The Ambassadors Magazine - January 2009

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

USA--Viagra for Women?!

Dr. George Nuremberg, the eminent psychiatrist at the University New Mexico published in the 23 July issue of the American medical association that Viagra can help post-menopausal women whose depression is in remission to achieve orgasm but did not extend this to other aspects of sex. This means that Viagra can help them to stay on the mood-altering drugs. It affects women who have sexual dysfunction as a result of anti-depressant use. The new study involved 98 women (average age 37), whose depression was in remission but who were still experiencing sexual dysfunction. They were told to take a pill a couple of hours before sex for 8 weeks, half were given Viagra, and the other half placebo pills. While 72% of the women who took Viagra reported an overall improvement of their sex lives, only 27% of the women taking the placebo reported an improvement. However, some researchers have expressed their concern about the funding of the study which came from Viagra's manufacturer Pfizer. Dr. Joel Lexchin said, "when you have a study that is paid for by companies, I would tend to look at those rather sceptically."

Canada--A Christmas Miracle in Toronto!

Thanks to the keen nose of a dog named Ace, there is a cause for celebration for saving the life of a 55-year old high school secretary Donna Molnar who left her Ontario home to buy baking supplies and found her alive under 60 centimetres of snow after 72 hours at 12:30pm on December 22 in a field near a farmers market on the outskirts of Ancaster, a town about 75 km west of Toronto, Ray Lau and his Dutch Shepard were part of a search team scouting for signs of life suddenly the dog smelled something and ran about 15 meters to a depression in the snow. His stared into it barking furiously. Mr. Lau ran up and saw a woman's face, her gloveless hands held up near her neck, the rest of her body was blanketed by snow. It was Donna Molnar and she was still alive. She had been suffering from depression and having a difficult time adjusting to a new medication when she took her van and left her baking materials on the counter 20 search and rescue workers and four dogs began the hunt for Donna for several days. Though she was hypothermic and frostbitten, the hospital reported she will survive, which is nothing short of a miracle considering the time she was on the ground in the freezing temperatures and the extreme weather during those three days.

Canada-Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Records 98 National Anthems for 2010 Winter Olympics

The Vancouver Symphony conductor, Bramwell Tovey, said that they recorded 98 national anthems in a three day musical blur to prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics musical. From Albania to Venezuela and San Marino, on average they did one anthem every 9 minutes. One minute you'd be in Mongolia, the next you'd be on Cayman Islands. "Venezuela has a fabulous, bright bouncy anthem that just lifted right off the page," said Tovey. He added "El Salvador suddenly came up and hit us all. It is a terrific anthem with extraordinary energy, lots of fanfares, and in three intricacies and difficult to play." "Morocco too has a fabulous anthem but is completely different from the others. "You could almost feel the change of landscape." Mr Tovey said "after recording so many anthems" the orchestra wants to make its rendition of Oh Canada--the anthem of the host nation--even more special."

Nepal--Is Ram Bahdur Bamjon the Enlightened One?

While most eighteen-year-olds are too busy being teenagers, this young man spent more than a year meditating in a jungle. He is now dubbed thousands of his followers as "the Enlightened One." Ram Bahadur Bamjon who remerged from the jungle in southern Nepal is attracting thousands of devotees near the town Nijgadh, 160 km south of the capital Kathmandu. Upon hearing the news of his return from the lengthy meditation, thousands of Bamjon's devout followers traveled to the site to catch a glimpse of him. While there has been no formal declaration by Buddhist authorities that Bamjon is the reincarnation of Buddha, that did not stop throngs of people from worshipping the teenager. He drew the attention of worshipers when he was first seen in 2005 meditating without interruption for months in the jungle inside the roots of a tree--with eyes closed and motionless. When he utters words, Bamjon speaks to his devoted pilgrims about peace and ending discrimination. While Buddhists strongly believe in reincarnation, priests have been divided over whether to declare this young man as the true incarnation of Siddhartha Gautama--the Buddha (meaning the Enlightened One) who was born in southwest Nepal about 500 BC. Buddhism is practiced by about 325 million in Asia.

Global--The World of Madonna

Last October, scandal-mongers whipped up rumours of romance between perennial pop icon and sex-bomb Madonna who once appeared nude in Playboy and the New York Yankees superstar who refers to the singer-actress as his "soul-mate." Madonna's marriage with Guy Ritchie lasted seven years, after which she became involved with Jose Sanseco and briefly with Carlos Leon, the father of her daughter Lourdes. Some commentators could not help but note the uncanny resemblance between her story and the steamy love affair between blonde sex-icon Marilyn Monroe and Yankee clipper Joe DiMaggio. This as well as Madonna's tendency to draw controversy and court scandal have turned her into a favourite with the tabloids in the US and beyond. The singer was married once previously to actor Sean Penn. Today, Madonna is often seen watching Rodriguez in action at Yankees games with her children, Lourdes, Rocco and adopted Malawian son David, although Rodriguez insists they are just friends. Meanwhile her divorce from Ritchie was settled when Madonna gave up $95 million, twice as much as Paul McCartney's high profile divorce settlement from model Heather Mills. Madonna is now relocating back to New York to begin her new life.

