The heartbeat of the city

Sunday
21 June 2009
MDTimes Number 739 Sunday Times No. 3 June 21 2009
®
Pages 20-24
Macau’s markets:
The heartbeat
of the city
Pranayama, What is it?
1
Pages 20-22
Sunday
Times
2
21 June 2009
8
Cover story
God Hua Guang
(Three-Eyed Ling Guang)
by Michael C.C. Chan
10
Colombia taps biodiversity
to export exotic creatures
by Cesar Sabogal
12
Mouse Click
by António Espadinha Soares
4
Macau’s markets:
The heartbeat
of the city
by Cecília Jorge
photos by Manuel Cardoso
14
20
Press Play
by Fernando Ferreira
Madonna’s Jesus,
black models to hit
Brazil’s catwalk
26
Ask the Vet:
Why Does My Dog
Eat Grass?
by Ruan Du Toit Bester
18 World of Wonder
28 Offbeat
29
Restaurant Review
22
From Macau to Lisbon
Goodbye Lenin,
good morning Baltic states
by Rui Freitas
Cartooning
the World
by António
This Day in History
30 Infotainment
34 Zoom
by Tiago Azevedo
32
Yoga:
Pranayama, What is it?
by Torey Lee Farmer
Universal Yoga Asia Ltd.
Av.do Infante D. Henrique, 43-53A, second floor, Macau Square, Macau
Phone number (853) 2899 5599 Fax number (853) 2899 5533
http://www.universal-yoga-asia.com/
3
Sunday
Times
Macau’s markets:
The heartbeat
of the city
by Cecília Jorge
photos by Manuel Cardoso
T
he heart and pulse of
every Asian city lay in
its markets and Macau
is no different. This is
where the real locals
live and the true reflection of real life
comes alive.
From dawn to dusk the
markets bustle at a confusing hurried pace that
never seems to let up. Like
a wild organized chaos,
they’re like a busy international airport where
planes take off and touch
down every minute or so,
without colliding.
You can find almost anything at Macau’s markets
– far beyond what some
may expect in a live market. Fishmonger’s where
the scaly ones are still
swimming in their tanks
waiting to be catch of the
day, while shrimps jump
out of their containers, and frogs in cages sit silently staring. The Butchers who don’t frown at
you if you ask for only a very small amount of
meat, and live poultry that chuckle until it’s their
turn to be picked, weighed, and made ready for a
shopping bag all in less than 15 minutes.
The multiple shades of green that overflow
on the fresh vegetable stall are a delight for
vegetarians, and include local and seasonal
choices as well as imports from other regions. Mushrooms and exotic greens come
in all varieties and sizes and are very affordable; their neat arrangements very eye catching. The produce is gently tended to by stall
4
keepers, regularly sprinkled with fresh water
to keep them looking cool and crisp. Soya
in all its various glories are laid out; pressed,
squeezed, dried, fermented and germinated.
Western tastes are catered to thanks to the
Portuguese who brought potatoes, onions,
shallots and tomatoes, so many years ago, all
having been renamed in Chinese after their
foreign origin. Like so many other communities’ fresh ingredients reflect the fusion of
cultures and cuisines and whenever there is
demand, there will be supply.
Macau’s marketplaces have reflected the
changing times, tastes and habits of its peo-
21 June 2009
5
Sunday
Markets
Times
6
ple, but not terribly dramatically. This is still
the heart of the city where each day the best
bargains are sought out for the family table.
Traditional Chinese will visit up to twice a
day, once in the morning, then again in the
evening for the freshest of seafood. The multiple daily visits can be traced back to harder
times when every penny had to be counted,
and waste was not an option.
Something that hasn’t changed over the
years is the freshly cooked foods that steam
and bubble all day long. It’s a habit of the
Chinese, borne perhaps from the desire to
eat whenever they feel hungry, wherever they
are. Cooked snacks on bamboo skewers that
kids eat to and from school, and full meals of
rice with meat and vegetables for the working lunch crowd, and then there’s those who
sit on benches by the charcoal oven waiting
for a bowl of noodles or what the Chinese
call wontons and the Italian’s ravioli. There’s
much to choose from.
After receiving your sustenance you can hop
between fruit stalls to finish off. Wonderful teas
are also on offer and if feeling unwell there’s
plenty of advice on which is best for you.
Macau people live the majority of their lives
outdoors, not at home. For a hard-working
and active population, time cannot be wasted
indoors. Stalls even share timetables when
breakfast crowds move out the late supper
people move in.
Public holidays and weekends see Macau’s
street markets buzzing with friends and families enjoying noisy meals and days together.
Markets remain the soul of a neighbourhood
and extensions of home.
21 June 2009
7
Sunday
Do you know Macau?
Times
8
God Hua
Guang
(Three-Eyed Ling
Guang)
21 June 2009
by Michael C.C. Chan*
S
kanda is a bodhisattva often worshipped in the
temple. The picture depicts an image of the god,
whose masculine physique resembles that of Skanda. Upon closer inspection, one may find that the poses
they are adopting with the weapons are not the same and
one of the significant differences between the two is that
the god depicted in the picture has one more eye; this
is the renowned God Hua Guang or Three-Eyed Ling
Guang, one of the guardian deities of Taoism. According to the narrative in A Journey to the South, God Hua
Guang, surnamed Ma, is known as Ling Guang and was
born with three eyes. Brave, wise and powerful, he expels
demons by using his talismans, such as a golden spear,
golden pyramid, fire cinnabar, etc.
