Portugal village worth its salt with the tourists

By Andrei Khalip
SALINAS, Portugal (Reuters Life!) - Shoveling drying salt in a pit under scorching sun while tourists and fellow villagers drink beer and look on from above may sound like a miserable experience, but not in Salinas, Portugal.
The presence of tourists in the cafes on the ancient wall above the salt pit in this tiny Portuguese village some 100 km (62.14 miles) north of Portugal`s capital Lisbon is more than welcome and causes no consternation.
"One thing works with the other. Without tourism, the salt business would probably collapse, and vice versa," said Casimiro Froes Ferreira, 82, and the head of the Salinas cooperative.
The village has been extracting salt since at least 1170, when the local ruler sold part of the pit to the Knights Templar -- the first known record of Salinas.
In the middle of a pool in the salt pit lies a deep well of water heavily laden with salt -- Portugal`s only natural saltworks. The water is pumped to shallow cells in the pool where it dries up over a few days, leaving a layer of salt.
"We work seven days a week between May and October when the weather is good and when salt needs to be dried and removed -- practically the same way our ancestors did. After work everyone just joins the crowd in the bars overhead," Froes Ferreira said.
Most of the village`s old salt depots and stores -- made entirely of wood, including door locks to avoid corrosion from salt -- have been transformed into souvenir shops and bars, where one can try a local cheese baked in salt.
Even the local bikers club is headquartered in such a hut.
"It`s really cool, it`s kind of like one of those medieval fairs, but you know it`s for real, and the people are real," said Eliza Castro from Lisbon, who stopped in Salinas with her two children for a meal and some sightseeing after visiting the ancient castle of Obidos nearby.
Some larger, newer depots are also made of wood, as cement and metals are easily corroded by the mineral.
Maria Luisa Santos Dias, 74, who like most workers here is a member of the cooperative and owns a plot in the huge 28,000 square meter (301,400 sq ft) pit, swaps periods of work in the sun with rest in the diner. Here she grabs a snack, chats to neighbors and helpfully provides directions to visitors.
"I feel good here in the pit, I started at seven in the morning today, before anyone got here," said the woman, who is wearing heavy rubber shoes to protect her feet from salt. "I married a salter many years back and got to liking this work." Her son, Jose Antonio, 37, and 16-year-old granddaughter Ines often work alongside her.
"When I was six I started coming here and played with a wooden shovel. I`m no longer a little girl, but I still like coming here to work," said Ines, who is a student.
The cooperative was formed in 1979 after a crisis caused by growing imports, which nearly killed off the salt industry in Salinas and put an end to small private salt depots.
Although hardly prospering, it now makes ends meet thanks to its "all-natural" salt production, including manual collection and cleaning, which have attracted eco-conscious consumers in Germany. Only a small part of the work is done with the help of machinery, mainly lifting the salt from the pit.  Continued...
Original article

World mourns Michael Jackson, hails "heir to Elvis"

By Bob Tourtellotte and Mike Collett-White
LOS ANGELES/LONDON (Reuters) - Michael Jackson`s death dominated news bulletins, radio airwaves and social networking sites the world over on Friday as tributes poured in for a man called the "King of Pop" and "natural heir to Elvis."
The 50-year-old, whose towering musical legacy was tarnished by often bizarre behavior and sex scandals, was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PDT (2126 GMT) on Thursday after arriving at a Los Angeles hospital in full cardiac arrest.
"King of pop is dead. Black day for music," was the simple message left by "johnyvergosa" on the Twitter messaging site, where Jackson accounted for four of the five top topics. Actress Farrah Fawcett, who also died on Thursday, was the fifth.
Other online contributors expressed disbelief at the suddenness of Jackson`s death, less than three weeks before he was due to launch a series of comeback concerts in London.
The singer`s lasting appeal, despite life as a virtual recluse since his acquittal of child abuse charges at a 2005 trial, was underlined when 750,000 fans of all ages snapped up tickets for the sellout gigs.
From "Thriller" to "Billie Jean" and "Rock With You" to "The Way You Make Me Feel," Jackson`s hits filled the airwaves.
Local politics and global affairs were bumped off the front pages of newspapers, trading rooms were abuzz with the news and entertainment websites saw a surge in traffic.
"The King of Pop is Dead" read the main headline of Britain`s Independent newspaper, below a full-page portrait.
Rina Masaoka, a 21-year-old college student in Japan, said: "This will probably be as shocking as Princess Diana`s death."
Ray Cordeiro, an octogenarian radio disc jockey in Hong Kong who has been on air for around half a century, called Jackson "a genius" and a "legend in our lifetime."
Former Beatle Paul McCartney said in a statement: "It`s so sad and shocking. I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever."
FLAWED GENIUS
Commentators reflecting on Jackson`s life focused on his flaws as well as his global fame and musical flair.
"Broken and broke: the child star haunted by fame and scandal" read a profile in the Guardian newspaper, which called him "the natural successor to Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley."
Jackson sold an estimated 750 million records, a figure that is likely to rise with the expected posthumous re-release of his hits. "Thriller," which came out in 1982, remains the best-selling album of all time.  Continued...
Original article

