Vietnam War Veteran Launches ‘Affordable’ Gold Steak Restaurant

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December 10, 2021

A Vietnamese hotel is offering diners the chance to try gold leaf-coated steaks, seeking to tap a wave of publicity after a government minister was caught on camera being fed the dish at a London restaurant, where steaks can cost over 1,000 pounds.

The Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake Hotel had a makeover last year using a tonne of the metal to gold-plate everything from bath tubs to toilets, all housed behind a gold exterior.

Now as part of a rebranding, the hotel has renamed one of its eating outlets the Golden Beef Restaurant and put the famed gold-encrusted “Tomahawk Wagyu” steak the Vietnamese minister ate in London on the menu, charging from around $45 a person.

“We have served more than 1,000 guests who came to try out the golden steak,” said Nguyen Huu Duong, chairman of Hoa Binh Group, which owns the hotel managed by U.S.-based Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc

Turkish celebrity chef Nusret Gokce, or “Salt Bae”, uploaded a video of himself last month feeding Minister of Public Security To Lam the gold-leaf encrusted Tomahawk steak, causing a stir in Vietnam. Steaks at Gokce’s restaurant sell for up to 1,450 pounds ($1,914).

Many in the Southeast Asian country questioned how such a high-ranking Communist Party official allowed himself to be filmed indulging in such expensive food amid a state crackdown on corruption. Vietnamese officials have not commented on the incident.

Now as part of a rebranding, the hotel has renamed one of its eating outlets the Golden Beef Restaurant and put the famed gold-encrusted “Tomahawk Wagyu” steak the Vietnamese minister ate in London on the menu, charging from around $45 a person.

How It Is Celebrated – Christmas in China

By

Angel Gimalo

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December 10, 2021

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In China, only about one percent of people are Christians, so most people only know a few things about Christmas. Because of this, Christmas is only often celebrated in major cities. In these big cities there are Christmas Trees, lights and other decorations on the streets and in department stores.

In China, Santa is known as ‘Sheng dan lao ren’ (Traditional: 聖誕老人, Simplified: 圣诞老人; means Old Christmas Man).

Only a few people have a Christmas Tree. If people do have a tree it is normally a plastic one and might be decorated with paper chains, paper flowers, and paper lanterns (they might also call it a tree of light). The Christmas Trees that most people would see would be in shopping malls.

The strange thing is that most of the world’s plastic Christmas Trees and Christmas decorations are made in China, but the people making them might not have decorations like them in their own homes at Christmas!

A tradition that’s becoming popular, on Christmas Eve, is giving apples. Many stores have apples wrapped up in colored paper for sale. People give apples on Christmas Eve because in Chinese Christmas Eve is called “Ping’an Ye” (平安夜), meaning peaceful or quiet evening, which has been translated from the carol ‘Silent Night’.

The word for apple in Mandarin is “píngguǒ” (苹果) which sounds like the word for peace.

Some people go Carol singing, although not many people understand them or know about the Christmas Story. Jingle Bells is a popular Christmas song in China!

People who are Christians in China go to special services. Going to Midnight Mass services has become very popular.

In Chinese Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Sheng Dan Kuai Le or 圣诞快乐’ in Mandarin and ‘Seng Dan Fai Lok or 聖誕快樂’ in Cantonese. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages.

How It Is Celebrated – Christmas In Colombia

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Angel Gimalo

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December 10, 2021

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In Colombia, Christmas celebrations and preparations start on the evening of the 7th December which is known as ‘Día de las Velitas’ or ‘Day of the little Candles’. Houses and streets are decorated with candles, lanterns and lots of lights.

There are also big firework displays and music to dance to and foods like ‘buñuelos’ and ’empanadas’. This day is celebrated by Catholics around the world as The Feast of the Immaculate Conception but is especially popular in Colombia.

From December 16th until Christmas Eve, many Colombians take part in ‘novenas’.

These are special times when family, friends and neighbors come together to pray in the days leading up to Christmas.

They are known as the ‘Novena de Aguinaldos’ (Christmas Novena) and often a different house hosts the meeting every night. As well as the prayers, people sing carols and eat lots of yummy foods!

People like to decorate their homes with Christmas Trees and other decorations. It’s very common for there to be candles (normally red and white) and other lights displayed in windows or on balconies. Another very important Christmas decoration in Colombia is a nativity scene or ‘el pesebre’.

In early December, children write a ‘Carta al Niño Dios’ (letter to the baby Jesus) asking for what presents they would like. The letter is placed in the pesebre. They hope that Jesus will bring them presents on Christmas Eve.

The main Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve night and it’s called ‘Cena de Navidad’.

The dishes often include ‘lechona’ (pork stuffed with rice and peas), ham, turkey or a chicken soup called ‘Ajiaco Bogotano’. Other popular foods around Christmas are ‘Buñuelos’ (cheesy fritters), arepas (a thick dish made from corn) and ‘hojuelas’ (a fried pastry with sugar and jam). A very popular Christmas dessert is ‘Natilla’ which is a set custard.