The statue enshrined in the Hua Guang Temple has a
golden pyramid in its hand, which was originally a golden
sword transformed into the shape of a pyramid for easy
carrying. It was said that Hua Guang had subdued the
two devils Qianliyan (Eyes that See a Thousand Miles)
and Shunfenger (Ears that Can Hear the Wind); as a result, they were asked to carry the golden spear and the
fire cinnabar gourd on his two sides, in order to demonstrate the three talismans of Hua Guang and his marvellous powers.
Hua Guang is also noted for his filial piety as he slew the
Dragon of the East to avenge the death of his father and
caused havoc in hell to save his mother. He was ordered
by the Jade Emperor to catch the Devils of the Wind and
the Fire who killed people and ate them. To praise his filial
piety and talents, the Jade Emperor made him the General
of Fire and Army Force, also known as the celestial guardian in the south. According to the Theory of Five Elements
for Directions, the south belongs to the element of fire and
therefore he was named the God of Fire. On the 28th September of the lunar calendar, people celebrated the birthday of the God of Fire, also known as the birthday of God
Hua Guang, to pray for freedom from fire and good health
in the coming year.
Guangdong, the cradle of Cantonese Opera, lies in the
south of China. Hua Guang is also the God of Theatre and
worshipped by many Cantonese Opera artists. Traditionally, in order to prevent mat shed theatres from catching fire,
a sacrificial ritual solicits blessings from God Hua Guang
for a successful show before a new performance is staged.
There is a story behind the ritual. Once upon a time, a
troupe concentrated on its acting on the stage accompanied
by the beat of drums and gongs while audiences cheered
resoundingly. The theatre echoed with cheers. Unfortunately, the loud noise interrupted the celestial gathering
of the Jade Emperor with other celestials in heaven. He
soon realised that the sounds emanated from the theatre,
having been informed by the guardian of heaven. In a fit
of rage, he ordered Hua Guang to burn down the theatre
as punishment. After watching the fascinating show given
by the artists, Hua Guang did not have the heart to hurt
the artists and audience. In an act of mercy, he revealed his
identity and the reason for his arrival. He asked them to
burn incense and paper offerings so that the smoke would
drift to heaven. Having seen smoke arise from Earth, the
Jade Emperor believed that it was the smoke from the fire
and his anger abated. Thus, with the aid of Hua Guang,
the artists were saved from a fiery end and they made him
the God of Theatre. From that day, they offered sacrifices
to Hua Guang to pray for the success of a show before
going on stage.
Don’t forget to visit God Hua Guang in Lin Kai Temple
if you have a chance to go there!
* Institute For Tourism Studies
9
Sunday
Times
Colombia taps
biodiversity
to export exotic
creatures
by Cesar Sabogal
10
C
olombia, one of the
world’s most biologically
diverse countries, has
begun selling rare animals to other countries, a
“biocommerce” viewed with unease by
environmentalists.
The fledgling exports of exotic local
fauna – especially butterflies, beetles,
fish and frogs – to countries like the
United States, Canada, Japan and the
United Arab Emirates – is being undertaken by 1,250 small Colombian companies, according to figures kept by the
state-run Export Promotion Fund.
But they have competition from illegal traffickers.
“Tinny,” a trumpet beetle born in a
nursery in the central province of Boyaca, has been a denizen of Kairakuen
park in the Japanese city of Mito for
the past two months. Its owner, Keiko
Sato, traveled last week to a farm in rural Tunja, Colombia to find it a mate.
“These scarabs are very beautiful and
symbolic. We have bought more than
a dozen here in recent years to give
to our friends’ children in Japan, who
turn them into pets that bring good
luck,” she told.
She said she paid no more
than four dollars apiece
for the beetles.
Tierra Viva, a company
whose name means
“live earth,” raises
beetles and sells
them alive or
dead.
German Viasus, its man-
21 June 2009
ager, said that after going through lots
of red tape he can now profit from the
trade.
“After decades in which Colombia
lost unique species to illegal trafficking, and in which they were exposed to mistreatment due to the
clandestine nature of the trade, companies like ours began to think about raising
them and exporting them legally, which has
turned out to be a good business,” he said.
“We export beetles mainly to Japan, where
they are admired and treated with respect and
devotion, but we’ve begun to receive orders from
the United Arab Emirates where one of the sheikhs is
a fanatic about these marvellous exemplars and made
an initial order for 1,000,” he said.
Another sought-after product is butterfly cocoons
packed in attractive transparent urns, that are supposed to be given to a lover or someone special with
photographs of the species and a symbolic manual.
“The language of love is universal and we find that
people in love in any country are fascinated by colorful butterflies,” said Vanesa Wilches, the manager of
Alas de Colombia, or Wings of Colombia.
“So, we offer the cocoon so that the lovers can watch the larva grow and then
they can free the butterfly as a symbol
that seals their love,” she said.
Over the past five years, this company
has exported butterflies both live and
preserved to countries like the Netherlands, Britain, the United States
and France with annual sales close to
75,000 dollars.
Collectors and entrepreneurs from
countries of the Far East, like Singapore,
South Korea and China, meanwhile, buy fish from
the eastern plains of Colombia through a fisherman’s
cooperative, Coopesca, whose manager is Jose Arturo
Gomez.
For every manta ray they catch in the Orotoy River,
local fishermen get no more than 50 US cents, but in
Singapore, Malaysia or Japan they fetch more than 80
dollars each, Gomez said.
Parallel to the above ground commerce in exotic
animals is an illegal trade, which Maria Sanchez, the
coordinator of the Environmental Police, said is managed by a powerful international network.
In 2008 alone, Colombian authorities confiscated
54,000 exotic animals intended for sale both inside
and outside the country.
“Despite campaigns to raise awareness, rural populations continue to sell species without regard for climate, which results in many of them dying in captivity,” she said.
