tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961710967890070372024-03-05T14:16:53.585-08:00Samurai Leader"A few moments to learn, a lifetime to master"Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-59936972248684699682011-02-17T11:04:00.000-08:002011-02-17T11:04:40.490-08:00Oriental Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain Art<b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingdezhen">Jingdezhen (景德镇)</a></b> is known as the " <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cities-Historical-Cultural-Fame/dp/7113062903?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Porcelain Capital</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=7113062903" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />", or the town where porcelain artists have been producing fine Chinese Porcelain for almost 1700 years. Located in the <b>Jiangxi</b> province of China, it is one of the Chinese places full of history and museums: Ceramic Museum, Ceramic Historical Exhibition Area, Porcelain Street and ancient kilns. In the mountains surrounding the town are large deposits of porcelain stone and white kaolin (the word<b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaolinite">kaolin</a></b> derives from <b>高陵/高嶺/ the Gaoling / Kao-ling hill</b> located 40 km of Jingdezhen where the pure white clay was first found), which have led to the development of pottery and porcelain producing industry over the years. The convenient water transportation of the products with boats from Chang River to major seaports made more accessible their products on the international markets.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82bdrydSG1JhEGHoR0xo9ZSrItmxdsKZE9XNh-W7O-i1slAeK8Gq6lVaLeDsMJch5LQgEK1WvxVEVpctvKdJxQv-ddK66gxL0LNUk2_nVRS8tyzdNx10UY_Qct7JE6dRMr0uhCrslHE8/s1600/Plates_collection_Beauties_of_the_red_mansions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Jingdezhen Porcelain plates collection: Beauties of the Red Mansions" border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82bdrydSG1JhEGHoR0xo9ZSrItmxdsKZE9XNh-W7O-i1slAeK8Gq6lVaLeDsMJch5LQgEK1WvxVEVpctvKdJxQv-ddK66gxL0LNUk2_nVRS8tyzdNx10UY_Qct7JE6dRMr0uhCrslHE8/s400/Plates_collection_Beauties_of_the_red_mansions.jpg" title=" Jingdezhen Porcelain plates collection: Beauties of the Red Mansions" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The ceramic industry in Jingdezhen flourished during the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Art-under-Mongols-1279-1368/dp/B000M4FAJK?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Yuan dynasty</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000M4FAJK" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (1280-1368) when the official kilns started to use the technique of painting with iron black oxides before glazing. Later, during <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Collection-Porcelain-Jiangxi-Province/dp/7505417134?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ming Dynasty</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=7505417134" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (1368 - 1644) and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chinas-Cultural-Heritage-Dynasty-1644-1912/dp/0813313473?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Qing Dynasty</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0813313473" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (1644 - 1912) based on the imperial request to make thousands of porcelain pieces for imperial household, were developed many official or private kilns in Jingdezhen area. <br />
Nowadays, on the collectibles and antiques markets, can be purchased a wide variety of Jingdezhen Porcelain Products like vases, sculptures, plates and vessels which are much valued. Even the contemporary products are very expensive because of their high quality and the detailed paintings. Well known contemporary manufacturers are: Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain, Imperial Ching-te Chen or Ketsuzan Kiln. Their high quality products are made in limited editions and usually have certificates of authenticity. Artists as Zhao HuiMin, Zhang Song Mao, Yoshiharo Katoh are painting with dedication porcelain collections with scenes from traditional tales. <br />
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One of my "<b>Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain</b><i>" </i>collection contains plates painted by <b>Zhao HuiMin </b>with themes inspired by one of the<b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Great_Classical_Novels">Four Major Classical Novels (四大名著)</a> </b>named<b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber">红楼梦 or " Dream of the Red Chamber" or "A Dream Of Red Mansions"</a>. </b>There are 12 decorative plates made between 1985-1989 with 8.5'' diameter with Chinese notation on the front and the back, registered through the <a href="http://www.bradfordexchange.ca/service/about-us.html">Bradford Exchange</a>. The Bradford Exchange was founded in 1973 by J. Roderick MacArthur in Chicago, Illinois as a computerized trading center for limited-edition collector's plates.<br />
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<b>#1 Pao-chai,</b> named also in story:<b> 薛宝钗</b> or <b>Xue Baochai</b> having the meaning <i>Precious Virtue</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqYvjWne_I7SRxLEj5MM0h3nF8KsjE9QyWPJKzI_uboe5d0k_tEPooP_NE4dGQ73JXV0w3kVSGHbK-OoF4MjX_WzOHmcCGyzTwxecABrzY9o9pAml2Pfg7FydKATwAeuMVP8QrCUBQw4/s1600/Pao_Chai_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pao-Chai plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqYvjWne_I7SRxLEj5MM0h3nF8KsjE9QyWPJKzI_uboe5d0k_tEPooP_NE4dGQ73JXV0w3kVSGHbK-OoF4MjX_WzOHmcCGyzTwxecABrzY9o9pAml2Pfg7FydKATwAeuMVP8QrCUBQw4/s400/Pao_Chai_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Pao-Chai plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>#2 Yuan-chun</b> named also in story: <b>贾元春</b> or<b> Jia Yuanchun</b> having the meaning <i>First Spring</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTAfB0Fq7Frtpvo1aI7ovVwitVDDdxMsZUS8-PqbxUbMdVPcKk1y0j8pmDKMQSXTkwFWX0hjY58i3Z8k_K1bgym8lJnAFUlUaMrcy_AtnQxdCmFsLX3ZA7bCGtmOKVGa9833PAa7Lh6M/s1600/Yuan_Chun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Yuan-chun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTAfB0Fq7Frtpvo1aI7ovVwitVDDdxMsZUS8-PqbxUbMdVPcKk1y0j8pmDKMQSXTkwFWX0hjY58i3Z8k_K1bgym8lJnAFUlUaMrcy_AtnQxdCmFsLX3ZA7bCGtmOKVGa9833PAa7Lh6M/s400/Yuan_Chun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Yuan-Chun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>#3 Hsi-feng</b> named also in story: <b>王熙凤</b> or <b>Wang Xifeng </b>having the meaning <i>Splendid Phoenix</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJRfyviUyrRp5Nie9463lVGtu2VHV9h41R1ebH5gXnMg39KvMeweUw6K1nDG8O6q1M6W6LfuVYw1ntWg3hiHGgFIr5Pewcc3r-a-tZzv-IFAntCC3LWpbFzdwLktqUlkOl1YADVVAGp0/s1600/Hsi_Feng_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hsi-feng plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJRfyviUyrRp5Nie9463lVGtu2VHV9h41R1ebH5gXnMg39KvMeweUw6K1nDG8O6q1M6W6LfuVYw1ntWg3hiHGgFIr5Pewcc3r-a-tZzv-IFAntCC3LWpbFzdwLktqUlkOl1YADVVAGp0/s400/Hsi_Feng_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Hsi-feng plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<b>#4 Hsi-chun</b> named also in story:<b> 贾惜春</b> or<b> Jia Xichun</b> having the meaning <i>Treasuring Spring</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiBufJxYZtQqezfoMJscEOkVmOc1i7ihw0DxA3GE4ntBW0hnw8uYG9aa8-UTwTr37vmdjqCRQZA-A6H_SCu8KK6e3SOVM60NhnzIlq4e6W2JBUy5b2BP4FGPTG4YyW267q-_vChnVbjA/s1600/Hsi_Chun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hsi-chun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiBufJxYZtQqezfoMJscEOkVmOc1i7ihw0DxA3GE4ntBW0hnw8uYG9aa8-UTwTr37vmdjqCRQZA-A6H_SCu8KK6e3SOVM60NhnzIlq4e6W2JBUy5b2BP4FGPTG4YyW267q-_vChnVbjA/s400/Hsi_Chun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Hsi-chun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><b>#5 Miao-yu </b> named also in story:<b> 妙玉</b> or <b>Miaoyu </b>having the meaning <i>Wonderful Jade</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltcifwk_4U3MRjiPHoUAXC6SC9S0VkBAMkBLn5fyupoT3ukJ20fCu61a8KeJ_E5r0Ug7MH8Jft8cY4vVd2NtO3EBk_uSchEH_KE5PeiGmtLC5AzvVbUl3MVh4TFmprIbw_9a2optVcAM/s1600/Miao_yu_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Miao-yu plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltcifwk_4U3MRjiPHoUAXC6SC9S0VkBAMkBLn5fyupoT3ukJ20fCu61a8KeJ_E5r0Ug7MH8Jft8cY4vVd2NtO3EBk_uSchEH_KE5PeiGmtLC5AzvVbUl3MVh4TFmprIbw_9a2optVcAM/s400/Miao_yu_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Miao-yu plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>#6 