most haunted series
The spirit of the Hilton Head Blue Lady roams the Island in a Victorian era blue dress — a recurring example of paranormal activity on the Island. In 1898, a young woman named Caroline lost her life to a hurricane off the east coast.
The Hilton Head Blue Lady
Keeps Watch Over Palmetto Dunes
Residents of Harbour Town and environs are no strangers to this story of paranormal activity and haunted places. It is one of the true scary stories associated with Hilton Head Island. In spite of all of the recent modernization, the island has an abundance of ghost stories.
Lovers’ Lane
Just by the Leamington area in Palmetto Dunes, down a winding dirt road, there once stood a lighthouse and its accessory keeper’s house. Both houses were abandoned by the United States Light Service when the light was automated. But one of the inhabitants never left.
It was a balmy summer evening. In search of a secluded spot for some private romance, a young couple pointed their car down the old access road, long deserted. What they encountered instead was paranormal activity in the person of the Blue Lady. As the couple embraced in their car the moon rose seductively over the Atlantic. The balmy night air and sound of the waves hitting the beach had a mesmerizing effect.
Suddenly they saw it. A chill ran down their spine when a soft, bluish light caught their eye. Transfixed they watched it floating through the light keeper’s house behind darkened windows. Suddenly the glowing figure appeared on the front porch of the old house and gazed at them with mournful eyes. The figure of a young woman was adorned in a beautiful Victorian dress. It was exactly like the dress that Caroline Fripp was said to have worn the night of her death in the hurricane of 1898.
All thought of romance now vanished and the couple quickly retreated from the scene leaving the haunted house in their rear view mirror. Next day they reported to their parents and not long after a small group of adults decided to check out the lighthouse for themselves. They didn’t have to wait long before the Hilton Head Blue Lady materialized, just as the youngsters had reported.
Today the location at Palmetto Dunes has been transformed by a world famous golf course and the haunted house has been relocated to Harbour Town near CQ’s Restaurant. The stories of these haunted places associated with the Hilton Head Blue Lady have several variations. There are reports of sobbing and some claim to have sensed her presence. But many believe the Blue Lady has been laid to rest and paranormal activity ceased since the haunted house was moved.
For More Information
Would you like to learn more about the Blue Lady, real ghosts and the “7 Greatest Mysteries” of Savannah-Hilton Head Island? Follow the links below for an expose of the real ghosts on Hilton Head Island, the #1 vacation destination in the Continental United States.
generators uk
In celebration of the upcoming season, I’ve decided to dedicate this site to the best places to experience the magic of Halloween and there’s no better place to start than Salem, Massachusetts.
Let’s get the major drawback out of the way first. Salem is one of – if not the – prime locations to celebrate Halloween, so expect anything within the city limits to be booked solid well in advance of October. That being said, this guide would be all but useless if I didn’t include a few interesting places to stay.
First on my list would have to be The Inn on Washington Square. The room rates range frome $100 (The Common Room) to $225 (The Honeymoon Suite) and there’s a two night minimum on all weekend and Haunted Happernings stays, which makes it one of the more expensive Bed and Breakfasts I’ve looked into. However, not only has it recieved great reviews, its genuinely haunted and is an ideal spot for the vacationing ghost hunter. For more details, see The Inn on Washington Square.
For those interested in a little less kitsch, The Salem Inn – comprised of three historic homes and “centrally located in the heart of historic Salem” – may very well be the place for you. Prices range from $190 (Captain West House) to $350 (Peabody House).
Again, since its a little late in the season, your best option would be staying in nearby Danvers, MA at Extended Stay America Boston – Danvers (5.21 miles from Washington Square). Their average daily rate is $91. Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials. The house of one of the convicted “witches,” Rebecca Nurse, is still standing in Danvers and can be visited as a historical landmark. Throughout October you can take part in “America’s most exciting Halloween Festival”, Salem Haunted Happenings. In its 28th year, Haunted Happenings kicks off October 1st with the Salem Chamber of Commerce Grand Parade and ends October 31st with The Reality Bites Costume Ball at the Hawthorne Hotel.
