Sharjah Museums Department celebrates Arabic Language Day

WAM Sharjah, 21st Feb. 2010 (WAM): Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) celebrated the Arabic Language Day, to coincide with the International Mother Language Day marked by UNESCO on Feb. 21 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The initiative is part of SMD's commitment to highlight the importance of the Arabic language in the community, and to maintain national heritage, history and identity.
In celebration of the Arabic Language Day, Sharjah Calligraphy Museum hosted artist Khalifa Al Sheimi who gave a lecture on the types of calligraphy and tools used. The museum also organized an exhibition called "Calligraphy as an art" where tools used in calligraphy were on display. Al Eslah School Museum also displayed some of the writing tools used in the past in the United Arab Emirates.
"Celebrating the Arabic Language Day confirms our commitment to respect and further promote our mother tongue, which is a symbol of national identity and belonging. The Arabic language with its distinguished linguistics holds the strength to promote nation-building and strengthening cultural ties," said Manal Ataya, Director General, SMD. "Arabic is also the language of the Holy Qu'ran, the basis of our unity, and the mirror of our present and future," she added.
"Calligraphy is part of the Arabic language. If language is the link between civilizations, calligraphy documented it and passed it down over the generations. It also paved the way for fair competition among artists to excel in their work as can be witnessed at the Sharjah Calligraphy Museum," said Buthaina Al Rasasi, Curator, Sharjah Calligraphy Museum.
Al Eslah School Museum was established in 1935 as the first formal educational institute to be opened in Sharjah. The mission of the Al Eslah School Museum is to enable the generations of the past and of the present to meet and to maintain Emirati customs and traditions regarding the Arabic language, religion and Islamic education.
The Sharjah Calligraphy Museum, the only museum in the Arab world devoted entirely to calligraphy, aims to instill the art of calligraphy in the people and visitors of Sharjah and to set new standards both locally and internationally.
Created by local artists and well-known international calligraphers, significant works of art from the Arab world demonstrate the complexity of this vibrant art form and its historical and Islamic foundations. Arabic calligraphy seen on canvas, wood, paper and ceramics will inspire visitors with its positive and living energy.
The Sharjah Museums Department, established in 2006 by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, aims to promote the emirate's rich legacy of arts, heritage and culture

An isle of artists

Andres Pakarati, an artist from the Easter Island, poses for a portrait with his sculpture. Ana Bianca Marin for the National

Easter Island is known for two things: the social and environmental devastation that followed over -exploitation of its resources in the late 19th century and its 887 monumental statues, called moay, the construction and transportation of which were mysteries for centuries.

Today, both legacies remain inextricably linked to the culture of the island. In an exhibition that reaches its finale today at Zayed University Silicon Oasis in Dubai, two artists from the island are showcasing work they say speaks to the heart of the isolated Polynesian Island.

Christian Tuki has painted for 33 years. His work uses themes of nature and aims to give a sense that the people of Rapa Nui, as the island is referred in its official language, possess a far deeper history than that which can be gleaned from the statues alone. Using earth tones and often depicting people and animals as they appear in reality, Tuki reveals an ongoing connection with nature that is part of a great nationalistic pride.

“I want to show that [we are people] who love simple things; music, nature, [we are] respectful of it and its laws. We are one of the wonders of the world.”

Andres Pakarati wears many hats: artist, tattooist, traditional Polynesian carver. Born into a traditional Rapa Nui artist family, he learnt the art of carving from family, a skill that has been passed down for generations.

“When we start learning to make these small sculptures, we do so because we can sell them to the tourists,” he explains. “It’s for work. It takes years to learn how to make bigger ones.”
Pakarati explains that his family has been making the island’s traditional sculptures for more than 1,500 years. Upon mastering the art, he says that he soon realised this alone would not be enough for him, at which point he began to learn about other forms of expression.

“I’d travel for three months a year and had seen the sculptures of other places. It [gave] me a better understanding of what I do,” he says. “In my own culture, art is the most important thing. At home everyone is an artist, and it’s important because the artists are the ones who keep us in touch with our roots. We have a specific style, an aesthetic that’s our own.”

Over the course of the current Easter Island exhibition, Pakarati has worked on two traditional statues called paenga, both of which will reach a height of three metres. He’s working on them at a desert site outside Dubai. When complete, one statue will sit at the university, the other at the Chilean embassy here.

Almost 1,000 of these statues sit on Easter Island today. It is estimated they were carved between the years 1250 and 1500. The tallest reach about 11 metres in height and in some cases the stone they are made out of weighs hundreds of tonnes. This and the fact that the statues’ raw materials would have to have been moved from one area of the island to another has shrouded them in mystery.

