Obama says polarized nation needs healing

2011-01-13 02:33:06 GMT2011-01-13 10:33:06(Beijing Time) SINA.com

President Barack Obama joins the audience in applauding Daniel Hernandez, an intern for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords who helped her after she was shot, during a memorial service in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, for the victims of a shooting rampage that that killed six people and left 14 injured. AP photo

President Barack Obama joins the audience in applauding Daniel Hernandez, an intern for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords who helped her after she was shot, during a memorial service in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, for the victims of a shooting rampage that that killed six people and left 14 injured. AP photo

TUCSON, Ariz. – Summoning the soul of a nation, President Barack Obama on Wednesday implored Americans to honor those slain and injured in the Arizona shootings by becoming better people, telling a polarized citizenry that it is time to talk with each other "in a way that heals, not in a way wounds." Following a hospital bedside visit with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the target of the assassination, he said: "She knows we're here, and she knows we love her."

In a memorably dramatic moment, the president said that Giffords, who on Saturday was shot point-blank in the head, had opened her eyes for the first time shortly after his hospital visit. First lady Michelle Obama held hands with Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, as the news brought soaring cheers throughout the arena.

Speaking at a memorial at the University of Arizona, Obama bluntly conceded that there is no way to know what triggered the shooting rampage that left six people dead, 13 others wounded and the nation shaken. He tried instead to leave indelible memories of the people who were gunned down and to rally the country to use the moment as a reflection on the nation's behavior and compassion.

"I believe we can be better," Obama said to a capacity crowd in the university's basketball arena — and to countless others watching around the country. "Those who died here, those who saved lives here — they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us."

In crafting his comments, Obama clearly sought a turning point in the raw debate that has defined national politics. After offering personal accounts of every person who died, he challenged anyone listening to think of how to honor their memories, and he was not shy about offering direction. He admonished against any instinct to point blame or to drift into political pettiness or to latch onto simple explanations that may have no merit.

"At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized — at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do — it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds," the president said.

The shooting happened as Giffords, a three-term Democrat who represents southern Arizona, was holding a community outreach event in a Tucson shopping center parking lot Saturday. A gunman shot her in the head and worked his way down the line of people waiting to talk with her, law enforcement officials said. The attack ended when bystanders tackled the man, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, who is in custody.

Obama's speech, by turns somber and hopeful, at times took on the tone of an exuberant pep rally as he heralded the men who wrestled the gunman to the ground, the woman who grabbed the shooter's ammunition, the doctors and nurses who treated the injured, the intern who rushed to Giffords' aid. The crowd erupted in multiple standing ovations as each was singled out for praise.

The president recalled how federal Judge John Roll was on his way from attending Mass when he stopped to say hello to Giffords and was gunned down; Dorothy Morris, shielded by her husband, but killed nonetheless, and Phyllis Schneck, a Republican who took a shine to Giffords, a Democrat, and wanted to know her better.

Obama spoke to a crowd of more than 14,000 in an arena and thousands more listened on from an overflow area in the football stadium. About a mile away, at University Medical Center, Giffords lay fighting for her life. Other victims also remained there hospitalized.

(Agencies)

Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy arrested

2011-01-13 02:35:20 GMT2011-01-13 10:35:20(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

LONDON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy has been arrested on suspicion of assault, a police source said on Wednesday.

The Wales soccer star, currently on loan at Championship side Cardiff City, was bailed on Wednesday after speaking with officers.

He was arrested after the alleged assault in central Cardiff on Sunday. Two men, aged 20 and 26, were suffered facial injuries.

"A 31-year-old man has today been arrested on suspicion of assault and has been bailed pending further enquiries," a police statement said.

A Cardiff spokesman said:" We are aware of the reported incident involving one of our players last weekend and feel it would be inappropriate to comment while an ongoing police investigation is under way."

Confucius statue erected on Tian'anmen Square

2011-01-13 00:38:07 GMT2011-01-13 08:38:07(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

A bronze 7.9-metre-tall Confucius statue is unveiled in front of the renovated National Museum of China at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Photo：www.icpress.cn

People pose for photos in front of a bronze 7.9-metre-tall Confucius statue in front of the renovated National Museum of China at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.Photo：www.icpress.cn

People walk pass a bronze 7.9-metre-tall Confucius statue in front of the renovated National Museum of China at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.Photo：www.icpress.cn

People stare at a bronze 7.9-metre-tall Confucius statue in front of the renovated National Museum of China at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.Photo：www.icpress.cn

A bronze 7.9-metre-tall Confucius statue is unveiled in front of the renovated National Museum of China at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Photo：www.icpress.cn

A bronze 7.9-metre-tall Confucius statue is unveiled in front of the renovated National Museum of China at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Photo：www.icpress.cn

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- A bronze statue of Confucius has been unveiled near the Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing.

