Bonding through classical cultures

Chinese art and Entertainment Group will sign a memorandum agreement with a Vienna-based performance company during President Hu Jintao's four-day visit to the country, which started on Sunday.

The move is aimed at setting up a new cooperative model to introduce Chinese culture to more Europeans, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"It's the first tie-up between Chinese and European entertainment enterprises," said Shi Mingde, Chinese ambassador to Austria.

The Chinese and Austrian companies will each hold a 50-percent stake in the venture and will look to introduce their entertainment products to Asian and European markets.

Culture is an important area of cooperation for China and Austria. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, Austria has launched a series of activities this year under the title Year of China.

One of the first events was the Chinese New Year Concert on Jan 25 in Vienna's Golden Hall of Musikverein, the traditional venue for the annual New Year Concert, which was organized by the Austrian-Chinese Cultural Exchange Association.

President Hu earlier said the Year of China activities will serve as a platform to deepen exchanges between the people of both countries.

"I believe (the) activities will further enhance mutual understanding and friendship, promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation, and contribute to the diversity of culture and growth model around the world," he said.

The Golden Hall, founded in 1870, is considered to be one of the top three concert halls in the world. It is a beautifully ornate auditorium. Holding concerts at the venue is regarded as a great honor for artists.

In 2003, Song Zuying, one of China's most famous sopranos, became the first soprano in a traditional Chinese vocal style to give a recital there, performing signature songs such as Beautiful Life and Spice Sister, as well as Jasmine, one of the most famous Chinese folk songs.

Conducted by Li Xincao of the China National Symphony Orchestra, the concert also featured erhu artist Song Fei and bamboo flutist Zhang Weiliang.

"The Austrian audience impressed me greatly as I had not expected foreigners to love Chinese traditional songs so much. They called me 'Chinese Jasmine'," Song said in an interview.

Since then, a range of famous Chinese artists have performed at the venue, including sopranos Tan Jing and Lei Jia, tenor Wang Hongwei, pop singer Li Yugang, pianist Lang Lang and the Oriental Jasmine Girls Band.

Yet, it is not just the Golden Hall. In recent years, Chinese artists have performed all over Austria to showcase traditional and modern culture.

This year, contestants from the popular TV show China's Got Talent, including past winner Liu Wei, an armless pianist, visited Austria as part of a world tour.

The Chinese Calligraphy Concert in June also took Viennese audiences on a magical journey at Hofburg Palace, featuring a live calligraphy display by master Li Binquan.

In August, the Central Chinese Orchestra also became the first traditional Chinese music group to be invited to play at the 91st Salzburg Music Festival.

Following these landmarks, Chinese performance companies have turned their attention to Austria.

One of them is Heaven Creation International, which has just started the first Sino-Austrian cultural joint venture with Vienna City Hall. The project is focused on the planning and implementation of cultural activities, including drama, music, acrobatics and stage performances.

Cao Xiaoning, the company's chief executive, said he hopes to promote communications in culture, artistic creation and performances through new platforms.

As well as performances, other cultural events have also been held to enhance cultural exchanges between the two countries.

In 2006, Chinese filmmakers visited Vienna to attend China Movie Week. Also, this month, China's world-famous Shaolin Temple opened the Shaolin Cultural Center of Austria to help Westerners learn more about Shaolin and Chinese Buddhist culture.

From Jan 1 to Feb 5 next year, Meet in Vienna Austria-China Art Festival will be held in Vienna and other places around Austria.

Tags: classical cultures, Chinese Cultural, Chinese craft supplies

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McRib makes a McComeback

The McRib, the elusive sandwich that has inspired a cult-like following, is back.

McDonald’s Corp. announced Monday that the boneless barbecue pork sandwich, usually available in only a few stores at a time, will be sold at all U.S. locations through Nov. 14.

Most of the time, it’s up to local franchises to determine when and if they want to sell the McRib — except in Germany, the only place where it’s available perennially. But McDonald’s said the response was so great last November when it made the McRib available nationally for about three weeks that it decided to bring it back this year. The company, which previously hadn’t sold the McRib nationally since 1994, declined to give specific sales numbers.

The sandwich, which is dressed with onions, pickle slices and barbecue sauce, was introduced nationally in 1982. With 500 calories and 26 grams of fat, it’s slightly trimmer than the Big Mac, which has 540 calories and 29 grams of fat. And just like the Big Mac, the McRib has become a popular McDonald’s offering.

There are Facebook groups like “Bring Back the McRib!!!” There are Twitter tags, where posts range from “Lucky me, the McRib is back” to “If you eat McRibs, you need to re-evaluate what it is you actually want in life.” Last year, the guy who won McDonald’s $1 million Monopoly grand prize was ordering — you guessed it — a McRib.