Sri Lanka arrests astrologer over political prediction

By Ranga Sirilal
COLOMBO (Reuters) - A popular Sri Lankan astrologer was unable to foresee his own arrest after his family said on Friday he had been taken into custody by police for making an unfavorable political prediction against the president.
The police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested astrologer Chandrasiri Bandara after he predicted political changes unfavorable to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a meeting of the main opposition United National Party.
"He is being questioned over a political statement he made," police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekara said, without elaborating.
Given that many Sri Lankans give credence to astrological predictions, astrologers can play a role in influencing decisions at the voting booth and have done so in the past.
Sri Lankans from all walks of life follow astrology very closely, and politicians frequently consult personal astrologers to help them decide the most auspicious day, hour and minute to do anything from facing elections to assuming office.
Bandara writes a popular astrology column, hosts TV and radio shows discussing horoscopes and gives private readings for a fee.
"He has been questioned for the last three days and he was taken into custody by the CID," a family member told Reuters, asking not to be named out of fear of reprisal.
Rajapaksa`s opponents say his administration has been intolerant of criticism, and has not stopped assaults and murders of journalists critical of his government. Rajapaksa has vowed to catch those responsible.
This week, a coalition of media and rights groups urged him to reconsider a decision to reinstate the long-unused Press Council, which has the power to jail and fine journalists.
"A media culture cannot be based on slapping charges against journalists, fining them or sending them to jail," the group said in a statement.
The government said the move was made on a parliamentary committee recommendation that it should be reinstated since the council`s staff and office rent was still being paid despite the fact it was doing no work.
"It was a directive by a parliamentary committee which some opposition members are also on," said A. Dissanayake, secretary of the Ministry of Mass Media and Information.
Sri Lanka has a decades-long history of violence against journalists, with killings, abductions and assaults being carried out and the perpetrators rarely being captured.
Dozens of journalists have fled Sri Lanka after receiving threats by unidentified groups since the end of the 25-year war against the Tamil Tiger separatists last month.
Security officials have warned they will arrest and prosecute for treason journalists they say have been on the Tigers` payroll in the last few years of the war.
(Writing by Bryson Hull; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
Original article

Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Jakarta for history buffs

By Jennifer Henderson
JAKARTA (Reuters Life!) - Got 48 hours to explore the history of Jakarta? Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors with a penchant for the past enjoy Indonesia`s bustling capital.
FRIDAY
6 p.m. - Step back in time to 1800s Indonesia at Bunga Rampai Restaurant, Menteng. Let your tastebuds tingle with some spicy nasi buketan -- pandan-flavored rice, served with meat, shredded omelet and chilli -- as you dine in elegant, white surroundings reminiscent of the Dutch colonial period.
SATURDAY
5 a.m. - Start early to escape the morning rush hour, and head north to Kota or Old Jakarta, the original settlement from which the modern city grew. Ensure you have one-thousand rupiah (10 U.S. cent) notes as most of the museums charge a small fee.
5.30 a.m. - Head to the docks to watch the sunrise over the Javenese sea at Sunda Kelapa. The 500-year-old port, and the village around it, once served as a trading point between the Portuguese and Hindu Kingdom of Pajajaran, it was later used by the Dutch. Tours are available from the tourist hut on the dock.
7 a.m.- For the very adventurous, try to eat at one of the local warungs or food stalls east of the dock.
8 a.m. - Take a bicycle taxi or `sepeda ontel` to the nearby Pasar Ikan fish market. Even though the auction is long over (it takes place at 3 a.m.), it is still bustling with activity.
9 a.m.- Stroll to the old spice warehouse nearby that is now the Maritime Museum. Typical of many of Jakarta`s museums, the buildings are not always in the best of repair and there is little direction for tourists, but this adds to the adventure, as you climb creaky dusty wooden staircases. Climb the harbor watchman tower near the museum for a bird`s-eye view, and see the large Dutch East Indies Company logo still visible on buildings.
10 a.m.- Head to Fatahillah square, and the many museums there. The fastest way to beat the traffic is by motorbike taxi (ojek) or a noisy three-wheeled "bajaj."
11 a.m.- Watch a traditional performance at the Wayang Museum, on the site of an old Dutch building on the square. Wayang puppets are an integral part of Indonesian culture and the museum has an extensive collection from across the archipelago.
12 p.m. - Lunch is but a stroll away at the adjacent Batavia Cafe. The old teak wood furniture and sweeping 1920s decor give the cafe a relaxed, breezy atmosphere. The 19th century building was re-opened in 1993.
1 p.m.- Lock yourself in the cramped prison cells at the bottom of the Jakarta History Museum. The museum in the former city hall of Batavia, now Jakarta, is home to grand rooms filled with antique furniture, such as a ceiling-high glass fronted filing cabinet and dining tables once laden with colonial feasts.
2 p.m.- One of the better-kept museums is the Fine Art and Ceramics Museum across the street from Taman Fatahillah.
3.30 p.m.- Discover the hidden Candra Naya, a Chinese mansion enclosed in the shell of an apartment block under construction and which was saved from the developers.  Continued...
Original article

Henry VIII`s flagship secures new hi-tech home

By Stefano Ambrogi
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - King Henry VIII`s flagship the Mary Rose, a Tudor time capsule likened to a British Pompeii, has won crucial funding for a hi-tech museum to house the fabled warship and its previously unseen treasures.
One of the first vessels capable of firing a broadside, it went down in the Solent in 1545 during an engagement with the French fleet, with the loss of more than 400 crew.
The sinking is thought to have been an accident, but exactly what happened has vexed British naval historians for years.
Did the ship capsize during a sharp turn when water entered the open gun ports? Was there a fatal lack of understanding between the English officers and the largely foreign crew?
The vessel was spectacularly raised from its watery grave in front of a global audience of some 60 million people in 1982.
What remains of the hull has been on public view behind glass ever since, along with a selection of perfectly preserved artifacts at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on England`s southern coast.
It is the only 16th century warship on display anywhere in the world, according to the Mary Rose Trust.
Now the Trust has secured 21 million pounds ($35 million) from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the body which distributes a share of the income from Britain`s national lottery to heritage projects.
The money will go toward conservation and to the 35 million-pound planned museum which will display all the 19,000 finds raised with the ship.
"When better to celebrate than during the month which marks the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII`s accession? We think he would have been delighted," said Trust chief executive John Lippiett.
The new museum will resemble a finely crafted, wooden jewelry box, clad in timber planks invoking the structure of the original ship, its designers say.
Some of the money will also be used to continue spraying the hull with a special water-based wax preservative -- polyethylene glycol -- until 2011 before it is carefully dried for full open-air display in 2016.
Funding for the museum, which should open in time for the 2012 Olympic Games, was coincidentally announced 500 years to the day since Henry was crowned in 1509.
Items recovered from the wreck site and which will be on permanent display include Tudor tankards, wooden and pewter plates, nit combs, longbows and arrows, musical instruments and even bleeding bowls.
These were used to collect blood during bloodletting -- a practice once carried out to treat a wide range of diseases and medical conditions.  Continued...
Original article