Ying-chun </b> named also in story:<b> 贾迎春</b> or <b>Jia Yingchun</b> having the meaning <i>Welcoming Spring</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHbz59i2KXN7n_WrYbk6lWgv7Y2Foq3OdL_hGKCRpPMOAtbYxzWO-tHDZgaueoPhB3PG7SNNMhtKTC64wDsWRbImnnxoTLmn0MX6h-2DX3Y-ovcwXIGg1mW0RDxVWp7jGLDN0gVjTVCs/s1600/Ying_Chun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ying-chun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHbz59i2KXN7n_WrYbk6lWgv7Y2Foq3OdL_hGKCRpPMOAtbYxzWO-tHDZgaueoPhB3PG7SNNMhtKTC64wDsWRbImnnxoTLmn0MX6h-2DX3Y-ovcwXIGg1mW0RDxVWp7jGLDN0gVjTVCs/s400/Ying_Chun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Ying-chun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>#7 Tai-yu </b> named also in story: <b>林黛玉</b> or <b>Lin Daiyu</b> having the meaning <i>Blue-black Jade</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAo-dMDbdM6vbdSCOaWwFMUhvIoTBsQ7CDmTp0bDwuTgqzHWk4QoWlNT0gDrFi6Z5ZFn7trrXBHX0t4rS83_eCAtnaNny4s4kp4Dei3ckt7FX0A4G7X_MjczrTZ6NI8rhpDuv8E1wUw6g/s1600/Tai_yu_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tai-yu plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAo-dMDbdM6vbdSCOaWwFMUhvIoTBsQ7CDmTp0bDwuTgqzHWk4QoWlNT0gDrFi6Z5ZFn7trrXBHX0t4rS83_eCAtnaNny4s4kp4Dei3ckt7FX0A4G7X_MjczrTZ6NI8rhpDuv8E1wUw6g/s400/Tai_yu_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Tai-yu plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>#8 Li Wan </b> named also in story: <b>李纨</b> having the meaning <i>White Silk</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLq7KtVY5OZM2xwwKW7aTXRlLQEI7kTt5Ixs2_wlXoh4D8Me3UJSx0lI2QNSs_VHnXmmt5FzssppO7HYcWIWeTMYRswsRDfs4XcXzTEBr9FCuAMB4AEvieqbcT3syE_irneTPat0VVyY/s1600/Li_Wan_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Li Wan plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLq7KtVY5OZM2xwwKW7aTXRlLQEI7kTt5Ixs2_wlXoh4D8Me3UJSx0lI2QNSs_VHnXmmt5FzssppO7HYcWIWeTMYRswsRDfs4XcXzTEBr9FCuAMB4AEvieqbcT3syE_irneTPat0VVyY/s400/Li_Wan_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Li Wan plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>#9 Ko-Ching </b> named also in story: <b>秦可卿 </b>or<b> Qin Keqing </b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAnxnOKjs8atro_5m1G14euqZM_gNZlSUblAnfBpAT3YzOi9qB_yivX5hihVkRwjFOvqKkf_PaJh1jTarmYLA3GqTMC5TUoxT2f-GuNy1Av73ZPiaLDRxeYZUjW-rdmotzlXYJogPDv0/s1600/Ko_Ching_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ko-Ching plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAnxnOKjs8atro_5m1G14euqZM_gNZlSUblAnfBpAT3YzOi9qB_yivX5hihVkRwjFOvqKkf_PaJh1jTarmYLA3GqTMC5TUoxT2f-GuNy1Av73ZPiaLDRxeYZUjW-rdmotzlXYJogPDv0/s400/Ko_Ching_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Ko-Ching plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>#10 Hsiang-yun </b> named also in story: <b>史湘云</b> or<b> Shi Xiangyun</b> having the meaning <i>Xiang River Clouds</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmWcjvZZjpCpqkth8yvvpKGEnk8tsIUXyxddp_S31aUuIe8ciXe8Fhkstmxs1mP64xla3tdsEEg8QROQvTJ5Zaw905hI22KWvVxAT8L0SmGkmSCPJC2oAQcOA9POxAOauVx5buHXtr6k/s1600/Hsiang_yun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hsiang-yun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmWcjvZZjpCpqkth8yvvpKGEnk8tsIUXyxddp_S31aUuIe8ciXe8Fhkstmxs1mP64xla3tdsEEg8QROQvTJ5Zaw905hI22KWvVxAT8L0SmGkmSCPJC2oAQcOA9POxAOauVx5buHXtr6k/s400/Hsiang_yun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Hsiang-yun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="398" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<b>#11 Tan-Chun</b> named also in story:<b>贾探春</b> or <b>Jia Tanchun</b> having the meaning <i>Seeking Spring</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtW6b1vZYT1v0SB0j7hUHmDfvnnbJfewoFU3GLUOVfDpToHuK0yMrj2PVjW4XxvTYt7oSXXasbLlcrfFMAgiYWhiuHxvtZXP_2bsEHlko_J6S2zNELmwQiuCwiJDknIWNU423Uscy7D6o/s1600/Tan_Chun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tan-chun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtW6b1vZYT1v0SB0j7hUHmDfvnnbJfewoFU3GLUOVfDpToHuK0yMrj2PVjW4XxvTYt7oSXXasbLlcrfFMAgiYWhiuHxvtZXP_2bsEHlko_J6S2zNELmwQiuCwiJDknIWNU423Uscy7D6o/s400/Tan_Chun_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Tan-chun plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>#12 Chiao-chieh</b> named also in story:<b> 贾巧姐</b> or <b>Jia Qiaojie</b> having the meaning <i>Clever Older Sister</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOX0n7NpYEI_mCy6bwhjJXTKw0O41JSN7Ks7ij3Ihm-nSJTrJ6oMYwnQOILxwPzOypOSOu4S9QetDhOwAzki42zwZsAFUQ4eh4xvlYyaDqJ6Ye0X5-JkUCPBZLIgLMHDi2wuULphk5gQ/s1600/Chiao_Chieh_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chiao-chieh plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" border="0" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOX0n7NpYEI_mCy6bwhjJXTKw0O41JSN7Ks7ij3Ihm-nSJTrJ6oMYwnQOILxwPzOypOSOu4S9QetDhOwAzki42zwZsAFUQ4eh4xvlYyaDqJ6Ye0X5-JkUCPBZLIgLMHDi2wuULphk5gQ/s400/Chiao_Chieh_plate_Imperial_Jingdezhen_Porcelain.jpg" title="Chiao-chieh plate Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain" width="400" /></a></div>Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-83844171606242093622011-02-11T13:26:00.000-08:002011-02-11T13:35:52.717-08:00IF.....<b>I</b><i><b>F</b> you can keep your head when all about you<br />
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,<br />
<b>IF</b> you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,<br />
But make allowance for their doubting too;<br />
<b>IF</b> you can wait and not be tired by waiting,<br />
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,<br />
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,<br />
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwyaneiGs_BsA3oTjToM_TFUtOoqRSeE98Nd_38oT99aa-KH61ERqQ7qwQ5QFQT9BasMR6IH1Q0J2xj3igZephY57Q8HIvP7xIOGkAcBjw5Cgmxq5RVKm0rEd5swVl2raxMS5wBEz6-8/s1600/image_for_our_soul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwyaneiGs_BsA3oTjToM_TFUtOoqRSeE98Nd_38oT99aa-KH61ERqQ7qwQ5QFQT9BasMR6IH1Q0J2xj3igZephY57Q8HIvP7xIOGkAcBjw5Cgmxq5RVKm0rEd5swVl2raxMS5wBEz6-8/s400/image_for_our_soul.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />
<b> </b></i><br />
<i><b>IF</b> you can dream - and not make dreams your master;<br />
<b>IF</b> you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;<br />
<b>IF</b> you can meet with Triumph and Disaster<br />
And treat those two impostors just the same;<br />
<b>IF</b> you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken<br />
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,<br />
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,<br />
And stop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:<br />
</i><b><i> </i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIjNmZfXggRX11T2wWddyMXPPeihgRUceAHRsYw83OvqPgm711Bo8Pk9EjM4R2HiWqt3lrvcKynMWDsI6YGbxEf_J_LykH1qjL0H8f5k7XO8DAeLvbFHk8VtpRp1iKFJyCYSM4AFJ050/s1600/autumn_flames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIjNmZfXggRX11T2wWddyMXPPeihgRUceAHRsYw83OvqPgm711Bo8Pk9EjM4R2HiWqt3lrvcKynMWDsI6YGbxEf_J_LykH1qjL0H8f5k7XO8DAeLvbFHk8VtpRp1iKFJyCYSM4AFJ050/s400/autumn_flames.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b><i>IF</i></b><i> you can make one heap of all your winnings<br />
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,<br />
And lose, and start again at your beginnings<br />
And never breathe a word about your loss;</i><b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i>IF</i></b><i> you can force your heart and nerve and sinew<br />
To serve your turn long after they are gone,<br />
And so hold on when there is nothing in you<br />
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'<br />
</i><b><i> </i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-ajZY7Xp54Nx3WbW4ef0P-MBkGBL8nGhsk4DdBDGMNAzBguNTn20UW5PugQjVfoToZzqeOKbN3iDYZI7LSwo3NX3cXJ5k_3A2HfJ_sYfWr1RPr95bASXba_p6WVSlMMIURgNxkm19sM/s1600/ginkgo_and_conifers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-ajZY7Xp54Nx3WbW4ef0P-MBkGBL8nGhsk4DdBDGMNAzBguNTn20UW5PugQjVfoToZzqeOKbN3iDYZI7LSwo3NX3cXJ5k_3A2HfJ_sYfWr1RPr95bASXba_p6WVSlMMIURgNxkm19sM/s400/ginkgo_and_conifers.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><br />
<b><i>IF</i></b><i> you can talk with Crowds and keep your virtue,<br />
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,</i><b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i>IF</i></b><i><b> </b>neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,</i><b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i>IF</i></b><i><b> </b>all men count with you, but none too much;</i><i><b> </b></i><br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/If-Poem-Rudyard-Kipling-Poster/dp/B003NLD0LY?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">IF</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003NLD0LY" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></b> </i><i>you can fill the unforgiving minute<br />