Australia-Actress claims childlessness cured by Australian "fertility waters"

Australian Hollywood star, Nicole Kidman, who has had a long history of infertility and was unable to conceive for years, including during her marriage to star actor Tom Cruise, has become pregnant at age 41. She mentioned she conceived her first child with singer Keith Urban after she swam in the Australian "fertility waters." Kidman claimed she did not take drugs or expensive fertility treatment after trying unsuccessfully for years. She was filming on location near the remote town of Kununurra in Australia when she went dipping in this body of water. She gave birth to her daughter Rose last July and added that six other women who swam in these waters all became pregnant during the filming of the movie Australia. Infertility problems affect many women. Dr. Beverly Hanck, executive director of the Infertility Awareness Association mentioned that Kidman's assertions may give false hope to those whose problems cannot be easily solved and that myths, superstitions and legends about solving infertility are quite common. People who want to be pregnant may be desperate to believe anything.

Finland--Ambassador Martti Ahtisaari receives Nobel Peace Prize

The Finnish President Tarja Halonen received the country's first Nobel Peace Prize winner at the presidential palace in Helsinki on October 10. A former Ambassador himself, 72-year old Martti Ahtisaari was chosen to receive the Award for managing to implement crisis-management initiatives under the most dire of circumstances. He was the negotiator for many of the world's hot spots and spent the last 20 years pushing for comprehensive peace to paralyzing conflicts without necessarily pleasing the sides at the table or pretending to be neutral. But not everyone is a fan of the Nobel Laureate. One Belgrade Radio station critiqued the choice by lamenting that Ahtisaari earned the Prize for splitting the former Yugoslavia into separate nations. The Russian Ambassador to NATO said in Brussels, that he "cannot fathom how the Nobel Prize or any other award could be granted to Ahtisaari." Despite this, he is credited with having brokered the deal that ended South Africa's military conflict with and control of Namibia giving the nation its independence. Also to his credit is a deal with the government of Indonesia which ended independence hopes of the breakaway region of Acheh; convincing the IRA to give up violence in Northern Ireland; and most controversially, the talks with Serbia that resulted in Kosovar independence earlier this year. Artisaari has been slotted to win Nobel honour in 2006, but it was granted to Grameen Bank founder Mohammed Yunus. And in 2007, speculators believed his chances were greater, but former US Vice-president Al Gore took the prize for his work on climate change.

Yemen--Forty Journeys and One Thousand Stories from Yemen

The veteran journalist Youssef El-Sherif's latest book Yemen and The People of Yemen was published recently by Dar El Shorouk in Cairo with the preface written by his friend of 50 years and classmate in Cairo University's Faculty of Law, Mr Mohsen El Ainy, the former Prime Minister of Yemen. The encyclopaedic book includes many stories showing the miracle of Yemen transformation which is a leap of 6 centuries in a short span of time between 1962 and 1967 in all fields. The book shows his faithfulness and has strong and deep friendships in the country on all levels with all people. His travels throughout the country leaves no stone unturned as he offers a vivid image of the land and the people and all aspects of the country in the last 50 years. It also commends the efforts of Egyptian President Nasser's initiative in a short 5 year stint in the country. El-Sherif's book includes new information about the assassination of the Yemeni President Ibrahim Al-Hamdi with his brother and later the assassination of this successor. The author paints a detailed and archival picture of the scandalous saga of political vendettas that gripped Yemen at the time. His compelling stories also address the battle against qat, an intoxicating stimulant plant native to the country, which has has a significant impact on life in Yemen. During his time in office, Al-Ainy tried to ban qat and convince Yemenis to abandon it, this effort was to no avail. The Ambassadors will review this valuable title in the next issue of the magazine.

Serbia--Radovan Karadzic Caught Camouflaged as Mystic Medicine Man

The people who lived on Yuri Gagarin Ave. across the Danube river from downtown Belgrade had no reason to doubt that their new neighbour was a monk. He sure looked the part! A dense white beard and long hair along with long periods of complete silence and public meditation and chanting at a corner restaurant seemed convincing enough for the area residents. He lived in a two-bedroom flat casting no doubt that this peculiar character was a spiritual man and even set up a practice in alternative medicine with a website to offer meditation-counselling. He became known to the community as Dr. Dragan Dabic and specialized in the traditional Balkan remedies of energetic medicine and stillness meditation. But on July 21, 2008, Serbian officials revealed the mystery behind this man as they revealed his true identity. Dr. Dabic was Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic who was wanted by the United Nations tribunal on war crimes charges including genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide. The escaped leader, who was missing for 13 years, is accused of allegedly masterminding the 1995 slaughter of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica during the 4-year siege of Sarajevo. The conflict terrorized the city and left thousands dead. He was transferred to the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague just south of Rotterdam for the trial.

Cleveland, USA--Near-Total Face Transplant Hailed a Surgical Breakthrough

Polish-American Professor Dr. Maria Siemionow and her colleagues Dr. Risal Djohan and Dr. Daniel Allam conducted a landmark operation. The performed a almost complete facial transplant on a women who had suffered a severe face trauma. The operation goes further than any other face transplant. Dr. Siemionow described it as a "surgery took 22 hours and the preparation for it 20 years." Following the women's accident, her upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin were the only features still intact. The remaining 80% of her face was replaced with one donated from a female cadaver. The operation is the first face transplant to be performed in the US and the fourth worldwide, with this one being the most extensive. The first partial face transplant was performed in France in 2005 on a 38 year old woman who was mauled by her dog. Two others have received partial face transplants since then--a Chinese farmer attacked by a bear, and a European man disfigured by a genetic condition. This latest operation is complicated by the damage which left the patient without a nose and palate, and she could not eat or breathe without an opening into her windpipe. No previous first face transplant has included bones, skin, blood vessels and nerves altogether. While operations involving vital organs such as hearts and livers often extend a patient's life, transplants of the face and hands are done to improve quality of life. Dr. Siemionow added: "I must tell you how happy [the patient] was when, with both her hands, she could go over her face and feel that she has a nose, feel that she has a jaw."