Local legends explain that the movement of the statues resulted from their being commanded by higher powers to walk to their ultimate locations. Barring that theory, it is supposed that the statues were moved via a massive human effort, involving ropes and a trolley system made of wood. This hypothesis is made primarily because the halt of the statues’ production coincided with the disappearance of the island’s last tree, which, according to scientists’ pollen tests, occurred around 1650.

The island has undergone waves of immense change and, as Pakarati explains, it continues to.

Much of the deforestation that mars the island’s past is the work of its original inhabitants, making what the artist calls centuries of bad decisions with regards to resource management. But the arrival of Europeans also brought new animal species, among them rats. These non-native rats made their nests in the trees, and in an effort to eliminate them, many of the island’s trees were destroyed.

Though reforestation has taken place, Pakarati explains that the population of 4,000 people is bombarded almost year round with tourists, and this presents its own set of challenges.

“The mix of indigenous culture and modern cultures doesn’t always work. We have so many more TVs, cars, computers, there are fast food places everywhere,” he explains. “It’s changed this famous place quite a lot. It’s affected our lifestyles.”

Tuki shares the same sentiments, that the island people are struggling but determined to maintain their traditions while opening up to the modernities that are necessary for any tourist destination.

“I want to tell everyone that we like being so far away, but we still need to grow and learn.”

Abu Dhabi all set for sculpture event

The six-week event till April 7 will also see a renowned artist from the UAE taking part in the event at the Armed Forces Officers Club.

• Salah Khedr, Director of Operations, Armed Forces Officers Club, Abeer Al Mutawa, Community Services Advisor of Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, Dr Sulaiman Al Jasem, and Salwa Zeidan at the press conference in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi: Renowned international and regional sculptors will participate in the Abu Dhabi International Sculpture Symposium (Adiss) starting here on Thursday.
The six-week event till April 7 will also see a renowned artist from the UAE taking part in the event at the Armed Forces Officers Club.
Seventeen international and regional artists will participate in the event, to be held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Students of Zayed University and members of the public will have the opportunity to interact with the sculptors through a series of workshops and lectures during the symposium.
"Under the guidance of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and President of Zayed University, the Abu Dhabi International Sculpture Symposium is truly an exceptional event that marks an important historic milestone and is destined to transform the art and cultural sector in the UAE," said Dr Sulaiman Al Jasem, Vice-President of Zayed University.
Adiss, whose theme is "Bridging Societies through the Language of Art", is organised by Zayed University in collaboration with Salwa Zeidan Gallery, while its strategic partners are the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City and the Armed Forces Officers Club.
"The response to the announcement of this symposium from artists around the world was overwhelming, resulting in over 400 applications and each artist was carefully selected to give the symposium a multicultural context. The artistic concept of the submitted works ranged from abstract ideas to semi-realistic designs, mainly aimed at complementing the beautiful city of Abu Dhabi, its history, and its culture," said Salwa Zeidan, Symposium Director of Adiss and the Director of the Salwa Zeidan Gallery.
Land within the grounds of the Armed Forces Officers Club will be made available for the sculptors to create their individual pieces using various materials, including steel, marble and fibreglass.
"This initiative is in line with Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed's vision of establishing Abu Dhabi as the cultural centre of the Middle East region by 2030 ..." said Abeer Al Mutawa, Community Services Advisor of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City.

Next Japanese Art Festival Announced in London

http://www.japaneseartfestival.com
info@japaneseartfestival.com

On the 27th and 28th of February, the Japanese Arts Festival will return to the Richmond Adult Community college, Richmond.
At the last festival in July 2009, over 2,000 visitors enjoyed a busy programme of shows and demonstrations. All kinds of cultural activities will be represented, from koto and kimono, to shamisen and origami.
You can even join in with one of the many workshops, including Japanese cooking, manga drawing classes, film screenings and even Taiko drumming!
Younger visitors will have plenty to keep them occupied, with activities throughout the weekend including an exhibition of manga art and Para Para dance demonstrations. Dozens of manga artists and anime dealers will be exhibiting at the festival too. Why not have your portrait drawn by one of the many talented artists?
This year's festival will feature a range of cosplay activities on both days, including cosplay competitions, costume making workshops, and photo sessions!
Guest speakers at the festival include Japanese comics experts Paul Gravett, and artist Sonia Leong, author of Manga Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Worn out from so much culture, you can relax in the open cafe area, which will be serving a range of Japanese refreshments, from festival food such as takoyaki and okonomiyaki, to old favourites like sake and soba.
The venue is easily accessible by bus, tube and British Rail. Entry to the festival and most of the activities are free, although there will be a charge for some of the workshops (see website for details).
The Japanese Arts festival would like to thank Tecmo-KOEI (publishers of the Samurai Warriors series of games), Third Window, MVM Films and Optimum Releasing for their continued support and sponsorship.
Japanese Art Festival
Venue: Richmond Adult Community College, Richmond (West London)
Date: 27 - 28th February 2010
Time: 11am - 5pm
Admission: Free
Special Guests: Helen McCarthy (manga expert and author), Paul Gravett (manga expert and author), Sonia Leong (manga artist)

'Arts of Ancient Viet Nam'

The expansive exhibition of artifacts from the land's historical cultures is on view at the Asia Society in New York.

