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| December 24, 2003 |
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World Media Watch by Gloria R. Lalumia BUZZFLASH NOTE: Once again, these are the views and perspectives of the individual papers, not of BuzzFlash or Gloria. They offer BuzzFlash readers a way of reading what other nations are saying about the crisis, whether we like it or not. We repeat: This is not an endorsement of their viewpoints. * * * Note: There will be no WMW on Friday, December 26. Gloria wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday. WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR DECEMBER 24, 2003 1//The Toronto Star, Canada--MARS 'BULL'S-EYE' FOR BEAGLE 2 (Beagle 2 is now streaking toward an even more precise Mars landing on Christmas Eve...The bargain-basement lander will be the first mission to search for direct signs of life on Mars since 1976 when twin U.S. Viking spacecraft came up with inconclusive results from simple chemical analysis of a single soil sample apiece.) 2//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--TOWN TAKE UP A SANTA CAUSE (A small German town is demanding that its most famous son be recognised as the creator of Father Christmas, rather than the Coca-Cola company.) 3//Pravda, Russia-CHRISTMAS (St. Nicholas is the patron
saint of Russia, of sailors and of children, the happy
soul who brings the presents on 6th December, 25th December
or 6th January, depending on the country or religion.
However, St. Nicholas lived in flesh and blood. Born
in 217 AD, in Mira, Asia Minor, the city of which he
was later to become Bishop, he became connected to the
giving of presents through two stories: that he saved
the three daughters of a poor man from prostitution,
offering each one a bag of gold and that he saved three
navy officers from the death penalty.) 5//The Japan Times, Japan--ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MORI LIVING (In Mori Living-serviced apartments at Roppongi Hills, every molecule has been meticulously planned. In these luxury apartments, designed by Conran & Partners, a two-bedroom apartment is 87.85 sq. meters and the biggest five-bedroom apartment is 420 sq. meters. When you consider Japan has 3,000 people per square kilometer, compared to America's 353, living in an apartment this large in Tokyo is equal to living in a space the size of a football field in the U.S.... So, Santa, I've been an especially good girl this year. I know getting Mori Living for Christmas would take a miracle, but I believe in miracles. Remember "Miracle on 32nd Street?" It's time for a remake: "Miracle on the 32nd Floor.") * * * 1//The
Toronto Star Dec. 23, 2003. 04:34 PM MARS 'BULL'S-EYE' FOR BEAGLE 2 Peter Calamai OTTAWA - Beagle 2 is now streaking toward an even more precise Mars landing on Christmas Eve. Colin Pillinger, chief scientist for the funky British spacecraft, said yesterday new calculations show the Beagle 2 will parachute down in an area 15 kilometres wide and 80 kilometres long on a broad basin called Isidis Planitia near the Martian equator. "It's pretty close to a bull's eye," Pillinger told the Star in an interview from London. The bargain-basement lander will be the first mission to search for direct signs of life on Mars since 1976 when twin U.S. Viking spacecraft came up with inconclusive results from simple chemical analysis of a single soil sample apiece. Beagle 2 will use more sophisticated mass spectrometry to check for tell-tale signs that even a primitive form of living matter once existed on the planet - or is still there today. But the spacecraft can still handle only a maximum of 10 tiny samples of dirt or ground rock. "That's eight more than Viking but we'll still need a bit of luck in picking the samples," said Pillinger. (SNIP) Beagle 2 is scheduled to land on Mars on Christmas Eve at 9:54 p.m. our time (Christmas Day at 2.54 a.m. GMT). The craft is expected to last in the harsh Martian environment no more than six months. The Mars Express mother ship, mapping the surface and scanning with radar for signs of ice or water below ground, will probably operate until November. Named after the ship that carried naturalist Charles Darwin on the evolution-awakening expedition, the Beagle 2 cost a mere $60 million for 35 kilograms of payload, compared to a total cost of $1.2 billion for the two U.S. robot explorers weighing 180 kilograms each that will follow to the Martian surface Jan. 3 and 24, 2004. (MORE)
TOWN TAKE UP A SANTA CAUSE Landau, in western Germany, has begun a marketing campaign claiming that Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist born in the town in 1840, created the first sketch of the rotund, jovial, old man in a red jacket. Nast emigrated to the United States at the age of six, eventually becoming one of the country's most successful political cartoonists. The people of Landau say that Nast sketched the first known image of Father Christmas for Harper's Weekly in 1862, taking his inspiration from a mythical German character called Pelznickel (Furry Nicholas) who visited naughty children in their sleep. (MORE)
