Huma Sheikh
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/31/content_11108050.htm)
Beijing, March, 31 (Xinhuanet) -- Working with people in Beijing who are living a life characterized by their humble behavior, rich culture and language has encouraged me to pour my mind out.
Chinese people, as I have mentioned in my earlier articles on Xinhuanet, are extremely hospitable. In fact, I should say I am overwhelmed by their ready-to-help approach; they are available any time you need them.
My visit to Beijing in November as a student and now as an employee is as "different an experience" for me as the two professions themselves. On the earlier occasion, my time (24 days) was split into different places to be visited in China, including Beijing. I traveled to four different places all across China, spending only a few days at each place, with Beijing an exception where I relatively spent larger amount of time. And as a result, receiving "superior treatment" from people in different places was obvious. A guest can expect a good welcome in the first place anywhere in the world. Things become, nevertheless, completely different when a person starts living and working with the same people at a newer place for a longer period of time.
A good relationship, I believe, doesn't often take longer to get bitter if people from different cultures lived together for a prolonged time-period. One of its reasons may be monotony; COM 'on; we need some change and really want to break out of the routine stuff!
But in Beijing, people have really proved me wrong. In fact, every time I come across my colleagues and friends, I get closer to them.
There are many things I like about China and its people and some have inspired me immensely. A few among them are unswerving determination and patience of the people.
The Chinese government has announced a 4 trillion yuan stimulus package to offset economic meltdown by boosting its domestic demand. The country is also keen to create jobs for the unemployed, especially for rural youth, that will help people to earn as well as to spend, thus generating revenue for the country to make up for their losses. The rescue package, which is 585.5 billion U.S. dollars, will be spent over the next two years to finance programs in 10 major areas, such as low-income housing, rural infrastructure, water, electricity, transportation, environment, technological innovation and rebuilding from several disasters, such as the May 12 earthquake, among others.
There has been a huge reduction in the illiteracy rate in China, the world's most populated country because of its strenuous efforts made in the past three decades. According to the United Nations Development Program Report 2007/2008, China's literacy rate stood at 90.9 percent.
Nonetheless, Chinese youth are building the capacity for use beyond their own country. They travel to faraway places to learn new things in order to expand their knowledge. They trust others and behave with integrity. Above all, they encourage others to act with them.
Amid economic, education and employment boom, Chinese youth have acquired the greatest amount of change in their interest. The development of their country has precipitated desire of the Chinese people to increase their bread of knowledge about different cultures and countries. I have seen almost 90 percent of the youth taking English classes either individually or in small groups given by some universities on weekends. Most of the teachers are from U.S. and the UK besides other countries. As Scott (my professor in U.S.) once said in the classroom, China in about a decade will have the highest number of English speaking people in the world. I indeed have no second thoughts about it. It is surely going to happen.
Apart from English, Chinese people are also learning other foreign languages such as German, Spanish, and French. In Beijing, there are approximately three specialized foreign language universities and ten in China. Other universities also offer foreign language classes apart from their coursework.
One of my Chinese colleagues is working so hard to make it to the electronic media. Xinhua News Agency has launched its audio and video channel and my friend's "amber like enthusiasm" is taking her to all places where she could hone her broadcasting skills in order to pass the audition. She yearns to acquire more skills to be able to do better in future and compete globally.
In a globalized world, individuals collaborate and compete globally. The competition, the dynamic force in globalization, calls for individuals to possess varied skills that would enable and empower them to go global. And in China, the youth is exactly answering the call!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Caffeine may reduce risk of skin cancer
Al-Jazeerah: Cross-Cultural Understanding
www.ccun.orgwww.aljazeerah.info
News, February 2009
Editor: Huma Sheikh
(http://www.aljazeerah.info/News/2009/February/27%20n/Caffeine%20may%20reduce%20risk%20of%20skin%20cancer.htm)
BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) - - Caffeine may prevent skin cancer because it disrupts a protein called ATR-Chkl that could cause the damaged cells become cancerous, says a leading U.S. researcher.
Dr. Paul Nghiem, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Washington in Seattle, said, "We have found what we believe to be the mechanism by which caffeine is associated with decreased skin cancer."
For the study, Nghiem's team looked at caffeine's effect on human skin cells in a laboratory that had been exposed to ultraviolet radiation. They found that in cells damaged by UV rays, caffeine interrupted ATR-Chk1, which caused the damaged cells to self-destruct. "Caffeine has no effect on undamaged cells," Nghiem said.