Indiana, USA--Edna Parker lives past 115

In April 2008, Edna Parker celebrated her birthday at a retirement home in Indiana. She died last November when she was 115 years and 120 days old. For three months, she was the oldest person on earth. The former school teacher was recognized by Guinness Book of Records since the August death of a Japanese woman four months her senior. She was the 14th oldest validated super-centenarian, people who live to at least 110. It appears that longevity runs in her family since her sisters also lived long lives: Georgia lived to be 99 while Opal was 88. She was widowed when her husband Earl died of a heart attack in 1938 after which she continued to live alone on the family farm house until she was 100. In 1993, she finally left the farm house and moved into her son's home. More recently, Parker lived in a retirement home in Shelbyville, Indiana.

Mumbai, India--Iconic Taj Mahal hotel adopts new symbolic meaning after attacks

The historic Taj Mahal is often considered a symbol of national pride in India and a centerpiece of the Mumbai history and landscape. The impressive red-domed structure sits opposite the Landmark Gateway monument of India on the edge of the Arabian Sea through which departing colonial British troops walked out. The 105-year-old Taj saw off the last of the foreign occupiers Its creator is a Parsee industrialist named Jansetji Tata who commissioned the building after being refused entry to the now-defunct Watson's Hotel which had a strict Europeans-only policy. It was completed in 1903 and quickly became the city's best hotel and the iconic place in Mumbaiker's hearts as a symbol of cosmopolitan sophistication. During WWI it was converted to a 600-bed hospital. It is now owned by Taj Hotels, part of India's leading conglomerate Tata group which recently bought British automaker Land Rover. The hotel has 465 rooms and is decorated in Moorish, Oriental, and Florentine styles. A doubleroom cost between US$365 and $425 per night. On November 26, 2008, the hotel became a flashpoint in a militant attack across the city which cost many lives. Large portions of the hotel were set alight by the attackers and its interior scarred with the blood of innocent victims.

North America--Company Misrepresents Amish, Misleads Public to Sell Heaters

At a time when energy costs are fluctuating, the global economy is uncertain, and winter hits North America, most households are thinking of ways to save money on their gas and/or electric bills. A cleverly-disguised company stepped into this situation with a campaign to distribute for free what they described as "Amish heating mantles" which promise to dramatically reduce monthly energy bills. The company known as Heat Surge placed fill page advertisements-posing-as-news articles in paper across the continent. The ads feature photographs of an Amish carpentry studio where Amish men and women appear hard at work building these mantles. For those familiar with the lifestyle of Amish communities, the product seemed suspicious. Most adherents in Amish communities avoid some of the staples of modern society including use of electricity, various technological tools and automated devices. Many readers questioned how the Amish would manufacture an electric appliance. A closer look shows that the Ohio company has nothing to do with the Amish. A Canadian Television (CTV) reporter did some research and revealed that contrary to the name and the company's claim, the heaters were not made by the Amish at all. Rather, they're made in China. While the advertisements claim that the wood mantle itself is the product of the handicraft of diligent Amish workers, the Amish have nothing to do with the fireplace itself. In fact, the fine print on the ad itself states that the heating technology was invented by an “engineering genius” in China. Additionally, the Amish photographed in the ad are not Amish given this pious community's aversion to being photographed in compliance with the Old Testament quote: "You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath."

Canada--Gifted Gene-Hunter and His "Ripple of Hope"

Canada selected its 2008 Researcher of the Year for for more than his commitment to science. Dr. Michael Hayden was named the recipient of the prestigious award given by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research last November. Hayden is the geneticist who identified the genes responsible for a number of conditions including Huntington's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Type II diabetes and pain. The author of more than 400 peer-reviewed articles, Hayden is also the founder of three successful biotechnology companies and the Director of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia (UBC). In addition to being a consummate scientist and entrepreneur, Hayden is a scientific philanthropist who donated $500,000 of his funds to a charity that will train aspiring doctors and researchers from disadvantages regions, particularly from Africa. He also created a foundation called "Ripples of Hope" (the name was from a speech given by Senator Robert Kennedy in South Africa) which will bring trainees to Canada to study in four areas: global health (HIV/AIDS/Tuberculosis), mental health, rare diseases, and biotechnology. Hayden was born and raised in South Africa and graduated from Cape town University. His early work diagnosed many cases of Huntington's disease in South Africa at a time when it was thought the disease was unique to Europeans only. Shortly afterwards, he landed a research job at Harvard University, and by February 1983, he visited UBC which was aggressively courting young faculty and has been there for 25 years despite lucrative job offers from around the world. He has trained more than 100 researchers from 30 countries, Hayden is also known for his philanthropic work, including the construction of a community center with HIV/AIDS in Cape town.

Canada--Unique 91-year-old Soldier-Dancer-Professor dies

Marial Mosher died in Halifax last October at the age of 91. She was a Broadway hoofer who traded her dance shoes for army boots during the Second World War as a pioneer in the Canadian Women's Army Corps reaching the rank of Major and then went to a distinguished university career teach anthropology and sociology at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU). Her latest book is entitled Remembering: One Women's World War Two Story and was published just months before her death. She helped set up the Canadian Studies program in which students today can major. Her research focused originally on Aboriginal Peoples stemming from previous study of Squamish people in British Columbia and Mikmaq in Nova Scotia. In retirement, she continued to promote elderly learning, women's education, and history of dance in Canada. In 1984, Mount Saint Vincent University established the Marial Mosher scholarship for students excelling in Canadian Studies and Sociology or Anthropology. In 2004 she was awarded the Order of Nova Scotia.