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,<br />
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,<br />
And - which is more - you'll be <b>a Man</b>, my son!</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>lyrics by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Rudyard-Kipling-contents-ebook/dp/B0028N6WAY?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Rudyard Kipling</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0028N6WAY" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (1865-1936)</b></i></span>Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-20799807663028186532011-02-08T11:27:00.000-08:002011-02-08T11:28:26.418-08:00Google Doodle for Jules Verne CelebrationPerhaps you notice today's Google Doodle (if you missed any Google Doodle this year ... you can find all <a href="http://www.google.com/logos/">Google logos here</a>). Today we celebrate the 183rd birthday of Jules Verne (February 8, 1828 – March 24, 1905), whose science fiction's works have charmed many days in my childhood. His books from "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Biography-Extraordinary-Voyages-Jules-Verne/dp/B000FKP1IG?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Extraordinary Voyages</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000FKP1IG" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />" series: "<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Thousand-Leagues-under-ebook/dp/B002RKSZJO?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002RKSZJO" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>”, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Around-World-80-Days-ebook/dp/B002RKSZWQ?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Around the World in Eighty Days</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002RKSZWQ" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />”, “<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Centre-Earth-ebook/dp/B002RKRMSY?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">A Journey to the Center of the Earth</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002RKRMSY" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />”</i> "<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Moon-Jules-Verne/dp/1150217499?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">From the Earth to the Moon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1150217499" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>" have been a preamble to any space, air, and underwater travel, and perhaps his ideas laid the foundation for many travel devices as submarines, airplanes and spaceships.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OD6nKmmsQCUHVzr2iPAT9zGWpoCF6_qGSjM-js_Y7NLAzo88NW9tROuNMm-vau3yfd0fC9YJ4RRU22GvU5GC-uM6NHTqvOQIgYU1i6n5vSXR3tReCx0EcmJbR5Iq2fDwSP78PaF4wWA/s1600/Google_doodle_for_Jules_Verne_celebration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google Doodle for Jules Verne celebration" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OD6nKmmsQCUHVzr2iPAT9zGWpoCF6_qGSjM-js_Y7NLAzo88NW9tROuNMm-vau3yfd0fC9YJ4RRU22GvU5GC-uM6NHTqvOQIgYU1i6n5vSXR3tReCx0EcmJbR5Iq2fDwSP78PaF4wWA/s400/Google_doodle_for_Jules_Verne_celebration.jpg" title="Google Doodle for Jules Verne celebration" width="400" /></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglF2iWPcYDnK7cU1QROimBaiDwWJ4ovFtimV3dfqFS_iYhyISsnd4vcyhl4VNPUDSPuGt0Ewmeg8GRd__v1w8HgPSOu09pvxHlaf1O0_0Hd__Kv9zBA5hYF_zr_XWQefKdSJH7UULR7eA/s1600/Jules_Verne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglF2iWPcYDnK7cU1QROimBaiDwWJ4ovFtimV3dfqFS_iYhyISsnd4vcyhl4VNPUDSPuGt0Ewmeg8GRd__v1w8HgPSOu09pvxHlaf1O0_0Hd__Kv9zBA5hYF_zr_XWQefKdSJH7UULR7eA/s200/Jules_Verne.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jules Verne, photo courtesy of wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Google is celebrating the 183th birthday of Jules Verne with a special doodle, inspired by “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” one popular book who captivated the minds of millions of people worldwide. It was realized as a tribute to Jules Verne and is fully interactive. If you move the cursor over red lever and pull the lever, you can voyage (perhaps 20000 leagues) with the "submarine" .<br />
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On the<a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/happy-birthday-from-20000-leagues-under.html"> official Google blog</a>, the Google Doodler Jeniffer Hom explained: <br />
"<i><b>Today’s doodle, celebrating Verne’s 183rd birthday, tries to capture that sense of adventure and exploration. Using CSS3 (and with help from our resident tech wizards Marcin Wichary and Kris Hom), the doodle enables anyone to navigate the Nautilus down (nearly) 20,000 leagues with the simple pull of a lever. And for those using devices with built-in accelerometers and the latest versions of Google Chrome or Firefox, it’s even simpler—just tilt your device in the direction you want to explore and the Nautilus will follow</b>.</i>"<br />
<br />
Captain Nemo's speech from "<i>The man of the seas</i>" chapter, when talk with passion about his love to the sea, remains one of the most complete descriptions of the globe: <br />
"<i>Yes; I love it! The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the 'Living Infinite,' as one of your poets has said. In fact, Professor, Nature manifests herself in it by her three kingdoms--mineral, vegetable, and animal. The sea is the vast reservoir of Nature. The globe began with sea, so to speak; and who knows if it will not end with it? In it is supreme tranquility</i>." <br />
You can download free to read on your PC, iPad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone, Android or other portable device, many ebooks published <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search.html/?default_prefix=author_id&sort_order=downloads&query=60">on Jules Verne section from Gutenberg Project website. </a><br />
Is time to tilt the lever and see the aquatic life described by Jules Verne in the chapter " <i>A walk on the bottom of the sea</i>" : "<i>Various kinds of isis, clusters of pure tuft coral, prickly fungi, and anemones, formed a brilliant garden of flowers, enameled with porphitae, decked with their collarettes of blue tentacles, sea stars studding the sandy bottom, together with asterophytons like fine lace embroidered by the hands of naiads, whose festoons were waved by the gentle undulations caused by our walk. It was a real grief to me to crush under my feet the brilliant specimens of mollusks which strewed the ground by thousands, of hammerheads, donaciae (veritable bounding shells), of staircases, and red helmet shells, angel wings, and many others produced by this inexhaustible ocean. But we were bound to walk, so we went on, while above our heads waved shoals of physalides leaving their tentacles to float in their train, medusae whose umbrellas of opal or rose pink, escalloped with a band of blue, sheltered us from the rays of the sun and fiery pelagiae, which, in the darkness, would have strewn our path with phosphorescent light</i>."Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-10322786390024177592011-02-02T20:13:00.000-08:002011-02-02T20:13:40.280-08:002011 Lunar New Year's celebrations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgtH08vYhbNmJelEa8ptQybmi2RClkk9SphL3BAa7pAGFIYMaMtSNhUIylKD-A7zLG1Xnsu38wY3PWksgtepNxUEarsUjH5AFl278s1t8o_b_jaXSMdBvH0kyzT_ERJ5rElh3qtSo7AE/s1600/Happy_New_Lunar_Year_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Happy 2011 Lunar New Year" border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgtH08vYhbNmJelEa8ptQybmi2RClkk9SphL3BAa7pAGFIYMaMtSNhUIylKD-A7zLG1Xnsu38wY3PWksgtepNxUEarsUjH5AFl278s1t8o_b_jaXSMdBvH0kyzT_ERJ5rElh3qtSo7AE/s640/Happy_New_Lunar_Year_2011.jpg" title="Happy 2011 Lunar New Year" width="640" /></a></div>The Gregorian New Year has started one month ago, but many nations celebrate the beginning of the new year at different dates. <br />
