, myself included, have a powerful experience in his presence. I nearly erupted in tears," he said. And his wife, whom he said "does not have a religious bone in her body" was "just beaming."

He said studies have long shown that people have a physiological response to the behaviors, feelings and even smells put forth by others.

"Buddhists," he added, "say that sweet smells come from a saint -- a mark of spiritual advancement."

View CNN Article

RUSSIA: Putin Signals New Tolerance For Protest In Russia

Russian retiree Leokadya Maximova, 72, of Kaliningrad says she is struggling to get by on her $265-a-month pension. She says the situation will prompt her to take to the streets with other anti-government protesters.  David Greene/NPR

February 23, 2010

In Russia, public protests are generally small and often shut down by police. But over the past few weeks, police have not cracked down on a handful of anti-government demonstrations.

And Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently told members of his party that getting feedback from citizens is a good thing.

"We can't just make promises to people and then throw dust in their eyes," Putin said, in the wake of the largest protest so far.

The protest that caught the Kremlin's attention took place Jan. 30.

Between 6,000 and 10,000 people streamed into the streets of Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave squeezed between two members of the European Union — Poland and Lithuania.

Next time, 72-year-old Leokadya Maximova says she'll be on the streets demonstrating, too. She's a retired train conductor who wants the government to do better for her than her $265-a-month pension.

Russians should not be afraid to protest and speak their mind, she says.

Mikhail Chesalin helped organize the January rally, and on a recent day in his office, he played video from the rally, where the crowd shouted for Putin to resign.

Calling for the prime minister's ouster is nothing new for Chesalin, who is a local leader of the small leftist party, Patriots of Russia, which often organizes demonstrations. But this crowd swelled like none before, Chesalin said. Everyone seemed to be there: members of the larger Communist Party, even Putin's own United Russia party.

And that's the trend. Protests in Russia are attracting a mainstream audience. That's one reason the Kremlin quickly dispatched envoys to Kaliningrad, to understand how last month's protest came about.

They could get a pretty good idea if they talked to someone like Sergei Ivanchin, a father of two who owns a motorcycle shop in Kaliningrad, and is a member of Putin's United Russia party.

For years, Ivanchin said, he was sold on Putin's promise that discipline and order would eventually bring prosperity. Over time, though, Ivanchin said he grew disappointed. High taxes and bureaucratic hurdles were hurting his business. Everything got worse in these current tough economic times. And finally, Ivanchin's frustration reached the brink.

"They always promise a bright future for us. First it was the communists. Now, it's the United Russia party. Any leaders who come to power, their message is always: 'You just wait. Keep suffering. And maybe in your next life you will be rewarded,'" he said.

But Putin's representatives in Kaliningrad say they're trying to take a different approach.

Aleksandra Smirnova, 31, arrived in Kaliningrad in April 2008 and has been its economic minister since the beginning of 2009. She has seen the recent protests as a window into Russia's politician transition.

People who lived through Soviet times, she said, still don't understand there's only so much the government can do.

"On the one hand, people want to protest. People want to express their opinion. [On] the other hand, there is lack of understanding the budget is fixed," she said.

But another holdover from Soviet times, she said, is that the government in Russia doesn't always listen to the people and act on their needs.

"This is our fault that we don't inform people much, that we don't make social dialogues," she said.

Smirnova made sure to say she wasn't criticizing her boss, the prime minister. But Putin did limit preferences in 2005, when he began appointing regional governments, instead of letting them be elected. Many of the protesters in Kaliningrad and elsewhere have said getting those democratic rights back would be a good first step.

View NPR Article

HIMEJI, JAPAN: Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is widely considered Japan's most spectacular castle. Unlike many other Japanese castles, Himeji Castle was never destroyed in wars, earthquakes or fires and survives in its original form. It is both a national treasure and a UNESCO world heritage site.

Construction Notice: Major renovation works will be carried out on the main keep of Himeji Castle from April 2010 until March 2014. The main keep will be covered by scaffolding, starting from April 12, 2010. Access to the interior of the main keep will be impossible from April 12, 2010 until early 2011 and partially restricted thereafter until 2014.

Inside Himeji Castle

In the 14th century, a fort was first built on the current castle site. Over the centuries, the various clans, who ruled over the region, gradually enlarged it. The castle complex, as it survives today, was completed in 1609. The well defended castle and its wooden interior are fascinating, and the castle's sight is spectacular, especially during the short and crowded cherry blossom season, that usually takes place in the first half of April.

It typically takes one to three hours to explore Himeji Castle. Many travelers visit it on an easy day or half day trip from Kyoto or during a 3-6 hour stop over on a journey along the Sanyo coast, for example, from Kyoto to Hiroshima or Kyushu.

How to get there

From Himeji Station, the castle can be reached in a 15-20 minute walk or 5 minute bus or taxi ride along the broad Otemae-dori Street, which leads straight from the station to the castle.