Ohio, USA--Researchers Suggest Marijuana for Ailing Memory

Dr. Gary Wenk, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the Ohio State University said "we are trying to tease out the positive aspects of marijuana and the benefit was found in a synthetic compound identical to tetrahydrocanabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in marijuana, which researchers say activated areas of aged brains in rats, affected by memory loss and stimulated the formation of new brain cells." He presented the research in the Washington in November at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. The study looks at the effect of marijuana on aging brains since some believe that a daily toke can help slow memory loss, or the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinsonism and Multiple Sclerosis. The researchers hope their findings could lead to the development of a drug to stave off memory loss in people with a history of degenerative disease in their families.

Lebanon--Search for Phoenician heritage holds secret to unifying the nation

In the first millennium BC, Phoenicians, enterprising seafarers from the territory of the modern day Lebanon, established their trading empire. Described by historians as the "worlds first capitalists" the Phoenicians controlled the Mediterranean for nearly 1,000 years, until they were finally conquered by the Romans. The genetics lab at the Lebanese American University is part of the multimillion dollar Genographic Project that uses genetics to map out human migration. Dr Pierre Zalloua and his team studied DNA data from more than 6,000 men across the Mediterranean, and used a new analytical technique to detect the genetic imprint of historical migrations. the study has revealed that while one in 17 people across the Mediterranean carry the Phoenician gene, in Lebanon almost a third of the population have Phoenician roots. Dr Zalloua says in Lebanon the Phoenician signature is distributed equally among different groups and that the overall genetic make-up of the Lebanese is proving to be similar across various backgrounds. "Whether you take a Christian village in the north of Lebanon or a Muslim village in the south, the DNA make-up of its residents is likely to be identical," says Dr Zalloua. "I think it's a truly unifying message, and for me its very gratifying. Lebanon has been hammered by so many divides, and now a piece of heritage has been unravelled in this project which reminds us that maybe we should forget about differences and pay attention to our common heritage," says Dr Zalloua. In a country split along religious lines, where politically instability has left it war torn on more than one occasion, is seems a long way away from the unity it so desperately needs. But while the divisions and disputes may be part of life here, the common past uncovered by science is a precious reminder of just how much the Lebanese share.

Turkey, UK--Joint Researcher Project draws genetic link for teenage angst

Researchers from the UK and Turkey have discovered one of the master molecules that triggers sexual maturity. Their work is based on the study of four Turkish families whose children will never grow up sexually. Scientists identified two genes involved in the production of crucial hormone in the brain that cues the body to bud. In the December online edition of Nature Genetics mentioned that researchers came to this conclusion. The discovery could help identify cures for a range of conditions that involve sex hormones from early puberty to infertility to breast and prostate cancers. Dr. Robert Sample a clinical scientist at Cambridge University and Kemal Topaloglu, a pediatric endocrinologist at Cukurova in Adana, Turkey suggest a possible treatment for case of hypogonatrophic gonadism which seems to be higher incidence in Turkey due to inbreeding. They found that 8 children from four families in this study were afflicted when they inherited two copies of a faulty gene from each parent--making this an autosomal recessive. Ranging in age from 5 to their mid-20s the offspring were born with sexual equipment that could not develop naturally leaving sexually immature and infertile.

Global--Worldwide Conferences Celebrate Late Palestinian Intellectual

While prominent Palestinian literary critic and intellectual, Edward Said, died on September 25, 2003, following a long and arduous battle with Leukemia, the impact of his writings has lived on and drawn a large following around the world. Said authored a landmark scholarly work, Orientalism, which argued that Western scholarship about the Orient (Middle East and North Africa) has characteristically and systematically served colonial interests in the region. The book, published 30 years ago, remains an influential volume in many social sciences and humanities, and is often thought of as the founding text of post-colonial studies. During the second half of his life, Said became a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights and a fervent and outspoken critic of imperialism and war. An amateur pianist and a critic of classical music, he was recognized for his sharp and incisive commentary and his commitment to humanism. In the last years of his life, he created along with Argentinean-Israeli composer Daniel Barenboim an orchestra made up of young Palestinian, Israeli and Arab musicians called the West-Eastern Divan. Five years after his death and on the 30th anniversary of Orientalism's publication, universities and academic centers around the world held commemorative conferences, seminars, lectures and symposia to discuss his work and legacy. The include a conference last November at Columbia University, where he taught his entire career. Another conference entitled Counterpoints: Edward Said's Legacy was held in Ottawa, Canada and hosted by Carleton University and Ottawa University. The Middle Eastern Studies Association (MESA) held a special panel on Said at the annual conference. Other events include meetings in Lebanon, Turkey, UK, Brazil, Mexico, Spain and China.

Japan--Pets and Toys Replacing Children of the 21st Century?

