But he is no ordinary 19-year-old. Jiuhe, who suffers from cerebral palsy, could not walk until he was four or talk until he was five. His father started the Beijing eatery, “Hand in Hand,” to give his son a chance to improve his life after Jiuhe finished his education at a school for the disabled. “It seems I am running a business, but I am actually taking care of him. His growth at the restaurant and the business there are mixed together. The survival of the restaurant is benefiting him, and is also a joy for our family,” Zhao Dongyue said. “He is happy, we are happy.” Zhao came up with the idea to open a restaurant while the family was out to dinner about 18 months ago. Jiuhe had disappeared while they were eating, and Zhao later found him happily chatting to waitresses. Citeşte mai departe »

For Lewis Pugh, it was a love of the environment and a passionate desire to save the Arctic from global warming. His 1 km swim (0.62 of a mile) in 2007 made him the first person to complete a long-distance swim at the North Pole — the purpose, to highlight the fact that it was possible to swim for a kilometer in a place that should be solid ice. Pugh, now aged 39, is a former maritime lawyer who abandoned his practice six years ago to become a full-time environmentalist and adventurer. Since then he has become the first person to complete long-distance swims in all five of the world’s oceans and has become the world’s leading cold water swimmer. Born in England and brought up in South Africa, Pugh sees himself in the mould of pioneering adventurers like Sir Edmund Hillary, fearlessly braving waters no one else would dare swim. But rather than just aiming for a place in the history books, his motivation is to publicize the environmental damage he has witnessed on his swims. Citeşte mai departe »

“Only by acting now can we turn this crisis into an opportunity that moves us closer to our shared goals,” Clinton said at a Gaza donors conference hosted by Egypt in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. “By providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, we also aim to foster conditions in which a Palestinian state can be fully realized.” She said the U.S. aid package — which must be approved by Congress — has been “designed in coordination with the Palestinian Authority” to make sure the money “does not end up in the wrong hands.” Clinton was referring to the Hamas leadership of Gaza, which the United States has designated a terrorist organization. The Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, is led by President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah party is a bitter rival of Hamas. President Obama has not ruled out talks with Hamas but said the group must first renounce violence, recognize Israel, and abide by previous agreements that successive Palestinian governments have reached with the Israelis. Citeşte mai departe »

President Raul Castro on Monday reorganized his Cabinet, replacing some long-time aides to his brother Fidel, who resigned from office a year ago citing poor health. The state-run newspaper Granma published an official notice from the State Council that said the changes were intended to form a structure that is “more compact and functional, with fewer organisms of the central administration of the state and a better distribution of the functions that they carry out.” Among the changes: Felipe Perez Roque, the 43-year-old foreign minister, was replaced by his deputy, Bruno Rodriguez Aprilla. Carlos Lage Davila, who helped guide the nation through its “special period” of dire economic times in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the loss of billions in subsidies, lost his job as Cabinet secretary, but no mention was made of removing him from his other post as vice president of the Council of State. Citeşte mai departe »

Why, just two weeks into a 209-week term, assess a new American president’s record on so esoteric a subject as the Middle East and Islam? In Barack Obama’s case, because of: (1) A contradictory record: His background brims over with wild-eyed anti-Zionist radicals such as Ali Abunimah, Rashid Khalidi, and Edward Said, with Islamists, the Nation of Islam, and the Saddam Hussein regime; but since being elected he has made predominantly center-left appointments and his statements resemble those of his Oval Office predecessors. (2) The outsized role of the Middle East and Islam: His first fortnight in office witnessed an inaugural address that mentioned them prominently, a first diplomatic telephone call to Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, the appointment of two high-profile envoys, and the first interview granted to Al-Arabiya television channel. Citeşte mai departe »

UPDATED: Barack Obama’s latest speech on the economy commandeered primetime, displacing shows from the 9 p.m. hour with a highly viewed address. Obama’s talk to a joint session of Congress drew a 52.4 million viewers across cable and broadcast networks. That’s slightly more than Obama’s first presidential press conference from a couple of weeks ago. Among original entertainment programming at 8 p.m. (which is mostly accurate) CBS’ “NCIS” (17.9 million viewers, 3.7 preliminary adults 18-49 rating and 10 share) and NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” (9.7 million, 3.5/10) maintained their strength, while ABC saw a spike for “Homeland Security” (6.2 million, 1.9/5). At 9 p.m., CW aired the season finale of “Privileged” (1.6 million, 0.8/2).The soap was notably left off the network’s list of renewals yesterday and for good reason: it’s the lowest-rated drama on the network. The network likes the show, and so do critics, so there may be a chance of a renewal — but only if the network is unhappy with its fall pilots. The CW doesn’t program very many time periods and, all things being equal, would prefer to try something new. Citeşte mai departe »

Jerry Seinfeld is reteaming with NBC to launch his first reality series. The comedian’s project is tentatively called “The Marriage Ref” and features celebrities, comedians and athletes who will judge couples in the midst of marital disputes while recommending various strategies to resolve their problems. Seinfeld is partnering with “The Oprah Winfrey Show” veteran Ellen Rakieten on the project, which reunites the comedian with the network that aired his hit sitcom “Seinfeld” for nine years. NBC co-chair Ben Silverman said Seinfeld pitched the show as a companion piece of sorts to his classic sitcom. The comedian increasingly has used married life for material in his stand-up act. So while being a bachelor inspired “Seinfeld,” the comedian’s married years will inspire his unscripted program. “Some of the greatest comedies in the history of television have been around marriages,” Silverman said. “The concept is so universal and accessible, and obviously it works so well when it comes from somebody with a point of view — and nobody has a stronger point of view on this subject than Seinfeld.” Citeşte mai departe »

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