Impala Publishers Blog Page

RELEASE INTERNATIONAL PRAYER ALERT

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

1. ERITREA – Orthodox patriarch remains under the ‘most severe’ house arrest

The elderly patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church briefly emerged from house arrest after four years – but only to go into hospital.

The 83-year-old patriarch, affectionately known as Abune Antonios, had reportedly been denied medical attention at the undisclosed location where he has been held under house arrest since August 2005. He has not been allowed visitors for the past four years.

Abune Antonios is reported to have needed hospital treatment for a condition associated with his high blood pressure and diabetes – but has now been returned to house arrest.

The patriarch was stripped of his ecclesiastical authority in 2005, after protesting about the imprisonment of three Orthodox priests (Prayer Alert, May 15, 2007). He had been strongly critical of the state’s interference in church matters.

(Source: In Chains for Christ)

2. PAKISTAN – Christian murdered for drinking from a Muslim’s cup

Radical Islamists in Punjab beat a young Christian man to death after he accidentally drank out of a cup reserved for Muslims at a roadside café.

Ishtiaq Masih had ordered a cup of tea at the stall in Machharkay village last month after the bus he was travelling on had stopped to allow passengers to have a break.

It was when Ishtiaq went to pay for his tea that the stallholder noticed the cross around his neck. Pointing to a sign warning non-Muslims to declare their religion before being served, the furious café owner and 14 of his employees set upon Ishtiaq, beating and stabbing him to death. Ishtiaq had simply not noticed the warning.

International Christian Concern news agency, whose correspondent later visited the café, reports that the stall still bears a large red sign reading, ‘This tea stall serves Muslims only,’ and threatening ‘dire consequences’ to anyone flouting this rule.

Ishtiaq’s family reported the murder to the police and filed a case against his alleged attackers. No arrests had been made at the time of writing.

(Source: International Christian Concern)

3. CHINA – Beijing bookstore owner sentenced to three years in prison

The family of Beijing bookseller Shi Weihan are said to be ‘inconsolable’ after he was given a three-year jail sentence and a $22,000 fine for ‘illegal business practices’.

Shi’s daughters, who are 13 and nine, ‘cried uncontrollably’ when they heard the news, said Shi’s wife Zhang Jing. ‘The children just cannot accept it,’ she said. ‘Their father is their biggest hero. They couldn’t believe was convicted like an ordinary criminal.’

Shi, a house church pastor, was first arrested in November 2007 but later released. He was rearrested in March 2008 (Prayer Alert, April 29, 2008) and has been detained ever since. His sentence, which relates to printing Bibles illegally, appears to run from his first arrest in November 2007. Bibles can only be bought legally in China in government-sanctioned churches.

Shi’s lawyer Zhang Xingshui was not in court to hear the verdict on June 10. Zhang’s licence to work as a lawyer has been suspended by the Government. It is not yet known whether Shi will appeal against his sentence.

Meanwhile, a Christian human rights lawyer named Zheng Enchong was detained and tortured for nine hours by Public Security Bureau officials in Shanghai. He was beaten, stripped and burnt with cigarettes.

Zheng is well known for his work defending poor and vulnerable people, including in cases where officials have confiscated their land. He has now been summoned by officials almost 20 times and has been beaten four times, so that now he has difficulty walking.

(Sources: AsiaNews, China Aid, Open Doors, The Star online)

4. VIETNAM – Prominent Christian lawyer accused of being enemy of the state

A high-profile Christian lawyer has been arrested on charges of ‘distributing propaganda against the state’.

Paul Le Cong Dinh has defended several human and religious rights activists, including fellow lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan, who were jailed on similar charges in May 2007 (Prayer Alert, May 29, 2007).

Dinh was arrested at his home in Tan Phong ward, Ho Chi Minh City, on June 13. State-run media report that police found ‘documents distorting the country’s socio-economic policies’ in his office and home. Police also allege he has colluded with ‘domestic and foreign reactionaries to sabotage the Vietnamese state’. Dinh has been critical of the state in the media and online.