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Chinese people celebrates <b>on February 3th</b>, the<b> beginning of 2011 Lunar New Year</b>: "<i>Beginning of new year, end of the old year / xin nian tou, jiu nian wei</i>", this year starting the "<b>Year of the Metal Rabbit</b>". It is expected to be a peaceful year, which will bring good luck, calm and wealth around the world (characteristics of rabbit animal sign) and strength and forceful energy to pass over bad periods (characteristic to Metal influences).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGkhwAI2LfdzNQMuSDFra5hw4Lf_5jd7Kd_bwsJtBJPBSTt_9onGwjexVEZ35HbfIW_gcgUCVOJGzYbFK7r0Ol05RCUB7_VRrByKJ_zQBbf2fiUzVUi6kvL8c_yy-JVvGc94tatm8d0E/s1600/welcome_2011_year_of_the_rabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="welcome 2011 Year of the Rabbit" border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGkhwAI2LfdzNQMuSDFra5hw4Lf_5jd7Kd_bwsJtBJPBSTt_9onGwjexVEZ35HbfIW_gcgUCVOJGzYbFK7r0Ol05RCUB7_VRrByKJ_zQBbf2fiUzVUi6kvL8c_yy-JVvGc94tatm8d0E/s400/welcome_2011_year_of_the_rabbit.jpg" title="welcome 2011 Year of the Rabbit" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In traditional Chinese Culture, the Chinese calendar is cyclical that repeats every 60 years. There are 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac (<i>鼠 Rat, 牛 Ox, 虎 Tiger, 兔 Rabbit, 龍 Dragon, 蛇 Snake, 馬 Horse, 羊 Sheep, 猴 Monkey, 雞 Rooster, 狗 Dog, 豬 Pig</i>), with five elements of Chinese astrology (<i>Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water</i>) having <i>yin / yang</i> associations alternating every year. The first day of New Chinese Year starts on second new moon after the winter solstice and is celebrate at a various date every year (between 20 January - 20 February). Lunar New Year is based on a lunar (or lunisolar) calendar that refers to the beginning of the year in several cultures.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1z2oWu1M_Al_vCKNWGOaOE4Hs8S7_OVSWO_sSaEF3pYRzoqz9T2pqpwCQDe5TZZdl8saEVfe2u_TaQonz3zJOmwwFHAe5jVvMGa1X-ho8l871MDjlVoBqU8pIpKN8mLAvox2UU5x-QV8/s1600/chinatown_singapore_2010_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Singapore 2010 celebration of Chinese New Year" border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1z2oWu1M_Al_vCKNWGOaOE4Hs8S7_OVSWO_sSaEF3pYRzoqz9T2pqpwCQDe5TZZdl8saEVfe2u_TaQonz3zJOmwwFHAe5jVvMGa1X-ho8l871MDjlVoBqU8pIpKN8mLAvox2UU5x-QV8/s640/chinatown_singapore_2010_1.jpg" title="Singapore 2010 celebration of Chinese New Year" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singapore 2010 celebration of Chinese New Year</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<i>The 2011 Lunar New Year celebrations</i> this year, fall on February 3th day of the Gregorian year (except Tibetan) and gain different names, although they are somehow related to Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations:<br />
<ul><li>The beginning of Japanese Lunar New Year is <i>Shogatsu or Oshogatsu 正月</i>, (since 1873 the Japanese accepted the solar calendar). </li>
</ul><ul><li>The Koreans celebrate Korean Lunar New Year / <i>Eum-nyeok Seolnal 음력설날</i> .</li>
</ul><ul><li>The Tibetans will celebrate around the world "<i>Losar / ལོ་གསར་ </i>This year begin "female iron Hare" year on March, 5th.</li>
</ul><ul><li>The Mongolians will celebrate <i>Tsagaan Sar / Цагаан сар / white moon</i>. </li>
</ul><ul><li>Vietnamese Lunar New Year is named "<i>Tet Nguyen Dan / Tết / Feast of the First Morning</i>" and usually is celebrate as same date as Chinese New Year.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJILgjNAvFEZ5aOz8Mdo7Uq2Y1TFeWe0sGonoVtO4Fc3pGUbX_WcwG7zBlLGyrZ7MOUnNiYFg_lXGFfOVnTYN-nwYQWOBCoGYJwzCMaiBVOGyU8FAtjFlH_i7hSt6DS9UIufa73HsnjMc/s1600/lion_dance_in_hong_kong_2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lion Dance at 2010 celebration of Chinese New Year" border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJILgjNAvFEZ5aOz8Mdo7Uq2Y1TFeWe0sGonoVtO4Fc3pGUbX_WcwG7zBlLGyrZ7MOUnNiYFg_lXGFfOVnTYN-nwYQWOBCoGYJwzCMaiBVOGyU8FAtjFlH_i7hSt6DS9UIufa73HsnjMc/s400/lion_dance_in_hong_kong_2010.jpg" title="Lion Dance at 2010 celebration of Chinese New Year" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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"<b><i>All creations are reborn on New Year's Day</i></b>" Chinese proverb. <br />
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So, in this evening, all over the world the "<b>Chinese New Year Eve</b>" called "<i>Chu Xi 除夕</i>" having the meaning "discard the old, welcome the new" (although " Chu 除" means discard, removal and " Xi 夕" means night).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVBTuvKF7uSpfy5hcCJqT79O0Yl5ZdDM4ebNsgfysYpie5sqJ7GuAIUMOjN9Bx6UCiHvoKAjNIRFdbZYpHFuMp-m7w_nXbzgQ-vTdBEz8zSDL897G9wFcxk1rCSLuYUS23zu88-0KXLM/s1600/chinatown_los_angeles_2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Los Angeles 2010 celebration of Chinese New Year" border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVBTuvKF7uSpfy5hcCJqT79O0Yl5ZdDM4ebNsgfysYpie5sqJ7GuAIUMOjN9Bx6UCiHvoKAjNIRFdbZYpHFuMp-m7w_nXbzgQ-vTdBEz8zSDL897G9wFcxk1rCSLuYUS23zu88-0KXLM/s320/chinatown_los_angeles_2010.jpg" title="Los Angeles at 2010 celebration of Chinese New Year" width="320" /></a>The New Year's Eve of the Chinese New Year is celebrated with festive clothing (red, orange), festive paper decorations (usually with good wishes written on them) in home and garden and a family feast - having many similarities with the American Thanksgiving Day.<br />
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It is that time of the Year when ancient Chinese traditions are honored in each corner of China and in many countries with significant Chinese populations (even they recognize or not the Chinese National Holiday).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L4tuTVHOguPzNn_wrmt-WSRGD74rDZ9xwdbCS1EhF340pvuqv_4zd_rq3CDX9dv9wA0Q9DlOx9b-le5-lvRzqE0vjvMHIpIIfojVRD8DWYp8t8nbMMLcemDPGgpBJUSbXKIYuygEyxU/s1600/lion_dance_in_hong_kong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lion Dance at Hong Kong 2010 celebration of Chinese New Year" border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L4tuTVHOguPzNn_wrmt-WSRGD74rDZ9xwdbCS1EhF340pvuqv_4zd_rq3CDX9dv9wA0Q9DlOx9b-le5-lvRzqE0vjvMHIpIIfojVRD8DWYp8t8nbMMLcemDPGgpBJUSbXKIYuygEyxU/s320/lion_dance_in_hong_kong.jpg" title="Lion Dance at Hong Kong 2010 celebration of Chinese New Year" width="320" /></a><br />
The most major celebrations will be held next weekend February 5th -6th, but the festivities will probably consist of about 2 weeks / every day events throughout Chinatowns and spectacular parades with traditional colorful silk costumes, Chinese dragons and lions dancing on traditional or contemporary Chinese music.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsaBQ-r-8zcEVtTl9qAAqDVKrVGE4BCsBeDCgukNRPHfMAVXCYklUBxwp4CrTV1rXgKnBxc46YdETwSOTQZwBYU48zJLZG2d7XbQOqqO3CBzGZH239b49EUGIyIOgxIQ3ENTFsFSDOuw/s1600/fireworks_chinese_new_year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Fireworks at the 2010 Chinese New Year" border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsaBQ-r-8zcEVtTl9qAAqDVKrVGE4BCsBeDCgukNRPHfMAVXCYklUBxwp4CrTV1rXgKnBxc46YdETwSOTQZwBYU48zJLZG2d7XbQOqqO3CBzGZH239b49EUGIyIOgxIQ3ENTFsFSDOuw/s320/fireworks_chinese_new_year.jpg" title="Fireworks at the 2010 Chinese New Year" width="320" /></a></div>At the midnight of "New Year Eve", the sky will be lighten by the traditional fireworks / firecrackers and in the last Day of Celebrations people will enlighten the streets with traditional Chinese lanterns during the "Lantern Festival / Yuan Xiao Festival/ 元宵节" (it is first night of the year to see a full moon).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqZI8E_9o_FSP8yQMHy90mfrykNK3nHszxVHmotdQfP2RwlXuVVo5Bnw4K26fGUniqSnCE4UtYU0u0yMNJZZ8Eus1vNNcB1PvhgJ8ehTBPp5IzP-VdmCoJXi0BnQkCMnYtLaLqkSlt6s/s1600/parade_chinatown_los_angeles_2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Los Angeles Parade at the 2010 Chinese New Year" border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqZI8E_9o_FSP8yQMHy90mfrykNK3nHszxVHmotdQfP2RwlXuVVo5Bnw4K26fGUniqSnCE4UtYU0u0yMNJZZ8Eus1vNNcB1PvhgJ8ehTBPp5IzP-VdmCoJXi0BnQkCMnYtLaLqkSlt6s/s400/parade_chinatown_los_angeles_2010.jpg" title="Los Angeles Parade at the 2010 Chinese New Year" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Not only Chinese traditions are honored this evening, other cultures are preparing their own Spring Festivals and National Holidays:<br />
<ul><li>Japanese will celebrate<i> Japanese New Year Eve / Ōmisoka (大晦日)</i> and once the new year starts people wish each other "<i>良いお年を / akemashite o-medeto / Happiness on the beginning of a new year</i>"</li>
</ul><ul><li>Traditional Koreans wishes for the Lunar New year is: "<i>새해 복 많이 받으세요 / saehae bog manh-i bat-eu saeyo / Happy New Year</i>".</li>
</ul><ul><li>The Mongolians will celebrate on February 3th-5th the "<i>Bituun / Dark Moon</i>" and the beginning of "female iron rabbit" year. </li>
</ul><ul><li>The Vietnamese will wish each other " <i>Chuc mung nam moi / Happy New Year</i>" and "<i>An khang thinh vuong / 安康興旺 / Security, good health and prosperity</i>".</li>