Earlier this month, former Playmate Jenny McCarthy contacted the McRib Locator website for help finding a McRib in southern California: She got one in Fountain Valley.

The website’s creator, Alan Klein, said he suspected something was up when traffic exploded from about 150 hits a day to about 4,000 in the past week or so, as more fans reported sightings. People are sending him photos of their McRib variations: the McRib with lettuce and tomato, the McRib with bacon, three McRibs stacked on top of each other.

Klein, a meteorologist in the Minneapolis area, runs the website in his spare time with help from his wife, Kimberly. He created the Locator in 2008 because he wanted to learn how to use the Google Maps program for work, and because he had fond memories of eating the pork sandwich while growing up on a hog farm.

“We’ve been spoiled this year and last year with it being around nationwide,” he said. “But I hope it stays elusive because otherwise nobody will come to our website.”

If the McRib is so popular, why not just offer it all the time? McDonald’s likes to stoke the enthusiasm with an aura of transience.

“Bringing it back every so often adds to the excitement,” said Marta Fearon, McDonald’s U.S. marketing director, who added that she’s not sure if the McRib will reappear in stores every fall.

And how can it be called a McRib if it doesn’t have any bones? Said Fearon: “That gives it this quirky sense of humor.”

read more: http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/business/8397635-420/mcrib-makes-a-mccomeback.html

Weekender: Erika Stasiuleviciute, 25, model

  I was planning to be a lawyer. I got into university, but in the same week I was scouted by a model agency. My first job was the cover of InStyle magazine, right after Madonna. I became an overnight success. Every few weeks I'd come back from modelling for law seminars and exams. After five years I graduated, but by then I was addicted to travelling and living the dream. I thought, the law will have to wait...

When I lived in Paris years ago, the Musée d'Orsay was my favourite place to go at the weekend. I love looking at Sisley's paintings of winter. When I was a little girl in Lithuania, winters were very cold with lots of snow. The family would gather at my granny's house in the forest for big dinners. That was my happiest time, and Sisley's paintings remind me of it.

My favourite place in the world is my mum's kitchen. I indulge in cottage cheese pancakes and, as Lithuania is the home of potatoes, tons of potato dishes I can't find anywhere else. Most importantly, it's a rare chance to spend time with my mum.

I mix boys' style with feminine pieces. Years ago, when I celebrated Halloween for the first time, I dressed up like a man and loved it. Here I'm wearing vintage leather pants and Uggs (sexy meets unsexy), a white Burberry shirt and a bow. You can be so much more creative with fashion in autumn and winter. I enjoyed the October sun in Paris, but I'm looking forward to rainy London.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/21/weekender-erika-stasiuleviciute-model

Why Is Justin Bieber Behind Bars?

We could hardly belieb our eyes when we saw pictures of Justin Bieber all locked up with nowhere to go. (Don't even get us started on the facial tattoos.)

There had to be an explanation as to why the 17-year-old was all of a sudden in prison and, in case he's wondering why too, we have the answer.

MORE: Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe" Video: Early Holiday Cheer or a Lump of Coal?

A free-speech and fair-use advocacy group called Fight for the Future has launched the Free Bieber campaign to fight congressional law S.978, which would make streaming or otherwise using copyrighted music in an online video punishable by up to five years in prison.

And, lest you forgot, Bieber blew up after impressing Usher (among others) with his homemade YouTube videos of himself singing hit R&B tunes, aka copyrighted material.

So, Fight for the Future is asking people to imagine young Bieber going to jail instead of to the upper echelons of fame for strutting his stuff—but using someone else's song to do it—on the Internet.



Read more: http://www.eonline.com/news/why_justin_bieber_behind_bars/270520#ixzz1bJThtUAg

