--New Reborn Piaggio Vespa 1946-2012--

--Teacher's Day 2012--

--Frank Knight and "Herbie-The Tallast elm tree in the world"--

103-year-old man to be buried in coffin made from tree he fought for decades to protect.

Frank Knight was a professional logger but earned his true legacy spending decades protecting New England's tallest elm tree. But as all things must, the 217-year-old tree nicknamed "Herbie" eventually succumbed to Dutch elm disease. And over the weekend, 103-year-old Knight died as well.

But as a final tribute to this unique relationship between man and nature, Knight will be buried in a special casket carved from the 110-foot-tall tree that first sprouted in 1793.

"To have them together like that is a wonderful thing. I feel like Frank took good care of Herbie. Now Herbie will take good care of Frank," Deb Hopkins, a close friend of Knight's, told the Associated Press.

Back in 1956, Knight became the unofficial "tree warden" in Yarmouth, located about 10 miles north of Portland, Maine. At the time, Dutch elm disease was wreaking havoc on the local elm tree population. Even after Herbie became infected, Knight had local workers selectively prune the tree's diseased limbs. Over the years, the tree reportedly survived 14 cases of Dutch elm disease thanks to Knight and the workers.

But in January 2010, the 110-foot-tall tree, whose canopy could reportedly be seen for miles, finally collapsed. "His time has come," Knight told The Associated Press at the time. "And mine is about due, too."

"Frank cared for Herbie for 52 years, and now Herbie will care for Frank forever," his son, Dick Knight, told the Boston Herald.

Over the years, Knight worked to protect other local trees as well, though his works will forever be tied to the relationship he had with Herbie. After the tree fell, its wood was used to make several items, including an electric guitar. Knight did not know that some of Herbie's wood was being set aside for his coffin, designed by local custom furniture maker Chris Becksvoort.

Over the years, Knight and Herbie became something of a legend, with people traveling from around the world to take their picture with the famous tree.

"It wasn't just the tree. It wasn't just Frank. It's almost like a little love story," said Jan Ames Santerre, urban forestry program coordinator for the Maine Forest Service. "He saw that tree and he knew he wanted to save it."

~http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/103-old-man-buried-coffin-made-tree-fought-191232137.html

 

--Happy Birthday Che! The "Freedom Fighter"--

Ernesto Che Guevara's birth happened under a garb of ambiguity. Guevara's birth certificate records his birthday as June 14, 1928. His real birth date was on May 14, 1928. In a way this typified the way Che spent most of his adult life.

The birth certificate was doctored because the family wanted to protect Che's mother from scandal that would come about due to her being pregnant at the time of her marriage.

Che was born in Rosario, Argentina. He was the eldest of his 4 siblings. Che is a nickname that was acquired when Guevara was studying. It means "mate" or "friend" in South America. Che studied medicine in the University of Buenos Aires. He completed his studies in 1953.

~ WWW.CHEGUEVARA.BE

--Happy Wesak Day 2012--

--Earth Hour 2011--

At 8:30 PM on Saturday 26th March 2011, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour and people will commit to actions that go beyond the hour.

With Earth Hour almost upon us, our thoughts are with the people of Japan during this incredibly challenging and sad time for their country.

~

日本の皆さん、勇気を持って頑張って下さい

~

~http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx

--The cost of US action in Libya 2011 & Why War??? Money???Oil???--

--UEFA Champions League round of 16 2011--

The remaining four UEFA Champions League round of 16 ties concluded this week and UEFA.com has all the action as Manchester United FC, Chelsea FC, Real Madrid CF and holders FC Internazionale Milano who earned a famous win at FC Bayern Munchen booked their quarter-final berths. Our video reviews of the last seven days also looks back at the UEFA Europa League last-16
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~
~http://www.uefa.com/video/weeklyedition/index.html?emv_mid=1107315731&emv_rid=1000855933274
~
~http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/897184/uefa-won%27t-change-ticket-pricing-for-wembley?cc=4716
~
~http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/matches/season=2011/round=2000119/index.html
~
~http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/matches/season=2011/round=2000120/index.html

--Saint Patrick's Day 2011--

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early 17th century, and has gradually become a secular celebration of Irish culture in general.