</ul><ul><li>The Tibetans will celebrate after a month their New Year's Eve and a traditional greetings used on this occasion is "<i>Tashi Delek / zhaxi dele / Blessings and good luck in new year</i>".</li>
</ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGSF_uDkFHMRt8mcnQiO8-wbngRObg8uSkX7dU_7tA4WBxgla2KITqJ2KTHdWgRmOAZymJaw42OideUqgWqbf932kWOa-G5Hyh3y4N1N6fxYwMSgTLx6LCLPkV6FOfnTA50cZL-ZaoRE/s1600/japanese_dance_new_year_eve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Japanese dance New Year Eve" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGSF_uDkFHMRt8mcnQiO8-wbngRObg8uSkX7dU_7tA4WBxgla2KITqJ2KTHdWgRmOAZymJaw42OideUqgWqbf932kWOa-G5Hyh3y4N1N6fxYwMSgTLx6LCLPkV6FOfnTA50cZL-ZaoRE/s400/japanese_dance_new_year_eve.jpg" title="Japanese dance New Year Eve" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese dance New Year Eve </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Let the celebration of the 2011 New Year's start ... again!Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-7548486427405029682011-01-29T09:16:00.000-08:002011-01-29T09:17:47.155-08:00Japanese Sake, rice wine or beer?<b>Sake</b> is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese Origins of which rice is a principal ingredient. The<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake"> Japanese sake</a> (酒) or o-sake (お酒) is usually translated as alcoholic drinks in general, the specific term for the traditional beverage being Nihonshu (日本酒), meaning "Japanese sake".<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9Wo7OoQWYeSMUnoq57Hm67iH7gaYQLC6CXE7Ptym5Z64xqPseZ3_zNDIDs6ETAo_x2hFZL9FLAxEXGXe2cPD5h-utxjTPWbvNsx2d7LdS_ZrUCSUG-bcSng8C-cj3HwFn87ldSDqa7A/s1600/dragon_sake_set_bottle_and_cups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=" Japanese Dragon Sake Set" border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9Wo7OoQWYeSMUnoq57Hm67iH7gaYQLC6CXE7Ptym5Z64xqPseZ3_zNDIDs6ETAo_x2hFZL9FLAxEXGXe2cPD5h-utxjTPWbvNsx2d7LdS_ZrUCSUG-bcSng8C-cj3HwFn87ldSDqa7A/s400/dragon_sake_set_bottle_and_cups.jpg" title=" Japanese Dragon Sake Set" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese Original Dragon Sake Set </td></tr>
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<b>Sake </b>can be translated also as "<b>rice wine</b>", but it is a beverage produced by brewing, so <b>it is more closer to beer than wine</b>, but with higher alcohol content: 15–20%.<br />
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The "Food and Agriculture Museum" at "Tokyo University of Agriculture" displays a great sake bottle collection.<br />
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<img alt="Food and Agriculture Museum, Sake museum collection" height="300" src="http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/17424/1475589374065728881S600x600Q85.jpg" width="600" /><br />
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<img alt="Tokyo University of Agriculture - Sake bottle collection" height="300" src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p137/mayublue/DSCN1401.jpg" width="600" /><br />
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The rice in Japan is kind of centerpiece of almost every meal, rice agriculture being introduced to Japan more than 4000 years ago. The rice used for brewing sake has larger grain (called shuzo kotekimai / sake rice) which contain a starch component (named Shinpaku or Shinpaku-mai) in the center. The "<b>multiple parallel fermentation</b>" process is distinguished by other brewing methods by combining the conversion of starch in sugar with conversion of sugar in alcohol (using yeast). This is the reason why the sake has such a higher alcohol content. The taste depends by the proper combination of malt, <a href="http://scentedleaf.blogspot.com/2010/09/tale-of-yeast-our-friend-from-fungi.html">yeast</a> (koji-kin / koji mold / <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillus_oryzae.">Aspergillus Oryzae</a>), steamed rice (named koji) and water (mizu) <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2zeBbfhbwudxGeZLcZtsHXoei-8ecxrsJXW6vWzl54zo-WwT1KT3s1p90R1mY1m4iWdusJfquoSlrq_llsZhnMYnFeF_pslbsJYZraIwwGA6c3Jm9isOjLQWOeQMcDORmzpsSScossI/s1600/sake_set_made_manually.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Japanese Rustic Green square Sake Cups - made manually" border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2zeBbfhbwudxGeZLcZtsHXoei-8ecxrsJXW6vWzl54zo-WwT1KT3s1p90R1mY1m4iWdusJfquoSlrq_llsZhnMYnFeF_pslbsJYZraIwwGA6c3Jm9isOjLQWOeQMcDORmzpsSScossI/s400/sake_set_made_manually.jpg" title="Japanese Rustic Green square Sake Cups - made manually" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese Rustic Green square Sake Cups - made manually</td></tr>
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Sake is not a distilled beverage, is non carbonated and usually free from additives and preservatives. <br />
In the making of sake, it is necessary to polish the rice (to remove the protein, oils from the exterior of them), leaving behind starch convert grain starch into sugar, and then convert the sugar into alcohol by means of yeast. Sake brewing combines these two steps by a simultaneous conversion that results in Sake having an 18% higher alcohol content than any other fermented drink.<br />
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<b>Sake is generally</b> almost <b>transparent</b>, and sometimes, if is properly kept for six months, <b>has a light amber color </b>(if sake is allowed to age more than a year - it will turn a darker color and is better to avoid it). <b>Pasteurized sake can be kept at room temperature, but always refrigerate your unpasteurized sake.</b><br />
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<b>Sake can be served cold or warm</b> in small ceramic cups (named <i>ochoko / ja:猪口</i>). The best taste is achieved when is served slightly chilled. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake_set">Sake sets</a> are commonly ceramic and have a server and 4-6 cups. The server (a flask called <i>tokkuri / ja:徳利</i>) is bulbous with a narrow neck. Nowadays you can choose from a large variety of sake sets ( the flask and cups may be bought as a set or individually) usually decorated with floral (spring blossoms, cherry blossom, orchids) and Asian motifs (dragons, landscape, geisha, written characters)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMkJDBinT6PpUFUyFy1meHW3rw1-NBrTr2llGgWr3eD9GGev8RJLfN3ZZTOu5fYpoQ0AYB0LeQEzEOqcc3yGL_GnPVZFohl8vqIWFw8fh90EKlbmzP02-F7J85QXgmsEYTIs0J4pJCOg/s1600/samurai_drinking_sake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Samurai drinking sake" border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMkJDBinT6PpUFUyFy1meHW3rw1-NBrTr2llGgWr3eD9GGev8RJLfN3ZZTOu5fYpoQ0AYB0LeQEzEOqcc3yGL_GnPVZFohl8vqIWFw8fh90EKlbmzP02-F7J85QXgmsEYTIs0J4pJCOg/s640/samurai_drinking_sake.jpg" title="Samurai drinking sake" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Kanpai !Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-61895268665609883062011-01-21T09:28:00.000-08:002011-01-21T09:49:53.293-08:00Game of GO - Art and Diplomacy StrategyThese days the "<b>Game of GO</b>" became more than a "<b>Game, Sport or Art</b>" and ... the reason why the GO community is crazy over, is because Chinese President Hu Jintao visited White House. <br />
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Well, last year, The US president Barack Obama brought as a present when he visited China to the Chinese President Hu Jintao <a href="http://www.usgo.org/news/2011/01/go-community-to-attend-white-house-event-welcoming-chinese-president/">an Go board made by Frank Salantrie, glass bowls and Go stones (donated by Feng Yun 9P) . </a><br />
These days, when President Hu returns the visit, <a href="http://www.scpr.org/blogs/kitty-felde/2011/01/18/go-diplomacy-be-used-chinas-president-hu/">The President Obama included as welcoming people few members of the American Go Association.</a><br />
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Media channels detailed the agenda of the visit of China's President Hu Jintao in US and enlightened the importance of this game for both nations, used as a symbol of the mutual respect between them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGHu64xZ7sN8tjtnZgkH5Awd3HO-TsXO4VxOVFYj-5pL27RA2C8XfLS8o7rUWad7D25Dgz48sXo3BD4Kl1atFDOSN_Y9aPYTN2BrErnLJXyBUH03wKXAE1WyI3h-9FwrxKBzY-La_N4o/s1600/Go_Baduk_Weichi_diagram_of_a+_famous_game_played_in_1846_on_19x19_board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGHu64xZ7sN8tjtnZgkH5Awd3HO-TsXO4VxOVFYj-5pL27RA2C8XfLS8o7rUWad7D25Dgz48sXo3BD4Kl1atFDOSN_Y9aPYTN2BrErnLJXyBUH03wKXAE1WyI3h-9FwrxKBzY-La_N4o/s640/Go_Baduk_Weichi_diagram_of_a+_famous_game_played_in_1846_on_19x19_board.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go / Weiqi/ Baduk diagram of a famous game played in 1846 between Shusaku and Gennan Inseki</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Game of GO</b> is a fascinating board game invented in China about four thousand years ago (that's right 4,000 years ago!), where it is known as "<b>Wei Qi</b>" or "<b>Wei Chi</b>". Later was introduced to Japan and it became a <b>game of samurai</b>, being known as "<b>GO</b>", "<b>Igo</b>" or "<b>Ranka</b>". The most recent was imported to Korea, where Go is called "<b>Baduk</b>". In the 20th century Go became more and more popular outside of Asia as well, being a very popular international game nowadays. <br />