Reporting from New York - "Arts of Ancient Viet Nam," the most ambitious exhibition of Vietnamese art yet to appear in the United States, is a show about meetings.

In room after room, magnificent objects on display tell a story about people -- how we encounter one another and change in the process.

That such meetings are sometimes bloody was an inescapable issue for the organizers of the show, on view at the Asia Society in New York.

For decades, Vietnam existed in the American mind not so much as a geographical place with its own history but rather, singularly, as a synonym for conflict.

And it was this association -- as Asia Society Director Vishakha Desai put it: "that Vietnam means war" -- that organizers wanted to challenge. "We wanted to create a new story," Desai said. Given the interwoven history of America and Vietnam, it is a point delicately made.

For one thing, Nancy Tingley, the show's heroically stubborn curator who worked more than 20 years to realize "Arts of Ancient Viet Nam," has mounted an exhibition that looks at a time well before the Battle of Hue, the massacre at My Lai and the fall of Saigon. This is a historical show that examines another kind of meeting between people: one built on trade and commerce.

One reason it took so long for the exhibition to be realized was that before 2003 Vietnam didn't have a law that would allow for the lending of museum objects. But the Vietnamese government eventually threw its support behind the exhibition and 10 museums in Vietnam have contributed objects, including the Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh City.

Another obstacle was the lack of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States until 1995. "Politics got in the way for some years, but we've gotten beyond that," said Tingley, based in Northern California.

Although she acknowledges the initial difficulty of realizing the project, Tingley is less interested in making overt political statements and more engaged with the question of what these beautifully crafted objects can tell us about the various peoples who lived between the first millennium BC and the 18th century in what is now Vietnam.

"Trade is a lens through which to look at the cultures," Tingley said, adding that as art and objects spread through trade so do ideas.

Or as the general director of the Department of Cultural Heritage in Vietnam, Dang Van Bai, puts it in a foreword to the catalog: "Arts and culture have always provided a bridge to mutual understanding among the peoples of the world."

With economic assistance from other countries, notably France, which has its own history in the region, Vietnam continues to improve the state of its museums, Tingley said.

The show, which runs through May 2, is remarkable for its scale, scope and beauty. The more than 100 objects, which have never appeared together before in an exhibit (not even in Vietnam), span almost 2,000 years. Because the exhibit spans such a wide period and includes different cultures, it is hard to point to a defining Vietnamese aesthetic. Rather, each of the four cultures on display have borrowed iconography and expressions from different parts of the world.

Organized chronologically, the show begins with two contemporary early cultures, the Dong Son and the Sa Huynh, who lived, respectively, in the north and the central-south part of the country until the 2nd century AD.

Like many cultures that appear to us centuries after their demise, the Sa Huynh are best viewed through their burial objects -- in this case, large, upright clay jars that held the dead along with offerings such as weapons and pottery -- and objects such as Chinese mirrors found at Sa Huynh sites suggest that the culture was a center for trade and exchange.

The most impressive remnants from the Dong Son culture are the large bronze drums on display, intricately patterned with abstract bands and images of people, which, along with chicken-headed ceramics, reveal a strong Chinese influence.

The next room reveals a different people -- the Fu Nan, a civilization of city-states that existed in the Mekong Delta from the 1st to the 5th century AD.; to provide historical context, Fu Nan gold jewelry is presented alongside contemporaneous imported objects from Rome, China and India.

The Fu Nan and their trading partners had rich opportunities to exchange ideas and expressions because the monsoon winds kept the traders in foreign ports for four to six months at a time. But little is known about the Fu Nan people except that they were impressive seafarers who built 200-foot-long ships that had an ability to carry up to 700 people and could be used to export not just goods but also live rhinos and elephants.

Moving on, a visitor encounters an almost life-size wooden Buddha -- an incredible artifact, not just for its slender, Giacometti-like beauty but for the simple fact that this wooden statue dates from the 6th century, having survived almost intact -- and half-smiling -- in the bog of the Mekong Delta.