The statue, at the north gate of the China National Museum, which overlooks the Chang' an Avenue, is 9.5 meters tall, including the stone base. The statue shows the scholar, born more than 2,500 years ago, putting his palms together in front of his chest and looking into the distance.

"Confucius was seen as a saint by many dynasties in Chinese history," said Lu Zhangshen, curator of the museum, at a ceremony to unveil the statue on Tuesday.

"He is the symbol of traditional Chinese culture, with a far-reaching impact across the globe," he said.

The statue was built by Wu Weishan, 48, president of the Sculpture Institute of the Chinese Academy of Arts, and a member of Royal British Society of Sculptors. It took him about a year to finish the statue.

Wu has been making statues of famous historical persons since 1990. He started making statues of Confucius in 1994.

"In our social transformation period, we needed a cultural monument to pass down our traditional culture, which was represented by Confucius," said the long-haired artist.

Confucius, of the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC to 476 BC), guided people for thousands of years in many aspects of Chinese life, from raising children to ruling empires.

However, the reputation of the ancient scholar dropped sharply after Confucianism began to be seen as a symbol of outdated and backward feudal culture. Temples dedicated to the philosopher were torn down, and tombs of his descendants were destroyed.

Fifty-eight-year-old Kong Lingshao, a 76th-generation descendant of Confucius, had just finished primary school when the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) started. He remembered how the Red Guards pulled down statues of Confucius from the temples and dragged them through the streets, and criticized the philosopher at public meetings.

"As a descendant, I don't have words to express the humiliation I felt," Kong Lingshao said.

However, he noted that, after several years, the Chinese nation had finally begun to reflect on how to treat its traditional culture.

"In Confucianism, there were flaws, but who is flawless?" Kong asked, adding that tolerance and seeking harmony without uniformity were important beliefs under Confucianism.

Confucius has been regaining popularity in recent years. In 2007, a female lecturer attracted nationwide attention with her televised lecture series about the Analects of Confucius.

Then, last September, the Nishan Forum on World Civilization was held in Qufu, where domestic and overseas scholars drew upon the wisdom of the ancient sages, Confucius and Jesus.

By the end of 2010, China had set up more than 320 Confucius Institutes in 96 countries around the globe.

Wednesday was sunny in Beijing, and good for sightseeing. Several passers-by stopped to take photos of the statue.

Among them was 60-year-old Sun Qiqing, a retired official from the cultural bureau of Wuqi in northwest China' s Shaanxi Province, a small city where the Long March ends. Sun' s hometown was Tai' an in Shandong, about 80 kilometers away from Qufu, the hometown of Confucius.

"I saw news of the unveiling ceremony and came to take some photos," he said.

He noted that Confucius was an icon of Chinese culture. "His main thought was harmony," he said, adding that building such a statue showed China's attempt to improve social harmony in its peaceful era.

Manuel Pavon Belizon from Spain believed that Confucius was the "top representation" of Chinese culture. Having lived in China for five years, he loves Chinese culture. He found that some of Confucius' ideas, like forgiveness, were similar to some beliefs in Christianity.

He said the statue is "a combination of tradition and modernity." "Its bronze color was like the color of ancient cauldrons he saw in museums, he added.

China now top Taiwan tourist source

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

TAIPEI (Kyodo) China displaced Japan as the largest of source of visitors to Taiwan in 2010, with the number of travelers from the country rising 68 percent from the previous year to 1,630,735, according to government data released Tuesday.

Japanese travelers to Taiwan totaled 1,080,153 in 2010, the Taiwanese Ministry of Transportation and Communications said.

The number of Chinese visitors to Taiwan for both tourism and business purposes has risen dramatically since the ban on visitors from China was partially lifted in July 2008 after improvement in bilateral ties.

In 2009, the number of Chinese visitors to Taiwan shot up to 970,000, three times the figure the previous year.

'Boring cars' worst of Toyota problems

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

By SHARON SILKE CARTY

The Associated Press

DETROIT — It would be easy to think Toyota's biggest problem is its damaged reputation caused by sudden acceleration recalls, millions in government fines and massive lawsuits and settlements. But what's hurting the company most is an aging lineup of boring cars.

Over the past decade, Toyota and its U.S. dealers had it easy. Cutting edge design wasn't required because the cars sold themselves on reputation. Everyone knew Toyotas held their value, were safe and got drivers from point A to point B with little drama. Then came the recalls, which called all of that into question.