“They are bought and sold in popular markets without any kind of restraint or control.”
AFP
11
Sunday
Times
Mouse Click
by António Espadinha Soares
DeviantArt.com
The Internet is awash in media-centric sharing community websites, with numerous services connected to
larger names (as is the case of Flickr and Google). However, the problem with many of these sites is that they’re
also overwhelmed with a lot of random content that bear
no interest to most people outside the circle of friends of
the person who uploaded his latest snapshots. DeviantArt offers a unique art sharing website, where you can
upload your latest artistic creations, view those of others,
and even sell or buy prints or other types of merchandise
based on these works.
All manner of visual art can be uploaded, but to upload
films a special request has to be made to the site’s administrators with a sample of your video work so that they
know that your serious about only uploading quality user
generated content.
Video
of the week
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
This week’s video suggestion is somewhat of a two
in one. I’ll take the opportunity to suggest visiting
this site daily from Tuesday to Friday and watch full
episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert report,
two of the best news satire programs on TV today.
Take the time to watch June 9 The Daily Show episode, and even if you don’t have the disposition to sit
through John Stewart’s particular brand of humour,
skip ahead to the interview section to watch that day’s
invited guest, Peter Schiff, an economic commentator who had been warning people on economic talk
shows about the current economic collapse, and being
laughed at by show hosts for doing so. The complete
interview also includes Mr. Schiff’s thoughts on the
current measures being taken by Pr. Obama and their
consequences.
12
Yousendit.com
A nifty little service site that helps you send those files
that are just too big for your e-mail box. Yousendit will let
you upload files to its server and then immediately shoot
off an e-mail to the recipient with a link where they can
download you uploaded files. The service is free, but it has
its limitations. Advanced features such as multi-file attachments, password protection and uploading of files bigger
than 100 MB per e-mail will require that you pay for the
service, but unless you’re in the habit of sending large confidential material the basic service should be enough.
21 June 2009
Snopes.com
Everyone seems to have that friend or relative that keeps
forwarding those e-mails with a huge story that was ‘too
big’ to be in the news, a miraculous cure, the latest conspiracy theory, or just an odd, yet seemingly probable,
explanation to some piece of general knowledge. A lot of
these stories often appeal to our basic senses of fairness,
or just serve to confirm somethings that we wish to be
true, so we pass them on.
Snopes.com actually researches these stories that we’ve
read countless times on the Internet and assesses their
veracity. Some of the web’s most famous urban myths are
listed on the website, along with a credible debunking (or
confirmation) of its claims to truth.
Blog
of the Week
http://www.boingboing.net
BoingBoing.net isn’t a blog about a particular topic but more about the Internet in general. It takes in
suggestion for sites and news on all manner of topics, although usually with some relation to science or
technology. The blog doesn’t resume itself to mere text
posts, having full section dedicated to video content,
BoingBoing Video.
Where else can you find a blog with a post about a
bulletproof corset and another post with a scathing
indictment of US media corporate greed all in one
page?
13
Sunday
Times
São Paulo Fashion Week
Madonna’s Jesus,
black models
to hit Brazil’s
catwalk
A
Brazilian
model
described as Madonna’s “toyboy”
and a bevy of
black beauties are
to attract intense media attention to the São Paulo Fashion
Week – Latin America’s biggest
style showcase - which opens
Wednesday.
Jesus Luz, a 22-year-old Rio boy
who has found worldwide fame
after being photographed kissing
and accompanying pop star Madonna over the past few months,
is to be in the first day’s shows, a
report in Brazil’s Folha de S. Paulo
newspaper said.
14
21 June 2009
He will share the catwalk
with Brazil’s bona fide supermodel Gisele Bundchen, a regular who this
time will also be turning
up as the wife of US footballer Tom Brady, whom
she married in February.
Adding to the mix will be
an unprecedented number of black models finally
given their break under a
new quota system imposed
by the organizers who had
been threatened with a
racism lawsuit by prosecutors.
The celebrity buzz and
racial quota could give
the SPFW, as it is known
in Brazil, the international
profile it has long been
gunning for.
While Brazilian designers
have been praised for their
colorful takes on derivative
European-inspired cuts,
it’s the furore over skin
color that has propeled
their twice-yearly fashion
event into foreign media
coverage.
In the last SPFW, in January, just eight of the 344
models were black. Previous iterations have been
equally
white-dominant
affairs.
But that low proportion
of blacks, in a country
where half the population
of 190 million is of African
Jesus Luz, a
22-year-old Rio boy
who has found worldwide fame after being
photographed kissing
and accompanying
pop star Madonna
15
Sunday
São Paulo Fashion Week
16
Times
descent, raised hackles with Sao Paulo’s prosecutors.
Their warnings of legal action, and a vow by an
anti-racism group, Educafro, to hold a rogue black
fashion event in front of the SPFW, prompted the
move to a quota system, backed by fines for any
recalcitrant labels.
Under the deal, the SPFW promised that at least
10 percent of the models would be black or indigenous.
Meanwhile, although Luz is basking in the bigger pay his rumored link-up with Madonna has
brought him, the young model has dashed any
speculation of a lasting relationship with the
50-year-old Material Girl.
“She is a person I admire a lot, a friend in my
life, who I worked with, and who I stay in contact with. Beyond that I can’t say any more. We’re
friends,” Luz said in his first public interview, with
Brazilian television late last month.
He added that, although his modeling career has
taken off since meeting the Madonna last year on
a photo shoot they shared for a US magazine, he
remained a “normal guy.”
Before being snapped kissing Madonna after a
Rio de Janeiro concert she gave, Luz was an unknown talent doing catwalk shows for 170 dollars
a time.