How to get to and around Himeji

Hours and Fees

• Hours:  9:00 to 17:00 (until 18:00 from late April through August)  Admission into the inner castle grounds ends one hour before closing time.  Admission into the castle keep ends 30 minutes before closing time.
• Closed:  December 29 and 30
• Admission:  600 yen

View Article on japan-guide.com

FUKUOKA, JAPAN: A Side Trip to Dazaifu

 

FROMMER’S:

If you have 4 or more hours to spare, I heartily recommend taking a side trip to Dazaifu, a pleasant village that is home to a shrine that is immensely popular with Japanese and the Kyushu National Museum. Dazaifu has a festive atmosphere, and one of the main reasons to visit, in my opinion, is to see everyone else.

The best way to reach Dazaifu is from Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station in Tenjin (located in the Mitsukoshi department store building). Take a limited express (tokkyu) of the Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line (there are departures every 30 min.) 12 minutes to Futsukaichi (the second stop); transfer there (across the platform) for the 8-minute train ride on the Nishitetsu Dazaifu Line (two stops) to Dazaifu Station, the last stop (though there are a few trains that go directly from Fukuoka Station to Dazaifu). If you don't catch a limited express, the trip to Dazaifu can take about 50 minutes. In any case, the fare is ¥390 ($3.25/£1.65) one-way. The Dazaifu City Tourist Information Desk (tel. 092/925-1880; daily 9am-5:30pm), located inside Dazaifu Station, has an English-language pamphlet.

GATEWAY TO JAPAN:

0:20-0:30 h by private Nishitetsu train from Nishitetsu-Fukuoka station; some direct trains, otherwise change at Futsukaichi, served by both local and express trains.

Dazaifu was the southern outpost of the Yamato government.  It was from here that the Japanese launched armies in the 6th century to defend their Korean colony, Mimana, and their ally, the Paekche Kingdom (Kudara in Japanese) against a rival Korean kingdom, Silla, and Tang China.  Later, the Nara court appointed governors to Dazaifu to administer all of Kyushu and to host foreign envoys.  Dazaifu becames a splended, smaller version of Nara, and an appointment to the governorship carried power and prestige.  But in the Heian period, as the court became less concerned with provincial and foreign affairs, the Dazaifu post offered an excuse to remove political foes from Kyoto.  The most famous exile was Sugawara no Michizane, who “governed” from Dazaifu for two years before succumbing to grief.  The Dazaifu Tenman-gu was later built to console his deified spirit.  The shrine has since taken on a life of its own so that today the town of Dazaifu thrives around the approach to the shrine, while the ruins of the ancient government headquarters lie amid fields and groves. 

The Dazaifu Tenman-gu is a short walk from Nishitetsu-Dazaifu station, and the Kannon-ji/Tofuro area is about 0:25 h on foot from the station.  We recommend renting a bicycle at the Tourist Center across from the station ticket window.

CHINA: 15 places worth visiting in China: Daocheng county

Daocheng county is located in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous prefecture, 
Sichuan Province. There is green grassland, colorful flowers, high 
mountains, bright sky and fresh air. The area has the largest remains
of an ancient glacier in the Tibetan plateau.

2009-12-01 17:02 BJT

Editor: Jin Lin | Source: China.org.cn

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RUSSIA: On this day: 23 February

On February 23, 1958, the memorial complex dedicated to the USSR’s victory in the Second World War was founded on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow.

Poklonnaya Hill, first mentioned in 16th century documents, played a noticeable part in Russian history. In 1812, Napoleon stood there waiting for the keys to Moscow, but his expectations were in vain. The name “Poklonnaya” literally means “a place to bow”. Possibly, the hill got such a name because travelers and ambassadors on their way in or out of Moscow bowed to the city from its top to show their respect.

The memorial complex project was developed in 1945, but then there was no opportunity to build it. The Second World War, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, had just ended, and the USSR had no resources for such an enormous construction project.

On February 23, 1958, a memorial sign with an inscription saying “Here, the monument for the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War 1941 – 1945 will be constructed” was placed on Poklonnaya Hill, and Victory Park was laid out around the sign.

The actual construction of the site began only in 1983, and it took a decade to finish it. The complex opened only on May 9, 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the victory over the Nazi Germany.

The oldest building of the complex is the Great Patriotic War Museum. The architect Anatoly Polyansky built it in 1986. The museum’s collection of items relating to the war – weapons, orders, and medals, along with soldiers’ personal belongings such as letters – numbers around 50,000. The red banner planted by two Soviet soldiers on the roof of the Reichstag in Berlin on May 1, 1945, is among them.

One of the strongest impressions, however, is produced by The Books of Memory – a collection of 385 volumes with all the names of the fallen listed in them. In the park around the exhibition hall there is an open-air exhibition of war-time tanks, armored vehicles and cannons open all year round and free of charge.