The Buddha's right hand is raised in abhaya mudra, symbolizing peace, and the belly shows a slight bulge, indicating the intake of breath, prana -- gestures that suggest the creator of the Buddha had been exposed to Indian Gupta sculpture.

A wide-eyed demon in a stone frieze on display in another room shows how the people who lived between the 5th and the 15th century in the coastal kingdoms of Champa, near Hoi An, were also influenced by Indian aesthetics. Early Cham inscriptions were done in Sanskrit, and awe-inspiring stone sculptures of the Hindu god Shiva also reveal the Indian influence. (During another encounter between cultures much later, U.S. bombers destroyed a significant Cham site at My Son.)

The final part of the show looks at trade and exchange in the period between the 16th and the 18th century in the port city of Hoi An, about 20 miles from Danang. Chinese porcelain, Japanese silver, cinnamon and gold were among the wares that were traded at Hoi An, and luxury goods that have later been found attest to the continued connection to China and India as well as the Middle East.

Most of the pieces in this part of the show come from the Cu Lao Cham shipwreck, discovered during the 1990s. Tingley speculates that at least part of the ship's cargo was destined for a Vietnamese man living in an Islamic country somewhere in Southeast Asia, so that he might have not only the kinds of ceramic that reminded him of his home but also something that fit his new culture.

Carbon dating suggests that the ship went down in the 15th century, and the remains of fruit found aboard suggest that it had set sail in late fall. The lateness of the expedition meant that the sailors likely encountered rough weather, possibly causing the ship to go down.

The Issue Of Good Hair And Our Black Women

I know for sure that my dear mother would demand an immediate apology from me if she ever gets to read this article. Also, I am very much aware that my hard won popularity amongst our Black ladies on Ghana-web would deteriorate after this.

But, anyway, a man has got to do what a man needs to do. So, I would go ahead and take my chances. I would be more than willing to sacrifice popularity for education if its serves the right purpose.

Let me start off by saying that I have never seen my mother's real hair ever since I was born. I have pictures of my mother with different hair styles. In fact, I thought that my mother was a Black European, when I was a child. Of course, I know that there is no such a thing as a Black European. However, the different hairdos in these pictures couldn't convince me otherwise. One particular picture had my mother sporting a huge curly afro. The other had my mother sporting an European type of hair, which I would later come to know as weave. In my naiveté, I thought that my mother was quite extraordinary.

After all, here is a woman, who had the ability to transform her hair anyway she liked, anyhow she liked and whenever she liked. I have to mention that these particular pictures were taken back in the early seventies. Surprisingly, I discovered my mother's hair secret, when I matured into manhood. I made the startling discovery that none of these hairdos were my mother's own. In other words; all these hairdos were fake.

All of a sudden, the questions came pouring down. Did my mother have her own hair or not? If so; why was she hiding her real hair then? What exactly was she trying to accomplish with this? To tell you all the truth; I have never asked my mother why she wore a wig. Also, I have never mustered the courage to ask her why she continues to wear a wig.

Well, actually, it's no longer called wearing a wig. It's called wearing an extension, isn't it? I am very sure that my mother isn't bald or anything. I am most certainly convinced that her own natural hair must be beautiful. However, I cannot for the life in me understand why she keeps weaving her hair. My eldest sister has also been perming her natural hair ever since I could remember.


Quite recently, the American actor and comedian by the name of Chris Rock made a documentary called Good Hair. It was this particular documentary, which actually inspired me to write this article. This documentary is a must see for everybody. What I gathered from Chris Rock's documentary is that hair is such a big issue amongst our Black women. Black women, especially in the United States spend thousands of dollars on their hair. These monies are spent on perming their hair, weaving it, extending it and all the way to curling it. The documentary also exposed the excruciating ordeal of processing the hair with relaxers. Now, as we all know; relaxers are very poisonous. The chemical components, which are present in these hair relaxers are deadly to say the least. In fact, it's not even advisable to keep these relaxers near children because of the toxicity of these chemical components.

Shockingly enough, I saw in the documentary beautiful Black little girls, whose beautiful natural hairs were being processed with this toxic substance. And my question was; why? Some of our Black brothers were asked; do they ever get the chance to run their fingers through their women's hair the way that white folks do with their own hair or not? Some of them answered with a big NO. Others replied that they wouldn't even dare in fear of what might ensue. Of course, it's most understandable why our Black women wouldn't allow their husbands, or boy friends to touch their weaves.

After all, a weave is very expensive to weave on if you ask them. See, I know that our women want to look beautiful to us and for themselves. However, who told them that their natural nappy hair isn't beautiful enough? And fellows; how do we want to see our ladies? Do we want to see them sporting their natural hair, or do we want to see them in weaves? Let's hear what you fellows and ladies have to say about this.