ATR is essential to damaged cells that are growing rapidly, Nghiem said, and caffeine specifically targets damaged cells that can become cancerous. "Caffeine more than doubles the number of damaged cells that will die normally after a given dose of UV," he said.
"This is a biological mechanism that explains what we have been seeing for many years from the oral intake of caffeine," he added.
But, Nghiem added, people shouldn't increase the amount of coffee or tea they drink to prevent skin cancer. "You are talking a lot of cups for a lot of years for a relatively small effect," he said. "But if you like it, it's another reason to drink it."
Nghiem has also been experimenting with applying caffeine directly to the skin. "It suppresses skin cancer development by as much as 72 percent in mice, and human studies are moving ahead slowly," he said.
It's possible that topical caffeine preparations might one day be used to help prevent skin cancer, Nghiem said. "Caffeine is both a sunscreen and it deletes damaged cells," he said. "It may well make sense to put it into a sunscreen preparation."
Dr. Robin Ashinoff, a dermatologist and clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University's Langone Medical Center, however, thinks these findings need to be verified before they can have any clinical application.
www.ccun.orgwww.aljazeerah.info
News, February 2009
Editor: Huma Sheikh
(http://www.aljazeerah.info/News/2009/February/27%20n/Caffeine%20may%20reduce%20risk%20of%20skin%20cancer.htm)
BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) - - Caffeine may prevent skin cancer because it disrupts a protein called ATR-Chkl that could cause the damaged cells become cancerous, says a leading U.S. researcher.
Dr. Paul Nghiem, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Washington in Seattle, said, "We have found what we believe to be the mechanism by which caffeine is associated with decreased skin cancer."
For the study, Nghiem's team looked at caffeine's effect on human skin cells in a laboratory that had been exposed to ultraviolet radiation. They found that in cells damaged by UV rays, caffeine interrupted ATR-Chk1, which caused the damaged cells to self-destruct. "Caffeine has no effect on undamaged cells," Nghiem said.
ATR is essential to damaged cells that are growing rapidly, Nghiem said, and caffeine specifically targets damaged cells that can become cancerous. "Caffeine more than doubles the number of damaged cells that will die normally after a given dose of UV," he said.
"This is a biological mechanism that explains what we have been seeing for many years from the oral intake of caffeine," he added.
But, Nghiem added, people shouldn't increase the amount of coffee or tea they drink to prevent skin cancer. "You are talking a lot of cups for a lot of years for a relatively small effect," he said. "But if you like it, it's another reason to drink it."
Nghiem has also been experimenting with applying caffeine directly to the skin. "It suppresses skin cancer development by as much as 72 percent in mice, and human studies are moving ahead slowly," he said.
It's possible that topical caffeine preparations might one day be used to help prevent skin cancer, Nghiem said. "Caffeine is both a sunscreen and it deletes damaged cells," he said. "It may well make sense to put it into a sunscreen preparation."
Dr. Robin Ashinoff, a dermatologist and clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University's Langone Medical Center, however, thinks these findings need to be verified before they can have any clinical application.
A Kashmiri in Beijing
Huma Sheikh
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/11/content_10992587.htm)
In less over three months, Beijing never looked the same; perhaps it was the excitement about being in China for the first time. The "unusual feeling" kept me from exploring Beijing and extensive travel across China and living in five-star hotels also played its part. The sudden November cool in Beijing was another reason not to venture out, especially after coming from warmer Honolulu, Hawaii.
In November last year, Beijing, nevertheless, presented to me a "HOME-Like" picture; people talking in groups on roadsides, horn-blaring traffic sounds, jammed roads looked like Delhi, the national capital of my native country, India. The scene gave the impression of being in a neighboring Asian country, which has similar aspects to that of India. But, having come from USA-- a place of an entirely different set up -- and not from India at the time, I felt like feeling that way was inevitable. I was traveling to China from the U. S. and being in another developing country after having spent months in the developed country, Beijing was obviously to replicate Delhi.
But now things are quite different. Currently, I am neither a visitor nor a student on a field trip to Beijing.
On Feb 23, 2009, I joined the website of Xinhua News Agency and as time slipped by I realized my first impression about Beijing was absolutely realistic. I was right. Working as a journalist at Xinhua portal gave me a chance to know how it was like working in Beijing and living like a Beijinger. A routine work schedule, organizing time and shuffling between appointments at home and workplace was drawing me closer to China, the fastest economy of the world. The other advantage was sharing an apartment with a Chinese couple and knowing more about their culture and lifestyle. The home sharing, nevertheless, followed the two-day frantic search and thanks to my cousin and his friend who helped me to find the accommodation.