Four year ago, the Japanese government sounded the alarm when its birthrate dipped and became one of the world's lowest. Urgent policy were needed to persuade women to have more children. Unless the trend is reversed quickly, the government fears the shortage of children risks doing damage to the economy. The decline in Japan's birth rate is so severe, they invented a word for it - 'shoshika', meaning a society without children. If the trends don't change, the population in Japan is expected to shrink more than 20% by 2050. Nearly half would be elderly, placing impossible burdens on the health and pension systems. The government's rescue plan included the 'Angel Plan', the 'New Angel Plan', and the 'Plus One Proposal'--all intended to offer benefits for working mothers. The former prime minister of Japan famously told women to "stay at home and breed." The dwindling birthrate has led to a surge in consumer products to fill this void. "There just aren't as many kids anymore," said Fumiaki Ibuki, of the Tokyo Toy Show. "The toy industry is addressing the problem by widening its target age. The idea is toys aren't just for kids." Bandai, a company which markets 20 percent of its toys to adults, is home to a best-selling toy (more than 1 million units sold) purchased mostly by women in their 50s and 60s. "Families are living apart these days, so grandkids are giving the dolls to their grandmothers and daughters are giving them to their mothers," said Bandai's Hiroko Tajima. "It's a little odd, but the dolls become like a substitute." More so than toys, pets have become the substitute of choice to children, with the Japanese pet industry swelling to 1 trillion Yen, with more dogs and cats than children under 15. The Shukan Economist newspaper in Japan estimates that nearly 1 trillion yen ($9.5 billion) is being spent on Japan's 23 million pets (cats and dogs), more than children under 15. "Japan's birthrate is below its replacement rate with one child in a household, people are bringing in a pet and are lavishing expenditures on their pets to the point where the expenditures are not unlike on a second child," said an executive with a pet-supplies company. Examples of lavish accessories include "earthquake gear" for cats and dogs which includes basic items to keep the animal alive till the fire brigade arrives. The kit includes water and biscuits, little shoes to protect the feet, and aromatherapy oils to conceal the morbid smell of decaying bodies in a post-earthquake area. .

Jerusalem--British autoworker unearths golden treasure

Two leading archaeologists and about 15 paid workers had been digging in a parking lot outside Jerusalem's Old City without finding any artefacts of any significance. However, a 34 year old BMW autoworker from Birmingham, England, Nadine Ross, who had been digging as a volunteer on the site for the past 3 weeks only unearthed a treasure of ancient gold coins. She uncovered 264 Byzantine gold coins which are over 1300 years old, the next largest Byzantine hoard found in Jerusalem comprised of just 5 coins. Before she left Britain for the dig, her friends jokingly called her Indiana Jones. She paid her own expenses to join the excavation, and despite her priceless discovery she was still riding her bicycle back to the guesthouse. The coins were minted between 610 and 613 AD and are decorated with the image of Byzantine Emperor Heracles, in military garb on one side and the sign of a cross on the other. They were found among the ruins of a seventh century building outside Jerusalem's Old City walls in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan.

USA--A fish pedicure in Virginia

Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the DC area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho who runs her Yvonne Hair, Nails and Tanning Salon with his wife Yvonne said that 5.000 people have taken the plunge so far. As a good treatment for everyone who wants to have nice feet. Her wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement to razors to remove dead skin. He uses what is known as Dr. Fish "garra rufa." They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries. After 15-30 minutes in the tank, customers get a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the fish leaves behind. The treatment costs $35 for 15 minute and $50 for 30 minutes. The spa has more than 1,000 fish with about 100 in each pedicure tank at any one time. The fish leave live skin alone because they have no teeth. Mr. Ho hopes to establish a network of Dr. Fish massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body treatment for psoriasis and other skin ailments.

Global--Debby the oldest Polar bear

Debby who came to Canada from Soviet Union as an orphan in 1967 in the midst of the Cold War, died at Winnipeg Assiniboine Park Zoo at the age of 41. Throughout his life, she became a beloved icon for generations of Manitobans an earned worldwide recognition as the oldest of her kind. After her death, her keepers and admirers laid flowers by her empty enclosure as they tearfully remembered the majestically gentle bear. Debby was born in the Arctic islands of Russia. She became a fixture at the zoo outliving her mate Skipper and giving birth to six cubs. The Guinness Book of Records recognized her as the oldest living Polar Bear with most of her species living up to30 years old in captivity. Debby was one month shy of celebrating her 42 birthday. She has several strokes leaving her with some facial paralysis. She has been at the zoo longer than any of the keepers. She was 200kg.

Poland--What killed Chopin?

Polish authorities have rejected a request to carry out a DNA test on the 19th century's composer's heart Frederic Chopin to determine whether he suffered from cystic fibrosis. The Culture Minister spoke Piotre Szymanski said "currently there is no justification or legal possibility to carry out such tests." His heart is preserved in a sealed crystal earn in the Warsaw Church of the Holy Cross. His elder sister Ludwika brought his heart from Paris where his remains are buried at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. The Polish-French pianist and composer died at 39 was thought to be by tuberculosis. He weighted 88 lbs and was 5 ft 7 inches tall. Some believe that his symptoms were more typical of cystic fibrosis Some requested permission to run DNA studies on his hear aiming on isolating CFTR gene which marks the disease. Leading Polish cystic fibrosis specialist Dr. Wojcich Cichy requested test and mentioned that the symptoms he suffered from during his life were typical of CF. Chopin was born on March 1, 1810 in a village near Warsaw. From an early age he suffered frail health and lung infections typical of cystic fibrosis. He was chronically under weight. In the journal of applied genetics, Dr. Michael Witt supported the possibility that Chopin suffers from cystic fibrosis. Who also never fathered any children despite having relations with several women. Chopin died on October 17, 1849 in Paris, France.

Global--Did Leonardo Da Vinci Copy from Chinese Encyclopaedia?

In a newly published book, British amateur historian and a retired Royal Navy submarine commander. Gavin Menzies sparked media attention across the globe on the claim that Chinese sailors reach America 70 years before Columbus. Now he says a Chinese fleet brought an encyclopaedia of Technology undiscovered by the west to Italy in 1424. Laying the foundation for the engineering and marvels such as flying machines, later drawn by the Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci. He mentioned that "everything known to the Chinese by the year 1430 was brought to Venice" From Venice, a Chinese ambassador went to Florence and presented the material to the Pope Augenius IV and this was the spark that really ignited the Renaissance and that Leonardo an Galileo built on what was brought to them by the Chinese. The book is entitled 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese fleet sailed to Italy and ignited the renaissance. A senior research fellow of the National University of Singapore's Asian Research Institute, Geoff Wada said that Mr. Menzies and his work should be considered "historical fiction."