Also throughout October is the Festival of the Dead, “an annual event series that explores death’s macabre customs, heretical histories, and strange rituals”. Highlights include:The Retro Zombie Ball Spectral Evidence: Ghost Hunting 101 The Annual Psychic Fair and Witchcraft Expo Death and Rebirth: Ritual Transformation The Vampires’ Masquerade Ball The Mourning Tea andMessages from the Spirit World: Salem’s Only Authentic Séance.The Festival ends on October 30th at the Hawthorn Hotel with “the world’s most exclusive Halloween event”, The Official Salem Witches‘ Halloween Ball. For more details, visit the Festival of the Dead.
Now would be a good time to mention (to the aspiring paranormal investigator) that the Hawthorne Hotel is also supposedly haunted. In fact – as you probably suspect – there are tons of haunted locations in Salem, including Gallows Hill, The Ward House and Saint Mary’s Cemetary. For more locations, check out Shadowlands Haunted Places Index.
As you can see, Salem is filled with places for spook-tacular adventures (sorry…I couldn’t help myself) but please remember, infamous footnote in history aside, there’s more to “The Witch City” than ghosts and witches, including (but not limited to) the oldest National Historic Site in America, Salem Maritime National Historic Site.
Booo… chooo… chooooooo… there’s an eerie express on the horizon… it’s a haunted Halloween train ride… trolling down a track near you!
Halloween train rides are super, natural choices for celebrating the year’s spookiest season. Trains are as varied as the ghosts that haunt them, from quaint narrow-gauge steam trains to diesel-powered streamliners. Pumpkin trains head out into sun-baked fields, their passengers in pursuit of the perfect jack-o-lantern. Party trains assemble a masked mob of witches, warlocks, super heroes and storybook characters to compete for best costume prizes. Night trains venture down isolated rail beds and through shadowy landscapes lit only by the light of the moon.
Among the range of Halloween themed trains, trick-or-treating and haunted house excursions are favorites. Unique rides featuring on-train dining and murder mystery performances are not uncommon. And pick-your-own-pumpkin excursions are always full. In any event, costumes are always encouraged.
Conjuring up a Halloween train ride event in your area doesn’t require a lot of hocus pocus. Scenic and heritage railways offering hosting Spook-tacular celebrations can be found in dozens of states. The 2009 guide to Halloween train rides (http://www.traintraveling.com/events/halloween-trains), posted on TrainTraveling.com, features an extensive list of such railways.
Western U.S.A.
Hollywood-style magic cranks up the Halloween mojo at railways across the Western U.S.
Among the country’s dozens of pumpkin trains, Peanuts™ The Great Pumpkin Patch Express Train events are standouts. Both, the Texas State Railroad and Colorado’s Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad host Great Pumpkin trains. Highlights include meet and greet opportunities with Peanuts stars Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy — plus train rides and the chance to choose a pumpkin straight from the patch (the Peanuts crew makes an additional appearance in North Carolina, see below).
In California, the “Home of the Movie Trains” stages a blockbuster Halloween bash. The Golden State’s Fillmore & Western Railway rounds out its Headless Horseman excursions with an old-fashioned hay ride and BBQ feast.
Not for the faint of heart, Idaho’s Thunder Mountain Line plays host to the scary Wild West Haunted Express; destination: nowhere! After sunset, Utah’s Heber Valley Railroad disappears into the haunted recesses of Provo Canyon.
Midwestern U.S.A.
Railways across America’s heartland treat Halloween merrymakers to a cauldron of dire delights and frightful fun.
There’s fun for everyone at the Walled Lake Scenic Railway. The Michigan railway’s age-appropriate Halloween calendar features scary Moonlight Ghost Trains for adults and older kids, plus nightmare-free Hobo Halloween Express Trains for the little ones. Across the state, ghosts and goodies are in store for visitors to the Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad, in Flint. Doughnuts, cider and more await trick-or-treating train passengers who make their way door-to-door through the 19th century heritage site.
The Midwest Central Railroad’s Ghost Train of No Return shares billing with Old Threshers’ Midwest Electric Railway’s Ghostly Trolley to offer Iowans a night of Haunted Rails. When the Indiana Railway Museum rolls out its Legend of the Lost Train event, goblins chase the French Lick Scenic Railway’s train through a ghostly forest and into a haunted tunnel.
