Be tolerent to Islam

"Islam is part of us. We absolutely have to make sure that we do not tar everyone with the same brush," German Chancellor Angella Merkel said. " Islamism is not Islam in Germany and majority of Muslims here clearly distance themselves from violence." German Muslims have distanced themselves from the violence abroad to protest against a conteroversial anti-Islam fil, observed the Chancellor, who leads the Christian Democratic Union. "As Christians, we party members should spend a little more time thinking and talking about Cgristianity than being afraid of Islam," Angela Merkel urged her party men.

Kung Fu Mahjong 2

Kung Fu Mahjong 2 is a  2005 Hong Kong film directed by Wong Jing and starring Cherrie Ying, Yeng Wah and Yuen Qiu. is is the first sequel to King Fu Mahjong.

Synopsis
A master Mahjong player named Fanny (Cherrie Ying) gets divorced by her husband and must play in the King of Mahjong match to win him back. As she plays, she must rely on her kung fu skills to beat up the famous cheaters such as the Japanese woman, a very strong man, the triplets and much more and win allied with her classmates, master, and brother (called ugly) along with her "Nipple Sister". The film ends with Fanny nippletwisting with her ex-husband by meaning she now had the power her ex-husband use to have.

Mantel booked another Booker

British writer Hilary Mantel won the prestigious Booker literary prize for the second time for Being Up the Bodies. Mantel, who took the 50,000 pound award in 2009 for Wolf Hall, is the first British author, and first woman, to acheive a Booker double. Bring Up the Bodies is also the first sequel to win the prize.
It and Wolf Hall are parts of a planned trilogy about Thomas Cromwell,  the powerful and ambiguous chief minister to King Henry VIII. "I regard this an act of faith and a vote of confidence," she commented.

See their passion for sea

Mariners cannot be held back. They would jump at every oppurtunity of going to seas, even if they narrowly escaped dangers last time.
The spirit of voyage made many people brave monstrous seas. It seems the spirit gets channelled down even to modern times. A senior UK couple, Paul and Rachel, make a good example.
While writing this, the retired pair from Tunbridge Wells in Kent may be circumnavigating the world. A few weeks ago they sailed out of a port in Devon, waving to a small crowd of admirers. This time round thwy hope to finish their aborted global voyage.
In 2009, in the midst of their globe trot, Somali pirates kidbapped them on their way from Seychelles to Tanzania. The armed pirates held them hostage fot over a year, subjecting them to brutal treatment.
The elderly couples spent exactly 388 days in captivity. Eventually, their friends and relatives stepped into rescue them and were released in 2010 after a ransom of £625,000 was paid.
But difficulties continued as their 38ft yatch, Layn Rival developed technical snag. They spent two years restoring it, and ended up drifting in Indian Ocean. Later UK's Royal Navy ship towed them back to shore. The incident didn't stop them from hitting the seas again.
This time round their route may not include pirate-infested ways like Seychelles or the coast of Somalia. "We were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the chances of it happening again are incredibly small," both the couple said.
They appear to be the real life counterparts of poet Coleridge's poetric character Ancient Mariner; because, both of them exude the old seafarer's undying passion for the seas and adventure.

The Kite Runner

This is also a first novel - written by Khaled Hosseini in 2003. The Kite Runner was published in 70 countries, invoking wide appreciation and debate about life in Afghanistan after the Russian invasion. This Afghan writer's second novel, Thousand Splendid Suns, was also a best seller. In 2006 he was named a goodwill envoy to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. A doctor by profession, Hosseini lives in Northern California.
The novel tells the story of Amir and Hassan, young boys from Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul. Amir's father is a rich man on the area, and Hassan is the son of his servant. Amir loves kite flying, but Hussan is a great kite runner, the important part of flying kite. He could predict the exact location where a kite is going to fall. No one can beat him. Their happy together suddenly changes and they part their ways following the Russian invasion in 1975. Amir ends up in America with his father Baba, but will he ever meet Hussan again? Get a copy.

Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe's first novel published in 1958 was a huge success. The Nigerian novelist became the first African author tp speak to the world about African life. As a result, the novel is widely taught in schools across the world. Some schools in Swizerland suggested the novel for student's summer reading this time. The novel reveals before you the lesser known aspects of Africa. You will be both shocked and amazed at their strange culture and beliefs. And you will know how innocent they were once, and how they were transformed by European invasion. The novel is often very funny, strange, shocking, and catching. The story develops around the life Okonkwo, a wrestling champion who wants to be an important person among his tribe, Igbo. But British colonialism is on its way to enslave the Igbo people. Can he become what he wants to be? Read the novel.

Lord of the Flies

This was the debutant novel by Nobel winning William Golding.
The novel was among the best 100 novels in a list by American Library Association. In 2005 Time magazine selected it as one of the 100 best English language novels from 1923 to 2005. Published in 1954, the novel wasn't an instant success but later on every school shelf got one copy of it. It is a must read for English literature courses in UK. A story of children, Lord of the Flies is allegorical. It speaks about human life through children. Amid the war, a group of school boys from Britain were evacuated in a plane. But the plane was shot down and the children safely landed in a Tropical Island. There starts their new life, a bit primitive but social. To survive till a ship comes along and rescues them, the boys set up a society by electing leaders, who gave orders, while submissive children take orders. Also, they keep a fire alive for inviting attention of any passing ship. The eventful novel is an engrossing read.

Samuel Johnson

"Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance."

Man-made storm

Film: Super Cyclone
Cast: Ming na, Nick Turturro, Andy Clemence
Direction: Liz Adams

When a super cyclone threatens the entire American eastern seaboard, a lone meteorologist and a petroleum engineer must battle the elements to stop the threat. Thid isn't a normal cyclone, however. This one is man-made; when an oil rig drills too deep it creates the super storm and scientists try to figure out how to stop it.
Super Cyclone, a low-budget disaster film with an improbable story line and some very wooden acting, stars Ming Na and Nicholas Turturro both of whom give good performances, everything considered.