Forty-one-year-old Dinh, who was educated in France and the US, was charged under Article 88 of Vietnam's criminal code, which prohibits distributing information harmful to the Government. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Dai and Nhan, who were well-known for their work in defending religious liberty in Hanoi, are serving four- and three-year sentences respectively. Their trial lasted just four hours.

(Sources: Associated Press, BBC, ICN, Spero News, VietNamNet, VOV News)

Our next Prayer Alert issue will be on Tuesday, July 14, 2009.

In June 2009, the Impala Blog site received 51,113 Unique Visits in 30 days, a daily average of 1,704 (rounded to 1.7 thousand). That compares with 1.5 thousand in May 2009 and 3.2 thousand in June 2008.

Site traffic 2009 (2008 in brackets)
daily average in thousand Unique Visits

January 2.5 (2.6)
February 2.5 (2.5)
March 2.2 (3.4)
April 2.8 (4.4)
May 1.5 (3.7)
June 1.7 (3.2)

Links

Site Traffic May 2009 (Wednesday, June 3. 2009)

Site traffic in 2008 (Monday, January 5. 2009)

Down By the Riverside

Gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
Ain't gonna study war no more.

refrain

I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
Study war no more.
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
Study war no more.

Gonna stick my sword in the golden sand;
Down By the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna stick my sword in the golden sand
Down by the riverside
Gonna study war no more.

refrain

Gonna put on my long white robe;
Down By the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna put on my long white robe; Down by the riverside
Gonna study war no more.

refrain

Gonna put on my starry crown; Down By the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna put on my starry crown;
Down by the riverside
Gonna study war no more.

refrain

Gonna put on my golden shoes;
(ETC)
Gonna talk with the Prince of Peace;
(ETC)
Gonna shake hands around the world;
(ETC)

Links

http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/downbyriverside.html

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Down By the Riverside

Day 7: Tuesday, June 30. 2009

More shopping, a visit to the Paphos Harbour front for ice-cream which is too quiet for high season. Then a drinks party in the evening for people with whom we have business dealings. This lasted till after 11 Pm.

An observation in Lawrence Durrell's BITTER LEMONS (which I have been rereading) struck me. After the Byzantines, there was a short period of independent Greek rule on Cyprus until Richard the Lionheart conquered the island en route to the Crusades. The island then fell under the rule of the Lusignans (Frankish Crusaders who were the last crusading Kings of Jerusalem).

The Lusignans ruled Cyprus for 300 years until ousted by the Venetiansd, who ruled for 80 years. Thereadter the Ottomans ruled for 300 years, followed by the British who ruled for 80 years. Cyprus independence followed. It has lasted for 50 years now, although for most of that period the Turks have occupied the Northern half of the island.

We fly home this evening (Wednesday).

Day 6: Monday, June 29. 2009

In the local bakery was speaking to an assistant on her smoking break who was from Latvia! She's already been here for 5 years and plans to marry a local later this year - wedding to take place in Latvia. What did she think of the isaland? "A bit boring, but OK if yoiu get away from time to time."

More shopping today in Paphos centre. We bought prints in an art gallery. The owner is a painter of a spiritual inspiration. In fact, he's written a book with his own theological musings (photo to follow).

In the evening we returned to Paphos harbour, from which various tourist ships ply their trade. There we saw the spot where St Paul is supposed to have spoken. Sts Paul & Barnabas visited Cyprus and in Paphos St Paul converted the Roman Proconsul, Sergius Paulus (Acts 13) (a). In fact, it is this passage of the Book of Acts which first gives Saul the new name of 'Paul'.

The harbour is lined with restaurants. The owner of one attracted us in with the promise of free wine. Indeed we had a good 3-course meal there [for me fish, soup, moussaka, baklava with ice cream] for 14.50 euro each. A waiter revealed that the restaurants were not doing well this year, with revenue well down. The waiters there were East Europeans, too, one from Moldova.