Global--Stolen art returned to Montrealer's estate

The paintings belonging to the late Montrealer dealer Max Stern that were stolen fro him by the Nazis in Düsseldorf Germany around 1937 were returned to his estate at a ceremony in Berlin. The first, the Flight from Egypt, attributed to the circle of 16th century master Jan Willens de Cock was unveiled at the event. The second, Girl from the Sabine Mountains by the 19th century German court painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter was not shown. It was expected that both paintings will be lent to Canadian art galleries for exhibition. Max Stern came to Canada in 1941 and died there in 1987. It is well known that Max Stern Art Restitution Project which was started in 2002 in Montreal's Concordia University to locate and claim more than 400 artworks that once belonged to the Stern Family, in two years five of these art works have been successfully reclaimed by the state and another 30-40 have been located and negotiations are under way to have them returned.

UK--Collecting Queen Victoria's Undies

A pair of Queen Victoria's bloomers, with a 50 inch waist were snapped up for almost $9,000 by a Canadian buyer at a central England auction last July. Barbara Rusch of Toronto has collected Queen Victoria memorabilia of all kinds for about 25 years but has never been able to bid for one of her bloomers before. The hand-made knickers dated back to 1890s bear the monogram "VR" for Victoria Regina, they are open crotch style with separate legs joined by a draw-string at the waist popular during the late Victorian era. Ms. Rusch was also the winning bidder for a Victoria chemise with a 66 inch bust, a nightgown sold for $11,000. She said that Queen Victoria was in the habit of having her clothing, especially her underclothing embroidered with her initials, surmounted by her crown.

The North Pole--Arctic Oil in the Billions

According to the US Geological Service (USGS)., about 412 billion barrels of crude oil and 44 billion barrels of natural gas are trapped beneath the pack ice and the frigid waters of the Arctic making it the largest source of untapped oil in the world. According to a new report by the USGS that is believe to be more than the reserves of Canada and roughly third of the proven reserves of the planet. The study marks the first comprehensive estimate of the oil and gas potential of the vast expanse of the land and sea north of the Arctic circle. These possible future additions to world reserves are technically recoverable using recurrent drilling methods. The sovereignty of many of the areas are disputed by the main arctic powers Canada, US Russia, Norway and Denmark. There are already more than 400 oil and gas fields north of the Arctic circle. Oil companies have been moving progressively northwards.

USA--Noam Chomsky Loses Life Partner and Colleague

While American linguist and public intellectual Noam Chomsky is often described as the most-cited human being alive, his wife and fellow linguist and Harvard professor Carol Chomsky who died on December 19, was a prominent scholar and celebrated researcher in her own right. Like her prolific husband, Carol Chomsky's analyses focused on how children acquired language, with her landmark book focusing on syntax among 5-10 year olds. The daughter of educators herself, Carol grew up in Philadelphia where she met Noam at the age of 5 and they later wed in 1949. While her early education was in French, she returned to pursue graduate degrees in linguistics when her husband's vocal criticism of the Vietnam war appeared threatening to his career. She earned the PhD in 1968 but often distinguished between her work and Noam's. Carol was known to many as a delightful person and stellar educator who was very candid with all. In one interview, she said: "I always have to laugh when people talk about how interesting our dinner-table conversation must be since we're in the same field." But in the household, Carol was the handy one, preferring to take on traditionally masculine tasks like fixing the car. When not fending off and gate-keeping for her much sought-after husband Noam, Carol found respite with her accordion, fishing and water skiing.

Afghanistan--Dreams of King Mohammed Zaher Shah's Daughter

The 22-year old granddaughter of the revered former king Mohammed Zahir Shah ran her own construction business, Masoda Younasy. She was raised in Pakistan where her Afghan family fled during the war with the Soviets. Her parents returned to the country after the fall of the Taliban and summoned their 10 children to join them. She took a series of positions from Justice Assistant to the Afghan Human Rights Commission to Field Officer for the Electoral Management Body and then landed a job as Project Manager with a group of construction companies. A year later she quit to start her own firm, the Younasy Construction Company which has built bridges, and 18-km stretch of highway, schools, police outposts, part of a hospital and a market in Dubai. She said that "women can work in the home with babies but they cannot work with construction, with machinery." Her next ambition is to get a degree in politics at an American or Canadian university, while her sister Hameda takes care of the company. Then she plans to return and become a politician in her own country. She added "this is my goal, it is not my dream or my wish, it is my goal: I want to offer myself as a candidate as the president of Afghanistan."

Russia--Beloved, Prolific Russian Cartoonist Leaves Behind Long Legacy

Boris Yefimov was despised by Hitler and adored by Stalin and was a historical institution in his own right. He was one of the last surviving witnesses to the birth of the Soviet Union. For 70 years his 70,000 cartoon yielded a talent like a keen sword to advance the goals of his country. His cartoons provided sharp commentary from laziness on collective farms, bureaucratic inefficiency, the trials of Nazi leaders in Nuremberg, foreign policy trouble spots like Berlin and Yugoslavia, the JFK assassination ,and Mikhail Gorbachev's attempts to reform and salvage communism. Stalin famously loved cartoons and maintained a precarious position vis-a vis Yefimov. In 1924, his work had matured and was admired by Trotsky, a revolutionary leader who had a falling out with Stalin and was assassinated by a hit-man in Mexico. He liked the cartoons so much that he wrote an introduction to Yefimov's first full book of illustrations. The editor of Izvestia who agreed to print the work was also executed by Stalin. One of his famed cartoons ridicules Hitler's propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, showing him as a miniature creature held to scream into a microphone by a Nazi army official. Having lived through the more than a century of Russian and Soviet history, Yefimov saw witnessed the rise of the Bolshevik revolution and the fall of the Soviet Republic. He died last November at the age of 109.

