Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Eight-year-old girl China's youngest lung cancer case

Eight-year-old girl China's youngest lung cancer case

BEIJING (Nov 5, 2013): An eight-year-old girl has become China's youngest lung cancer patient, reports said, with doctors blaming pollution as the direct cause of her illness.
The girl, whose name was not given, lives near a major road in the eastern province of Jiangsu, said Xinhuanet, the website of China's official news agency.
It quoted Jie Fengdong, a doctor at Jiangsu Cancer Hospital in Nanjing, as saying she had been exposed to harmful particles and dust over a long period of time.
Lung cancer cases among children are extremely rare, with the average age for diagnosis at about 70, according to the American Cancer Society.
But the incidence of the disease has skyrocketed in China as the country's rapid development has brought with it deteriorating air quality, particularly in urban areas.
Lung cancer deaths in China have multiplied more than four times over the past 30 years, according to Beijing's health ministry. Cancer is now the leading cause of death in the smog-ridden capital.
The report of the eight-year-old girl's diagnosis comes after choking smog enveloped the northeastern city of Harbin two weeks ago, bringing flights and ground transport to a standstill and forcing schools to shut for several days, with visibility in some areas reduced to less than 50 metres.
At the height of the smog, the city's levels of PM2.5 - the smallest, most dangerous type of airborne particle - reached 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre, 40 times the World Health Organisation's recommended standard.
High levels of PM2.5 have been linked to health problems including lung cancer and heart disease. – AFP

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/873831

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Penis ICE-CREAM in Japan

Japan’s penis festival in Kawasaki

The enormous pink penis catches the light as I approach it. There’s no glint of shame as it exposes itself to the crowd. It’s the centre of attention, with throngs of Japanese people pushing to get closer to the engorged phallus. In a country normally so obsessed with decorum, it’s an odd sight.
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
Well, it would be an odd sight anywhere else in Japan, but this is the annual penis festival – the celebration of manhood that happens under the guise of a religious ceremony at a Shinto shrine. That’s right, blessed be the cocks here in the city of Kawasaki, about half an hour south of Tokyo.

 http://www.timetravelturtle.com/2013/04/kawasaki-penis-festival-kanamara-matsuri-japan/

 
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
Before I get to the thrust of the festival (see what I did there?), let’s take a step back for a second. We should pay tribute to the origins of this annual event which is officially called Kanamara Matsuri.
The shrine has been the place for people with penises in their prayers for more than four centuries. In the 1600s, this area was full of prostitutes and they would come here to ask for protection from sexually-transmitted diseases. Over time, people started coming to pray for fertility, long marriages, healthy births… and then (somehow) the penis symbology got twisted (sounds painful) to also represent a successful business and a prosperous life (try telling that to Tiger Woods!).
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
Now, back to this enormous pink phallus. It’s actually one of three that are the centrepieces of the festival and it’s not even the most important. That honour goes to the slightly smaller (but still quite well-endowed) black iron penis which is housed in a small wooden temple on sticks. As the legend goes, back in ye olde days, a sharp-toothed demon hid inside the vagina of a young woman and castrated her husband on their wedding night. The iron penis was forged by a blacksmith to break the demon’s teeth and kill it! (Don’t think about this story for too long… in fact, let’s just move on.)
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals

The Kanamara Matsuri Festival

So, back to today, and the official part of the Kanamara Matsuri Festival each year in Kawasaki is the parade through the nearby streets where the three huge altars with the erect idols are carried by groups of worshippers. The footpaths are full of people who crowd around these mobile temples as the bearers chant and sing and shout and sway from side to side. There’s nothing particularly serene about this and it looks more like a Mardi Gras than a spiritual pilgrimage.
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
In fact, that’s the mood of the whole day. Nothing is taken too seriously. Whatever the origins of this festival, it is now one big party… just one where religion and cocks are mixed together (the Catholics don’t have a monopoly on that!).
Gongs and dongs. There’ll be one line of people waiting to pray inside the shrine right next to another line of people waiting to buy a lollipop in the shape of a penis. The traditional carving of the radishes into phallic shapes happens in one corner and in another are large wooden wangs that you can ride like a horse.
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
It’s all good fun and the festival staff (honestly, no pun intended) try to make it a fun event by encouraging the crowd to get involved. Because of the reputation it has gathered over the years and the proximity to Tokyo, it’s extremely popular with ex-pats as well and foreigners make up a large part of the crowd.
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals
There’s hardly room to move and you often have to push your way through all the people. But, in honour of the origins, the festival raises money for HIV research so at least it’s a good cause. For one day these penises get to shine. But, hey, it’s tradition, right?

.Is this the most spoilt child in Britain .


Is this the most spoilt child in Britain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgllLFH8TlU