Southern U.S.A.
For Halloween train lovers across the Southern U.S., North Carolina’s Blue Ridge holds the charm, with celebrations hosted by two separate mountain railroads. At the Smoky Mountain Railroad, Charlie Brown and the gang will be on board The Great Pumpkin Patch Express to welcome Halloween merrymakers who come for train rides, hay rides and to take home a pumpkin.
The Blue Ridge is also home to what is, arguably, America’s premiere spooky-season destination: the Tweetsie Railroad Ghost Train Halloween Festival. The month-long event attracts enthusiastic crowds with a range of attractions including train rides, a haunted house, a “freaky forest” and much more!
In Kentucky, Big South Fork Scenic Railway runs both Haunted Hollow Express Trains for big kids and Trick or Treat Trains for tots.
Northeastern U.S.A.
Railways in the Northeast U.S. offer up a range of chilling choices.
Big Apple residents and visitors need only hop a Metro North train to Sleepy Hollow where a string of pre-Halloween events celebrate the Headless Horseman. From Boston, Salem-bound MBTA Commuter Rail passengers get to join in the town’s month-long Haunted Happenings celebrations.
Rolling over track that crosses the site of a former cemetery, the Connecticut Trolley Museum’s Rails to the Darkside takes passengers on a scary ride into the night. A daytime Pumpkin Patch Train gives folks the chance to select a pumpkin fresh from the field.
New Jersey’s Black River & Western Railroad is home to the Crazy Train Maze at Pumpkin Junction, a Halloween triple-play that combines a train ride with opportunities to buy a pumpkin and to get lost in a 10-acre pumpkin field maze — accessible only by train. In Maryland, the Walkersville Southern Railroad transforms its popular Murder Mystery Dinner Train into an adult’s only Halloween Costume Party on wheels.
Ready to Go
Halloween events calendars vary with a number of railways limiting Halloween trips to the last weekend in October. Many, however — including those highlighted in the preceding paragraphs — host special Halloween events on selected days throughout the month. The TrainTraveling.com website features a complete 2009 guide to Halloween train rides (http://www.traintraveling.com/events/halloween-trains).
Not all trains are appropriate for all ages and some Halloween events may be deemed too frightening for younger children. Check with individual railways in advance to verify age restrictions and warnings. In cases of inclement weather, train ride events incorporating outdoor activities, may be altered, postponed or cancelled. Advance reservations are generally advisable and required in many instances. Remember to dress appropriately: many Halloween trains operate at higher altitudes or after sunset in conditions where colder temperatures may prevail.
Everyone has the will to own traditional, magical, or strange haunted wicca cash spell rings. These things are sometimes called’fetishes’ by the scientific community, meaning something that is believed to have religious or magical qualities. Every religious group in the world has their own special types of fetishes, whether they want to fess up or not. From Christianity to Paganism each belief has its own artifacts. And if entanglement with religions bothers you there are plenty of non-religious avenues to follow. Fairies and Djinn/Genies are very popular at the moment as well as anything owned by gypsies or covens, with groups of anywhere from dozens to thousands of these magical beings contained inside one special item.If you are looking for a place where you can find these sorts of ancien and magical items, or weird haunted wicca money spell rings, I have come up with some base ideas.These ideas will give you a good start line before actually choosing such a weird traditional, magical, or haunted wicca item before buying it. I have bought loads of these traditional, magical, and weired haunted items, and I know from my own experience that doing the research before purchasing is the most critical step for having success with the purchasing process. I am using Ebay as a starting point to get your creative juices flowing and finding some good ideas to begin with. I have assembled an inventory of 9 peculiar magical, ancient, and haunted wicca money spell rings items for you. So let’s get started.Haunted Genie Necklace [*CO]‘Up for auction is this extremely rare necklace of aLL powers, this necklace contains all power sorts of Genies and Spirits, it also Contains one of the most powerful genies named Alumn Jia, he is over 5000 years old.’ A 5000-year-old genie? The difficulty is that Genies only come with a 4000 year! Weird magical and Haunted Item Number two : Weird magical and Haunted Item Number 3:Authentic Voodoo Doll [*CO]‘This is an authentic and original voodoo doll with black and white pins and instructions acquired in New Orleans at voodoo shop long before the devastation of Katrina.’ I ponder if the Voodoo Doll looks anything like the head of FEMA?Weird magical and Haunted Item Number 4:If it is haunted, then it is’your problem’. So it’s a classic lose-lose situation.Weird magical and Haunted Item Number 5:I have had some peculiar things pop up in my photographs since I have aquired it.’ And allegedly it has influenced his spelling as well.I know from my private personal experience that haunting for these special magical and weird haunted items that finding these special items isn’t a straightforward task. It can cost you quite some cash to get your favourite haunted item that you have dreamed about. It is just a matter of understanding how to search for these special sorts of items. Well since I have been doing this for quite some time now, I have come up with a genius research system. So if you are really serious about finding these special items for much less just follow the search string for my search system that I have come up with. I have attached it below within my bio box. With this search string you are going to be in a position to work out the kind of search phrases that you need to understand in order to find these special gems that you want to buy but could not afford until now!So let’s get started just follow the search string within my bio box and start hunting for these special magical and weird wicca spell items….