~

The day is generally characterised by the attendance of church services, wearing of green attire (especially shamrocks), and the lifting of Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol, which is often proscribed during the rest of the season.

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as the Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

~

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day

--Japan Mar 11th 2011--

--坤沙~昆沙~Khun Sa~張奇夫 (17 February 1933 – 26 October 2007) The Lord of the Golden Triangle--

坤沙（昆沙，Khun Sa，泰文：ขุนส่า，1933年2月17日－2007年10月26日），中文姓名張奇夫，著名毒梟，亦是緬甸軍閥，前蒙泰軍（MTA）總指揮，因海洛因而聞名世界，原名張啟福或張祈福；張奇夫是他少年時寄學於早咩市張鳳翔老師家時，張鳳翔為他改的。1989年金三角毒品貿易達到最高峰時，昆沙控制了整個金三角地區毒品貿易的80％。美國曾懸賞200萬美元捉拿這位曾經的世界第一毒梟。1996年1月5日，昆沙向緬甸政府軍投降，隨後前往仰光，開始了被軟禁的晚年生涯，2007年10月26日，在仰光寓所病逝。
~
Khun Sa (Burmese: ခွန်ဆာ, pronounced [kʰʊ̀ɴ sʰà]; also known as Chang Chi-fu traditional Chinese: 張奇夫; pinyin: Zhāng Qífú; Thai: นายจันทร์ จางตระกูล, Chan Jangtrakul; 17 February 1933 – 26 October 2007) was a Burmese warlord. He was also dubbed the "Opium King" due to his opium trading in the so-called Golden Triangle. He was also the leader of the Shan United Army and the Mong Tai Army.
~

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khun_Sa
~
~http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/昆沙

--Valentine 2011--

On Valentine's Day we think of those
Who make our lives worthwhile,
Those gracious, friendly people who
We think of with a smile. I am fortunate to know you,
That's why I want to say,
To a rare and special person:
Happy Valentine's Day!

--kjeldsens butter cookies 1933~2011--

The Kelsen Group began life in 1933 as a small family bakery in the heart of Jutland, Denmark.

Over the last couples of years the Kelsen Group has experienced a strong growth. Today the group consists of two modern bakeries in Denmark with a total of 12 production lines plus subsidiaries in the USA and Hong Kong.

We are 400 employees and we manage to bake some 25.000 tons of cookies every year.

We export our cookies to more than 110 countries around the world. We are market leaders within the premium butter cookie category in Russia, the Middle- & the Far East, South America and on the European continent. In the USA, China and Hong Kong we are the largest exporter of premium butter cookies.

Founded on the principle that good quality and great taste bring pleasure to consumers, we ensure that every cookie we bake meets our high quality standards.


~http://www.kjeldsens.com/
~
~http://www.cookies.dk/
~
~http://www.cookies.dk/en-US/Kelsen_story/The_Kelsen_Story.aspx

--Planet "X" Nibiru 2012--

The Nibiru collision is a supposed disastrous encounter between the Earth and a large planetary object (either a collision or a near-miss) which certain groups believe will take place in the early 21st century. Believers in this doomsday event usually refer to this object as Planet X or Nibiru. The idea that a planet-sized object could possibly collide with or pass by Earth in the near future is not supported by any scientific evidence and has been rejected as pseudoscience by astronomers and planetary scientists.
~
The idea was first proposed in 1995 by Nancy Lieder, founder of the website ZetaTalk. Lieder describes herself as a contactee with the ability to receive messages from extra-terrestrials from the Zeta Reticuli star system through an implant in her brain. She states that she was chosen to warn mankind that the object would sweep through the inner Solar System in May 2003 (though that date was later abandoned) causing Earth to undergo a pole shift that would destroy most of humanity. The predicted collision has subsequently spread beyond Lieder's website and has been embraced by numerous internet doomsday groups, most of which link the event to the 2012 phenomenon. Although the name "Nibiru" is derived from the works of ancient astronaut writer Zecharia Sitchin and his interpretations of Babylonian and Sumerian mythology, Sitchin himself denied any connection between his work and various claims of a coming apocalypse.
~
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_collision
~
~http://xfacts.com/x2.htm
~
~http://planetnibiru.org/