'World's shortest man' seeks recognition

A man who is only 22 inches tall left his home country of Nepal yesterday in a quest to be recognised as the world's shortest man

Khagendra Thapa Magar, centre, is only 22 inches tall Photo: REUTERS

 

Khagendra Thapa Magar is travelling to Europe to campaign for the Guinness World Record title. He applied for a place in the record book in October, soon after turning 18, but said he has not received any response.
Magar's family initially filed a claim when he was 14, but it was rejected because he was not an adult and there was a chance he might grow.

They say doctors in Nepal have not been able to explain why Magar is so small.
"We are going to Italy to try to record his name in the Guinness Book of World Records," his father, Rup

Bahadur Thapa Magar, told reporters in Kathmandu. They plan to appear on an Italian television show to talk about his bid for the title.

Once in Italy, Magar, his father and a supporter will decide on their next destination.
His supporters saw him off from the Nepalese capital on Sunday, offering flower bouquets and garlands.
The current record is held by He Pingping of China, who is 29 inches tall.

A change of art

Hundreds of millions of dollars from the West Kowloon cultural district's multibillion-dollar budget is set to be redirected to enhancing "software" as the government undergoes a dramatic change of heart. The government hopes to switch some funds from the HK$21.6 billion approved by the Legislative Council last July and use them for improving cultural software - that is, the people, programs and events - by training performers and educating audiences, a source said.
Local groups, which are expected to benefit most from the revised approach, welcomed the idea.
The source said the funding will be used for three purposes: to enhance arts education in schools and non-traditional training centers; to subsidize art groups and sponsor performers to go overseas; and provide free art classes and tickets to performances.
Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying- yen, who is also West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chairman, will have to formally ask Legco to change the use of part of the approved funding.
The first phase of the arts hub is set to open in 2014 or 2015.
Chung Ying Theatre Company art director Ko Tin-lung said he had suggested that the Arts Development Council spend HK$500 million to improve the software for the cultural hub, which will contain up to 15 performing arts venues and a museum.
"The government should not wait for construction of the venues to start training talent," Ko said.
He suggested that HK$50 million be used in a trial scheme and, to ensure the most effective use of the money, existing arts groups should be sponsored. On education, Ko said drama, for example, could be added to liberal studies in school.
"The students can understand the topic first then do a play on it," he said. "Students can then learn both drama and social issues."
Ko said many talented set decorators and lighting crew had left Hong Kong for Macau when the new casinos offered more attractive packages.
"The government should now estimate how many people they need when the art venues and museum are open."
However, Mathias Woo Yan-wai, creative and program director of arts group Zuni Icosahedron, said the government might not need the money from the cultural hub's budget as it could strengthen existing funding from the Home Affairs Bureau.
He said what Hong Kong lacks most is art teachers.
"Not all art experts can teach. Not all actors can be teachers," he said.
"To set a policy to train the teachers is a very important way to provide more 'software' too."

Microsoft about to offer Windows users a browser choice screen

Some European Windows users could soon see the "browser ballot" screen that makes it easier for them to choose an alternative browser, as a result of an agreement that helped settle an anti-trust case brought by the European Commission

Microsoft's web browser choice screen

Microsoft is about to start offering Windows users a "Web browser choice screen" as required by a settlement agreed with the European Commission's competition department last year. As part of the testing process, some users in the UK, Belgium and France will see it next week. It will be rolled out in 30 European countries next month, but not worldwide.
The browser choice screen was preferred over Microsoft's earlier decision to ship boxed copies of Windows 7 without a browser at all.
In a bog post, Dave Heiner, Microsoft's Deputy General Counsel, said: "Internal testing of the choice screen is underway now. We'll begin a limited roll-out externally next week, and expect that a full scale roll-out will begin around March 1, a couple of weeks ahead of schedule."
Under the scheme, Microsoft's automated Windows Update service will present users with a screen showing a range of browsers, with the top five presented in random order. Users will be able to click a button to install whichever browser they like, or ask for more information from the browser's provider.
The selection may change if there are changes in market share.
The EU case was kicked off by complaints from Opera, which is based in Norway. Opera has been markedly less successful than Firefox at getting users to adopt its desktop browser. According to usage-based statistics from Statcounter, Microsoft's IE has a 45.4% market share in Europe, followed by Mozilla Firefox (39.3%), Google Chrome (6.4%), Opera (4.3%), and Apple's Safari (3.7%).
It's not clear how much difference the browser choice screen will make. A large proportion of Microsoft's browser users -- especially in large companies and government organisations -- are still on IE6, the out-of-date version that shipped with Windows XP in 2001. They have already declined to upgrade to IE7 and the current version, IE8, which is far more secure and also more in line with Internet standards.
Many large organisations have applications that may use IE6 features not provided in other browsers, and they would have to test them to make sure they continue to work even if they upgraded to IE7 or IE8. The cost of testing and perhaps rewriting apps means they are not prime candidates for a non-Microsoft browser.
If IE6 users are removed from Statcounter's statistics, then Firefox is already level with Internet Explorer (within 0.1%) in Europe, and the figures show that IE is in long-term decline. In fact, ordinary Windows users have always been able to download alternative browsers, and they have demonstrably been adopting Firefox for the past several years, with no help from the EU.
Although Opera may gain market share from being included in Microsoft's "browser ballot", it is still not competing on a completely level playing field. For example, Apple does not offer Opera to Mac users (it bundles Safari with its proprietary Mac OS X), and Google -- which has a monopoly market share in web search -- does not promote Opera alongside its own Chrome browse

