The
Sunday Times International
- World Features
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Pubs,
Big Ben and cricket named "Icons of England" They were the second wave of treasures announced in the attempt to create a snap-shot of England's best-loved cultural landmarks. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport's project has attracted hundreds of thousands of votes and the new recruits join the 12 icons already inaugurated, which include a cup of tea and the Stonehenge monument. Among the new icons were the familiar stamp featuring Queen Elizabeth II and morris dancing, a traditional style of folk dancing by men with bells on their legs wielding handkerchiefs and sticks. The
Palace of Westminster's clock tower is commonly known as Big Ben
after the nickname of the giant bell inside that booms across London
on the hour. Brick Lane, a long strip of Bangladeshi curry houses in down-at-heel east London, was among the newcomers, as was the HMS Victory, naval commander Admiral Horatio Nelson's flagship in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar triumph over France and Spain. Hadrian's Wall, stretching from the east to west coast which once marked the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, was also named an icon along with the Saint George's flag, the red-on-white cross set to appear in England's pubs, windows and fly from cars during the football World Cup which kicks off on June 9. "We are delighted with the response from the public," said Jerry Doyle, the Icons managing director. "It has been overwhelming, with around a quarter of a million visits to the site, more than 5,000 suggested nominations and around 300,000 votes. "Nominations have ranged from popular national treasures like 'Wallace and Gromit' and "Dr Who' to controversial suggestions like fox-hunting, where the debate rages on." Four waves will be announced during 2006 until the collection boasts 100. It is being assembled at the www.icons.org.uk website. The 21 new icons: St George's flag, Hadrian's Wall, Notting Hill Carnival, an annual Caribbean festival in west London, Brick Lane,,the Lindisfarne Gospels, an illuminated Latin manuscript produced in the late seventh century or early eighth century,,"The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin, published 1859, Morris dancing, the Domesday Book, the great survey of England completed in 1086, HMS Victory,,Mini-skirts,"The Hay Wain" painting by John Constable, 1921,"Pride And Prejudice" novel by Jane Austen, published in 1813,the Eden Project environmental complex,,the pub, Blackpool Tower,,The Globe, replica of William Shakespeare's theatre in London,,Cricket,,the Sutton Hoo helmet from an early seventh century ship burial,,York Minster,,Big Ben and the Machin (queen's head) stamp. -AFP Aussie
chainsaw croc runs amok The
worker was clearing a tree that fell on the crocodile enclosure
at the Corroboree Park Tavern, 80km (50 miles) east of the northern
city of Darwin. Et
chew Brutus "It must have been the noise... I don't think he was actually trying to grab Freddy, but I'm not sure. He had a fair go at him... I think he just grabbed the first thing he could and it happened to be the chainsaw." Tavern co-owner Linda Francis said: "Fred virtually gave him the chainsaw, shoved it at him. "It was still going and he took the chainsaw onto the ground and proceeded to smash it and it stalled. The crocodile didn't cut himself, just broke a few teeth." Mr Shappert said the saw was destroyed. "He chewed on the chainsaw for about an hour-and-a-half, then we finally got it out." Saltwater crocodiles are known to attack small boats, apparently disturbed by the sound of outboard motors. -BBC 'Taste'
of wars to come By routing signals from helmet-mounted cameras, sonar and other equipment through the tongue to the brain, they hope to give elite soldiers superhuman senses similar to owls, snakes and fish. Researchers at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition hope to turn fiction into reality by giving army rangers 360-degree unobstructed vision at night and allowing Navy Seals to sense sonar in their heads while maintaining normal vision underwater. The device, known as "Brain Port", was pioneered more than 30 years ago by Dr Paul Bach-y-Rita, a University of Wisconsin neuroscientist. Superior
transmitter Dr Anil Raj, the project's lead scientist, said instead of holding and looking at compasses and bulky hand-held sonar devices, the divers can process the information through their tongues. In testing, blind people found doorways, noticed people walking in front of them and caught balls. A version of the device, expected to be commercially marketed soon, has restored balance to those whose vestibular systems in the inner ear were destroyed by antibiotics.
Electronic sensors He said: "You are feeling the outline of this image. I was in the pool, they were directing me to a very small object and I was able to locate everything very easily." Underwater crime scene investigators might use the device to identify search patterns, signal each other and "see through our tongues, as odd as that sounds", Zinszer said. Raj said the objective for the military was to keep Navy divers' hands and eyes free. "It will free up their eyes to do what those guys really want to, which is to look for those mines and see shapes that are coming out of the murk."
Sonar The research at the Florida institute, the first to research military uses of sensory augmentation, is funded by the US defence department. -AP Fathoming
Tibet's political future For the past 50 years, from his sanctuary on the other side of the Himalayas, the 14th Dalai Lama has kept alive their dreams of survival as a separate people. Many fear that his death will rob them of their last chance of any genuine self-rule. Others
predict chaos and bloodshed. Tibetan extremists might finally feel
free to resort to terrorism, giving Beijing the chance to crack
down harder. Since then he has been the face of Tibet for the outside world. He has won the Nobel Peace Prize, the public backing of film stars, and the private support of presidents and prime ministers. But no country recognises his government-in-exile. And as China's power grows there are few who even dare question its claims over Tibet. The Dalai Lama has become more important than ever to Tibetans since he left his homeland, according to Phuntsog Wangyal, who also fled in 1959 after taking up arms against the Chinese. "He not only touches the people's hearts but he is ingrained in their minds. They have total faith in him," he said. "It is impossible for the Chinese to destroy this image in his lifetime. But it is inevitable that he will die." As a founding trustee of the London-based Tibet Foundation, Phuntsog Wangyal believes the sheer charisma of the present Dalai Lama will be hard to replace. "Who will take up his mantle? There is no-one equivalent to him. I don't think anyone will be able to have that kind of authority." The extent of that authority was graphically displayed recently when thousands of people in Tibet threw their rare animal skins onto huge fires after the Dalai Lama criticised the use of products from endangered species. Samdhong
Rinpoche is the first elected prime minister of the government-in-exile.
He was chosen in 2001 by members of the Tibetan diaspora as part
of an attempt to democratise a movement that has for decades revolved
around the Dalai Lama's personal charisma, spiritual strength and
towering reputation. But he stressed that there could be no substitute for a Dalai Lama. The usual search would take place for a reincarnation, using the traditional mixture of portents, omens and guidance from senior lamas. The
Dalai Lama has said he expects his successor to be found in a "free
country", so he can carry on what he calls his "unfulfilled
mission". "If
not, then of course he could not be born under occupation".
Kalsang Phuntsog Godrokba, president of the radical, but highly representative, Indian-based Tibetan Youth Congress, believes the Chinese plan to fill the vacuum with a new Dalai Lama of their own choosing, just as they have done with the Panchen Lama - the second most senior Tibetan spiritual leader. In 1995, the Dalai Lama recognised a six-year-old boy in Tibet as successor to the 10th Panchen Lama, who died in 1989. China detained the boy and chose another in his place. The original boy has not been seen since. "The Chinese definitely want to see the Dalai Lama die so they can have a Dalai Lama of their own", said Mr Godrokba. But he believes the non-violent, moderate path espoused by the present Dalai Lama could be abandoned by Tibetans after his death. "Violence is something in the hearts and minds of Tibetans. But so long as we have the Dalai Lama it is not easy to organise anything. It will take time," he said. -BBC |
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