Now, he said, he is buying an apartment in Rio.
21 June 2009
C & C - Lawyers Office
Partners:
Rui J. Da Cunha*
Álvaro Rodrigues*• Nuno S. da Mata*
Zhao Lu*º• Connie Kong
Associates:
Adelino Correia*
Zelina Rodrigues•Nuno L. Martins
Susana Batalha•Luís A. Pinto
Rita Andorinho•Célia Gonçalves
Vasco G. Vidal•Maria J. Marques
António I. Azeredo•João N. Marques
Trainee Lawyers:
Icília Berenguel
Maria A. Giestas
Eulália Sousa
Jeniffer Lao
Carlos S. Ferreira
Octávio Tavares
Fong Kit In
Cao Lemeng, Rui
Wong Pou Ngai, Karen
* Notary
º China Appointed Attesting Officer
www.ccadvog.com
17
Times
Sunday
14 June 2009
Sunday
18
Times
21 June 2009
19
Sunday
Times
Press Play
by Fernando Ferreira
Upcoming Album
The Mars Volta
“ Octahedron”
DVD
Canada based indie rock
band Arcade Fire, fronted by the husband and
wife duo Win Butler and
Régine Chassagne, in
March released “Miroir
Noir”, a film documenting the making of their
2007 album Neon Bible
and the tour in support
of it.
Shot by indie video auteur Vincent Moon and
directed by band collabo-
– Arcade
rator Vincent Morisset,
the
film allows (not only) fans
to re-live the bands’ electric energy on stage, as
well as get a glimpse of
rare backstage footage of
Régine Chassagne doing
vocal exercises or playing
a church organ, and the
band lying on their backs
and meditating.
Arcade Fire has released
two studio albums, Fu-
Lost in Time
The Mars Volta’s fifth studio album, Octahedron, will
be released tomorrow via Mercury Records worldwide.
“It’s more mellow. It’s a little more of what we consider
our ‘acoustic’ side,” singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala told
Australian radio station Triple J. “We know how people
can be so linear in their way of thinking, so when they
hear [the new album], they’re going to say, ‘This is not
an acoustic album! There’s electricity throughout it!’
But it’s our version,” he added.
“That’s what our band does — celebrate mutations. It’s
our version of what we consider an acoustic album.”
Considered by The New Yorker as “perhaps the most
musically adventurous act currently signed to a major
label,” The Mars Volta formed in 2001 by guitarist Omar
Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala.
Former released albums include, “De-Loused In The
Comatorium” (2003), “Frances The Mute” (2005),
“Amputechture” (2006) and “The Bedlam In Goliath”
(2008), winner of a Grammy in the “Best Hard Rock
Performance” category for the song “Wax Simulacra.”
20
– Death
DeathFromAbove 1979 (photo credit: ANDREW GRAHAM)
Video
OK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, fronted
by lead vocalist Damian
Kulash. The band is famous
for their unusual fashion
sense and their energetic
music videos, in particular,
“Here It Goes Again”.
The music video of the
song is an elaborate performance of the band
walking, running and
dancing on treadmills in
a single continuous take
– Ok Go
with no special effects.
Choreographed and directed by Trish Sie and the
band, it took a total of 17
attempts to complete the
video.
It is the 11th most viewed
video on YouTube of all
time. The music video
won the 2007 Grammy
Award for Best Short
Form Music Video and
the 2006 YouTube awards
for Most Creative Video.
21 June 2009
Fire, “Miroir Noir”
neral in 2004 and Neon
Bible in 2007.
The album Funeral earned
the band a nomination for
the 48th Grammy Awards,
selling over 320,000 copies in the United States
and over 100,000 copies
in Canada.
Arcade’s Fire second album, Neon Bible was
nominated in the 50th
Grammy Awards for Best
Alternative Music Al-
bum, and it won the Juno
Award for Alternative Album of the Year.
The album also sold
142,000 copies as of May
2008, peaking at number
one in Canada and number two in the United
States.
Arcade Fire has received
five awards, including two
Juno Awards, one Meteor
Music Award and two
PLUG Awards.
From Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 was a Toronto based Canadian
funk-dance-punk duo that started in 2001 with Jesse F.
Keeler on bass, synths, backing vocals and Sebastien
Grainger on vocals and drums.
On August 3, 2006 the band officially split as Jesse F. Keeler
posted a farwell message on the official Death from Above
1979 forum.
Keeler further explained why the band split, claiming it
was due to disagreements with bandmate Grainger on
many levels, including creative differences and music
style.
The band released only one studio album, “You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine” in 2004, selling 175,000 copies world
wide according to the Toronto Star and gone gold (50,000
sold) in the band’s native Canada, and two EP’s, Heads Up
in 2002 and Romantic Rights in 2004.
“Here it goes again”
On stage
Placebo in Hong Kong
With a total of over 12 million records sold and a music career of over a decade, United Kingdoms’ rock trio
Placebo will be performing in Hong Kong at HITEC
Star Hall on August 3, in what will be the second time
the band plays in Hong Kong.
Led by lead singer/guitarist Brian Molko, Placebo’s
current line up includes Stefan Olsdal (bass, guitar &
keyboard) and new drummer Steve Forrest.
Formed in 1994, they released their first album ‘Placebo’ in 1996 and have now released five studio albums,
2 DVD’s and a ‘Singles Collection’. Their highly-anticipated sixth studio album “Battle For The Sun” will
be released on June 8.
Fall Out Boy in Macau
American rock band Fall Out Boy will make their debut performance in Macau at the CotaiArena, on Sunday, July 19.