Note

(a) On Cyprus

4The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

6They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10"You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Day 4: Saturday, June 27. 2009

Saturday morning was spent in another shopping expedition to Paphos, 10 miles away. Supplying the mushrooming new developments has clearly been a profitable business and there are many outlets selling needed goods. While Helen was shopping in one, I engaged one Cypriot in conversation whose English was particularly good and spoken with a London accent. I told him that one of my friends at University had been a Cypriot from London - his name was Savvas Costa - and Savvas had introduced me to the delights of Greek Coffee (aka Turkish Coffee aka Cyprus Coffee, it's all the same).

My interlocutor replied that North London alone was home to 100,000 Greek Cypriots, with more in other parts of England. He had returned to Cyprus after 40 years fearing that, had he not reurned then, he would never return.

The afternoon was spent back in Peyia, for me watching the South Africa v Lions match in a local bar. The result, a narrow loss for the Lions, was a disappointment, for this was a match the tourists should surely have won.

That evening Helen and I travelled down to the tourist 'strip' in nearby Coral Bay, to a restaurant where Helen had enjoyed a good meal on an earlier trip. This time there was a floopr show, Cypriot dancing as well as Belly Dancing from a girl from, wew were told, 'North Cyprus'. Again most of the waiters and waitresses were foreigners. One girl was from Transnistria (Moldova), another from Sibiu (Hermannsstadt, Nagy Szeben) in Transylvania. The latter was an ethnic Romanian who had no high opinion of her native gypsies (the same who have in recent years jouirneyed to Ireland).

Day 5: Sunday, June 28. 2009

Our only Sunday was to be spent in an expedition i.e. no shopping!

We drove down to Agios Georgios (Saint George) on the coast, still within the municipality of Peyia. The village boasts a beatiful little harbour, an impressive Orthodox church, Roman mosaics and a large fish restaurant where we had lunch.

Yet before lunch we pressed on northwards up the coast. The metalled road runs out at the White River; beyond it's really only suitable for four-wheel-drive vehicles. This is the region of the Akamas Peninsula, designated as a protected area, protected, that is, from the development which has afflicted the coast toi the south. And particularly protected are two endangered species of turtles which lumber out of the water to lay their eggs on the beach above high water mark. These have disappeared from the parts of Cyprus, including Ayia Napa, where once they were common.

On the beach we met a gentleman named Andreas who worked for the Turtle Protection charity. Andreas showed us a fresh turtle nest, built the previous night. Andreas had noted it, placing a metal cover over the nest to protect it from the foxes who enjoy a meal of young turtle. Andreas invited us to meet him at the animal centre at Lara to the north. We made a valiant effort in our Micra but finally the road conditions persuaded us to beat a retreat.

That afternoon I met a Bulgarian lady who was working as a cook in Peyia. The ethnic mix grows ever more complicated!

Psalm 128 (English Standard Version)

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the LORD
A Song of Ascents.

1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.

5 The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!

For Day 1 see Arrival in Cyprus yesterday (Thursday, June 25. 2009).

Day 2 - Thursday June 25

Helen's apartment lies in Peyia (Πεγεια), a village which lies in the hillls about 10 miles north of Paphos. I write 'miles' advisedly, for the Imperial mile remains in everyday use as a measure of distance on the island, along with driving on the left, and other memorials to Cyprus's period of nearly a century as a British Crown Colony. The village lies high in the hills, but land belonging to the village reaches almost to the sea. There has clearly been an enormous tourist boom with signs of development everywhere. The village has been (so far) spared some of the worst excesses, but you don't have to go far to find signs advertising Fish and Chips and Irish Pubs.

Our day was filled with trips to shops to collect the final elements to make the apartment ready for the arrival of the first paying guests on July 3. Conversations with other property owners and advisers ensued . It appears that tourism on Cyprus this year is down 40 per cent on 2008. Partly this is owing to the credit crunch and recession, but the main factor has been Cyprus's accession to the Euro zone on January 1, 2009, and the disappearance of the Cyprus Pound. Sterling's precipitous fall against the euro has led to huge increases in costs when measured in sterling - and Britain is far and away the island's largest tourust market.