We all tend to by fascinated by questions about the afterlife – what happens to people after they die, for example, or what we will experience after we transition. Connected to these questions is the issue of ghosts and apparitions. What do these phenomena say about the afterlife and our universe?
I have pondered these questions myself over the years, in addition to having some direct experiences that have given me information, and would like to offer some insight that may shed more light on these topics and give more than the usual explanations.
The Afterlife
I’ve been privileged to tap into the Other Side over and over again in my intuitive work with clients over the years and have somewhat of an outsider’s glimpse into it as a result. (As I write “outsider,” I have one of those “not quite true” gut feelings that denies what one has stated – probably because since birth I’ve felt more comfortable There than here on Earth.) At any rate, I’ve been able to get a glimmer of the Other Side over and over again.
Most of us have witnessed mediums communicating with departed loved ones, one of the ways that many people have gotten a sense of the afterlife. What has struck me about mediumship is that every medium I have thus far seen appears to be communicating with the personality of the person who died. But that’s not what I get when I tap into the transitioned loved ones of my clients – and frankly this has puzzled me.
When I tune into someone who has died, I often have to do two things: first, tune into the person in life (when he/she was still alive) to verify that I’ve got the right person, and, secondly, to then tune into the person at the present time. However, when I tune into the present, I don’t usually get the personality of that last lifetime. Instead, I get the higher soul awareness, rather than the Sue or Tom that my client would recognize or know.
What I’ve come to learn is that we have a different persona (or personality) from one lifetime to another. Just as we will change gender, race, nationality (planet), etc. in different lifetimes, so too will we have different personalities.
At some point after we transition, we drop the persona of that lifetime and get into our higher soul awareness, the awareness that transcends and incorporates all the personas we’ve adopted from lifetime to lifetime. Whereas in life we may have been American, for example, our higher soul awareness is that of a child of the universe, not identified with any one country or culture. (Yet we can always remember who we were in any lifetime.) I’ve seen some people who were able to get into their higher soul awareness almost immediately upon transitioning (perhaps because they had a deeper or more conscious spirituality during their previous life), and I’ve seen others who took much longer to do so (and were actually struggling to acclimate to where they were for any of a variety of reasons). The length of time it takes to acclimate will vary from person to person (bearing in mind, of course, that time as it may exist on the Other Side, has no direct correlation to our experience of time here). Yes, it does get complicated!
Insofar as what people are doing on the Other Side is concerned, I’ve gotten quite diverse things – things that have given me an even better sense of the afterlife. (Because I’ve covered that in my book Invisible Blueprints, I won’t detail it here.) What I would like to say here, though, is that our loved ones don’t forget those they left behind on Earth. Even though they get into their higher soul awareness at some point and have dropped the personality of their last lifetime, they remember their loved ones, are aware of what they are experiencing, and are fully able to project their personality to their loved ones whenever they choose to. This may be what mediums are communicating with: the projection of the personality. And the reason for this may be that loved ones left behind would not take as much comfort from a communication from the higher soul awareness, devoid of the personality they knew in life. Passed-on loved ones are aware of this fact, choosing to project what would be both recognizable and comforting to those on Earth.