Fall Out Boy was formed in 2001 by Patrick Vaughn
Stump, Joseph Mark Trohman, Peter Lewis Kingston
Wentz III and Andrew John Hurley, having sold more
than 8 millions records worldwide, hitting triple-platinum in Australia, double-platinum in Canada and
New Zealand, and platinum throughout the United
States, United Kingdom, Russia, Ireland and Indonesia.
The band has been touring all over the world including Singapore, Manila, Australia and New
Zealand and after their show in Macau, the band will
head to Korea and Japan.
The upcoming concert at CotaiArena™ will feature
their latest album, Folie à Deux.
21
Sunday
Times
From Macau
to Lisbon
Goodbye Lenin,
good morning Baltic states
O
n 23 August
1989, about
two
million people
f o r m e d
a 600-kilometre human
chain across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, calling
for the secession from the
USSR and the independence of the three states
was formally recognized
in 1991, but not without
its share of bloodshed. In
1991, Russian troops and
tanks were deployed in
the Baltic capitals and in
Lithuania 14 people got
killed. I read about this independence story and was
touched by these people’s
courageous stance against
an occupying force and curious to see what they were
like.
I dozed off on the coach
from Saint Petersburg but
could still feel the bumps
on the road. We stopped
The Town Hall Square in Riga’s Old Town
at the border for passport
and customs control. I was
finally in European Union
territory and that was the
end of VISA worries for
me. On the Estonian side,
the road improved at once,
as the coach rolled through
flat, green country, along
the Gulf of Finland on its
way to Tallinn. The highlight of Tallinn is its Old
Town, which is easily visited on foot. Its quietness
offered some respite after
the chaos of China and the
sheer massive size of Russia. This was, after all, what I
was waiting for: the chance
to stroll cities, taking in
their architecture and getting the medieval feeling of
those places. And Tallinn’s
wonderful Old Town is a
charming maze of winding, cobbled streets, church
spires, turrets, courtyards
and passageways, enclosed
by city walls. On the other
hand, if in Russia nearly
The Cathedral Square in Vilnius
22
no one speaks English, in
Estonia everyone speaks
perfect English. There are
free Wi-Fi access points
and modern shopping
malls and efficient and
well-stocked supermarkets
just outside Old Town. It’s
impossible not to be impressed by the giant leap
forward the country took
in less than 20 years since
breaking away from the Soviet Union.
Train links between the
three Baltic states are limited or non-existent and I
had to take a coach to Riga.
All of the three countries
are flat and there was an
eerie mist hanging low in
the air beneath a blue sky
when we rode into Latvia.
The coach arrived in Riga
at dusk and the coach station was empty and grey.
The trams were old and
confirmed the Soviet feeling of the city. Riga has a
Russian population of over
fifty per cent. Some Baltic
states born Russians don’t
speak the local Baltic languages and feel that these
independent states are still
part of Russia. This is was
most evident in Russia and
men here had an aura of
aggressiveness about them
and they didn’t trust foreigners. Because Riga is
well connected to the rest
of Europe through lowcost carriers, it has become
a major destination for stag
parties and drunken groups
of Brits, who thus enhance
the natural propensity of
the locals to shun or dislike foreigners. Riga’s Old
Town is larger and darker
than Tallinn’s and I didn’t
get much feeling out of it. It
was windy all the time and I
didn’t meet any locals. Nevertheless, I had a nice time
meeting fellow travellers at
the hostel. I joined a group
of Germans for a painful but
The Town Hall in Tallinn’s Old Town
21 June 2009
fun time playing paintball.
We were joined by a large
group of Brits and the Germans joked that we were
going it was World War II
all over again. It is always a
good sign when people can
make healthy jokes about
the dark episodes of their
country’s history.
Even though I enjoyed both
Tallinn and Riga, none of
those cities was able to capture my heart like Vilnius
in Lithuania. Tallinn has a
beautiful old town, but it
seems too perfect and is almost like a medieval theme
23
Sunday
Times
From Macau
to Lisbon
24
park that has been put up for tourists and
where only they enjoy traditional restaurants, outdoor beer decks and areas, and the
views of the restored buildings. Riga, on the
other hand, is grittier and more soviet, but
its Old Town is also filled with tourists. Vilnius, on the other hand, had its beer decks
and outdoor areas filled by locals and Lithuanians enjoyed themselves under the sun
in city parks and gardens. Vilnius boasts
the largest Old Town in Europe, a web of
snaking cobbled streets and baroque spires.
Lithuanians have a lot of heart too. They are
friendly and outgoing and I was fortunate
enough to meet plenty of them who taught
me much about their history and character.
I visited the KGB Museum, a building used
as a prison in the time of the soviet occupation, and learnt about how the soviets tried
to stifle the Lithuanian nationalist feeling. I
also had a go at a shooting range in Vilnius
where I shot live rounds of about half a dozen riffles, including the AK-47 and the M-4,
the short version of the M-16, the Tommy
gun, the MP-5 and four handguns. I have
A view over Riga and the river Daugava from the top of St. Peter’s Church
never had any interest in guns before and was surprised
by the terrifying clap the big riffles made each time I pulled
the trigger. It was like having the power of thunder on the
tip of my finger. It made me understand just how dangerous and deadly firearms can me. It made me realize just
how easy it is to take a human life.
* Follow him online: http://www.theloneartist.com/
21 June 2009
25
Sunday
Times
-All about Dogs.
-All about Cats.
-All about Exotics.
-All about pet ownership.
-All about nutrition.