Day 3 - Thursday June 25

I didn't expect to be able to speak Romanian on this island, but the toiurist boom has attracted workers from many countries - from India and Bangla Desh (see Day 1), From Russia and Ukraine, and from Romania. One of the staff dealing with Helen's apartment was a Romania from close by Bucharest (she had undertaken a crash course in Greek in her home country before arriving in Cyprus). A waiter that we encountered was another Romanian. And you encounter people in the tourist trade who appear to speak not a word of Greek.

The highlight of the day was an adventurous drive to the next village over roads where, in parts, we were the first ever to drive through the new surface (road improvement is ongoing). The name of the villasge is Akoursos and its inhabitants are Turkish Cypriots who refused to leave after the Turking invasdion of 1974. ( The region of Paphos was the most Turkified of the entire island where Turks made up 30 per cent of the population.) We met a Turkish lady who spoke not a word of English and with whom we conversed entirely in Greek. We didn't see another soul. There was a single taverna, but it was closed. Yet there has been some building close to the village in recent years.

A further important event happened while I was at this cyber cafe. A girl has just logged to to discover the news that she had won a First (Class Honours Degree) in Psychology. I took a photo of her and her father, both in a paroxysm of delight, and then learned that the girl had taken her degree from the University of Sussex, my Alma Mater.

To be continued

ä ö ü Ä Ë Ö Ü ß ê î â Â ă Ă Ş Ţ Ç ş š ţ ç Á É É Í Ó Ú á é í ó ú À à è Ő ő ű ñ ï ë Ł ź ¡
Αα Ββ Γγ Δδ Εε Ζζ Ηη Θθ Ιι Κκ Λλ Μμ Νν Ξξ Οο Ππ Ρρ Σσς Ττ Υυ Φφ Χχ Ψψ Ωω ᾲ ᾴ ῂ ῄ ὶ ί ῦ ώ ύ

In the past few days a new museum has opened in Athens, designed to be able to accommodate the "Elgin Marbles", which were brought to England in the early 19th century from the Akropolis in Athens by Lord Elgin, formerly the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. The opening of the new museum has brought to the fore once more the Greek demand that the Elgin Marbles be 'repatriated' to Greece.

Once in London, the Elgin marbles made a profound impression and exerted a powerful cultural influence. For example, they provided the inspiration for the early 19th century design of chess pieces which received the endorsment of the Englishman, Howard Staunton, then the world's strongest player and unofficial World Chasmpion. Marketed as the "Staunton Pattern" the design became immensely popular immediately and subsequently has become the standard in international competitions, as well as the pieces used most often at all levels of play. Ray Keene has written in WEALTH, GENIUS & RENAISSANCE-Part 1, by Ray Keene (Saturday, October 7. 2006) -

... it is worth noting, after Lord Elgin, in the early 1800’s, brought sections of Pheidias’s Parthenon frieze to the British Museum in London, what artistic influence they exerted. A particular outcome was the adoption of the head of the horse by Pheidias as the model for the knight, in the Staunton pattern chess pieces. The Staunton pieces, for over a century, have since been the norm for all major chess competitions.

This blog has carried the continuing argument over the marbles in various forms. For example, Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge, is quoted on the subject in Losing our marbles (Wednesday, February 7. 2007). We have carried the George Forrest's obituary (written by Forrest's pupil and successor Peter Derow) - see THE GEORGE FORREST OBITUARY – A FULLER VERSION (Friday, April 21. 2006). Forrest played a major role in the British campaign to restore the marbles. Derow wrote [quoted in
THE PARTHENON AND THE ‘ELGIN MARBLES, Sunday, April 23. 2006] -

'Apart from shared socialist principles, Melina Mercouri and George were allies very particularly in the cause of restoring the Parthenon sculptures (aka the 'Elgin marbles') to Greece. He was a founding member of the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles (now the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles), and she was of course for a time the Greek Minister of Culture.'