Toyota chief`s dilemma: to race or not to race

By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia autos correspondent
TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor, wants speedy reforms at the world`s biggest carmaker but many want him out of the fast lane.
Toyoda, 53, is an ardent racing fan who last month took part in the 24-hour endurance race on Germany`s notoriously dangerous Nurburgring track for the third consecutive year.
Asked if he would continue to race, putting his safety at risk, the head of Japan`s biggest company wouldn`t give a conclusive answer, but revealed his passion for speed.
"The folks here are pleading with me to stop," Toyoda said, motioning toward his deputies who were at a news conference on Thursday where he sketched out plans for Toyota to become a leaner and more focused carmaker.
"But there`s a reason why I participate in these races. First, it`s because it`s Nurburgring. Second, it`s 24 hours. And third, it has a lot to do with the development of cars."
"Put another way, you can say that I`m staking my life to come up with a better product," he said.
Toyoda, who has said he wants to be a president "closest to the front lines," went on to describe the smooth tracks he`s driven on in Japan and the demanding surface of Nurburgring.
Toyoda took over the helm of the company his grandfather established 71 years ago earlier this week.
As an amateur racer in a competition comprised mostly of professionals, Toyoda said he was experiencing driving from a standpoint "closest to a regular customer."
Toyoda, who races under the pseudonym "Morizo" on the Gazoo Racing team, had related similar thoughts in a blog he writes under the same name on www.Gazoo.com, the Toyota-operated marketing website he helped set up.
In a 2007 entry, Morizo -- whose identity is only ostensibly anonymous -- writes about running into Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez, who was also at Nurburgring to race despite strong objections from his staff.
"It`s because there`s someone like this at the top that the company can come up with an emotional sports car like the Vantage. That was the feeling I got as an employee at a carmaker," Morizo wrote on the Japanese-language blog.
(Editing by Miral Fahmy)
Original article

Travel Picks: World`s 10 most legendary bars

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Bars, pubs, and taverns of the world can hold as much history as any museum and present as much drama as any theater.
Members and editors of travel website VirtualTourist.com (www.virtualtourist.com) have come up with a list of the world`s 10 most legendary bars. This list is not endorsed by Reuters.
"Generally speaking, bars aren`t the first stop on most tourists` lists of places to see, but when you learn about the people they inspired and the events for which they were the backdrop, they become incredibly culturally significant," said VirtualTourist.com`s General manager Giampiero Ambrosi.
1. Harry`s Bar; Venice, Italy
Since opening in 1931, Harry`s Bar has been frequented by famous people such as Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Noel Coward, Orson Wells, Charlie Chaplin, and Peggy Guggenheim. The bar also claims credit for inventing the Bellini and Carpaccio.
2. The Blind Beggar; London, England
The Blind Beggar in Whitechapel, built in 1894, is known as the site on which The Salvation Army started but became even more notorious when, in 1966, London gangster Ronnie Kray shot rival George Cornell as he sat at the bar.
3. White Horse Tavern; New York City, New York
A favorite of New York`s literati set, The White Horse has seen everyone from Jack Kerouac to Norman Mailer pass through its doors but is perhaps best known as being the bar that served the 18 whiskeys said to have killed Dylan Thomas.
4. Garota de Ipanema; Rio de Janerio, Brazil
When a fifteen-year-old girl made a stroll past the Veloso bar part of her daily walk to the beach, legend has it she inspired two song-writing patrons to pen possibly the most famous bossa nova tune in history -- "The Girl from Ipanema." Not surprisingly, the bar`s owners made the wise decision to capitalize on the success by re-naming the business.
5. The Pub; Valletta, Malta
The walls of this simple bar are covered in pictures, newspaper clippings, and impromptu tributes to British actor Oliver Reed who was said to have died just after consuming vast amounts of alcohol there while on location for the movie "Gladiator." A sign outside the bar reads "Ollie`s Last Pub."
6. Heinolds` First and Last Chance Bar; Oakland, California
The slanted floors and stopped clock in Jack London`s favorite haunt are a result of the devastating 1906 earthquake that virtually leveled nearby San Francisco. A 10-year-old London is said to have used the bar as a place to study, planting himself at tables still used by the bar today.
7. Long Bar; Raffles Hotel, Singapore  Continued...
Original article