Chinese schools deny role in Google hack

IDG News Service - Two schools in China where computers were reportedly linked to cyberattacks on Google and other companies have denied involvement in the hack, Chinese state media said Sunday.

Investigators say they have traced the attacks back to computers at Shanghai Jiaotong University, which is one of China's top universities, and Lanxiang Vocational School in eastern Shandong province, The New York Times reported this week. That may not mean the attacks were launched from those computers since their IP (Internet Protocol) addresses could have been used by attackers elsewhere seeking to hide their location.
A spokesperson said the Shanghai university was "shocked and indignant to hear these baseless allegations" and denied any link to students or teachers at the school, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. A representative of the vocational school said investigation of its staff found no trace that the attacks originated there, Xinhua said. The representative also denied any ties between the school and China's military.
The Chinese vocational school has about 20,000 students learning skills such as cooking, car repair and hairdressing, Xinhua said.
Google said last month that it planned to stop censoring results on its China-based search engine, citing cyberattacks apparently launched from China as one reason for the move. Google has said it is in talks with Chinese authorities, but Google.cn is still censoring sensitive political and other search results.

Space Station Computer Failure Knocks Out Communications Briefly

A main computer failure aboard the International Space Station knocked out communications between the orbiting laboratory and Earth for a short time Sunday, but the station has since recovered, NASA officials said.

One of three command and control computers on the space station failed just before 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT), but a backup kicked in as designed to restore communications with Earth after about an hour.

Since then, each of the three computers has suffered a so-called transition event, in which the primary computer shifts to a backup, but the space station's main control computers are currently all online, NASA officials said. The glitch has occurred four times.

Engineers currently suspect the computer problem may be due to commands sent from Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Mission Control radioed the station's crew to say it is being "ultra-cautious" with the commands it is sending. Engineers are also studying odd signals from computers in the station's new Tranquility module, which was just delivered by the space shuttle Endeavour this month.

Only the command computers were affected and the space station's life support systems continued to work fine, NASA spokesperson Pat Ryan said on NASA TV.

"There's been no impact to life support systems on board the space station, so no threat to crew safety," Ryan said.

The space station's three main command and control computers work in a tiered setup, with one serving as the prime machine, a second as backup and the third in a standby mode for extra protection. Each of those computers has suffered a malfunction at one point, and then recovered, Ryan said.

The space station is currently home to five astronauts: Two Americans, two Russians and one Japanese astronaut. The astronauts were enjoying a much-needed day off after a busy nine days while Endeavour's six-astronaut crew was visiting.

"We're thinking we might need another day off," space station commander Jeffrey Williams of NASA told Mission Control as they worked through the glitch.

Some of the astronauts missed their regular video phone calls to family members on Earth because of the computer problems. Mission Control assured them they would be able to reschedule the calls.

While the space station crew worked through the computer problems, astronauts aboard the shuttle Endeavour were sleeping. The crew will wake up later this afternoon to prepare for a planned 10:20 p.m. EST (0020 Monday GMT) landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Rainy and cloudy weather is expected at the landing strip, as well as at a backup runway in California, and could keep the shuttle in orbit an extra day.

Endeavour is returning to Earth to wrap up a two-week mission that delivered the space station's new Tranquility module and a seven-window lookout called the Cupola.

The dome-shaped lookout includes the largest window ever sent to space and gives astronauts phenomenal panoramic views of Earth and space.

Endeavour has enough supplies to stay in orbit until Tuesday, but Mission Control plans to land the shuttle by Monday to keep one day in reserve. The shuttle's STS-130 flight is the first of NASA's five final shuttle missions before the agency retires its three-orbiter fleet in the fall.