Shortly after he wrote these words, the American-born Derow (who succeeded Forrest as Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Wadham College, Oxford and followed Forrest in agitation on behalf on the Greek case for the masrbles) would die himself - see Peter Derow, April 11 1944 - December 9 2006 (Wednesday, February 7. 2007).

Mary Beard has written in her blog of attewnding a reception in Athens in connection with the opening of the new museum - see A Don's Life (June 19, 2009), and Eleni Gage has written a substantial piece for the Huffington Post entitled If We Ask Nicely, Can We Have Our Marbles Back? - see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eleni-gage/if-we-ask-nicely-can-we-h_b_219140.html (June 22).

If spared I'd hope soon to add a few thoughts of my own.

We expected to be met in the Arrival Hall of Paphos Airport by someone from 'Oasis Cars' who would show us to our hire car. Our flight arrived a little early and there was nobody there to greet us, nor yet outside the arrival hall where there were girls from Olympic Holidays in bright blue uniforms, who were providing a similar function for their clients. So Helen went on a wander trying to find someone leaving me with the luggage.

Shortly afterwards a bronzed youth wearing a bright orange T-shirt with a 'Oasis Cars' logo came up bearing a sign with 'Mrs OFee'. I greeted him, in Greek, with 'Yia sou. Ti kanete?' He looked at me blankly. Soon I spotted Helen walking back and pointed her out, again in Greek. The youth answered in English and then took us to a location with another older, bronzed man in the same orange T-shirt.

We entered his car, he began to drive us to the location where we were to pick up the pre-booked car. I started to to chat to him in Greek, which he answered in the same language. Then we switched to English, which he evidently well understood.

I remarked that Cypriot Greek (which I had just heard from him) seemed much less heavily-accented than mainland Greek, but I'd have to hear more of it. The second gent remarked that it was of course the most ancient Greek of all, and Greek an ancient language, second only to Sanskrit.

"Sanskrit? What do you know of Sanskrit?'

"Well, I'm from India.'

"From India? A Hindu?"

"No, A Sikh."

"From the Punjab?"

"No, from Jammu and Kashmir."

"Where's your turban?"

"Oh, I don't wear it. Too hot and I'm too busy."

So on my arrival in Cyprus I was met by an Indian who didn't speak a word of Greek!

Palaces built for the local Gypsy King, in the Mureş (Maros) valley. Seen while on mission in 2006.

For better versions of the photos, see Gypsy Palaces of Transylvania (click to enlarge) on Mister Keep Fit.




Links

Gipsies of Transylvania (Saturday, June 20. 2009)


Gipsy Life in the Danube (Part 1), by Chaman Lal (Friday, May 4. 2007

ä ö ü Ä Ë Ö Ü ß ê î â Â ă Ă Ş Ţ Ç ş š ţ ç Á É É Í Ó Ú á é í ó ú À à è Ő ő ű ñ ï ë Ł ź ¡
Αα Ββ Γγ Δδ Εε Ζζ Ηη Θθ Ιι Κκ Λλ Μμ Νν Ξξ Οο Ππ Ρρ Σσς Ττ Υυ Φφ Χχ Ψψ Ωω ᾲ ᾴ ῂ ῄ ὶ ί ῦ ώ ύ

Most people would rather live in a friendly, rather than an unfriendly neighbourhood, I believe. Well the results of a recent poll show that Belfast is the UK’s ‘friendliest city’ - and that London is the unfriendliest.

Researchers polled the inhabitants of of various cities. They found that almost a fifth of Belfast's residents (18%) consider their neighbours as friends.

Nearly a third (32%) of Belfast residents said they were likely to chat with their neighbours on a daily basis, compared to only about one in 10 (9%) in Edinburgh and one in seven (14%) in London.

The survey found London was the least friendly city, with only one in every 100 people (1%) saying they considered their neighbours as friends.

The poll for MasterCard found only one in 10 (9%) UK residents considered themselves to be on friendly terms with those living next door, and a third (33%) admitted they had been involved in a dispute with their neighbours.

Link

Belfast Telegraph article 22 June 2009