After the Christmas Meal, many people will go to a Midnight mass Church Service. Some people stay up all night, so Christmas Day is a day for relaxing and eating up leftovers!

Once Upon A Time – Dec. 10 – 1901 – First Nobel Peace Prizes Awarded To Red Cross Founder Jean Henri Dunant And Frederic Passy

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Angel Gimalo

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December 10, 2021

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1520 Martin Luther publicly burns papal edict demanding he recant

1684 Isaac Newton’s derivation of Kepler’s laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper De motu corporum in gyrum, is read to the Royal Society by Edmond Halley.

1799 Metric system first adopted in France.

1901 First Nobel Peace Prizes awarded to Red Cross founder Jean Henri Dunant and peace activist Frederic Passy.

1936 Edward VIII signs Instrument of Abdication, giving up the British throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

1964 Nobel Peace Prize presented to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Oslo, Norway.

Today’s Historical Events

Today In Film & Tv

1962 David Lean’s film “Lawrence of Arabia”, based on life of T. E. Lawrence and starring Peter O’Toole, premieres at Odeon Leicester Square (Academy Awards Best Picture 1963).

Today In Music

2016 Bob Dylan is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature at a ceremony he does not attend in Stockholm.

Today In Sport

1831 “Spirit of the Times” begins publishing in New York City, the premier sports journal of the 19th century.

1960 Marriage of Ruth Magongo to Enoch Litswele. The two will serve as Nazarene missionaries and educators in various African countries, learning several languages in order to communicate with the tribes among whom they work and translating hymns into local tongues.

Do You Know This Fact About Today? Did You Know?

1884 “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain is first published in the UK and Canada (US Feb 1885, due to printing error).

Would You Believe This Fact About Today? Would You Believe?

1932 The “Great Emu War” ends: Emu’s surprising resilience to bullets led to Emu victory over Australian military in Campion district, Western Australia

3 Ocean Drones Launched From Rhode Island To Collect Data For Tough Winter Conditions

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Angel Gimalo

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December 9, 2021

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Three ocean drones were launched from Rhode Island Thursday and will travel along the Gulf Stream, collecting data in tough winter conditions that would be challenging for traditional ships with crews.

Saildrone, headquartered in Alameda, California, makes autonomous surface vehicles powered by the wind and sun to measure climate quality data and do mapping in remote oceans for scientists worldwide.

The company launched the drones from Newport, Rhode Island, on a mission to sail the strong ocean currents in the North Atlantic for six months.

The goal is to gather information that’s needed to improve medium and long-range weather forecasting, and to account for how much human-produced carbon dioxide the Gulf Stream can absorb.

The carbon data could help improve the models that others use to hold countries accountable for their goals for lowering emissions, said Susan Ryan, a vice president at Saildrone.

Scientists from the University of Rhode Island and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts are leading the mission.

The work is paid for with a roughly $1 million grant from the philanthropic arm of Google, Google.org, and its Impact Challenge on Climate.

NASA Partners Italian Space Agency On X-ray Polarization Explorer

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Angel Gimalo

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December 9, 2021

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NASA’s newest X-ray observatory rocketed into orbit Thursday to shed light on exploded stars, black holes and other violent high-energy events unfolding in the universe.

SpaceX launched the spacecraft on its $188 million mission from Kennedy Space Center. It’s called IXPE, short for Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer.

Scientists said the observatory — actually three telescopes in one — will unveil the most dramatic and extreme parts of the universe as never before.

“IXPE is going to open a new window on the X-ray sky,” Brian Ramsey, NASA’s deputy principal scientist, said this week.

Operations should begin next month. NASA is partnering with the Italian Space Agency on the project.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.

How It Is Celebrated – Christmas In Chile

By

Angel Gimalo

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December 9, 2021

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Christmas in Chile is very warm as it’s in the middle of summer! However, it shares many of the same Christmas customs as the USA.

People like to decorate their houses with Christmas Trees and lights. Having Christmas lights is a fairly recent development with more people being able to afford them. Sometimes neighbors compete to see who can have the best and most lights!

Nativity Scenes are also an important decoration. They have little clay figures (called ‘pesebre’) in them.

Many Catholics in Chile celebrate Advent and also go to special church services for nine days before Christmas. These services are known as a Novena.

Christmas Eve is the most important day over Christmas. Families and friends gather together for a big meal in the evening, eaten about 9pm or 10pm.

Many people like to have ‘asado’ (barbecue) and chicken, turkey and pork. The Chilean Christmas Cake is ‘Pan de Pascua’ which is quite like Panettone.

A popular Christmas drink is ‘Cola de Mono’ (or monkey’s tail) which is made from coffee, milk, liquor, cinnamon and sugar.

After the meal, some people like to go to a church service.

At midnight everyone opens their presents! Children sometimes go round each others houses with their new toys – even in the middle of the night!

Christmas Day is a more relaxed day which is spent with family and friends. If you live near the coast, many people will go to the beach.

U.S. National Parks Get Renovated Thanks To Great American Outdoor Act

By

Koko Lawrence

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December 9, 2021

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The Great American Outdoor Act dedicates up to $1.6 billion a year for the next five years to extensive maintenance and repairs that have been put off time and time again. The funding will go toward critical projects in national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and recreation areas, according to the Department of the Interior. It also includes funding for tribal schools.