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The Game of GO is the oldest board game still played today in its original form. It is a game of strategy with very simple and intuitive rules, older than Chess, teaching about how to be patient and respectful, to concentrate, to be organized and competitive while learn how to develop and share profit.<br />
It is known as the "king of the games" and millions of people all over the world play this game regularly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9Dj7CCfySXbJh1oJ4XGnmU6Pt2JKVjh-4AACesUC7KLrR7g82m2_kpYwvgOXdnyKFfd9iYRYHRdv_bytxAxZ7fg_OQF86mFxsK8T25nZcuf0lQJGjN423W5bolsc6R7X3dTkJEaTz_s/s1600/19x19_Go_Baduk_Weiki_board_and_stones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9Dj7CCfySXbJh1oJ4XGnmU6Pt2JKVjh-4AACesUC7KLrR7g82m2_kpYwvgOXdnyKFfd9iYRYHRdv_bytxAxZ7fg_OQF86mFxsK8T25nZcuf0lQJGjN423W5bolsc6R7X3dTkJEaTz_s/s640/19x19_Go_Baduk_Weiki_board_and_stones.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19x19 shin-kaya board used as Go / Baduk/ Weiqi board </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Some <b>basic rules of this game </b>are detailed bellow:<br />
Go it is played by 2 opponents, usually on a 19x19 grid rectangular board (playing on smaller boards 9x9 and 13x13 is also possible). The playing pieces, called stones, are played on the intersections of the lines. The two opponents play alternatively, one move (placing a stone in a vacant point / an empty intersection) each time. There are 181 black stones and 180 white stones. Black plays first move. The stones remain in their positions once placed on the board, until getting captured and eliminated from the board. One stone has 4 liberties if placed in an empty intersection (4 open points - 4 possibilities to add new stones).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF08HNydzS9bFQ5AgtW-x2g9-15wueEiJc_UYQMEKnJnW-wgBlmS37wYkgGLBD75XlUBc2uz8B5-IYEUcJyoasGp2u7fBkcUiojlQwkEhkv5qv5n5Jltg8ZIZfZjB_3eXggHHvEtPoji0/s1600/game_of_go_baduk_weichi_on_9x9_board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF08HNydzS9bFQ5AgtW-x2g9-15wueEiJc_UYQMEKnJnW-wgBlmS37wYkgGLBD75XlUBc2uz8B5-IYEUcJyoasGp2u7fBkcUiojlQwkEhkv5qv5n5Jltg8ZIZfZjB_3eXggHHvEtPoji0/s320/game_of_go_baduk_weichi_on_9x9_board.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9x9 wood board used as Go/ Baduk/ WeiQi rectangular board </td></tr>
</tbody></table> Placing stones close together helps them support each other and avoid capture. Adjacent stones of the same color placed on board lines (not diagonals) form a chain that shares its liberties. They may be connected together by placing a similar stone on adjacent intersection of two chains of the same color forming simple elements: square and circles. Groups of stones cannot subsequently be subdivided and must have two liberties to be "alive". Sometimes one or more stones of the opponent get to have no liberty (are surrounded by other players stones). All stones with no liberty are captured and eliminated from the board for the rest of the game.<br />
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There are many ways for stones to be captured and removed from the board. It is not allowed to place a stone in such a way that one of your own chains is left without liberties (situation named "suicide") . Also, in a fight it is not possible to make a move that returns the game to a previous position and to recapture immediately the opponent stones in same position on the grid ( situation named "Ko").<br />
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There are also many styles of playing Game of GO. You can play "Atari GO" in which whoever makes the first capture wins the game (very appreciated by kids and beginners or Classical GO - the goal of the game is to surround territory (empty board locations). In the end of the game, when both players pass, territories are counted and the winner is decided. Captured stones are placed inside matching color territories in the counting phase, so each captured stone values one point of territory.<br />
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You can see a <b>short video documentary about GO in modern Japan</b>:<br />
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_%28game%29"><b>Go board</b> </a>(named also <b>Goban</b>) is not square, typically measures 45-48 cm in length and 42-44 cm in width. The traditional Japanese Goban is made from protected species of trees as Kaya tree(Torreya nucifera) and California Torreya (Torreya californica). Less expensive woods often used nowadays to make table boards are: Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata), Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), Kauri (Agathis), and <a href="http://scentedleaf.blogspot.com/2011/01/picea-glauca-conica-bonsai.html">Shin-Kaya (various varieties of spruce)</a>. Chinese boards are slightly larger, as a traditional Chinese GO stones are slightly larger to match.<br />
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The traditional Japanese <b>Go stones</b> (named also<b> Goishi</b>) are <b>double-convex</b>, and made of <b>clam-shell (white) and slate (black)</b>. The most prized stones were made of jade, often given to the reigning emperor as a gift. <br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QsElvaoWcyw?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QsElvaoWcyw?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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You can play GO online, here: <a href="http://www.gokgs.com/">KGS</a>, <a href="http://www.dragongoserver.net/">DragonGOserver</a>, <a href="http://www.pandanet.co.jp/English/">Pandanet, </a>or on Xbox <a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/The-Path-of-Go/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8025841099f">Path of GO</a>Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-64761940270722170712011-01-12T12:37:00.000-08:002011-01-12T12:37:10.967-08:00Kusunoki Family Samurai Loyalty<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZjVXENhX3mqRoFqnuJxruJoYhjCxw3-mut-_11DlrBwxeRICjcFbWRyYewTjwie7yvOMeHr_EA_VM4Qip9j5LXf6t5s6xjX0J1n37OcfbmcF2ooFMlVMX5kX8AUaliqaja23stAV-MM/s1600/Kusunoki_Masashige_samurai_statue_Tokio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img -="" -bronze="" alt="Kusunoki" border="0" gardens="" height="496" masashige="" palace="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZjVXENhX3mqRoFqnuJxruJoYhjCxw3-mut-_11DlrBwxeRICjcFbWRyYewTjwie7yvOMeHr_EA_VM4Qip9j5LXf6t5s6xjX0J1n37OcfbmcF2ooFMlVMX5kX8AUaliqaja23stAV-MM/s640/Kusunoki_Masashige_samurai_statue_Tokio.jpg" statue="" title="Kusunoki Masashige -bronze statue - Tokio Palace Gardens" tokio="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kusunoki Masashige -bronze statue - Tokio Palace Gardens </td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Kusunoki family </i></span></b>fought to gain power and support over the shogunate for the Emperors: Go-Daiko and his 12-year old successor, Go-Murukami, during Japan's Nanbokucho Wars (Wars between the Southern and Northern Courts).<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Samurai-Military-History-Stephen-Turnbull/dp/1873410387?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Samurai: A Military History" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1873410387&tag=scented_leaf-20" /></a><br />
"<i><b>I could not return, I presume, </b></i><br />
<b><i>So I will keep my name </i></b><br />
<b><i>Among those who are dead with bows</i></b>."<br />
Kusunoki Masatsura farewell poem wrote with an arrowhead on the Nyoirinji temple's door - according "The Samurai: a military History" by Stephen R. Turnbull <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1873410387" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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"<i><b>I have a feeling<br />
I will not be returning,<br />
so among the names<br />
of those who died by the bow<br />