Ghosts and Apparitions
No discussion of departed souls would be complete without a discussion of ghosts and apparitions. I recently attended the Mensa Annual Gathering at which there were two presentations on ghosts, in addition to mine on intuition. (And, yes, Mensans were genuinely interested in these topics.) Neither presenter on ghosts covered the source of the “hauntings” in much depth – i.e., what caused them. Yet the question fascinates me.
I have read a great deal about the subject of ghosts in the last forty years, and I even lived in a house that was haunted back in the mid-70s outside of Chapel Hill. From what I’ve read and experienced, I feel that different hauntings can come from a range of causes.
Let’s take that haunted house I lived in. The house had been built in the early 20th Century and lived in by the same family for about fifty years, but had been vacant for almost twenty years when I moved in. The first night I spent there, I saw a ball of light go through the room after the light had been turned off. This was my first such experience – and it really jolted me. (It’s one thing to read about such things and quite another to experience it for the first time.) I also heard noises, like a party going on, from a room across the hall, a room that was physically empty at the time. Over the next couple of years, there were noises upstairs that sounded like children running through the room (even though the room was full of boxes and furniture and had no clear path for anyone to run through) and drawers being opened and closed. Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs a few nights, articles were moved on occasion, and the dogs would sometimes yelp and jump off the front porch. A figure fitting the description of the father of the family would sometimes be seen outside at dusk.
The noises were quite real. If I had had a tape recorder, I’m sure they could have been recorded. However, those noises felt to me that they were simply an accumulation of daily noises from the past – a residue still in the house — auditory manifestations devoid of any volition or intent. In other words, the children weren’t trying to haunt and I didn’t feel that a presence was trying to create them. The daily activities and noises of the family from over the decades were simply imprinted in some way on the house and its atmosphere.
The articles being moved, on the other hand, did seem to have volition behind them, as if someone had willfully and deliberately – if not mischievously – moved them.
What this means is that not all apparitions or manifestations are caused intentionally or that there is an intentional haunting.
There are often hauntings and apparitions in locations where there was tragedy, massive death, or great pain and suffering or stress. Take the battlefield at Gettysburg, for example, which has been reported to be haunted, or a house where there’s been a sudden, violent, or tragic death. I feel that a place that has seen intense or consistent suffering is imprinted with the emotional intensity – the emotional residue – of those involved, without any volition or intent to haunt. After all, emotions are energy, and intense emotions are intensified energy which can imprint on a physical location.
A friend recently visited an old battleship and felt the presence of the spirits of the men who had served on the ship still there. She questioned the haunting nature of this experience. Yet it may not be a true haunting in the sense of someone departed trying to haunt a place. The ship certainly saw a lot of emotional intensity during its service – fear, intense focus during battles, painful death – and that emotionality very well may have been imprinted on the ship. And, additionally, some spirits may still be there, haunting it.
A few years ago, I visited a courthouse in a small town in Arkansas widely reputed to be haunted. I was told by the guide that people who attempted to spend the night in the courtroom were usually spooked (pun intended) by what they saw, sensed, and heard – and often flee from the building. In the courtroom myself, I could feel a sense of all the people who had been in there over the years and I could sense their anxiety as they waited for their cases to be heard. Whether that was a residue or there were presences still there, I failed to try to determine. In one of the stairwells, the guide asked if I could feel anything and I replied that I had the sense of someone’s death, perhaps a rope. It turned out that someone had been lynched and hung there. The intensity of that fear and pain, I feel, was imprinted on the place, even though it didn’t feel that the victim was truly haunting the spot intentionally.
That said, there can also be intentional haunting, by those who have died and haven’t acclimated to where they are and haven’t moved on. In this case, I would say that they haven’t dropped their personalities from the lifetime and are clinging to aspects of that life and unresolved issues. It is this type of case in which people – ghost whisperers, if you will – will attempt to assist them by getting them to “go to the light” or helping them to resolve their unresolved issues. For all I know, in situations like these it’s also possible that the person did indeed get into his/her higher soul awareness after transitioning and the haunting may be an imprinted residue due to the intensity of the situation or a projection from the higher soul awareness, due to something being unresolved. (It gets even more complicated!)