Some of the first projects being funded are smaller ones that will preserve historical structures like the grills at New River Gorge and the marble walls of the Jefferson Memorial. But dozens of other projects are coming, some more urgent than others.

In Puerto Rico, plans call for stabilizing a cliffside eroded by wind, rain and waves at San Juan National Historic Site to stop rocks from falling on a popular recreation trail below.

Another project will repair the failing left abutment of a 146-year-old masonry dam on the Potomac River at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park “to prevent possible loss of life” from a sudden release of water.

At the Grand Canyon, a massive Swiss chalet-style building with oversized balconies, windows and eaves is in line for an upgrade that will bring the now-vacant structure up to code and stabilize it while the park determines how best to use it.

Some of the projects planned for the next year will fix problems with infrastructure that park visitors might not immediately notice: repaving roads, repairing leaky lodge roofs and replacing outdated utilities that pose safety risks.

One such project will replace dilapidated high-voltage transmission lines and towers at Yosemite National Park. The lines constructed in the mid-1930s provide power to the entire Yosemite Valley.

Several campgrounds will see improvements, including one in the Rocky Mountains that will get new utility lines to provide consistent clean water and power as well more electric hookups and parking.

“The Great American Outdoors Act overall, with the amount of funding available, offers us really a once in a generation opportunity to take care of some of the large projects, the large needs, of the national park service,” while also addressing several critical smaller projects, said Mike Caldwell, National Park Service acting associate director of park planning, facilities and lands.

UK’s P.M. Johnson Welcomes Second Child With Wife Carrie

By

Koko Lawrence

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December 9, 2021

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday became a father again, after his wife, Carrie, gave birth to a girl, Downing Street said.

The “healthy baby girl” was born at a London hospital in the early hours and “both mother and daughter are doing very well”, a spokeswoman for the couple said.

“The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS (National Health Service) maternity team for all their care and support,” she added.

The announcement comes as Johnson faces a backlash over the imposition of new coronavirus restrictions due to the new Omicron variant.

Likewise the prime minister is also under pressure from the public after claims that Downing Street staff held a Christmas party last year defying so-called restrictions on social gatherings.

Thrice-married Johnson, 57, has four children from his second marriage to the lawyer Marina Wheeler, and now two with Carrie, 33, a former Conservative Party media adviser whom he wed in May.

Buhari Commissions Made-In-Nigeria Navy Ship, Others To Boost Maritime Security

By

Koko Lawrence

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December 9, 2021

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President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday commissioned a seaward defence boat NNS Oji locally made in Nigeria by men of the Nigerian navy and a helicopter on Thursday in Lagos.

NNS Oji, built by engineers of the Nigerian Navy is the third of its series to be indigenously built at the Naval Dockyard Limited after NNS Adoni and NNS Karaduwa were built in 2016.

Buhari also commissioned six newly acquired ships, including NNS Lana, Kano, Ikenne, Aba, Sokoto and Osun, 111 boats and one helicopter, charging all naval personnel to maintain professionalism and ensure good use of the newly built and acquired vessels including NNS Lana, Kano, Ikenne, Aba, Sokoto and Osun.

Speaking at the event, which also marks the keel-laying ceremony for the construction of Boat-IV and Boat-V, President Buhari said the new inductions to the naval fleet would boost their capability in securing Nigeria’s maritime domain.

“We should note that we are in a critical period where our country is faced with a serious decline in our revenue and the security challenges we are facing,” he said.

‘‘The present realities, therefore, call for prudent resource management, innovativeness, accountability and careful maintenance.

‘‘I wish to reiterate that despite these challenges, our administration is very determined to ensure that the Navy is well supported to achieve its statutory responsibilities.

‘‘Let me assure you that the Government will continue to support the ideals of the Nigerian Navy in the performance of its constitutional duties. God bless the Nigerian Navy, God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Onward Together.”

While commending the efforts of the navy in their fight against maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea, Buhari added that he believed the ships would bolster the service in securing Nigeria’s maritime environment.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, said the commissioning of NNS OJI and others was a manifestation of the Federal Government’s commitment to maintaining a well-equipped navy that Nigerians would be proud of.

He stated that NNS Lana, a hydrographic ship received from its maiden voyage from France to Nigeria on 17 May 21, would be involved in the hydrographic survey of the nation’s territorial waters towards ensuring safety of navigation within her waterways while SDB III, Inshore Patrol Crafts (IPC) and Fast Patrol Boats (FPB) which includes NNS ABA, NNS KANO, NNS IKENNE, NNS SOKOTO and NNS OSUN will be deployed for surveillance and patrol duties within the nation’s waters.

He said: “These efforts are geared towards enhancing the performance of our constitutional role regarding hydrographic survey and policing of our waters.

“Invariably, the induction of these platforms into the NN fleet will lead to further decline in criminal activities in our Maritime Domain. I would like to assure you all that these assets will be adequately maintained to sustain our maritime security operations.”