Sunday, June 14, 2009

Alex Jones Calls Glenn Beck Out

Check this link http://tinyurl.com/nf942t

China Biotech in Review: Moving Forward

Check it out this http://tinyurl.com/ldxmbf

China Allows Banks to Invest in South Korea

China has signed an agreement with South Korea, permitting its banks to invest in South Korea’s capital market.

South Korea will be the fourth Asian country, in which China currently allows 22 of its banks to invest in. The Koreans predict the Chinese investment could total USD6 bn over the next three years. Chinese regulators have also agreed to speed up approval to allow 10 South Korean financial firms to invest in A shares listed on China's stock exchange, state media reports.

Overseas investments by the Chinese banks are topped at USD16.1 bn.

新加坡‧10大“噁心”食物挑戰你‧昆蟲、田鱉辣椒醬列榜首

(新加坡)新加坡人出了名愛食,但是,對軟綿綿的豬腦,脆脆的炸螞蟻,鹿陰睫補酒,炸蠍子,羊舌湯等另類食物,你敢嗎?

新加坡一家報章找出10種在新加坡售賣的另類食品,一一試吃,挑戰膽識和味蕾,也為這些食物的“噁心指數”打分。

記者試吃後,發現“最噁”的是昆蟲田鱉(giant water bug)辣椒醬,而看起來噁心但吃起來較能讓人接受的,是炸羊腦和發酵螃蟹。

■豬腦湯

看到一塊快豬腦浮在湯里,一時讓人感覺不舒服,咬下一口後,感覺像在吃生雞蛋,但它隨即在口里分解,使嘴巴內都是豬腦的味道。提醒吃完後一定要刷牙。

哪裡吃?麥士威小販中心12號攤位

噁心指數★★★★

■螞蟻

這些螞蟻是特別在中國培育,和出現在們家裡的一般螞蟻不同。經過油炸,據說能補脾臟和腎臟,及提高血液循環。新加坡很少人敢吃,數是遊客出於好奇嘗試。

咬下時沒甚麼味道,只覺得非常爽脆,但可以感覺到螞蟻的腳刺刺的。為避免螞蟻腳塞住牙縫,請準備牙簽或牙線。

哪裡吃?宏仁堂藥膳餐廳(怡豐城)

噁心指數★★

■蠍子

據說有排毒作和含高蛋白質,但孕婦不適吃。這類蠍子有毒,但毒鉗子在烹煮前已被去掉,因此能安全品嘗。

看著蠍子的珠形眼睛,確實很難咽下,但其實味道相當可口,口感和油炸軟殼蟹雷同,但尾部較硬,也有點苦澀。

哪裡吃?宏仁堂藥膳餐廳(怡豐城)

噁心指數★★

■鹿鞭補酒

這類補酒相當受新加坡男性歡迎,餐廳每天可賣出10至20杯,據說能補氣,讓男人提高體力。

看到補酒里的鹿陰睫,感覺有些噁心,但有點醋和藥味的濃郁補酒還能讓人接受,喝下幾分鐘後也會產生莫明的舒服感。

哪裡吃?宏仁堂藥膳餐廳(怡豐城)

噁心指數★★★

■羊腦湯

喝起來像一般羊肉湯,羊腦好像煮熟的雞蛋,味道比羊肉來得濃。

哪裡吃?文慶路上段小販中心#01-03攤位

噁心指數★★

■羊腦炒蛋

餐館每天可賣出25個如拳頭般大小的羊腦,愛吃這道菜的主要是印度人,他們喜歡配印度薄煎餅來吃。

吃起來像江魚仔,相當美味,唯一讓人感到惡心的就是明知道吃的是羊腦。

哪裡吃?Azmi餐館(實龍崗路168號)

噁心指數★

■羊內臟

除了濃濃的羊騷味之外,羊內臟其實味道不錯,但內臟看起來和吃起來口感都讓人覺得噁心。

哪裡吃?Azmi餐館(實龍崗路168號)

噁心指數★★★

■田鱉辣椒醬

乍看像蟑螂的田鱉和青辣椒一起烘烤後被擂成醬。起初看起來像普通的辣椒醬,但它的味道非常臭。即使配上超辣的辣椒,也難以掩蓋它的臭味。只有來自泰國的顧客會點它配糯米飯吃。

哪裡吃?Diandin Leluk泰國餐館(黃金地帶購物中心)