Syria--Saga of the Syrian Princess with a golden voice

Sixty years after the death of the Syrian songstress who was born to Druze nobles in a mysterious car crash at the tender age of 26, a TV series about Asmahan, the Arab singing diva is captivating audiences of her short but racy life. Asmaham challenged her family and conservative and Arab community by breaking a string of taboos. She filed for divorce from her husband and relative Prince Hassan so she could devote herself to singing. Her links to the British intelligence during the second world war when she spied on Nazi Germany and Vichy France as well as her work with the Free French Forces added further intrigue to her life. Now she has returned again to delight aficionados with her story being broadcast during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan on TV screen across the Arab world. It shows the details of the melancholic singer with a unique crystal clear voice and her affair with Ahmed Hassanein Pasha, the head of King Farouk's royal household. She also engaged to the famous writer Mohammed El-Tabaei. Asmahan was only six years old when she migrated to Egypt with her mother and two uncles following her father's death. Her brother Farid El-Atrache became a famous, composer, musician, and singer. A phenomena from the beginning of her career, she was only 14 when she sang in the Cairo Opera House. Not everyone is delighted with the TV production. Despite its success among Arab audiences, the series has triggered the ire of some of her family members, two of her nephews filed a lawsuit in Egypt. Family members in Syria also pressured authorities to ban the series in which Asmahan is played by a Syrian actress named Sulaf Fawakhirji. A Syrian journalist, Haya remarked that "her story is fantastic. Asmahan is neither an angel nor a devil."

Global--Foes No More: Cats and Dogs Can be Friends!

An article published last September in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science, revealed that cats and dogs can not only cohabitate but learn to befriend one another if owners start them young enough. Israeli Zoology professor, Joseph Terkel, said that the friendship reaches the level where a cat learns to speak in dog language and vice versa. The popular myth that cats and dogs simply don't get along is a myth, it is simply that their are wired-differently, Terkel said. While cats are solitary creatures, dogs live in packs. Cats escapy suspicious or alarming settings, dogs chase after mnost stimulus. Psychologist Stanley Coren describes the differences of language between cats and dogs by explaining that the same stimulus can often mean opposite things for either animal. Coren explains that having cats and dogs stuck in the same house together without understanding each other's signals is like going to a cocktail party where you don't speak the language. Like all relationships, early introductions, adjustment and adaptation are keys to success. It is no different between cats and dogs. So starting when either or both animals are young can make a world of a difference. Another issue to be mindful of is the territorial natures of cats and dogs and their need for a private space, as well as the numerical balance between them. A single dog, multiple cat household is not as favourable than one with equal numbers of both, experts say. Since the communication gap between canines and felines is surmountable, pet lovers need not decide whether they are cat-people or dog-people.

Global--New Tolstoy Translations Trigger Reader Interest

We are riding the wave of three new translations of Russian author Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. The who was convinced that great writers have and inimitable voice. The three translations are by Anthony Briggs (Penguin), Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (Knopf), and Andrew Bromfield (Ecco Press). The general opinion seems to be that the Pevear and Volokhonsky volume is better. War and Peace had been translated at least 7 times before. Any good new translation reveals treasures in the original and that is to be welcomed. vagueness that works in one language can be utterly unacceptable in another one. In the case of Tolstoy, musical and poetic , for this reason even the most illustrative translation have less depth and nuance than the original. It is a problem for translators especially vexing in realist prose with spoken language. There is no easy way to render spoken language into another tongue. Translators have to listed to rhythms and verbal gestures as well as to subtle meanings.

Canada--Starved to Blindness, former POW empowers Canada's Blind.

Ross Purse survived the Battle of Hong Kong, only to lose his sight because of the severe malnutrition and brutal conditions he suffered as a POW after being captured during WWII. He returned home and became involved in the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) serving as its national director. He turned his disability into a strong force to help others with vision loss. In 33 years with the CNIB he helped develop many useful programs. Years later he took on a second career to become British Columbia's first legally blind real estate agent. In 1993, he was made a member of the Order of British Columbia. Of the 1975 Canadians who had arrived in Hong Kong, 290 were killed and 493 were wounded. The survivors were initially held in camps in Hong Kong then sent to labor camps in early 1943. Another 254 Canadians died in the camps. To honor his years of service the CNIB established the Ross C. Pursue Doctoral Fellowship for post-graduate or doctoral study in the field of vision loss. Throughout his years he served on the executive of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind as chairman of its North American/Oceania region and was involved in the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind. He also worked with the international agency for the prevention of blindness and as founding chairman of the Canadian Coordinating Committee for Blindness Prevention and as a life-member of the American Association of Workers for the Blind.

UK--From Jesus to Darwin!