I inscribe my own. </b></i>" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusunoki_Masatsura">Kusunoki Masatsura death poem according to wikipedia.</a><br />
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<b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusunoki_Masatsura">Kusunoki Masatsura</a> </b>(1326-1348) was one of the primary military leaders who revived the Southern Court in the 1340s. As the entire Kusunoki family (he was son of Kusunoki Masashige), he was supporter of the Southern Imperial Court during Japan's Nanbokucho Wars. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusunoki_Masashige"><b>Kusunoki Masashige</b></a> (1294-1336), his father, was a 14th century samurai, called Nanko or Dai-Nanko, who fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in his attempt to wrest rulership of Japan away from the Kamakura shogunate and <b>is remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty. </b>His statue made by bronze, still watching over centuries the Tokyo Palace Gardens.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAX1ZEP5cpdFG2eDLu6aMOloSxlt39QsJjuNlISHeQlDBac2jCUUEdXW3a_y3qNGehHk2giLvb5il0DphMBoL5thtMF-dKDAdapNa2-Syl_9PACnUTOv2CeLwy-EGP78VioJCo5nntTvo/s1600/Kusunoki-masatsura_yoshu_chikanobu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kusunoki Masatsura, No. 31, by Chikanobu" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAX1ZEP5cpdFG2eDLu6aMOloSxlt39QsJjuNlISHeQlDBac2jCUUEdXW3a_y3qNGehHk2giLvb5il0DphMBoL5thtMF-dKDAdapNa2-Syl_9PACnUTOv2CeLwy-EGP78VioJCo5nntTvo/s640/Kusunoki-masatsura_yoshu_chikanobu.jpg" title="Kusunoki Masatsura, No. 31, by Chikanobu" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kusunoki Masatsura - Photo courtesy of Wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<i>Kusunoki Masatsura - One great Chikanobu (1838 - 1912) illustration depicting the brave warrior Kusunoki Masatsura as a boy, fending off evil creatures. The inset shows Kusunoki Masatsura as a grown man reading his death poem on a temple door before the Battle of Shijo, where he lost his life at 22 years old. </i>Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-6289254901750348032011-01-08T12:11:00.000-08:002011-01-08T12:12:40.163-08:00The Bear, Jean-Jacques Annaud <br />
Wandering on Youtube, I rediscovered a fabulous movie " <b>The Bear" made by <a href="http://www.jjannaud.com/">Jean Jacques Annaud</a></b>. After so many years, it has still a charming appeal as in my childhood. The movie was very interesting edited to create invisible threads between the human and animal worlds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qwGuJnqqYJI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qwGuJnqqYJI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div><br />
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This full of suspense movie make an interesting insight in bears behavior, and not only as you will discover later. When I saw it, my mind ran to the Greek Mythology that taught us that the bears are the followers of Callisto and Arcas, and they have powerful feelings - inherited from Callisto's former human feelings. <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ovid (the great Roman poet known as Publius Ovidius Naso) told us their story in his book "Metamorphoses": Callisto (translated as "most beautiful") was a charming nymph of Nonacris in Arcadia. She was seduced by Jupiter and gave birth to a son, Arcas. She was turned into a bear by Juno, Jupiter's jealous wife, when she gave birth to Arcas. After 15 years of wandering around the fields that had once been her home, they became the neighboring constellations at the North Pole: .</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">"<b><i>All-powerful Jupiter ... set them in the heavens and made them similar constellations, the Great and Little Bear</i></b>." <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="http://etext.virginia.edu/latin/ovid/trans/Metamorph2.htm#476707508">Ovid, "Metamorphoses", Bk II:496-507 Arcas and Callisto become constellations</a>. </b></span></span><br />
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Well, going back to "The Bear". The original story was narrowed in "<i><b>The Grizzly King: A Romance of the Wild</b></i> " book by James Oliver Curwood.<span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10977">Now, in public domain, it can be read here for free.</a></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPztVB7TebwsHbAM3T4Bo5lRdV80BOlXXxqEeeSfpRvVs7OptuGm2bA3L5NB5MLM9lJn6Kka6X3iM9ghuTCC_4hqH1tx6syXOORlgAVSi5bjHh6lKxvjCwg4t8-7U0qkfV5u5FrPC30E/s1600/the_bear_1988_annaud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPztVB7TebwsHbAM3T4Bo5lRdV80BOlXXxqEeeSfpRvVs7OptuGm2bA3L5NB5MLM9lJn6Kka6X3iM9ghuTCC_4hqH1tx6syXOORlgAVSi5bjHh6lKxvjCwg4t8-7U0qkfV5u5FrPC30E/s640/the_bear_1988_annaud.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>"The Bear"</b> movie released in 1988 was a big success and was nominated for numerous international film awards. Its action was set in the stunning scenery of the late 19th-century British Columbia, Canada (close to Vancouver area). This great movie, without dialogues but with a lot of special effects, tells the story of an orphaned bear cub and a adult grizzly, pursued by hunters in the wilds. In some of the filmed scenes, were used animated puppets, but the greatness of this movie is represented by the spontaneous scenes realized by trained animals.<br />
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As a tag-line for the movie, I like the film director's quote "<b><i>So, for the man that is in bears, I felt that it was perfect for man to feel the bear in him</i></b>".<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bear-James-Oliver-Curwood/dp/1557041318?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Bear" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1557041318&tag=scented_leaf-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1557041318" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bear-VHS-Bart/dp/6303972845?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Bear [VHS]" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=6303972845&tag=scented_leaf-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=6303972845" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Bear-Making-Jean-Jacques-Annaud/dp/1557040567?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Odyssey of the Bear: The Making of the Film by Jean-Jacques Annaud" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1557040567&tag=scented_leaf-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1557040567" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001MM0ADW" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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The wild actors: a pair of pumas and the bears (Bart, Douce, Griz and Doc) were trained with competence and ability long time by trainers to make the glacial mountains to became their territory, while prepared them for the movie scenes. It is really magic to see how people and animals can reach across the species barrier and really communicate. This movie offers a perfect opportunity to talk with your kids about natural habits, to show them the wildlife through the animals point of view. <br />
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"<b><i>The greatest thrill is not to kill but to let live</i></b>"<span style="font-size: x-small;"> James Oliver Curwood</span><br />
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<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D-H7CgnpxDw?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D-H7CgnpxDw?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br />
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Merci, Monsieur Annaud!Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-61823658505104579212011-01-07T00:12:00.000-08:002011-01-07T12:29:42.097-08:00Flash 3D object movie embedded in Blogspot3D Object movie is a perfect choice to display interactively on the web, a product, an art object, collectible, antiques or museum pieces, even <a href="http://scentedleaf.blogspot.com/search/label/3D%20Object%20Movie">miniature landscapes or bonsai</a>. It allows the viewer to manipulate an object with mouse and analyze the object from all the sides and different directions. It is an interactive photograph, a sequence of photographs taken of a product from every angle that gives the impression of a tangible, three dimensional real object.<br />