--Egypt 1981~2011--

--Hosni Mubarak--

Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak (Arabic: محمد حسني سيد مبارك‎, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [mæˈħæmːæd ˈħosni ˈsæjːed moˈbɑːɾɑk], Muḥammad Ḥusnī Sayyid Mubārak; born May 4, 1928^{[citation needed]}) is the fourth and current President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

He was appointed vice president in 1975, and assumed the Presidency on October 14, 1981, following the assassination of President Anwar El Sadat. He is the longest-serving Egyptian ruler since Muhammad Ali Pasha. Before he entered politics Mubarak was a career officer in the Egyptian Air Force, serving as its commander from 1972 to 1975.

Beginning on January 25, 2011, a popular uprising called for his resignation as president of Egypt. On February 1, 2011, Mubarak announced that he will not seek another term in the upcoming presidential election. On February 5, 2011 Egyptian state media reported that senior members of the ruling National Democratic Party, including President Hosni Mubarak, had resigned from leadership roles within the party. It was later clarified that Mubarak would stay on as president however.
~
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mubarak
~
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt

--Egyptians Want Mubarak Out?--

NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated 12 minutes ago

Breaking news
~
CAIRO — Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak was expected to step down tonight, two sources have told NBC News, losing his 30-year grip on power after 17 days of dramatic mass uprisings across the nation.
~
NBC's Richard Engel reported that a high-ranking source inside the president's office said the newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, would take over. That was confirmed by a second source.
~
Egypt's military announced on national television it had stepped in to secure the country and promised protesters calling for Mubarak's ouster that all their demands would soon be met.
~
~http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41506482/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/?gt1=43001

--红鸡蛋--

在中国民间流传着这样一首民谣：“红鸡蛋，满脸串，今年吃你的喜馍馍，明年吃你的红鸡蛋。”喜馍馍是一种婚庆吉祥的风俗食品，俗传：喜馍馍带回去，亲人吃了得吉利。因此，这句歌谣属于祝福的吉语， 再从字面上理解，此句开头和结尾的两处红鸡蛋代表的含义并不相同，前一个“红鸡蛋”是作为一种圣物出现，有祈子赐福之功；而后一个“红鸡蛋”则成为了孩子 降生的报喜标志，也是一种起宣告作用的物体。向亲友分发用颜料染红的鸡蛋，是通行于全国各地的一种表达喜庆的方式，常用于结婚、生育、做“满月”等各种喜 庆场合，以示庆贺并图吉祥。
~
~
~http://baike.baidu.com/view/10466.htm

--拜天公 2011--

福建人拜天公，除了感恩外，也祈求天公在新的一年，赐福给全家人，让合家大小平安，步步高升。 大年初九凌晨，成千上万的烧猪和鸡、鸭，将是祭拜天公的主要祭品，以祈求新春大吉大利。天公诞的祭拜仪式，是从大年初八深夜开始，一直持续到初九凌晨。 烧猪，是孝敬天公的重点祭品之一，一些经济不错的家庭，甚至订购大烧猪供 拜，而普通的家庭也以小金猪或烧肉祭拜，以祈求天公带来好运。 所以，拜天公这一天，烧猪的销量非常可观。当天祭拜天公的大小烧猪，超过数万只之多。 而早在大年初八，烧猪店推出的大、小烧猪，非常抢手，销量也可观，大家都赶早买烧猪及其它祭拜用品，为夜晚的祭拜天公作好准备。