Reverend Malcolm Brown and Anglican cleric said that the Church of England owe Charles Darwin and apology for its hostile reaction to his theories and launched this information on the famous Anglican website (http://www,cofe.anglican.org/darwin). He said that "people and institutions make mistakes and Christian people and Churches are no exceptions." The statement was issued to mark Darwin's bicentenary and 150 anniversary of On the Origin of Species both of which fall in 2009. Fundamentalist Christians believe evolutionary theory is incompatible with Biblical story of creation. Subsequent generations have built on Darwin work but have not significantly undermined his fundamental theory of natural selection. Dr. Brown wrote on the website "it is hard to avoid the thought that the reaction against Darwin was largely based on what we would now call the "yuk factor" (an emotional not an intellectual response) when he proposed a lineage from apes to humans. He called for rapprochement between Christianity and Darwinism. The bishop of Swindon Lee Rayfield, who is also an immunologist, said religion and science are not mutually exclusive. He opposes Christians for whom evolution is equated with atheism as well as Darwinists who feel ideas about evolution undermine any kind of credibility for God. This is not the first time a Christian institution apologized for previous actions. In 1992, Pope John Paul II said the Roman Catholic church was wrong to condemn astronomer Galileo Galilei for maintaining that Earth is not the center of the universe. Andrew Darwin , the great great grandson of Charles Darwin said that "when an apology is made after 200 years, it is not so much to right a wrong, but to make the person or organization making the apology feel better."

Global--Canada's Eyes in Africa and India

Stephanie Nolen is a gifted journalist who has brought award-winning stories of famine, rape, child soldiers, riots, and AIDS to Canadian readers. She recently moved from Johannesburg to New Delhi following the Mumbai attacks. In her farewell writings to the continent she has come to love, she reflects on how it has changed and how it changed her. During her time there, she found herself at the 10th anniversary of Rwanda's genocide, the 2005 controversial elections in Zimbabwe, the ousting of South African President Thabo Mbeki, and the latest war in the Democratic Republic of Congo which displaced 350,000 people. Nolen was raised in Ottawa and Montreal, studied journalism at the University of King's College in Halifax and earned a Masters degree from the London School of Economics. In July 2003, she moved Johannesburg where she was shocked to find more than 5 million people living with the HIV. Nolen has penned several books, including 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa. During her time there, she covered other African countries--Congo, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Swaziland, Zambia, Angola, Sudan, Liberia, Mali, Uganda, Chad, Madagascar. The memories that changed her include: seeing quacks peddling herbal AIDS patients, witnessing waves of xenophobic violence, and rejoicing at the sight of South Africans--black and white and from every shade in-between--standing and singing the words to Nikosi Sikelel i'Africa (God Bless Africa).

Netherlands--X-ray Technique unveils ghost in Van Gogh 's Painting

European scientists unveiled last July a new technique to extract imaged hidden under Old Capital paintings, recreating a color portrait of a woman's face unseen since Vincent Van Gogh painted The Patch of Grass in 1887. Joris Dik, a material scientist, from Delft University in the Netherlands and Koen Janssens, a chemist from the University of Antwerp in Belgium combined science and art and discovered a new method for visualizing hidden paintings, using high-intentisty X-rays and an intimate knowledge of all pigments. They used the new approach on patch of grass a small oil study of a fireld that van Gogh painting in Paris. It revealed a woman's head that may be the same model he painted in a series of portraits leading to the 1885 masterpiece the Potato Eaters. The data was published online on the 30th of July in the Journal of Analytical Chemistry.

Global--Golden Jubilee of Landmark Genetic Discovery

In 1959, two groups of scientists led by Frenchman Prof. Jerome Lejeune and British Prof. Patricia Jacobs, discovered independently the first chromosomal abnormality in "Mongol" babies. They reported the presence of 47 chromosomes instead of the normal 46 (Trisomy 21). The world is celebrating this discovery which shaped the development of medical genetics and cytogenetics. He is called "The Father of Modern Genetics" and has had his case for beatification opened. His biography, Life is a Blessing, written by his daughter Clara, tells how his life's goal was to uplift the dignity of individuals with Down Syndrome. Jacobs was recognized for her contributions with a prize given by Queen Elizabeth II. Today, there are around 2 million persons with Down Syndrome who are cared for by their families and their communities. Some of them have made significant progress and live functional lives. Molecular geneticists are searching for a breakthrough cure for Trisomy 21.

Egypt--The Discovery of a 4,300-year-old pyramid in Saqqarra

Prof. Zahi Hawass, the country's chief Egyptologist and the Director of the Supreme Council for Antiquities, said that. about 70% of Ancient Egyptian antiques have not been discovered yet., with the Minister of Culture Farouk Hosny, announced the discovery of the 118th pyramid in Egypt. "We are continuing our excavation and we are going to uncover more tombs in the area to explain the period of dynasty five and dynasty six," referring to a period more than 4,000 years ago. The pyramid was discovered at the Saqqara necropolis, an ancient burial ground dating back to 2,700 BC that is dominated by Zoser's pyramid. It is well-known that Prof Hawass discovered three other pyramids in this region before!

Canada--Adopted 30-year Old Doctor Searches for Estranged Mother.

It was 30 years ago on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving in 1978, Ms. Therese Skomar was walking through a back entrance at St. Paul's hospital in Saskatchewan to visit her sick father and sped past a closed shoe box tucked inside the doorway. When she lifted the lid she found a homeless and nameless pink-cheeked 5-day old baby male. He is one of the first recorded cases of a child abandoned in Saskatchewan. Nurses dubbed him "baby joy" after the doctor and nurses. Last July on his 30th birthday, a grown doctor named John Dosman has launched a national effort to find his birth mother. He is eager to find any information he can about those first five mysterious days and to know about his past ancestry and his medical history. He now has two degrees and is completing his medical residency in Prince Albert Hospital. At his 18th birthday dinner at a restaurant, he was given an intriguing gift: a bag filled with newspaper articles from 1978 and social services documents that set out the sequence of events from the moment he was found. Now, Dr. Dosman is ready to rekindle with his biological family.