But despite the good news, two other events are blocking some major roadways in the city.

The Danforth Business Improvement Association’s 11th Annual Charity Road Hockey Challenge has shut down Danforth Ave. from Ellerbeck St. to Jackman Ave. until 7 p.m.

The United Jewish Appeal walk with Israel started at Coronation Park on Lakeshore Blvd. W. at 10 a.m.

Participants will head east on Martin Goodman Trail then east on Queen’s Quay W. It will take over parts of Wellington St., Duncan St., McCaul St., Grange Rd., Beverly St., Phoebe St., Soho St., Peter St., Spadina Ave., Front St., Bathurst St., Fort York Blvd., Fleet St. and Stratchan Ave. as it meanders through downtown to the Princes’ Gates and the Direct Energy Centre.   Link…

Good News…

Sandy shore thing: Belize has some wonderful stretches of coastline, including the 30-mile sliver of Ambergris CayMayans dominated Belize for more than 1,000 years. They were brilliant astronomers, mathematicians and builders, constructing cities filled with pyramids and temples.Our eco-lodge at Chan Chich, a 130,000-acre nature reserve in the north-west of the country, was situated right at the centre of a former Mayan metropolis. Its thatched bamboo villas were built in what was once the main plaza. All around us was dense, steamy jungle. We marvelled at delicate black orchids and the cacophony coming from high above us in the forest canopy.

But our main reason for coming to Chan Chich was in the hope of seeing the elusive jaguar. They are now extremely rare, but we had heard there were more than 50 jaguar living nearby and there were more sightings here than anywhere else in the country.

We set out after dark, boarding an open-topped truck while our guide Alberto shone a powerful spotlight in all directions.    Link…

Good News…

Cultures have been meeting and mixing in Malaysia since the very beginning of its history. More than fifteen hundred years ago a Malay kingdom in Bujang Valley welcomed traders from China and India. With the arrival of gold and silks, Buddhism and Hinduism also came to Malaysia. A thousand years later, Arab traders arrived in Malacca and brought with them the principles and practices of Islam. By the time the Portuguese arrived in Malaysia, the empire that they encountered was more cosmopolitan than their own.

Malaysia’s cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures, but several in particular have had especially lasting influence on the country. Chief among these is the ancient Malay culture, and the cultures of Malaysia’s two most prominent trading partners throughout history–the Chinese, and the Indians. These three groups are joined by a dizzying array of indigenous tribes, many of which live in the forests and coastal areas of Borneo. Although each of these cultures has vigorously maintained its traditions and community structures, they have also blended together to create contemporary Malaysia’s uniquely diverse heritage.

One example of the complexity with which Malaysia’s immigrant populations have contributed to the nation’s culture as a whole is the history of Chinese immigrants. The first Chinese to settle in the straits, primarily in and around Malacca, gradually adopted elements of Malaysian culture and intermarried with the Malaysian community. Known as babas and nonyas, they eventually produced a synthetic set of practices, beliefs, and arts, combining Malay and Chinese traditions in such a way as to create a new culture. Later Chinese, coming to exploit the tin and rubber booms, have preserved their culture much more meticulously. A city like Penang, for example, can often give one the impression of being in China rather than in Malaysia.

Another example of Malaysia’s extraordinary cultural exchange the Malay wedding ceremony, which incorporates elements of the Hindu traditions of southern India; the bride and groom dress in gorgeous brocades, sit in state, and feed each other yellow rice with hands painted with henna. Muslims have adapted the Chinese custom of giving little red packets of money (ang pau) at festivals to their own needs; the packets given on Muslim holidays are green and have Arab writing on them.

You can go from a Malaysian kampung to a rubber plantation worked by Indians to Penang’s Chinese kongsi and feel you’ve traveled through three nations. But in cities like Kuala Lumpur, you’ll find everyone in a grand melange. In one house, a Chinese opera will be playing on the radio; in another they’re preparing for Muslim prayers; in the next, the daughter of the household readies herself for classical Indian dance lessons.

Perhaps the easiest way to begin to understand the highly complex cultural interaction which is Malaysia is to look at the open door policy maintained during religious festivals. Although Malaysia’s different cultural traditions are frequently maintained by seemingly self-contained ethnic communities, all of Malaysia’s communities open their doors to members of other cultures during a religious festival–to tourists as well as neighbors. Such inclusiveness is more than just a way to break down cultural barriers and foster understanding. It is a positive celebration of a tradition of tolerance that has for millennia formed the basis of Malaysia’s progress.      Link…

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