Ending the year on a low note, Camry sales fell 10 percent in December from a year earlier. Corolla sales plunged 35 percent. Unless things turn around quickly, Camry is in danger of losing its 10-year crown as the nation's top-selling car this year to the Honda Accord.

Boring cars are "probably the worst problem for them," said Jessica Caldwell, director of pricing and industry analysis for Edmunds.com. "They always had their (safety) reputation to fall back on, but now that's not the case."

CEO Akio Toyoda acknowledged that Toyota is at a design crossroads. He has told dealers several times that he's working to improve Toyota's exterior styling, pushing designers to come up with something more exciting. The company is "intent on making Toyota cars better looking," he told reporters Monday during his first-ever visit to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

After becoming the world's largest automaker in 2007, Toyota reversed course and resumed giving executives in Japan the final say on design decisions for the U.S. market. Some question whether that change left Toyota at a disadvantage as Hyundai, Ford and General Motors moved more quickly to tailor new designs specifically for U.S. car buyers.

Mike Jackson, CEO of Autonation, the country's largest car dealer network, said that in the past, sedans sold based primarily on their quality, reliability and resale values. Automakers believed "the styling should be conservative enough to not put people off," he said. "I don't think that's the future. Now you have to differentiate yourself."

Company insiders dispute the notion that Toyota is facing anything approaching a design crisis.

"Styling is subjective," said Bob Carter, vice president and general manager of the Toyota division. Outsiders may say Toyota cars are boring, but that's the downside of being so popular, he said. "When you see so many of them on the road, they start to look familiar."

The first peek at the next generation of Camry won't come until the New York Auto Show in April. They'll be in showrooms this fall. Early reviews of the next Corolla model were not enthusiastic when it was unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show in November. People at the show couldn't tell it from the 2010 Corolla unless they read a sticker Toyota put on the newer model.

Toyota is focusing most of its attention at the Detroit show on an expanded Prius lineup. The centerpiece is a Prius MPV, a minivanlike car. It's also showing a five-seater that is smaller than the current Prius sedan. It eventually will be sold in the U.S., although the timing is still unclear. And it's bringing a plug-in electric Prius to compete with the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. The minivan goes on sale this summer, and the plug-in will be on sale this spring.

But even if the Prius debuts are hits at the auto show, hybrids aren't the company's bread and butter. They were outsold 4-to-1 by the Camry and Corolla in 2010, when Toyota was the only automaker to sell fewer cars and trucks than in 2009. Even after piling on incentives, it lost 2 percentage points of market share and slipped behind Ford as the runnerup to GM in sales.

Working in Toyota's favor is that about 60 percent of its customer base have owned Toyotas in the past and are loyal to the brand. "The recall crisis is hurting them, but it's not like they are in dire straits," said David Whiston, an auto analyst with Morningstar investment research firm. "But they may never get back to that halo status they had a few years ago."

Toyoda said the company is recommitting to focusing on consumers and on styling, but they need to move fast if they want to keep up with the competition. "Their big mantra before the recalls flurry was that their customers liked predictability and reliability, and they gave them that more than any other manufacturer," said Peter DeLorenzo, editor of auto blog AutoExtremist. "But the game has changed."

Holocaust survivor believes in fate

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

Diplomat Sugihara granted him visa that enabled him to flee Nazis

By SEANA K. MAGEE

Kyodo News

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Holocaust survivor Samuil Manski believes strongly in fate, having been in the right place at the right time after fleeing Europe with a visa granted by a Japanese diplomat before ending up in Boston.

Twist of fate: Holocaust survivor Samuil Manski holds a certificate of the Japanese government's gratitude for years of spreading the story of Chiune Sugihara, a wartime Japanese diplomat in Lithuania who granted lifesaving visas to Jews, at his home in Massachusetts. KYODO PHOTO

"How can you not believe in fate?" asked Manski, 90, during a recent interview. "I don't fight fate."

He vividly recalls what happened almost 70 years ago and hopes the world will not forget what he endured.

For almost 1 1/2 years he journeyed away from his native Poland, living in Lithuania, traversing the Soviet Union, entering Japan and winding up in Massachusetts, living with his father.

A lifesaving piece of paper issued by Chiune Sugihara, at the time Japan's deputy consul general in Lithuania, is what gave him that chance.

Manski, his mother, brother, sister and three relatives were among upward of 6,000 Jews granted visas by the diplomat, reportedly in defiance of Tokyo's orders.