The popular Holiday Mart comes to downtown Kansas City this weekend

The Junior League’s popular Holiday Mart comes to downtown Kansas City this weekend, where it will share Bartle Hall with the new Kansas City Home, Design & Remodeling Show. Holiday Mart has more than 200 exhibitors offering specialty fashions, food, home decor and beauty items. The event has been held in recent years at the Overland Park Convention Center. Proceeds support Junior League community projects. The home show promises more than 200 exhibitors of products such as windows, siding, flooring and décor. Special attractions include designer room displays, a basement makeover and a children’s activity area.
Holiday Mart hours are noon-9 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 per day; multi-day and VIP passes range from $20 to $85. Details, www.jlkc.org. Home show hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors. Details, kchomedesignexpo.com. Discounts are available for people who buy tickets to both events at the Bartle Hall box office.
Alton Brown | Monday
One of America’s foremost foodies hits Kansas City next week to hawk his new book, “Good Eats 3: The Later Years,” a conglomeration of cooking, pop culture and kitchen science. Brown’s first book, “I’m Just Here for the Food,” won a coveted James Beard Foundation Award for best cookbook, and his TV show “Good Eats” picked up a 2007 Peabody Award. Brown speaks at 7 p.m. at Unity Temple on the Plaza. Tickets are $37.50 and include an autographed copy of the book. Go to rainydaybooks.com for details.
‘What My Husband Doesn’t Know’ | Friday and Saturday
In David E. Talbert’s 13th play, “What My Husband Doesn’t Know,” actor Morris Chestnut (“Boyz N the Hood”) stars alongside former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams. The production, to be staged this weekend at Kansas City’s Music Hall, follows a well-to-do housewife as she grapples with the idea of pursuing the come-ons of another man. Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $38.50 to $47.50 at Ticketmaster.com.
‘God of Carnage’ | Through Nov. 13
A civilized conversation between two sets of parents devolves into a disastrously rambunctious verbal melee in this Tony Award-winning Yasmina Reza play, which debuted in Zurich in 2006. The production, directed by Mark Robbins and co-produced by the Kansas City Actors Theatre and the UMKC Theatre, runs through Nov. 13 at the Unicorn Theatre. The play precedes an upcoming film adaptation starring Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly and directed by Roman Polanski. Tickets are $22.50 to $32.50 at UnicornTheatre.org.
KC Beerfest | Saturday
This outdoor taste-testing will offer 2-ounce samples from dozens of breweries, along with live music and contributions from participating Legends restaurants. Plenty of domestic and imported beers will be available, as well as various microbrews. Tickets to the event, which runs from 2 to 5 p.m., are $30 in advance and $35 at the event. Go to KCBeerFest.com for details.


Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/10/19/3215238/this-week-in-kc-holiday-mart-home.html#ixzz1bDePgsrb

TFW diary: Minty freshness at London-based designer Thomas Tait’s Canadian debut

  Thomas Tait was the first out of the gate last night at The Shows, the four Canadian-born and Euro-based designer two-day extravaganza put on at the splashy Ritz Carlton in downtown Toronto. The show was introduced by none other than supermodel Coco Rocha, in town to host the event and show her documentary Letters to Haiti. Tait’s Spring 2012 unveiled (on this side of the pond, at least) a minty fresh departure from his signature black-on-black. Ultra-structured white cocoon jackets were shown alongside tennis-apropos looking combos of ribbed bubblegum pink sweaters and tailored pants, as well as the most amazing glistening jumper and pantsuit. The black was still there, but this time, layered with multiple pops of white.

Art festival draws local creativity

There's nothing like a new piece of artwork to add that homey touch to any home or office to make it more expressive and inviting.
Artisans and decorators alike made their way at The Greenway Art Festival Saturday to display and purchase various types of artwork.
The festival, hosted by Friends of the Greenway, was open and free to the public. The festival stretched out along a sidewalk that wound through Old Fort Park with sections of various artisans, such as painters, photographers and artist-blacksmiths.
"It's really great, and I like doing the festival," said Liz Grady, vendor and student majoring in Liberal Arts.
Artists presented and sold a wide selection of beaded and glass jewelry, photographs, paintings, drawings, metal carvings, dream catchers and much more.  Many of the artisans also promoted non-profit organizations to which some of their proceeds went to.
Among the displays was artist Lucas Antoniak, former MTSU graduate and Sidelines cartoonist, displaying a unique style of paintings and T-shirt designs, which stood out with its dark and somewhat satirical humor.
"This isn't even my dark stuff," Antoniak said to an admirer.
Other vendors like artist-blacksmith Joe Brown presented exquisite designs created from iron for various purposes, including furniture, interior and exterior décor, and candle holders mostly crafted with nature and music in mind. The works ranged greatly in size, and Brown said it could take anywhere from hours to months to complete.
"I left my corporate job to do this," Brown said. "I love it."
Brown said he also designs custom orders.
The festival featured a stage along the trail with live music by local artists for added entertainment. Also available was a selection of food stands that served freshly squeezed lemonade, hot dogs, nachos and popcorn.
"There really should be more food and drinks, though," Grady said. "It's very limited."
According to Grady, the location was moved to Old Fort Park for the second year from the Stones River Greenway for better access for vendors and better parking.
"It's just a more convenient location," she said.
Families found relaxation and sunshine at the arts festival.
Some follow their favorite vendors to the annual festival in hopes of purchasing a new art piece to enjoy in their home while others come to enjoy the exquisite displays of art.  Nevertheless, the Greenway Art Festival has become a beloved event for many and provides a day to get away, have a small picnic, enjoy live music and spark the eye's attention with beautiful paintings and handcrafted artwork.
source from:http://www.mtsusidelines.com/a-e/art-festival-draws-local-creativity-1.2606923