The centerpiece of the entire ensemble is a 141.8 meters (about 462.2 feet) high obelisk created by Zurab Tsereteli. The height is symbolic – the Soviet Union was fighting fascism for 1,418 days. Among other notable structures on the hill are an Orthodox church, a Mosque and a Synagogue which is also the biggest museum of Jewish history in Russia.

Nowadays celebrations of major Russian war-related anniversaries are held here. On May 9, WWII veterans gather there to celebrate Victory Day and to remember the war. People of the city greet them, handing them flowers to thank them for the victory. Victory Park is one of the most popular parks in Moscow. In summer, people enjoy picnicking and riding bicycles there, and in winter, many skiers appear. In addition, an exhibition of ice sculptures usually takes place in the park.

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RUSSIA AT THE OLYMPICS: Biathlon: Russia's unbelieving Ustyugov wins mass start gold

Whistler (AFP) - An unbelieving Evgeny Ustyugov realised a long held dream on Sunday by winning Olympic gold for Russia in the men's 15km mass start biathlon. The 24-year-old's winning time of 35mins 35.7sec was enough to see him home ahead of France's Martin Fourcade and Slovakian Pavol Hurajt by more than 10 seconds, with a flawless display on the shooting range putting him in pole position. "It hasn't sunk in yet. I still don't understand that I've won the gold," said Ustyugov, ranked third in the world. "Honestly, after the last Olympics I wouldn't even have dreamt that I would be here. A gold was in my distant dreams, anything can happen at an Olympics and it happened today." This is the first time France have taken five medals in biathlon at a Winter Olympics and Fourcade was delighted to be the new owner of a silver. "I thought I was out of contention after the first visit (to the shooting range), but everyone seemed to be a little tired," said Fourcade. "I took the opportunity to work my way up, then I realised I was in contention for a medal and I fought as hard as I could. "It's a childhood dream to win a medal and when you realise it is going to happen to you, it feels amazing. I was going for bronze, but realised I had a chance for silver and hung in." Hurajt made a strong start and led after the last two visits to the range, but ended up with bronze at 16.6sec back having hit all 20 targets, only to be overtaken in the last few kilometres. "Of course I felt tired and Evgeny is a better skier than me. I was expecting a challenge from the Austrians and I was surprised that Martin (Fourcade) came through," said Hurajt. Ustyugov was ranked 13th on the first visit to the shooting range, but moved up the field with swift skiing and deadly rifle accuracy to take the lead in the race's closing stages. The Russian passed Hurajt and built himself a sizeable lead in the final kilometres after the fourth visit to the shooting range. Austria finished with three biathletes in the top ten, but there was disappointment for Germany's Michael Greis, who won three gold medals at Turin 2006, who ended 10th after three penalties. Norway's 36-year-old biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who has won five Winter Olympic golds in his career, came a lowly 27th.

View AFP Article on NBC Olympics

VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA: S-56 Submarine

“S-51, S-54, S-55, S-56 submarines should make hidden passage from their bases to Polyarnoye through Panama Canal”. Executing the Naval People’s Commissar order, S-56 passed Haiti and Tortuga pirate islands and became the most efficient Soviet submarine participating in the World War II. The submarine was the first in Russia to go round the world. S-56 withstood explosions of more than 3,000 antisubmarine bombs. Nowadays the submarine is a showpiece of the Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet museum in Vladivostok. The original interior of a Soviet military submarine is restored in the fore body of the submarine. Exhibitions dedicated to Vladivostok defensive infrastructure are organized in the submarine stern part.

Source:  Google and Russian Railways

TOKYO, JAPAN: Tokyo video arcade robbed of 5 million yen

February 22, 3:53 AM

By Joshua Williams

A video arcade in Tokyo was robbed of over ¥5 million (~$55,000 USD) by a man with a knife in the early morning of February 22nd, metropolitan police told local reporters.

A robber wearing dark clothes, a black hat and sunglasses entered the Toho Leisure Plaza video arcade in northwestern Tokyo at around 5:15am, just after the arcade had closed for the night, Tokyo Broadcasting System News reported.

The robber thrust a sharp object, believed to be a knife, towards a 23-year old employee and demanded to be taken to the arcade’s office. There he threatened the 36-year old manager and demanded money. The manager opened the safe, and the robber made off with contents–over five million yen–in a bag he was carrying with him.

No one was reported injured in the incident.

Police believe the robber to be a man between 5’3” and 5’5” tall, and in his forties.

Video arcade are still quite popular and common in Japan. There are well over 300 arcades in Tokyo alone, and more than 3,000 nationwide, according to Navitime Japan. Some arcades will stay open through the middle of the night.

View Article in Japan Headlines Examiner