噁心指數★★★★★

■羊舌湯

老闆說,羊舌的口感軟,甚至有人覺得比羊肉更好吃。和羊肉湯味道一樣,但聞起來較濃,羊舌被切成片狀,不至於讓人要鼓起勇氣咽下整條舌頭。

哪裡吃?文慶路上段小販中心#01-03攤位

噁心指數★★

■發酵螃蟹配青木瓜沙拉

很受泰國人歡迎,每天可賣出1.5公斤,但新加坡食客通常要求這道沙拉不要加入發酵螃蟹。

把發酵螃蟹混入沙拉後,吮吸螃蟹的味道,有濃濃的魚腥味,也很咸,但配上沙拉味道不錯。

哪裡吃?Diandin Leluk泰國餐館(黃金地帶購物中心)

G-8 nations get ready for economic recovery

LECCE, Italy (AP): The Group of Eight industrialized nations began looking ahead to economic recovery on Saturday, as they considered how to unwind their massive stimulus policies while also warning it was too early to celebrate the end of the global crisis.

Acknowledging "signs of stabilization in our economies," G-8 finance ministers tasked the International Monetary Fund with studying how best to roll back measures introduced to help the global economy once the crisis could be considered over.

But the ministers said it was still too early to shift strategies, as many economies were still stabilizing from the financial and economic turmoil, whose full impact was yet to be felt in some corners of the world.

They backed away from proposals by some countries to give the IMF until the end of the year to complete its investigation, suggesting the group agreed to a compromise. The U.S. and Britain are worried that continental Europe has not done enough to deal with the recession, while more cautious countries like Germany fret about the potential long-term risks posed by the stimulus measures.

The finance ministers' meeting - meant to set the agenda for a gathering of G-8 heads of state next month in L'Aquila, in central Italy - was held as several months of improving economic data fueled a rally on world stock markets.

"These early signs of improvement are encouraging, but the global economy is still operating well below potential and we still face acute challenges," U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told reporters after the meeting, emphasizing it was too early to shift policy.

"Economic and financial recovery ... will be stronger and more sustainable if we make clear today how we get back to fiscal sustainability when the storm has passed."

The World Bank forecast earlier this week that the global economy will shrink by 3.0 percent this year, far worse than a previous estimate for a 1.75 percent contraction.

In their communique after the two-day meeting, ministers from the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, Russia and the European Union said that the "situation remains uncertain and significant risks remain to economic and financial stability" and stressed their commitment to provide any more stimulus the economy might need.

But they also said they had asked the IMF to assist with the process of outlining exit strategies from monetary and fiscal stimulus measures, like tax cuts and lower interest rates, and said such plans were "essential to promote a sustainable recovery over the long term."

Germany has been a particularly strong critic of the lower interest rates, tax cuts and measures to boost the money supply that have been employed aggressively by countries such as Britain and the United States, warning they could stoke inflation and swell deficits.

A senior U.S. official said the best way to unwind those positions was to get growth back on track, raise employment and get credit flowing.

British Treasury chief Alistair Darling downplayed the urgency of exit strategies in the current economic climate, noting that some countries were only just beginning the process of sorting out problems in the banking sector.

"One thing we are absolutely clear about is we are not there yet," Darling told reporters. "No one's talking about exiting now, this is some way down the track. We've still got to work this through."

The G-8 ministers also agreed on the objectives of a strategy, dubbed the Lecce Framework, to identify and fill regulatory gaps and to implement new rules to promote transparency in international business and finance.

And they reaffirmed their commitments to tighten international regulation, to refrain from protectionism and to pass the longer-term reform of international financial institutions pledged at the Group of 20 meeting in London in April.

Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti said that regulations were fundamental to creating a climate of trust. He said there was a general consensus that they were needed, but added that designing a program would require some flexibility.

"We won't all find agreement but we will need to have political compromises," Tremonti said.

Geithner said that proposals on regulatory reform due to be outlined in the United States next week would include several international measures. The U.S. will call on foreign banking regulators to develop proposals by the end of this year to find ways to quickly resolve failures of cross-border financial firms, he said.

Addressing food poverty in the developing world and tackling climate change were also on the agenda of the meeting, held in a medieval castle in Lecce.

While ministers gathered, about a thousand anti-globalization protesters marched peacefully through the historic center of the southern Italian town in protest of the meeting, shouting slogans including "G-8, economy, lies," and carrying banners urging debt cancellation.