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There are many software programmes existing in the today market having as input a set of high resolution pictures and output an embeddable object. In the software used by us, you can create high quality 3D object movies (Flash or QuickTime format) which can be rotate 360 degrees. The view at a given angle can be animated or manually selected. When take pictures it is mandatory to fix the photo camera on a tripod and to use a turntable to rotate the object at the desire angle (10, 30, 45 degrees) until rotate completely. Of course, higher quality pictures translate into a higher quality 3D object movie. A photo studio with controlled light and a professional camera and lens ... helps a lot, but you can obtain good results even with an ordinary photo camera.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9nqrs1SYJOuPR4Ja4bG_6KzD6tNdO0h4Pl5kVZ9XH8SfEPo4a1xJW8mxPWr9nHGT9sutarAgr-phTCOfwdhNm-73di-3JNFndisoR-GKP-SHRkE7NQDgfRLz2zm8qw-kAOf0muwTShE/s1600/Porcelain_Chinesse_fishbowl_on_white_marble_turntable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chinese Porcelain Fishbowl on marble turntable" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9nqrs1SYJOuPR4Ja4bG_6KzD6tNdO0h4Pl5kVZ9XH8SfEPo4a1xJW8mxPWr9nHGT9sutarAgr-phTCOfwdhNm-73di-3JNFndisoR-GKP-SHRkE7NQDgfRLz2zm8qw-kAOf0muwTShE/s400/Porcelain_Chinesse_fishbowl_on_white_marble_turntable.jpg" title="Chinese Porcelain Fishbowl on marble turntable" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese Porcelain Fishbowl on marble turntable</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Object spins can be single-row (rotating around the vertical axis), or multi-row (able to be rotated around both the horizontal and vertical axes). It is quite difficult to make a multi-row object movie and for sure you'll need a professional equipment for this (photo camera, tripod, turntable and special accessories, photo light kit) - you need to take many sets of pictures at same distance to the object but in different vertical planes, maintaining same angle when rotate the object in horizontal plane. With a two-axis movie, the user is able to tilt the object to see it from above and below the horizontal while also turning it about its vertical axis.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Slik-Sprint-Tripod-Metal-Release/dp/B002821ESU?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Slik Sprint Pro II Tripod in Gun Metal With Quick Release Ball Head & Case" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B002821ESU&tag=scented_leaf-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002821ESU" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00009R6WG" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-FinePix-S2800HD-Digital-3-0-Inch/dp/B003VYB1K0?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Fujifilm FinePix S2800HD 14 MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Optical Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003VYB1K0&tag=scented_leaf-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003VYB1K0" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/EZspin-14-White-Turntable-Tabletop/dp/B000V42HVU?ie=UTF8&tag=scented_leaf-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="EZspin 14" White Turntable - by Tabletop Studio / EZcube" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B000V42HVU&tag=scented_leaf-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=scented_leaf-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000V42HVU" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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Another exciting possibility of this software is the user enabled zoom, with buttons that allow the user to zoom in and out. Also you can add multiple buttons to rotate object, to change spin direction or to maximize the image to a full screen.<br />
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Till today, Google Blogspot doesn't allow you to upload and host a Flash file, but there are multiple other ways to host such a file on a third party provider. Once you uploaded your file (with .swf extension) you can embed your Flash application into your post as a HTML code.<br />
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As we already said in our first blog post, we are also enthusiasts about oriental art. So we chose for today demo an amazing <b>old Chinese Fishbowl </b>/ planter made from Porcelain with height - 26cm and width - 32 cm. This piece of art was hand painted with vivid floral motifs to the exterior and with Koi fish and aqua-plants to the interior. Use your mouse to spin / change spin direction / zoom the object.<br />
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<embed allowfullscreen="True" height="480" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://SamuraiLeader.fileave.com/chinese_fishbowl.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"></embed><br />
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If you want to showcase your product as a 3D Flash Object Movie on your website, we can help you to identify the right solutions that are best for your business. Contact us at admin@samuraileader.com <span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;"> if you want to learn more about this technology and how may suits your needs.</span></span><br />
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Send us a sequence of pictures taken by yourself and we'll provide you the embeddable Flash file and as a promotional offer we will make the first 3D object movie for free.Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3796171096789007037.post-69111322179106560322011-01-04T18:16:00.000-08:002011-01-04T18:54:35.922-08:00Welcome to Samurai Leader<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdLAp0FjiNmZPn3mzhLWMpTfXqGmAocgntQTGhwrrbvDsqIgs3GKBW0K38eEbtbLtxd8vH2IJN54r0NpAF0n1TSvixtQPsZxjeG63TG4Wh0jxo4Bmpk5dfC14dGU5CCUokIiTZ6vzzz4/s1600/samurai_leader_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Samurai leader painted on a Chenghua miniature porcelain vase" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdLAp0FjiNmZPn3mzhLWMpTfXqGmAocgntQTGhwrrbvDsqIgs3GKBW0K38eEbtbLtxd8vH2IJN54r0NpAF0n1TSvixtQPsZxjeG63TG4Wh0jxo4Bmpk5dfC14dGU5CCUokIiTZ6vzzz4/s400/samurai_leader_2.jpg" title="Samurai leader painted on a Chenghua miniature porcelain vase" width="278" /></a></div><i><span style="font-size: large;">Hello readers and welcome to our new blog ! </span></i><br />
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We started this new project as a place for <br />
<ul><li> discoveries; </li>
<li>assistance in web design, e-commerce, marketing </li>
<li>enable on-line interactive 3D web-based object movies for us and for our customers.</li>
</ul>We are a small team of computers, telecommunications and new technologies enthusiasts who share with passion and pleasure their knowledge and we hope this blog will provide you a good insight into our work in a relaxing manner.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCHrxZnNNISmJmAk9wqHn-CzAquCLVXN3_sGMUrz6O_60QAV_Vcd5rY2EPJ88pLVb_1724ZaBfbzPHj-OaCJqQM6lf_QT9ug6oy2rJSfj02Hc-igQPW_wCvQSfEhnM8qSIc11wf2JACo/s1600/samurai_leader_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Samurai leader painted on a miniature porcelain vase marked Chenghua on bottom" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCHrxZnNNISmJmAk9wqHn-CzAquCLVXN3_sGMUrz6O_60QAV_Vcd5rY2EPJ88pLVb_1724ZaBfbzPHj-OaCJqQM6lf_QT9ug6oy2rJSfj02Hc-igQPW_wCvQSfEhnM8qSIc11wf2JACo/s400/samurai_leader_3.jpg" title="Samurai leader painted on a miniature porcelain vase marked Chenghua on bottom" width="307" /></a></div><br />
We are also enthusiasts about nature, travel, art (in any form of it) and we intend also to share with you<br />
<ul><li>inspirational stories about honor, courage, loyalty, honesty, appreciation of arts and self-control. </li>
<li>Game / Sport / Art of Go / Baduk / Wei Qi </li>
<li>Zen and Oriental philosophies </li>
<li>observations and reflections </li>
<li>Code of the Samurai </li>
<li>multipurpose tips, </li>
<li>photos and movies, </li>
<li>the latest about the World around us. </li>
</ul>Of course we hope you will enjoy our new blog and we look forward to receive your feedback. Keep one eye for upcoming posts or through RSS and Atom feeds - also available. We hope to became a guide for succeeding in today's very complex World. On that note, we welcome your input regarding possible topics, wishes or suggestions and invite you to contact us at admin@samuraileader.com<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Thanks so much for visiting our blog! </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Samurai Leader Team </i></span>Scented Leafhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187150223758037543noreply@blogger.com1