2008年12月15日星期一
this is a real cool pic
In final visit to Iraq, Bush dodges a shoe
BAGHDAD: President George W. Bush flew to Iraq on Sunday, his fourth and final trip to highlight the recently completed security agreement between the United States and the country that has occupied the bulk of his presidency and will to a large extent define his legacy.
But his appearance at a news conference here was interrupted by an Iraqi journalist who shouted in Arabic — "This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog" — and threw one of his shoes at the president, who ducked and narrowly avoided being struck.
As chaos ensued, he threw his other shoe, shouting, "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." The second shoe also narrowly missed Bush as Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki stuck out a hand in front of the president's face to help shield him.
A scrum of security agents descended on the man, who was about 12 feet from the lectern, and wrestled him to the floor and then out of the ornate room where the news conference was taking place. The president was uninjured and brushed off the incident. "All I can report is it is a size 10," he said jokingly before continuing his news conference and noting the apologies of Iraqi journalists in the front row.
Shortly before 10 p.m., Bush departed the Green Zone by helicopter to Camp Victory, where he was greeted with cheers and whoops from hundreds of troops inside the enormous rotunda of the Al Faw palace. Speaking at a lectern beneath an enormous American flag that nearly reached the domed ceiling, he praised this generation of soldiers and reflected on the sacrifice of those who had died.
He called the surge "one of the greatest successes in the history of the United States military."
"Thanks to you," he told the soldiers, "the Iraq we're standing in today is dramatically freer, dramatically safer and dramatically better than the Iraq we found eight years ago."
Bush's arrival here during daylight hours had been one measure of progress; his first visit on Thanksgiving Day 2003 took place entirely at night.
As with previous visits — in November 2003, June 2006 and September 2007 — preparations for the visit were secretive and carried out with ruse. The White House schedule for Sunday had Bush attending the "Christmas in Washington" performance at the National Building Museum in downtown Washington. Instead, he left the White House by car on Saturday night, arriving at Andrews at 9 p.m. Air Force One remained inside its immaculate hangar until moments before taking off. A dozen journalists accompanying him were only told of the trip on Friday and allowed to tell only a superior and a spouse — and only in person.
Air Force One arrived in Baghdad at 4 p.m. after a 10-and-a-half-hour overnight flight from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington. It was Bush's fourth visit to IraqOn arriving here, he met the two senior American officials, Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General Ray Odierno, on the tarmac. He met with Iraqi leaders and was expected to meet with American troops.
The president and his aides have touted the security agreement as a landmark in Iraq's troubled history, one made possible by the dramatic drop in violence over the last year. They credit the large increase in American troops Bush ordered in 2007 for creating enough security to allow political progress to take root.
The new security agreements, which take effect on Jan. 1, replace the United Nations Security Council resolutions that authorized the presence of foreign troops in Iraq. Iraqi officials extracted significant concessions from the Bush administration over several months of hard bargaining, including a commitment to withdrawal all American forces by the end of 2011.
Bush's national security advisor, Stephen Hadley, said the situation in Iraq today was "a pretty optimistic place," a phrase that few would have credibly used even a year ago. He described the security agreement that will govern American military operations after the new year "a remarkable document."
Referring to the Iraqi parliament's contentious and lively debate leading up to a vote last month, Hadley added that the agreement was a public one: "I think the only one there is in the Arab world, and publicly debated and discussed in an elected parliament."
There was an unmistakeable hint of triumphalism in Hadley's remarks, as in Bush's valedictory visit, even though the president is leaving office with the war very much unfinished.
"If you've been through 2005 and 2006," Hadley said en route to Baghdad, when asked whether the president was "feeling pretty good" about the situation here now, "it's hard not to feel awfully good about 2008 and into 2009."
After arriving at the airport, Mr Bush quickly flew into Baghdad itself aboard a military helicopter, under extraordinary security. The flight passed uneventfully, swooping low over neighborhoods along the once notorious airport road. He landed at Salam Palace, boarded a civilian SUV and drove a short distance to an honor guard with Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani.