There was no mention in the communique of public stress tests on major banks - Geithner had said earlier this week that he would explain the rigorous public stress tests conducted on 19 of America's biggest banks to his counterparts.

Britain has conducted the tests, but released less detail on the results than the United States, while Germany has argued they could undermine the fledgling economic confidence.

台灣‧海拔3150公尺整建多年‧全台最高旅館重開幕

(台灣‧台北)台海拔最高的旅館、歡山松雪樓,經年規劃整建,上週六(6月13日)重新開幕,嶄新的建物,矗立在山林間相當顯眼。

興建於1965年的松雪樓原為蔣介石行館,位於合歡東峰下公路旁,海拔3150公尺,除了是登奇萊群峰、合歡群峰最佳住宿地點,更曾是台灣唯一滑雪場所在地,往年冬天雪季時,松雪樓總是人山人海,可惜13年前松雪樓因風災毀損拆除,經過多年規劃、興建,上週六才重新開幕。

東勢林管處處長陳奕煌說:“破曉時,在房間裡就可觀賞奇萊北峰日出的麗景觀,夜裡更可仰望滿天星斗。”陳奕煌說,為了落實垃圾減量,特別推出“愛山環保專案”,凡住宿松雪樓的房客,只要自備盥洗具(如牙刷、毛巾、浴巾、牙膏、梳子等),均可享有每人150元(新台幣,下同約17令吉)折價優惠。

不過,房價不便宜,從3500至5500元新台幣(約馬幣400至580令吉)。

中國‧攀長城遭雷擊‧夫婦墜崖死‧另3遊客受困獲救

(中國‧北京)據中國媒體今日(週日,6月14日)報導,北京5名遊客爬上箭扣野長城時遭遇雷擊,其中一對夫婦當場身亡,另3人受驚過度。

《新京報》指出,2名死者同為27歲,上週六(6月13日)和另3人無視狂風暴雨爬長城。

這對夫婦遭閃電擊中後掉到30公尺高的斷崖下,另3人也被炸倒在地。3人受驚過度,被困野長城上。事發後,當地村民聯同多政府部門員工上山把3人救出。

事發野長城位於西柵子村五隊西南角山頂,海拔愈千米。村民表示,當天上午10時許,這5名年輕男女前來攀爬野長城,約在中午時分,開始下起小雨,其間不停有響雷傳來。

2村民助搜索

2個小時後,此村接到通知5人被雷擊中,2名村民隨即出發進行搜索。約一個半小時後,到達出事地點“鷹飛倒仰”景點,此處形同展開翅膀的老鷹,位於鷹嘴部位的地方是處呈90度的斷崖,約2米寬,每次僅能一人通過。

當時2名男遊客和一名女遊客坐在長城上,渾身濕淋淋,沾滿泥土,嚇得腿都走不了路了。

救援村民稱,2死者位置約在30公尺下的山腰上,相互隔著3公尺遠。其中,女死者額頭正中心被劈開個小方塊形狀的傷口,深及頭骨。男死者渾身皮開肉綻,難以辨認。

中國‧個別陶俑發現大面積彩繪‧地下料存在彩俑軍陣

(中國‧西安)據報導,考古人員上週六(6月13日)在西安秦始皇兵馬俑一號坑發現個別陶俑身上殘存著大積彩繪,意味著地下可能存在一個大規模的彩色兵俑陣。

在時隔24年之後,享有“世界第8大奇跡”之稱的秦始皇兵馬俑一號坑當天進行了第3次考古發掘,除了首次發現2輛前後相鄰的四馬戰車外,考古人員還發現了個別陶俑身上殘存著大面積彩繪

至今,已發現2輛並排戰車和8匹戰馬的碎片,預料坑中有150件陶俑,並可能是一個“彩俑軍陣”。其中,“親密無間”的四馬戰車在兵馬俑考古史上是首次發現。

專家指出,由於文物埋在地下日久,不能期望最新出土的兵馬俑會是“色彩斑斕”。

出土後將加彩繪保護

官方新華社報導,殘存大面積彩繪的兵馬俑剛剛露出半身,披帛和甲片上有大面積的紅色,現場已經進行初步加固,塑膠膜進行了完封閉,待此兵馬俑完全出土後會在實驗室對它進一步加強彩繪保護。

據發掘人員介紹,考古隊員從俑坑內清理出一個完整的兵俑頭顱是一個鎧甲武士俑,它是目前已發現的較為完整的一尊陶俑,頭髮清晰可見,還留著漂亮的八字鬍。瞳孔、髮帶邊上殘留有一些色彩,考古人員表示,這表明可能會存在大規模的彩色兵俑陣。

