As you might have seen on the news that a devastating earthquake, magnitude 7.9, that hit SiChuan Province on 5/12/2008.Rescuers dug through schools and homes turned into rubble by China’s worst earthquake in three decades to reach victims trapped beneath slabs of concrete, as the death toll from the disaster rose Tuesday to nearly 12,000 (number is increasing) and thousands remained missing.

HongKong Red Cross :

https://www.redcross.org.hk/donation/user_donation.asp?langId=2

Please, no violence! Olympic represents peace not violence!

Why no main stream media publish this?

Her name is Jingjing, originated from Shanghai, China, now is in France.

美国政坛超人气新星欧巴马在民主党初选中11连胜。如果下周另一个超级星期二，他能在德州、俄亥俄州、罗德岛州与佛蒙特州获取关键性胜利，便可望成为民主党正式提名的总统候选人。与纽约州联邦参议员希拉莉・克林顿相比，代表伊利诺州的联邦参议员欧巴马虽然近来曝亮度大增，不少华裔选民对他还是有点陌生，因此「世界日报」特地争取到独家访问欧巴马的机会，这也是他首次接受中文媒体专访。

爱吃中餐 妹夫是华裔

这 位声望扶摇直上的民主党总统参选人，以书面详细回答本报提出的问题，特别从自己多元种族文化的成长背景，谈到与亚裔的特殊渊源。他表示，若能进入白宫执 政，「将在我的政府内部以及联邦法官的级别……任命更多的亚裔，出任这些高层职位」。欧巴马同时表示，「美国各地的初选中，亚裔美国人的投票率相当高，我 为此感到振奋」。

欧巴马妹夫是任教于夏威夷大学的华裔学者吴加儒，吴加儒本人在加拿大出生，父母则是来自马来西亚的华人。吴加儒的妻子是欧巴马同母异父的妹妹。欧巴马对中国菜情有独钟。他说自己有幸住在中餐馆林立的芝加哥，可以常常吃到中国美食，最爱吃清蒸鱼、蒜香对虾、烤猪及叉烧包。

印尼成长 留美好记忆

童 年在印尼与夏威夷度过的欧巴马表示，自己和亚洲以及亚洲人有深厚的渊源，「在印尼成长的岁月，是我美好童年回忆的一部分」。他至今还会说一些印尼话，「在 印尼居住的时光，让我学到维持和睦家庭关系的重要性，这是亚洲文化的核心价值。我和妻子蜜雪儿都信守个人对家庭的责任，并且以身作则，为两个女儿作标兵， 这也和很多在美国的亚裔所重视的家庭价值相吻合」。

欧 巴马的父亲是早年来自肯尼亚的留美学生，母亲是出生于堪萨斯州、在夏威夷长大的白人。他的父母在夏威夷大学相识并结为连理；欧巴马两岁时，父母离异。六岁 时，他随母亲和印尼籍继父前往印尼定居；10岁之后又回到夏威夷，和外祖父母同住并就学。在夏威夷念完高中后，他前往洛杉矶的西方学院 （Occidental College）就读，大三时转到纽约市的哥伦比亚大学，主修政治与国际关系。哥大毕业后，欧巴马在芝加哥一个服务城区特困户的居住小区草根组织任务了几 年，之后前往哈佛法学院攻读法学博士学位。

草根基础 一步一脚印

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From ping pong to Pyongyang

One of America’s premier orchestras is tuning up to perform a politically charged concert at the heart of a country the US president once consigned to the “axis of evil”.

Overture of friendship: Lorin Maazel foresees “peaceful interchange”

The New York Philharmonic - at the invitation of the North Korean regime - will, in the words of conductor Lorin Maazel, showcase the vitality of American music.

The East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, more used to staging operas depicting the country’s struggle against imperialist oppressors, will resound with the strains of Dvorak’s New World Symphony, George Gershwin’s American in Paris, and even the Star-Spangled Banner.

This is the latest attempt by the US to reach out culturally to a nation that has been taught for decades to hate or fear it.

Ahead of the 24-hour trip to Pyongyang, Mr Maazel argued that “bringing peoples and their cultures together” can lead to “roots of peaceful interchange.”

Diplomatic harmony

The assumption is that culture - particularly music, a universal language - can be life-changing, powerful enough to help build understanding between the two countries.

Table tennis paved the way for Nixon’s groundbreaking visit

Cultural diplomacy has never been regarded as a replacement for nuts-and-bolts diplomacy but the view that it can help break down barriers is widely held.

In 1971, China and the US had its famous “ping pong diplomacy”. The US table-tennis team were invited to play in China, making them the first American group allowed into the country since the Communist takeover in 1949. This helped pave the way for Richard Nixon’s historic trip a year later.

US orchestras have a long history of making ice-breaking trips into politically hostile territory.

“The US wanted to win the Cold War with violins and trumpets,” says Jonathan Rosenberg, professor of history at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

“During the 1950s, the trips were organised by the State Department. The US wanted to show a better, softer face.”

In 1956, The Boston Symphony Orchestra made a groundbreaking trip to the Soviet Union. The musicians were given an overwhelming welcome on the tarmac at Leningrad airport and a 10-minute ovation at the first performance in Moscow.

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华 盛顿17日电／面对经济衰退的担心日增，美国总统布殊与联储局(Fed)主席长伯南克17日纷纷表态，指出国会应尽快制定刺激经济的方案。政府官员透露， 布殊私下告诉国会领导人，他支持用给个人退税和给公司减税的做法，避免经济陷入衰退。与此同时，伯南克也呼吁国会迅速制定一个刺激经济的一揽子方案。据 悉，布殊、国会领导人和伯南克挽救经济的一个主要做法将是退税。现在民主、共和两党领导人考虑的退税数额是：个人退税300美元至800美元；夫妇退税最 多可得1600美元。 Read The Full Story…