The president made brief remarks at the end of his meeting with Talabani and Iraq's two vice presidents, Adil Abd al-Mahdi and Tariq al-Hashimi. The three comprise Iraq's Presidency Council. The two leaders sat in arm chairs before their respective flags. Talabani spoke first, praising the president: "Thanks to him and his courageous leadership we are here now in this building."
Bush then spoke, calling the security agreements "a reminder of our friendship and as a way forward to help the Iraqis realize the blessings of a free society."
"The work hasn't been easy," he said, "but it's been necessary."
COOL VIDEO: -
Bush Dodges Shoes on Visit to Iraq
2008年12月3日星期三
Humidifier
This is mine.
Holy Olympic Games' Torch
For your highness only
impressive impressive
National Library of China
The National Library of China is the world 3rd largest one in the world and the largest one in Asia, it was extremely comfy and quiet in the library which i really admire.
Kaili Minuo in Beijing
Kylie wows fans at first Beijing concert
By Ben Blanchard
BEIJING (Reuters) - Australian pop star Kylie Minogue wowed fans on Monday at her first performance in Chinese capital Beijing with an electric show.
A beaming Minogue, who overcame breast cancer two years ago, belted out a series of her biggest hits, including "Can't get you out of my head," "Better the devil you know" and "I should be so lucky."
"It's my first time ever here in Beijing and you've made me feel so welcome," she told the crowd of some 6,000 who had gathered to see her at the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium.
"I'm very happy today," Minogue said in broken Chinese, to roars of approval from the crowd. "Well, it's true!"
Her Beijing date was part of the KylieX2008 tour, a $16 million production that has already been to more than 21 countries, and included a Shanghai date last weekend.
Nicknamed by local media the "pea princess" in reference to her diminutive size, "Kaili Minuo" as she is known in Chinese barely rested during the two-hour show, dressed to the nines in a dazzling and constantly changing Jean Paul Gaultier wardrobe.
While not as well known in China as Madonna or Celine Dion, Minogue packed in the crowds with the most expensive ticket going for 2,580 yuan ($376.5), well out of the price range of the average Chinese.
The Australian became a household name in Britain in the 1980s after starring as Charlene in the TV soap "Neighbours."
She turned to music after leaving the popular show, releasing her first single "Locomotion" in 1987 and has continued to enjoy huge chart success with songs such as "Love at first sight" and "Spinning around."
In 2005 she was diagnosed with breast cancer but returned to performing after recovering from surgery and chemotherapy.
Visits by Western singers and bands to China are still fairly rare, though increasing, with the likes of the Rolling Stones and the late James Brown performing in the world's most populous country in recent years.
Their shows don't always go off smoothly.
Earlier this year, Icelandic singer Bjork shouted "Tibet! Tibet!" at a Shanghai concert after performing her song "Declare Independence," angering the government and local fans alike.
Artists are forbidden to perform content that would harm "national unity" or "stir up resentment" and promoters are asked to submit set-lists and lyric sheets for approval.
Performers deemed to have hurt national sentiments are put in the freezer indefinitely, or until seen to have made due penance.
Last year, a Beijing concert for U.S. rock act Sonic Youth was nearly scuppered at the last minute after local authorities were tipped off that it had played at "Free Tibet" concerts.
But Minogue avoided any hint of politics with her bouncy pop. "Oh Beijing, you're so wow!" she told the appreciative audience.
Warning of a "cold wave" is out....which will result in temperatures in the capital plummeting to -9 deg celsius overnight. According to the forecast, force 5 to 6 north winds will begin buffeting the city tonight and during the day tomorrow the temperature is unlikely to rise above 0 ℃. According to authorities, the cold front will only affect Beijing for the next couple of days and temperatures are likely to rebound over the weekend. That said, they're unlikely to reach the relatively mild temperatures we've been experiencing lately.