We will be focusing on
the following;
Allergies
Avian/Exotics
Behavior
Boarding
Dental
Digestive System
Diseases
Ears
General
Heart
Hormones
Husbandry
Medications
Musculoskeletal
Neoplasia
Nervous System
Nutrition
Reproductive System
Respiratory
Skin
Surgery
Travel
Urinary
Vaccinations
Ask The Vet
Question Categories
to be covered are:
Please send all your questions to
[email protected] or mail to
Dr Ruan Du Toit Bester
Rua, D.R, L, P, Marquest 2/F, Flat B,
Ponte 6A, Macau SAR.
Tel: +853 28763349 Fax: +853 28763349
26
Ask the Vet - is a service that allows you to ask questions
about your pets’ health and behavior. My goal is to help you,
the pet owner, improve the knowledge of your pet’s everyday
needs and health care in Macau through a variety of pet services and veterinary resources that where never available to pet
owners before.
Pets have become a very important part of our families. In many
cases they have become as much a part of our lives as children or
grandchildren. And, in certain ways, just as complicated. Think
of all the questions raised by wanting a pet. Pet ownership has
definitely become more complex. Everybody seems to have an
opinion on what pet you should get and what being a good pet
owner means.
My goal is to answer your questions and try making things
simpler for you. I want to give some of the basic information
that will help you to raise a healthy, happy and family compatible pet. And, of course, have fun while you are doing it.
The ideas listed in this column come from many years of
studying and practicing veterinary medicine in South Africa,
Australia, Hong Kong and Macau. And they are just that, my
ideas and opinions. They are not meant to be all-encompassing
or correct for every situation. Use this information as a tool,
along with the advice from your veterinarian, to help you make
the interaction between you and your pet a wonderful experience.
As far as I am concerned, there are two kinds of people; those
who really love animals, and those who have never owned any.
People who say they do not love pets have usually never owned
one. And for those who say they hate them, well, let’s just not
talk about them! The picture above is of a 150kg sea turtle at
Australia Zoo that I did abdominal surgery on after it ingested
a ball of fishing line. Indiscriminate and over fishing causes this
to happen too often.
I hope this section helps you enjoy that perfect life with your
pet. And I would love to hear the stories of how you came to
own your particular pet and any interesting experiences you
have had.
21 June 2009
Why Does My Dog Eat Grass?
photo by Manuel Cardoso
W
e as vets
don’t know
what the biological function of grass
eating is, but we think we do
know that it is a normal behavior in healthy dogs. Owners of
grass-eating dogs should limit
their pet’s access to chemically
treated lawns. Not that there
are many in Macau, but if you
do have your dog walking and
eating grass on walking trails
try to prevent it.
The following are details of
a fairly extensive study conducted at the University of
Wisconsin,
Preventative
Medicine Service that both
debunks and confirms several theories.
Canine plant-eating behavior was surveyed in 2
groups of dog owners: those
with healthy dogs visiting
the outpatient service of a
veterinary school and a second group visiting an internet site. The investigators
asked 4 questions: Is most
plant eating done by dogs
showing signs of illness?
Are most of these episodes
followed by vomiting? Does
a dietary deficiency trigger
plant eating? Is it normal? In
the healthy pet population
surveyed at the veterinary
hospital, 47 of 98 surveys met the study criteria;
owners had to spend a designated amount of time
with the dog, and the dog had to have daily exposure to plants. In this group, 79% (n=37) reported
that their dogs ate grass and other plants. Grass
was the predominant plant consumed, and only
4 dogs were reported to be ill before eating grass.
Ten plant-eating dogs had a diet supplemented
with fruits and vegetables, and none of the nonplant-eating dogs consumed a diet supplemented
with vegetables or fruits. For the internet survey
(n=1571), many respondents reported that their
dogs were selective about the type of grass eaten. Only
132 were reported to be ill before or after eating plants,
and vomiting after eating plants was reported in 346 dogs.
Those fed complete and balanced diets were more likely
to vomit than those fed homemade diets. Older dogs were
more likely to vomit than young dogs. Younger age was
significantly associated with increased plant eating, increased eating of nongrass plants, decreased signs of illness before grazing, and decreased tendency to vomit after
eating plants. This is for the USA. So the conclusion in
Macau is just don’t let your dog eat grass!
Hope to hear from you soon.
27
Sunday
Times
Offbeat
Belgian teen to sue over tattoo
A Belgian teenager is suing a tattoo artist
whom she says covered half her face with
stars while she was asleep, media reports in
Brussels said.
Kimberley Vlaeminck, 18, was left sporting
56 black stars of various sizes on the left
side of her face, from nose to ear and brow
to chin.
The young housewife said she had gone to the
tattoo parlour in the western town of Courtrai
and asked for three small stars on her face.
“I wanted him to tattoo on just three little points
but he suggested three stars saying it would look
prettier,” Vlaeminck told local press.
“When he started the tattooing I didn’t want to
feel the pain and so I went to sleep. I had got
up at five in the morning,” she said.
“I woke up when he was starting to tattoo my
nose and I saw what he had already done. I
counted 56 stars, it’s frightening,” she told the
Flemish daily Het Laatste Nieuws.
The young woman, who said she doesn’t dare
walk down the street, has decided to sue the tattoo
parlour.
She said she also hoped to have her starry
appearance reversed by laser treatment, which would
cost thousands of euros.
Tattoo artist Rouslan Toumaniantz denied that his
client had fallen asleep.
“She was awake the whole time, I don’t use hypnosis or
drugs. She agreed to it. The problems started when her
father and his friend saw the tattoos,” he told the paper.
Restaurant review
Robuchon a Galera
3rd floor Lisboa Hotel
2-4 Avenida de Lisboa
Macau
OPEN Lunch 12-1430.
Dinner 1830-2230
COST MOP398-MOP638
for lunch
Reservations: 28883888
28
Robuchon a Galera is the kind of French restaurant
that people are willing to fly across the ocean
to experience. How gratifying then for Macau
residents that we can forgo the discomfort of a
13 hour flight and experience Joel Robuchon’s
exquisite restaurant right here at home.