"At that time he (Sugihara) had to be in that particular place and I had to be in that particular place at the same time and the conditions were ripe for something like this," Manski said. "To me it matters that I am here. . . . It is a part of fate."

The Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact meant his eastern hometown of Lida fell under Soviet control.

"The fact that Lida was occupied by the Russians rather than by the Germans saved my life," he wrote in "With God's Help," a book he penned at the urging of his family and which was published in 1990.

The Polish native never saw a Nazi, but they later killed his grandmother, grandfather and other relatives after he fled.

"When you get an opportunity, you take it," Manski recalled of his New Year's Eve escape into neighboring Lithuania in 1939.

Because of work with the Soviet military, he knew when to cross the border. Fearing he could be shot for desertion, he got a doctor's note after feigning illness by smoking and standing near a fireplace.

Manski, his cousin and another girl slipped into Lithuania but were caught and held until bribes won their freedom.

Once safely in the Lithuanian town of Ejszyski with relatives, they secured fake papers to remain there. As the year wore on the Soviets swallowed up the country.

So when rumors circulated that a Japanese diplomat was handing out transit visas to travel through Japan to Curacao, an island in the south Caribbean Sea, his mother jumped at the chance.

On Aug. 9, 1940, Manski received his visa. His oldest son, Chuck, now proudly displays the passport and the handwritten visa at his Chicago home.

"To this day, I am not certain why the Japanese took the trouble to issue visas to us Jewish refugees," the elder Manski wrote. "Whatever the reason, again God was with us."

With their visas, the family set off for Japan in January the following year but had to leave their 82-year-old grandmother behind.

In the dead of winter they boarded the Trans-Siberian Railway to begin the lengthy ride to Vladivostok, where they took a "cattle boat" for western Japan.

On the second day of the "rough" crossing, they landed in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, on Feb. 24. "My first impression was of a fairyland, with small houses, flowers, clean streets and very polite people," he wrote after setting foot in Japan.

They then headed for Kobe to secure visas for the United States.

With time on his hands, the young man often roamed the city. What stood out was that every time he turned around "there were people behind you, showing the way to go."

He also remembered periodic rumors sparking fears the Nazis would convince their Japanese allies to send them back to Europe.

On April 30, their documents were finally approved.

Happily, the family boarded the Heian Maru, landing in Seattle on May 18. Shortly afterward they headed for Boston.

Filled with ambition, Manski plunged into his new life, taking classes to improve his English, working part time and then graduating from college.

In 1946, he married Estelle, started a family and was well on the road to becoming a successful hosiery salesman.

As life moved on and his three sons grew up, he appreciated how the visa brought him a new life. Yet, he did not think about Sugihara, whom he never met in person, until a Boston Globe reporter interviewed him by phone in the early 1990s.

"So all of a sudden a bell starts ringing in my head," the former salesman said, adding the idea to build Sugihara a memorial at Temple Emeth near Boston "began to cook."

Finally, after he collected enough money, the memorial was unveiled April 30, 2000.

Sugihara's image is etched on black marble with a passage from Samuel 17:10 describing him in English, Hebrew and Japanese as a "valiant man whose heart is like that of a lion."

On top of tirelessly working with Israeli and Japanese diplomats to keep the story alive, Manski spent time in local schools as well, often working with other younger temple members.

Despite an unbridled enthusiasm, his declining health prevented him from making more appearances. There are tentative plans, however, to link him with college students via webcasts.

For his hard work Manski was awarded a certificate of appreciation in July by Japan's consul general in Boston.

"Mr. Manski takes it as his role to relay the Sugihara story to the next generation," said Masaru Tsuji, former Boston consul general who is now in Japan.

As a lightning rod for preserving the past, Manski also seems determined to rightly honor individuals such as Sugihara.

"Without the past there can be no present and without the present there can be no future," he wrote in his book's epilogue.

Africa told ODA to double by 2012

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

Kyodo News

Japan intends to boost its relationship with African nations this year by implementing its 2008 pledge to double their official development assistance by 2012 and supporting Japanese private-sector investment in the continent, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said Wednesday.

"Africa, in the process of recovering from the global economic crisis, is attracting increasing attention from Japanese companies," Maehara told representatives from 37 African nations that have diplomatic missions in Tokyo.

Specifically, the minister said Tokyo is set to extend cooperation for development of energy resources, construction of regionwide infrastructure and liberalization and expansion of trade and investment in the continent.

Maehara said he will host a ministerial meeting in Africa this year to follow up on the fourth session of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, a forum to discuss Japan's commitment to African development held in May 2008.