CHRISTMAS St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia, of sailors and of children, the happy soul who brings the presents on 6th December, 25th December or 6th January, depending on the country or religion. However, St. Nicholas lived in flesh and blood. Born in 217 AD, in Mira, Asia Minor, the city of which he was later to become Bishop, he became connected to the giving of presents through two stories: that he saved the three daughters of a poor man from prostitution, offering each one a bag of gold and that he saved three navy officers from the death penalty. In the Middle Ages, presents were distributed on 6th December (St. Nicholas died on 6th December 342 AD) but in the fourth century AD, Pope Julius I altered the date of the birth of Jesus Christ to 25th December, to coincide with the Roman Saturnalis and the Germanic and Celtic pagan festivals of the Solstice of Winter (21st December). In the thirteenth century AD, nativity scenes started to be used to celebrate the date. The Orthodox Churches changed the date for the worship of Christ to 6th January, the Day of Adoration, or Epiphany, when the three Wise Kings visited Jesus in the manger and gave him the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. This is the day on which Christmas is celebrated in Russia but it is not Father Christmas who brings the presents, rather Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), Babushka (Grandmother) or Snegorouchka (the Snow Girl). The traditional Father Christmas, who seems to be a classic example of globalization, was originally depicted in various colors before Coca-Cola decided to use him in their Christmas campaign in the 1920s, painting him in red and white, after which this has been the universal uniform of this figure. He needs nine reindeer to pull his sleigh: se Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitze and Rudolf, the leader of the group. (MORE)
EUROPEAN BUG FINDS A FESTIVE BRITISH HOME A small, sap-sucking bug from Europe has been found living on mistletoe in Britain for the first time, the National Trust disclosed yesterday. The black insect, previously known only in Germany and France, was discovered living on the festive plant in the Trust's gardens at Barrington Court and Tintinhull, Somerset. The bug is one of three new insects found as part of the Trust's on-going Wildlife in Gardens survey. Known as Hypseloecus visci, the mistletoe bug measures less than a quarter of an inch (3-4mm) long and sucks sap from the leaves and stems of the plant. The find raises the number of British insects dependent on mistletoe to six: one moth, one weevil and four bugs. There are 1,500 species of mistletoe worldwide and most grow in the tropics. (MORE)
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MORI LIVING How's your life space these days? Do you have the correct balance of relax space, social space and, say, foot space? In Japan, space is a topic of constant discussion. Hair salons are called "hair space" and companies tout products for "your enjoy living space." Why the obsession with space in Japan? Because there isn't any! (SNIP) Well, now there is no need to ax off, nor even whittle down, furniture to fit it into small spaces anymore. Because real living space has arrived in Tokyo! It's called Mori Living: vertical living, 100 meters above ground. On the 42nd floor, you'll not only have that space all to yourself, but you'll be able to watch migrating birds and emerging weather patterns, and at night you can spy UFOs. Far-sighted people will especially enjoy the views of Tokyo from their apartment. In Mori Living-serviced apartments at Roppongi Hills, every molecule has been meticulously planned. In these luxury apartments, designed by Conran & Partners, a two-bedroom apartment is 87.85 sq. meters and the biggest five-bedroom apartment is 420 sq. meters. When you consider Japan has 3,000 people per square kilometer, compared to America's 353, living in an apartment this large in Tokyo is equal to living in a space the size of a football field in the U.S. (SNIP) If you haven't seen Mount Fuji in a few years, it's simply because you're not high enough. Mori Living offers a view of Mount Fuji year-round from your living room -- as a live mural on a wall of picture windows. Not to miss a detail, they even wash the windows for you twice a month so you always have a clear lens to look through. So, Santa, I've been an especially good girl this year. I know getting Mori Living for Christmas would take a miracle, but I believe in miracles. Remember "Miracle on 32nd Street?" It's time for a remake: "Miracle on the 32nd Floor." I'll be waiting for you, Santa, and for the sleigh ride to Roppongi Hills. I've already cleared landing for you at the sleigh port, right next to the heliport. | |||||
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