IT groups warn Chinese on regulation

The US and the European Union are pushing China to soften or drop plans for compulsory certification of a range of technology products, as foreign IT companies warn that Beijing’s regulatory requirements are pushing them out of the market.

The complaints come after Google’s announcement last month that it was reviewing the feasibility of operations in China, saying it had been attacked by hackers based there. This highlighted a broadening conflict between the Beijing and foreign business over information security and intellectual property.
Rules set to take effect on May 1 will exclude suppliers of encryption-related products such as firewalls, secure routers or smart cards from government tenders unless they undergo testing and certification to meet Chinese standards. In some cases this will require submitting software source codes and other confidential information.

Foreign businesses fear the authorities could pass information on to their state-owned competitors. They also argue thattheir products could become unsafe if Beijing used its knowledge of software architecture to install “back doors” for surveillance.
“To many it feels that the Chinese government is trying to get its hands on every bit of information that passes through this country,” said Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.
Beijing’s failure to announce implementation regulations leads some foreign companies to conclude that the objective is to lock them out of the market.

John Neuffer, vice-president for global policy at the Information Technology Industry Council, a lobby group, said: “The looming choice for many of our companies is to create costly bifurcated product lines, one for China and one for the rest of the world, or to ponder less ambitious trade and investment choices in that market.”

Industry sources and diplomats said they hoped for a compromise, especially as Beijing had shown flexibility last year. Following months of quiet lobbying, China agreed in April, just days before the rules were due to take effect, to delay implementation for a year and limit their scope to government procurement.
Deborah Mesloh, deputy US trade representative for public affairs, said: “Since then the US has continued to ask China to follow global norms in this area, and we are continuing those discussions.”
Mr Neuffer added: “The foreign high-tech industry wants to continue its win-win partnership with the very important China market. But whether through unique standards or onerous regulatory requirements that veer markedly from global approaches, we are feeling less welcome.”

Lahore Fashion Week concludes with style

Audiences say such events are very good for the cultural life of the city, but if management flaws could be overcome, they would become all the more fascinating

By Ali Usman

LAHORE: The glaring success of the city’s maiden fashion week has made headlines across the world bringing eminence to its burgeoning fashion industry.

The four-day long Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) Sunsilk Fashion Week, which brought together 32 designers from across the country, concluded on Friday, with great aplomb and fiesta. Fashionistas from across the industry showed great confidence in the fashion week, saying it would help develop links between local designers and people from outside Pakistan.

PFDC spokesman Hassan Sheheryar Yasin said, “This fashion week has proved the immense creativity and prowess of the Pakistani people.” He lauded the courage and vibrancy of the Lahori people and their immense support for the fashion week despite unstable conditions, adding, “It had indeed proved itself the cultural hub of the country.” The last day of the fashion event saw Strings and Ali Zafar walk down on the ramp. They also sang for the designers and received a huge applause from the audiences. PFDC Chairperson Sehyr Saigol paid tribute to Lahore and its people for making the event successful. She also thanked the buyers who had come from across Pakistan. “Such events are very important for Pakistan and we should keep organising more and more fashion weeks in Pakistan,” she added.

The crowds said, “Such events are very fascinating for the cultural life of the city but if management flaws could be overcome, they would be all the more fascinating.” Participating designers included Ali Xeeshan, Ammar Belal, Asifa & Nabeel, Asian Institute of Fashion Design, Body Focus Museum, Élan by Khadija Shah, Hajra Hayat, Hoorain, HSY, Kamiar Rokni, Karma, Khaadi, Maria B., Mehdi, Munib Nawaz, Muse, Nayna, Nickie Nina, Nida Azwer, Nomi Ansari, Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design, Rehana Saigol, Rouge, Saai by Sahar Atif, Sadaf Malaterre, Sarah Salman, Shaiyanne Malik, Sobia Nazir, Sublime by Sara Shahid, Tazeen Hasan, Teejays by Feeha Jamshed, Yahsir Waheed and Yousuf Bashir Qureshi (YBQ).

Film stars and actors Shaan, Moamar Rana, Sana, Saleem Shekih, Fiza Ali, Amna Haq, stylist Tariq Amin, US Consul General Carmela Conroy, Governor Salmaan Taseer, Begum Aamna Taseer, Hollywood hair stylist Jammal Hammadi were also present at the four-day fashion event.

Unlock for baseband 05.12.01 for iPhone 3.1.3 might be coming soon!

For you unlucky people who updated their unlocked phones to firmware 3.1.3, have hope! George Hotz has confirmed that he has a working exploit which can be used to unlock the latest 05.12.01 baseband which was upgraded if you updated to newest firmware. No ETA was given was given regarding the release in his tweet, but it could be soon.