Robuchon’s majestic dining room serves haute
cuisine of executive chef Francky Semblat,
under the direction of Joel Robuchon who flies
in regularly during the year to supervise the
seasonal menu. For those that were oblivious
to the hoopla surrounding the release of the
recent 2009 Michelin Guide, Robuchon’s is
the only restaurant in Macau to have been
awarded the highly coveted 3 Star rating. The
rationale for 3 stars is “Exceptional cuisine,
worth a special journey. One always eats here
extremely well, sometimes superbly. Distinctive
dishes are precisely executed, using superlative
ingredients”
Such exceptional cuisine generally equates to a
hefty bill. A la carte starters cost around MOP400,
but the same amount will buy you a four-course
meal – with no skimping on ingredients – at
lunchtime. If you like everything about haute cuisine
except the price, you should take advantage of
these alluringly priced lunch menus.
Three menu options are available, MOP398,
MOP498, MOP638. The 3 course MOP398 menu
includes an entrée, fish or meat main course, cheese
or dessert and coffee. 4 courses or 5 courses are
available at the higher set menu prices.
The start of our luncheon was signified with
the arrival of the 2 storied bread trolley, fairly
groaning with every conceivable option and
permutation of bread, all of which are made
from scratch. A bread basket for the table is
made up of your selection.
There are three dish choices for each course.
For the first course, I had lightly smoked foie gras
with white asparagus, the foie gras presented
as thinly curled shavings – the flavours sublime.
Next was crispy skin sea bass with spinach and
gingers in tomatoes broth. The fish truly superb,
supported, but not overpowered, by the spinach
with barely a hint of ginger.
Cheese or dessert? One look at both trolleys
that were wheeled to the table and we agreed
that we would opt for a win win solution; cheese
for me and dessert for my dining partner. The
varieties of cheeses offered is remarkable, the
standout for us was aged cheddar, the colour
of a wonderful old terracotta pot. Soft goat’s
cheeses and blues’ were enjoyed with bread
and fruit. For lovers of dessert, the choices
of 10 desserts ranging from tarts to mille fuille
were almost, but not quite, overwhelming.
Robuchon’s is fine dining at it’s very best. At a
time when the Macau dining scene is changing
at an unprecedented pace, it is reassuring
to know that this restaurant still comfortably
remains at the very top of the dining tree.
21 June 2009
Cartooning the World
by António
MDTimes exclusive in Macau
This Day in History
Pele leads Brazil over Italy
On June 21, 1970, Brazil, led by soccer legend Pele, wins its
third World Cup championship with a 4-1 victory over Italy.
The game, at Aztec Stadium in Mexico City, was attended by
112,000 spectators, most of whom could but marvel at the
spectacular play Pele and the Brazilians showcased in their
triumph.
The game was supposed to be a match between Italy’s
counter-attacking style and Brazil’s “beautiful game,” but rain
the night before the match had left the field damp and slow,
limiting Brazil’s usual freewheeling style in the first half. Italy
played with characteristic precision, but was stifled by Brazil’s
defense, which was usually overshadowed by the team’s
world-class attack. Brazil’s captain, Carlos Alberto Torres,
directed the dominant defense from his left fullback position
and continuously turned the ball upfield to his fabulous
midfielders and forwards, Roberto Rivelino, Jair Ventura and
Gerson Oliveira Nunes
The 1970 World Cup was the third championship for Pele and
the Brazilians; the first came in 1958, when Pele was just 17,
and the second in 1962.
Brazil was the first team to win three World Cup Championships
and in recognition of the feat they were given the gold
Jules Rimet Trophy, named for a former FIFA president,
permanently.
The Rimet replacement, the gold FIFA World Cup Trophy,
was awarded for the first time in 1974 to World Cup champion
West Germany.
29
Sunday
Times
The Born Loser by Chip Sansom
Sudoku
Easy
Cinema
Cineteatro
Easy +
Room 1
4:30/7:30 pm
Blood-The Last Vampire
Starring: Gianna Jun, Koyuki
Director: Chris Nahon
Screenplay: Kenji Kamiyama, Katsuya Terada
Language: English ( Chinese subtitles)
Duration:105 min
2:30/9:30 pm
Night at the Museum 2
Medium
Room 3
2:30/4:45/7:15/9:30 pm
Scandal Makers
Starring: Cha Tae Hyun, Park Bao Young
Director: Kang Hyung Chul
Screenplay: Hyeong-Cheol Kang
Language: Korean ( English Chinese subtitles)
Duration:108 min
Macau Tower
Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams
Director: Shawn Levy
Screenplay: Robert Ben Garant , Thomas Lennon
Language: English ( Chinese subtitles)
Duration:105 min
Hard
Room 2
2:30/4:45/7:15/9:30 pm
Duplicity
Starring: Clive Owen, Julia Roberts
Director: Tony Gilroy
Screenplay: Tony Gilroy
Language: English ( Chinese subtitles)
Duration:125 min
Terminator Salvation
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington
Director: Joseph “McG” McGinty Nichol
Screenplay: John D. Brancato, Michael Ferris
Language: English ( Chinese subtitles)
Duration:130 min
Night at the Museum 2
TV
Canal Macau
Sunday
RTPi (live)
16:20
Lost
11:00
Sunday Mass
17:45
Documentary in portuguese
12:00
Magazine
18:40
Young adult series
12:30
Cooking Series
20:00
Situation Comedy
13:00
TDM News ( rep. )
20:30
Main news, financial 13:20
News at 24h (RTPi) & weather report
(delayed broadcast)
21:00
Noon News: RTPi
14:20
Young Children
22:00
Criminal Minds
14:42
Animation:
22:40
Documentary Series
Johan, the young scientist
23:00
TDM News
15:00
Animation: Turtle Island
23:20
Non-daily portuguese news
15:30
Magic
RTPi (live)
30
(live )
When the Museum of Natural
History is closed for upgrades
and renovations, the museum
pieces are moved into federal
storage at the famous Washington
Museums. The centerpiece of
the film will be bringing to life
the
Smithsonian
Institution,
which houses the world’s largest
museum complex with more than
136 million items in its collections,
ranging from the plane Amelia
Earhart (Amy Adams) flew on
her non-stop solo flight across
the Atlantic and Al Capone’s (Jon
Bernthal) rap sheet and mug
shot to Dorothy’s ruby slippers,
Fonzie’s jacket from Happy Days,
the still from M*A*S*H and Archie
Bunker’s lounge chair from All
in the Family. With a forwarded
resume, Larry (Ben Stiller)
becomes another caretaker at the
Smithsonian, where Kahmunrah,
an evil Pharaoh will come to life
with the reestablishing of a tablet
as a magical force in the museum
bringing the old exhibits (Such as
Theodore Roosevelt and Dexter)
and new exhibits (like General
Custer and Al Capone) back to
life, and in conflict with each other.