秦俑博物館館長吳永琪說,如果發掘出大面積淤泥層,彩繪兵馬俑出現的幾率較大,如果仍是夯土層(被壓實的泥層),則可能性很小。

每件文物出土後,都會被編號、拍照、繪圖,之後會拿到實驗室中逐步修復。

秦俑1號坑“邊發掘邊開放”

本次發掘期間,作為博物館的秦俑1號坑並不閉館,形成了“邊發掘邊開放”的一大特點,這種的形式在世界也是罕見的。

遊客若在近期前往,除了可一睹逾千兵馬俑外,還可看到考古人員在現場的最新發掘,並有機會直擊彩繪“戰車”及“將軍”出土。

門票收入佔旅業收入11%
兵馬俑成西安“金蛋”

兵馬俑是陝西西安市旅遊的“金蛋”,1979年10月開始對外展出以來,每年兵馬俑的門票平均收入約1.5億元(人民幣,下同)。

2008年,西安整體旅遊收入為243.52億元,而兵馬俑所在的臨潼區,去年旅遊收入為13.5億,其中兵馬俑的門票收入約為1.5億元,佔當地旅遊收入的11%。

由於遊客到兵馬俑前往須先到秦始皇陵參觀,因此有所謂“先拜皇帝後看兵”的講法。香港經濟學家張五常曾表示,如果打開秦始皇陵,相信每年還會增加500萬遊客前往參觀,如每人收500元門票,每年門票收入就是25億元。臨潼目前正興建秦始皇陵遺址公園,將與兵馬俑併為世界上最大的秦文化展示區。

專家:彩俑保護技術趨成熟

在以往的發掘中,最讓考古人員棘手的問題之一就是大面積彩繪的清理、保護問題。

由於在地下2000年受到各種自然侵害,兵馬俑身上的彩繪有的已變成粉狀,而顏色層下的生漆底層已老化沒有了粘附力,出土五六分鐘即翹起脫落。

上週六參與現場彩俑保護的秦俑博物館副研究員容波說:“針對彩繪俑的保護研究已經進行了10餘年,在中德專家的共同努力下保護技術已經成熟,目前已有10餘件彩俑得到成功保護,有的已多次赴外展出。今日(週日,6月14日),們在現場對發現的大面積彩繪已採取措施進行了科學保護,相信不久之後,彩俑陣營中又會多一名成員。”

著名考古學家、“兵馬俑之父”袁仲一亦指出,外界可能期待過高,因為此次發掘的一號坑經過長期的水浸和火燒,彩繪多少會受到損壞,不能期望兵馬俑“色彩斑斕”。

兵馬俑1號坑三個新發現

1.青銅箭頭

2.頭部有顏色的武士俑

3.2輛距離非常近“親密無間”的馬拉戰車

各國政要的“秦俑情”

里根首邀近距離接觸兵馬俑

據不完全統計,至今參觀過兵馬俑的各國元首和政府首腦已有近百名,至於部長、大臣、將軍、神父、主教等風雲人物和世界名人更不計其數。

法國前總統希拉克:叫響“世界第8大奇跡”

希拉克1978年9月以總理身份訪華,他在參觀秦俑考古工地後驚歎,這是世界第8大奇跡。從此,“世界第8大奇跡”就成了秦兵馬俑代名詞。

國前總統里根:“拍馬屁”第一人

里根是第一個受邀到兵馬俑坑底下和兵馬俑近距離接觸的外國元首。參觀時,里根幽默的摸著一匹“馬”的屁股對大家說:“他會不會踢我呢?”

美國前總統克林頓:兵馬俑前“矮一頭”

克林頓及他的妻女,也享受過與兵馬俑近距離接觸的待遇。克林頓身高1.93米左右,在參觀時,他專門湊過去和兵馬俑比了比身高,但是隨後他便發現,自己比兵馬俑矮了幾公分。

新加坡前總理李光耀:為與秦俑同根而驕傲

1976年,李光耀參觀秦兵馬俑考古現場時,整整看了半個多小時。看後,他激地說:“秦兵馬俑坑的發現是世界的奇跡、中華民族的驕傲。我也是炎黃後裔,也有我的一份。”

The coming collapse of the American middle class

YOU MUST WATCH : http://tinyurl.com/laowxr