U.S. pastor defends video of exorcism of gay man

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - A U.S. pastor defended a video posted on YouTube of an exorcism of a gay man, saying the Manifested Glory Ministries church does not hate gay people, it just does not believe in their lifestyle.
The video, which has sparked outrage among gay rights advocates, shows a young man writhing around on the floor at the Stamford, Connecticut church.
The video, which was taken six or seven months ago, has been removed from the website. It is not clear who posted it.
Pastor Patricia McKinney said the man told the church "he did not want to live this way."
"Every Sunday we call people up to the altar who want to be delivered from any spirit that causes them to not be able to function," she told the CNN television network. "We were just beginning to worship the Lord and all of a sudden he hit the floor."
She described the unnamed man as very religious and spiritual.
"Manifested Glory Ministries is not against homosexuality. We do not hate them. We do not come up against them. We do just not believe in their lifestyle," McKinney explained.
A spokesman for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said he understood the man`s situation because he went through the same experience.
"(The Manifested Glory Ministries) were acting out of ignorance by equating homosexuality to demon possession," Rev. Roland Stringfellow, of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Berkeley, California, told Reuters in an interview.
Stringfellow said he was exorcised twice at a different church when he asked for help to deal with his own homosexuality.
"This young man who obviously went for help ended up being damaged I believe," he said. "I am concerned about the emotional and spiritual scars he has. I felt what they were doing was casting not a demon out, but casting shame."
The uproar over the video coincides with gay pride week, marking the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City`s Greenwich Village that triggered the modern U.S. gay rights movement. The annual march through Manhattan is set for Sunday.
A push for gay marriage to be legalized has gathered momentum around the United States and is already allowed Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa. Gay couples will be allowed to marry in Vermont starting in September and New Hampshire in January.
Some states provide for same-sex unions that grant many of the same rights as marriage. Forty-two U.S. states explicitly prohibit gay marriage, including 29 with constitutional amendments, according to Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Patricia Reaney)
Original article

UNESCO strips Dresden of World Heritage site title

By Sarah Marsh
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany`s picturesque Dresden Elbe Valley was formally dropped as a U.N. World Heritage site Thursday, making it only the second landmark ever to be removed from the prestigious list.
The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said it de-listed Dresden after a three-year battle -- for ignoring objections and building a four-lane motorway bridge over the river that would irreversibly damage the landscape.
"Every time we fail to preserve a site we share the pain," said Maria Jesus San Segundo, chair of the session of the World Heritage Committee that met in Seville, Spain, in a statement on its website (www.www.33whc.sevilla2009.es/de).
Dresden was awarded the title of World Heritage site in 2004 for its valley of 18th and 19th century landscape that extends 18 km (11 miles) along the Elbe. It includes central Dresden, baroque palaces and gardens.
"We`ve got to accept this decision with regret," said Dresden Mayor Helma Orosz.
The city, once dubbed the Florence of northern Europe for its architectural jewels, was reduced to ruins by Allied bombing raids near the end of World War Two.
Since the restoration of many monuments to their former glory, including the landmark Frauenkirche in 2005, the capital of Saxony has drawn visitors from far and wide.
UNESCO warned German authorities in 2006 it would de-list Dresden Elbe Valley unless plans to build the bridge in the middle of the heritage zone were scrapped.
The German government even intervened, offering Dresden federal aid to build a tunnel under the river to avoid the threatened de-listing.
"It`s more than regrettable that the two sides weren`t able to find a compromise," said German Culture Minister Bernd Neumann. "The federal government did everything it could to find a solution."
But local authorities, backed by strong local support in a referendum, allowed work to go ahead on the Waldschloesschen Bridge at the end of 2007. The bridge is now half finished and expected to be completed by 2010.
UNESCO has only removed one other site -- a wildlife sanctuary in Oman -- from the World Heritage List, which includes cultural landmarks such as the Great Wall of China and the leaning Tower of Pisa.
(Editing by Jon Hemming)
Original article