Here’s yet another cause of an apparition: one presenter at the Mensa Gathering mentioned a Tibetan priest who had intentionally physically “resurrected” someone who had passed on – conjured him/her up physically. We could call this type of instance a ghost, but one has to wonder where its consciousness is – and this situation would be devoid of volition on the part of the ghost.
And now consider this instance: there was a fascinating and widely related account of two English women, Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain, both academics from Oxford, who went to Paris on holiday in 1901 and toured Versailles while there. Finding their surroundings strange and encountering oddly-dressed people (in old-fashioned clothes), the two women felt that things were not quite “right” and subsequently did some research after their return to England. They discovered that the Versailles they had visited was the Versailles of the 18th Century without the architectural details and changes that had been made since that time. One woman they had seen in Versailles they later realized was Marie Antoinette. They subsequently wrote an account of their experience in An Adventure. (A good account may be found at http://members.aol.com/timeslip8888/versailles.html.) Basically these two women upon arriving in Paris had suddenly stepped into a former century.
How do we explain this type of apparition – more of a time warp than a haunting? It would appear to be the intersection of two time periods – two dimensions that inexplicably intersected, with one supplanting the other. In instances such as these, we have to wonder if the people populating these other time periods can see us and our present time period.
And now, consider this case: a friend of mine related to me an out-of-body experience he had in the sleep state. In this out-of-the-body experience, he traveled to the place where his grandfather had lived – as well as to the time period that his grandfather was alive there. During this experience, he met, talked with, and interacted with someone there. He told me that he knew during the experience that he had gone to this previous time period and even told the person he was speaking with that he didn’t live there. He related to me the person’s total shock as my friend dematerialized before his eyes as he was preparing to return to his body. So this represents yet another potential cause of apparitions: someone time-traveling during an out-of-body experience.
As you can see, there are neither consistent nor simplistic explanations for these phenomena. We may want simple explanations and we may want to understand the afterlife in our normal or our customary cultural terms, but this is not the case. My sense is that the afterlife has many surprises for us. Passed-on loved ones are not restricted to their former personalities. And hauntings, ghost, and apparitions are not necessarily caused by the same factor – or by people always trying to haunt. What this speaks to, I feel, is that our world truly reveals a greater deal of complexity than we may either realize or give it credit for. Wonderfully intricate world fully deserving of our respect and awe, isn’t it?
This article was first published in the October/November 2007 issue of “Innerchange Magazine.”
Jaguar experiences new heights in its newest addition called 2007 XKR Coupe and Convertible. Said new model has made its debut at the 2006 London Motor Show on July 18 this year. So far, XKR is satisfying the automaker’s expectations. Moreover, the car is accepted warmly by car aficionados. “The new supercharged XKR captures perfectly the essence of what makes a Jaguar XK so special,” says Bibie Boerio, Jaguar Cars managing director. “It is a perfect combination of refined Grand Tourer and serious performance sports car that delivers a truly rewarding and exhilarating driving experience.” 2007 XKR Coupe and Convertible are given groundbreaking Jaguar XKR parts which include the 4.2-liter, supercharged V8 engine that is capable of developing 420bhp and 413 lb.-ft. (560Nm) of torque, 0-60mph acceleration in 4.9 seconds and 155mph (electronically limited) top speed. XKR also make use of the practical modern technology which include the aluminum monocoque body structure. Furthermore, its aluminum chassis are made stiffer and lighter to compete better with its steel counterparts. Both the Coupe and Convertible exude powerful performance without sacrificing style and ergonomics. The vehicles are also made sportier yet elegant. New front bumper and grille design, vented hood, uprated springs and dampers, quad-exhaust system and distinctive aluminum-effect side power vents were made to augment the overall appeal of the luxury sports car. With regards to car lighting, all-new XKR boasts its superior Touchscreen and Active Front Lighting. But it does not stop there, XKR also include keyless entry and intuitive controls with driver-focused technology. Recalibrated Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS) system was also added to promote handling. The Active Exhaust System is also made incorporated to ensure speed refinement under while accelerating. Six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles is given to XKR to achieve quick gear shifts in less time. Further, options which include 19- or 20-inch alloy wheel designs given by the automaker to perfect the ride. All these and more have contributed to deliver a world-class performance in an extraordinary car.