据乌美2道焱全烧腊中心老板卓照发说，今天大年初八，包括他已接到1000只烧猪的订单，估计可卖出超过1500只大小烧猪，销量不比去年差。往往在大年 初八，就像除夕一样，一清早巴刹就闹哄哄一片，不少人纷纷拥到巴刹购买鸡、鸭、大鱼、大肉和水果，扛着一棵棵的甘蔗回家。 忙碌烹煮一番后，深夜时辰一到，就摆好丰富祭品，安好天公座，点起香烛祭拜天公。祭拜天公的祭品，包括鸡鸭、鱼虾、甘蔗、水果、香烛、大金、小金、香烛、 龙香等等。 拜天公时，必须诚心膜拜，一点不能马虎，早年还要燃烧爆竹，彻夜响个不停，一直拜到大年初九凌晨时分，才圆满结束，这时全家人一起享用丰富年餐，才上床睡 觉。据卓照发说，从订单来看，今年的小金猪最抢手，大金猪销量也不错，他估计年初八从早到晚，会有更多人到店里买大小烧猪，门市估计可卖出数百只大小烧 猪。 卓照发说，农历新年的两个烧猪大旺日，是大年除夕与大年初八。除夕是祭拜神明、祖先的日子。大年初九拜天公，都少不了烧猪。到了大年十五的元宵节，烧猪的 销量也很可观。

拜天公源自明朝。
~
~http://www.hudong.com/wiki/天公
~
~http://www.praytothecreator.org/cn/cn_praying.html
~
~http://baike.baidu.com/view/340720.htm

--楊家將--

楊家將是一部英雄傳奇系列故事，以話本、戲劇等形式在中國民間廣為流傳。它對北宋前期的一些人物和事件加以演義，講述了楊家四代人戍守北疆、精忠報國的動人事迹。
~
楊業原是北漢名將，官至建雄軍節度使，驍勇善戰，國人號為「無敵」。北漢降宋，楊業得到宋太宗趙光義信任，繼續戍邊防備契丹。他曾在雁門以奇兵數千騎大敗契丹，自此令契丹望風而遁，但也受到上級猜忌。986年（宋太宗雍熙三年），宋軍北伐，潘美一路，楊業副之，克雲、應、寰、朔四州。曹彬軍敗績，潘美、楊業所部護送四州民眾內遷。途中遭遇契丹主力，潘美等強令楊業出戰。楊業率部血戰陳家谷，其子楊延玉戰死，楊業為契丹所擒，絕食三日而死。
~
在楊業的兒子中，以楊延昭最為出色，楊業說：「此兒類我。」楊延昭本名楊延朗，在邊防二十餘年，契丹頗為忌憚，目為楊六郎。1004年（宋真宗景德元年），遼軍深入宋境，楊延昭率部突入遼境，擊破古城。
~
楊延昭有三子，《宋史》僅載第三位楊將文廣之事跡。延昭長子傳永，次子德政，名字獨見於曾鞏《隆平集》。楊延昭的第三子楊文廣，字仲容，青年時代得到范仲淹的賞識，置於麾下；曾從狄青南征。楊文廣在西邊防禦西夏，而不忘燕雲。遼宋爭代州地界，楊文廣獻上陣圖及進取幽燕的方略，但不久就去世了。
~
Yangjia Jiang (Chinese: 杨家将; lit. Generals of the Yang Clan) is a series of novels and plays which detail the exploits of the Yang military family over four generations of peace and turmoil during the Song Dynasty. Set during the later years of the Northern Song empire, the stories recount the unflinching loyalty (尽忠报国) of the Yang family heirs, even though most are deviating from the actual accounts.


~
~http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/ 杨家将
~
~http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Shao_Nian_Yang_Jia_Jiang
~
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangjia_Jiang