Larry enlists the help of Amelia
Earheart, who he develops a
romantic interest in, and together
they try to put everything back in
order.
21 June 2009
31
Sunday
WHAT IS IT?
PRANAYAMA
Yoga
Times
Av.Do Infante
D. Henrique,
no. 43-53a, second floor
Macau Square, Macau
Tel: 2899 5599
32
by Torey Lee Farmer*
B
reath is the
bridge between
the body and
mind…
The inspiring
postures, graceful shapes
and exercise movements of
yoga may be what attracts
most of us to yoga but yoga
masters will tell you that
is only a very small part or
point of yoga practice. According to yoga philosophy,
the postures are just the
‘appetizer’ to deeper states
of meditation—where our
minds grow perfectly still,
focused and one-pointed.
The link or bridge between
body and mind is breath.
Regulation of inhalation and exhalation, control
of breath or formal practice is called Pranayama. When the Breath is shallow, uneven or
uncontrolled the mind is unsteady, wanders, or is restless. But when the Breath
is still, so is the mind still -- Hatha Yoga
Pradipika.
There are a number of different
Pranayama techniques… If these systematic techniques are learned and
practiced regularly, it will have profound results and effects on body,
breath and mind.
These are but a few of the
Pranayama (breathing exercises)
techniques that should be practiced regularly.
Yogic Breathing or diaphragmatic
breathing: breathing slowly and
deeply while imagining that the
lungs are filling from bottom
to top--first by expanding the abdomen, then
the middle rib cage,
and finally the upper chest. When
exhaling, imagine the
breath emptying in reverse, from top to bottom, pulling in the abdomen slightly at the end to
empty the lungs completely. This three-part deep breathing is the foundation of all the
yogic breathing techniques and is the natural way to breathe.
Kapalabhati, or rapid diaphragmatic breathing: Kapalabhati consists of multiple rounds of rapid breathing in which
the breath is forcefully expelled from the lungs with a strong
inward thrust of the abdomen. Students can start out with
one round of 15 breaths in quick succession and build up
to several hundred breaths in one round. This makes the
lungs strong and powerful, oxygenates the blood, and clears
negative thoughts.
Nadi Suddhi or alternate nostril breathing: In Nadi Suddhi, the fingers and thumb of the right hand are used to
close off first one nostril and then the other-alternating.
This pranayama starts with an inhalation through the left
nostril, closing the left and exhaling through the right, inhaling through the right , closing the right nostril and exhaling through the left--with the whole pattern repeated several
times. This is very good for calming the mind and bringing
the mind to one-pointedness.
Instruction in the breathing practices are taught with systematic techniques practiced for a specific duration or number of rounds in one session and should always be taught by
21 June 2009
a qualified teacher.
Some of the effects of deep
breathing are:
Conscious
breathing
brings more oxygen and energy to the cells, exercises all
of the cellular processes and
promotes relaxation.
Deep exhalation helps to get
rid of toxins from our lungs.
Deep breathing strengthens
weak abdominal and intestinal muscles.
Deep breathing is a great
way to release the stress of
our daily life.
Deep slow breathing assists in weight control.
Deep breathing exercise
causes an increase in the
elasticity of the lungs and
rib cage.
Just as our breath alters,
depending on our mood,
our whole psychological
state can be altered.
Pranayama also goes hand
in hand with the Asanas. The
union of these two Yogic
Principles is considered as
the highest form of purification and self-discipline, covering both mind and body,
At Universal Yoga you will
find experienced, qualified
teachers to lead you on the
journey of self-awareness
and health…
‘IT IS SIMPLE WHEN WE
BREATH BETTER
WE FEEL BETTER’
Universal Yoga’s goal is
to empower and inspire
you to achieve your highest potential in all aspectsphysical, mental, emotional
and spiritual so you may live
a fuller, more complete, rewarding and richer life on
purpose….
* From Universal Yoga
33
Sunday
Times
Photo by Manuel Cardoso
Zoom
Structure of time
So often we are reminded of the multitudes of sacred circles, where people often spend
time in silence. Sometimes the time is structured. People who sit alone, going solo
in prayer and meditation, form sacred and invisible circles. It’s just an habit of active
mindfulness. People pausing before actions, decisions or responses. As we all should do.
Tiago Azevedo
Journalist
34
21 June 2009
35
Sunday
36
Times