I felt touched but unable to express myself in words. It seemed like listening to a story that moved every parts of my heart. I even wanted to ask, what happened after that? when the music finished.
That’s how I felt when Ms. Qi Xiaochun played her instrument, the erhu, at a Chinese New Year Show sponsored by New Tang Dynasty Televison (NTDTV) last January.
The erhu, sometimes known in the West as the Chinese violin or Chinese two string fiddle, is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument. The instrument looks so simple that I even tried to build an Erhu when I was about 12 years old. Of course, the sound quality was not good at all, but I really loved it for a while.
The erhu can be traced back to instruments introduced into China more than a thousand years ago. It started to be popular in Southern China during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD), where it was called “Nan-hu”, Nan meaning south in Chinese.
Nowadays the erhu often plays an important role in national orchestras. In smaller orchestras, there are usually two to six erhu players, in larger ones, 10 to 12. In fact, in Chinese orchestras the erhu plays the part the violin does in Western orchestras. Like the Western violin, the erhu is renowned for its expressiveness and is often said to echo the human voice.
Growing up in Shanghai, Ms. Qi began learning to play this difficult instrument at the age of six, taught by a friend of her father’s. She was later accepted to the Shanghai Music Conservatory and won an award at the Chinese National Erhu Competition. She has also played at the Hollywood Bowl, but her most memorable performances have been at the New Tang Dynasty television network’s (NTDTV) Chinese New Year spectaculars.
In addition to performing, Ms. Qi also teaches the erhu. “When learning to play the erhu,” she says, “people must develop basic skills first. The music, however, comes from the person’s character. People carry their own things into the music. What they want to express, and also the person as a whole, is expressed through the music. As an artist, your moral character will also determine your skill.”
This idea is reflected throughout ancient Chinese culture, whether in painting, martial arts, or poetry—in order to cultivate talent, one must cultivate the whole person. Ms. Qi finds this philosophy is also also present in NTDTV’s performances. She hopes that when people see the show, they will not only be entertained, but will also experience something about the deeper qualities these ancient Chinese arts can bring to people. In Ms. Qi’s opinion, it is simple: “pure compassion, pure beauty.”
Ms. Qi Xiaochun will perform the erhu in Holiday Wonders at the Beacon Theater on Broadway, Dec. 19-24, and also at the 2007 NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular shows which are touring North America from Jan. to Mar. 2007. http://shows.ntdtv.com
Just as the knowledge sector such as IT, ITeS and bio-technology, the Indian construction industry, which is set to witness massive investments in the next five years, is also facing an acute shortage of skilled workforce. The construction industry in India is facing a huge shortage of manpower, especially those with skill-sets to sustain the burgeoning growth in infrastructure and housing sectors.
The real estate boom has increased the demand for construction workers manifold and hiring workforce is becoming a major task for construction companies. Shortage of construction workers has, in fact, slowed down the growth of industry in metros and major cities across the country.
Special technically skilled manpower and project managers having all round knowledge are in short supply. There is 30 per cent shortage of specially skilled workforce. The demand for civil engineers, too, is much more than the available strength. Most of them prefer taking up jobs in the IT sector or accept lucrative assignments in the Middle East.
Civil engineering graduates don’t find these jobs lucrative because construction companies don’t pay enough and the jobs are also temporary. After a project is finished in one state the company moves to its project in another state leaving the workers behind. In most cases the workers too don’t prefer to shift unless they get good salaries and perks like in the IT companies.
According to a study many huge projects in major industrial belts are getting delayed by 12 to 18 months because of non-availability of workers. According to the study cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata are facing severe shortage of construction workers. It has also been pointed out that the construction sector will account for over one fourth of new jobs to be created in the next eight years.
With pending projects and thousands of vacancies staring them in the face the developers are trying all tactics to get the required workforce.