Living in Beijing was like living in New Delhi. Both China and India have so much in common culturally and both share the same social, moral values and respect for elderly, reflecting their common practices that have traditionally been followed by Asians for centuries. A crowded subway with widespread working class crowd was another shared feature.
China and India share economic, military and diplomatic ties and over the years both the countries--as emerging economies-have attempted to strengthen bilateral ties.
The Sino-Indian cultural history dates back to the first century when Buddhists from India transmitted to China. Even the Indian epic Mahabharata contains references to China, indicating their relation from the 5th century BC.
It was amazing to hear "culturally-embedded" similar "words of wisdom" from one of my colleagues, who said the other day: "My parents always ask me to get married and I tell them I would get soon. My concern is not the marriage but additional responsibilities. You have the responsibility of your wife and her parents too. I am marrying a girl and her family becomes my responsibility and their care my liability. My understanding is when I am economically sound, I should go ahead and tie a knot."
"We must draw on the achievements of all cultures, but the culture of respecting elderly and their decision that was honed since centuries is still the same for Chinese people. We are modern like any other western country but when it comes to marriage, parents have the upper hand in decision-making. I have a love marriage and my parents supported my decision. We still believe in conventionalism," said my friend, adding "conventionalism appeals and further intensifies adherence to cultural norms.''
Her words mirrored Indian culture and the fact that cultural determinism stays with us, however modern and contemporary we have become.
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/11/content_10992587.htm)
In less over three months, Beijing never looked the same; perhaps it was the excitement about being in China for the first time. The "unusual feeling" kept me from exploring Beijing and extensive travel across China and living in five-star hotels also played its part. The sudden November cool in Beijing was another reason not to venture out, especially after coming from warmer Honolulu, Hawaii.
In November last year, Beijing, nevertheless, presented to me a "HOME-Like" picture; people talking in groups on roadsides, horn-blaring traffic sounds, jammed roads looked like Delhi, the national capital of my native country, India. The scene gave the impression of being in a neighboring Asian country, which has similar aspects to that of India. But, having come from USA-- a place of an entirely different set up -- and not from India at the time, I felt like feeling that way was inevitable. I was traveling to China from the U. S. and being in another developing country after having spent months in the developed country, Beijing was obviously to replicate Delhi.
But now things are quite different. Currently, I am neither a visitor nor a student on a field trip to Beijing.
On Feb 23, 2009, I joined the website of Xinhua News Agency and as time slipped by I realized my first impression about Beijing was absolutely realistic. I was right. Working as a journalist at Xinhua portal gave me a chance to know how it was like working in Beijing and living like a Beijinger. A routine work schedule, organizing time and shuffling between appointments at home and workplace was drawing me closer to China, the fastest economy of the world. The other advantage was sharing an apartment with a Chinese couple and knowing more about their culture and lifestyle. The home sharing, nevertheless, followed the two-day frantic search and thanks to my cousin and his friend who helped me to find the accommodation.
Living in Beijing was like living in New Delhi. Both China and India have so much in common culturally and both share the same social, moral values and respect for elderly, reflecting their common practices that have traditionally been followed by Asians for centuries. A crowded subway with widespread working class crowd was another shared feature.
China and India share economic, military and diplomatic ties and over the years both the countries--as emerging economies-have attempted to strengthen bilateral ties.
The Sino-Indian cultural history dates back to the first century when Buddhists from India transmitted to China. Even the Indian epic Mahabharata contains references to China, indicating their relation from the 5th century BC.
It was amazing to hear "culturally-embedded" similar "words of wisdom" from one of my colleagues, who said the other day: "My parents always ask me to get married and I tell them I would get soon. My concern is not the marriage but additional responsibilities. You have the responsibility of your wife and her parents too. I am marrying a girl and her family becomes my responsibility and their care my liability. My understanding is when I am economically sound, I should go ahead and tie a knot."
"We must draw on the achievements of all cultures, but the culture of respecting elderly and their decision that was honed since centuries is still the same for Chinese people. We are modern like any other western country but when it comes to marriage, parents have the upper hand in decision-making. I have a love marriage and my parents supported my decision. We still believe in conventionalism," said my friend, adding "conventionalism appeals and further intensifies adherence to cultural norms.''
Her words mirrored Indian culture and the fact that cultural determinism stays with us, however modern and contemporary we have become.
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