Last week, Sherif Hashim, an iPhone hacker and developer, found an exploit for the latest baseband. He sent it to the iPhone Dev-Team and they confirmed it’s working, but no ETA was given, or even if they will release a tool to unlock this baseband, because they don’t want to waste the important exploit for a minor update firmware. They might be waiting for a more major firmware update such as 3.2 or 4.0 or maybe even for the next gen iPhone 4G.
But, what if both geohot and the dev team have the same exploit, if one releases it now, and it was the same, it will be useless in the future for any other firmwares. But if it’s different it could do a lot. That’s why both parties are communicating to see if it’s the same exploit so they don’t waste it on this minor update firmware.
Here is the excerpt posted by @visnet’s twitter that is going around from the IRC Channel.

What does geohot tweet mean?
<%geohot> its my bb exploit for safekeeping
<%Par4doX> geohot: did you turn that over to the dev team or are you doing something with it?
<%geohot> my days of turning things over are done
<%geohot> i hope its different from the one they have
<%geohot> but they prob already have it
<%geohot> its the one i orig wanted to release blacksn0w with
<%Par4doX> it’s still there in the new bb
<%geohot> yep, just checked
<%geohot> but then opted to use xemn since it was public
Oo, it carries over from 05.11 to 05.12?
<%geohot> why wouldn’t it, apple doesn’t fix things proactivly
<@MuscleNerd> geohot we prob should figure out a way to know if we have same exploit double blind, otherwise we may release 2 different ones at same time
<%geohot> any suggestions?
<@MuscleNerd> not sure how to do that without making it easy to brute force tho
<%geohot> yea, i salted the hash
<@MuscleNerd> yeah
<@MuscleNerd> hmm maybe if we both hash the stack dump
<@Confucious> Can you two take this out of public sight?
<@MuscleNerd> the stack itself, not the header before it or the registers after it
muscle: any notice about the exploits are the same ?
<%geohot> we are working on it
<%geohot> cryptography, perfect for people who don’t trust each other

All we can do is wait, and see if things work out, but I am pretty sure the hackers know what they are doing.

Government fases multiple challenges: PM Gilani

Lahore,Feb.21(PP) Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said the PPP government had promoted the politics of reconciliation by bringing different political parties with diverse manifestos into a coalition government.He said the PPP government respected the difference of opinion among coalition partners.“The present governemnt is facing multiple challenges like terrorism and extremism.  Our jawans are fighting terrorists on the western front and embracing martyrdom for a safer tomorrow of the country,” he added.

He said it was the success of the government that it had convinced the people that terrorism was the biggest threat to the country, adding the PPP government should be given due credit to meet the misries of the masses to some extent dispite facing extreme crises.
Referring to an earlier comment by PML (N) MNA Khawaja Muhammad Asif, the Prime Minister said politicians should not be eliminated from mainstream politics on flimsy allegations of corruption as was done in 1958. He said politicians like Khawaja Nazim ud Din and Feroz Khan Noon were sent packing on baseless charges of corruption and the constitution was abrogated.
“Ploitical figures need to be given time to attain political maturity”, Gilani said.
About the Accountability Bill, the Premier said there was a thin line between accountability and victimization and the government wanted to draw a line between the two in order to protect people’s rights and freedoms.
“No journalist or politician is behind the bar during my tenure as Prime Minister”, he added.
He said people should not crticise the government for the sake of crticism. “Good governance cannot be achieved by the Prime Minister and the President only but other instituitions and politicians should play their due role in this regard,” he added.
The Premier expressed his optimism that problems like dearness would be overcome through joint efforts of all political forces. “All political forces should join hands for the betterment of the country. Issues are so grave that one man cannot resolve them single-handedly,” he observed.
About his efforts to resolve a clash with the judiciary, the Prime Minister said parliament and the Judiciary should respect each other. “Whatever I did for an amicable settlement of the judges issue, I did it in the larger interest of the country,” he said.
He said the executive and the judiciary believed in democracy and performed their constitutional roles within their powers and parameters.
The Premier said the PPP government had pursued the politics of reconciliation as per the vision of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto,adding that she believed in taking all politial forces alongwith for national stablitiy and achieving political maturity.
Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani reiterated his resolve that no compromise would be made on national interest and solidairty of Pakistan at any cost.  Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, Mujibur Rehman Shami, Orya Jan Maqbool, Ata-ul- Haq Qasmi, Prof Sajjad Mir, Humayun Akhtar and Kh Muhammad Asif also addressed the seminar.