However, turnover is not the only casualty of this shortage as several construction companies have also been forced to lower their recruitment standards. The companies, which earlier had stringent qualifying standards, have now lowered the bar.
Secondly, they are no longer insisting on hiring engineering graduates only as diploma holders too are welcome. Now construction companies are also approaching educational institutions for job placements.
So while on one hand the shortage of workers is alarming, on the other hand it also translates as a bagful of opportunities as it has opened up a sector with thousands of jobs just waiting for enterprising takers.
The figures are frightening: An estimated five billion people worldwide have dental caries or tooth decay and most children have signs of gingivitis (bleeding gums). Periodontal disease, the major cause of tooth loss, is found in five to 15 percent of most populations.
This grim scenario comes from the World Health Organization (WHO) which said that oral diseases have become a global health problem in both industrialized and developing countries, especially in poor communities. This results in much pain, suffering, impaired function, and reduced quality of life.
“Worldwide, losing teeth is seen as a natural consequence of aging, but it is in fact preventable. There is a perception that dental caries is no longer a problem in the developed world, but it affects 60 to 90 percent of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults. Dental caries is also the most prevalent oral disease in several Asian and Latin American countries,” according to Dr. Catherine Le Gales-Camus, WHO’s assistant-director general for Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health.
Oral diseases not only affect individuals but it is also a burden to the family, the community, and society as a whole. Poor oral health can affect a person’s ability to maintain a job or get a promotion. It can also contribute to lowered academic achievement and goals.
In the United States alone, dental problems account for 164 million hours of missed work, 51 million hours of missed school, and 41 million days of restricted activities. Although dental caries is largely preventable, it remains the most common chronic disease of children aged 5 to 17 years – 5 times more common than asthma (59 percent versus 11 percent).
The WHO said these problems can easily be solved by practicing good dental health habits such as brushing at least two times a day for 3 minutes after meals, flossing twice daily, and twice a year visits to the dentist. Community water systems should also contain optimum levels of fluoride to prevent tooth decay. In the absence of fluoride in the water system, turn to natural sources like fish and tea and use a fluoride toothpaste and/or mouthwash.
To complement brushing and flossing, use an effective antimicrobial mouthwash. Rinsing with mouthwash for 30 seconds twice daily kills many germs that cause bad breath, plaque, and gingivitis.
These simple measures will prevent common tooth problems that can affect your appearance and make you look old and ugly. To enhance your healthy smile, use Dermaxin, a popular skin cream that contains special ingredients to reduce fine lines and wrinkles by as much as 45 percent. Dermaxin repairs and rejuvenates the skin so you’ll look young, fresh, and wrinkle-free! It’s your best defense against the signs of aging. For details, visit http://www.dermaxin.com.
Atonement is a deeply moving story of a woman who has to live her entire life with a silly mistake she did as a child. It may sound boring, but it ain’t. Director Joe Wright, the same who did Pride and Prejudice, managed to do the most outstanding job with this movie. I bet all my money in my pocket that he’ll win either the best photography or the best directing. Or both. Well, the directing is flawless, groundbreaking and breathtaking. There is a shot that lasts for about five continuous minutes that is so thoroughly put together, so intense and painfully beautiful, that it burns deep in your conscience only to review it with the eyes of your mind over and over again.
The only thing that I would change about Atonement is Keira Knightly. This girl cannot act. She proved it over and over again, yet they keep casting her in such good movies. It’s a pity, with all those talented actresses out there. Her love interest is the charming James McAvoy, the scottish lad you probably know from Chronicles of Narnia (the faun) and more recently The Last King of Scotland, where he proved his extraordinarily talent confronting the last year undeniable Academy Award winner, mister Forest Whitaker. And something hilarious, McAvoy’s character is called Robbie Turner, which means our darling Keira gets involved with yet another Turner.
The main story though is the one of Keira’s character sister, played impeccably at different ages of her life by Saoirse Ronan, Ramola Garay and the venerable Vanessa Redgrave. She is the one who committed the unexpiable sin at the fresh age of 13, and she has to live with it and try to atone it for the rest of her live.
It’s a beautiful, heartbreaking story. What do you think?
