Chinese President Hu Jintao declares open Beijing Olympic Games

BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao declared open the 29th summer Olympic Games of Beijing in the National Stadium in north Beijing on Friday night.

Thundering cheers rocked the full-packed stadium, while splendid fireworks lit up the city skyline.

The exciting announcement came after a nearly-one-hour art performance highlighting China's 5,000-year civilization and modern achievements, and a 2.5-hour march-in of more than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries and regions.

"Today, the Olympic flame lit in Olympia has come to the end of its odyssey and will be kindled to adorn the night sky of Beijing," said Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG), in his speech.

"Hosting an Olympic Games has been a century-old dream for the Chinese nation. For seven years, ever since Beijing won its Olympic bid, the hearts of 1.3 billion Chinese people have been pulsating in unison with the Olympic Movement," he added.

In his speech, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge congratulated Beijing on its dream coming true tonight.

"For a long time, China has dreamed of opening its doors and inviting the world's athletes to Beijing for the Olympic Games," said Rogge.

"You have chosen as the theme of these Games 'One World, One Dream.' That is what we are tonight," he added.

"These Games belong to you. Let them be the athletes' Games," the IOC chief told the athletes.

He also thanked Beijing, the Games organizers and the "gracious volunteers," before inviting President Hu to declare open the Games.

Full text of speech by IOC President Rogge at Beijing Olympics opening ceremony

Mr. President of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Liu Qi, Members of the Organizing Committee, dear Chinese friends, dear athletes:

For a long time, China has dreamed of opening its doors and inviting the world's athletes to Beijing for the Olympic Games. Tonight that dream comes true. Congratulations, Beijing.

You have chosen as the theme of these Games "One World, One Dream". That is what we are tonight.

As one world, we grieved with you over the tragic earthquake in Sichuan Province. We were moved by the great courage and solidarity of the Chinese people. As one dream, may these Olympic Games bring you joy, hope and pride.

Athletes, the Games were created for you by our founder, Pierre de Coubertin. These Games belong to you. Let them be the athletes' Games.

Remember that you are role models for the youths of the world. Reject doping and cheating. Make us proud of your achievements and your conduct.

As we bring the Olympic dream to life, our warm thanks go to the Beijing Organizing Committee for its tireless work. Our special thanks also go to the thousands of gracious volunteers, without whom none of this would be possible.

Beijing, you are a host to the present and a gateway to the future. Thank you.

I now have the honor of asking the President of the People's Republic of China to open the Games of the XXIX Olympiad of the modern era.

Chinese president meets Lao president ahead of Beijing Olympics

"China is ready to work with Laos to carry forward their traditional friendship and deepen mutually-beneficial cooperation, so as to push forward bilateral ties and benefit the peoples of both countries," Hu told his Laotian counterpart.

China and Laos can achieve a win-win outcome through tapping economic complementarities, as China is encouraging its enterprises to invest overseas and Laos is trying to make a better use of its rich resources, said Hu, adding that China would help Lao's development as much as its own capacity allows.

The Laotian president thanked China for all the past support and assistance, and expressed the hope that the two sides further strengthen their friendly cooperation.

Olympic spirit and world trend

BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic Torch, carrying the host's sincere wishes and blessings from peoples from around the world, has arrived back in Beijing, host city of the 29th Olympic Games, which is now the focus of world attention, as the world's greatest sporting festival will open soon.

The grand gathering will draw on more than 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries and regions and attract nearly 1 million spectators and a global television audience running into billions.

There is no sporting event in the world that can rival the Olympics in terms of bringing together people of different backgrounds and transcending their differences in political systems, ideologies, races, complexion and cultures. Athletes coming from around the world compete under the same blue sky, under the Olympic Flag and under the Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius, or "Faster, Higher, Stronger."

Indeed the gathering is an arena for athletes to realize their glory and dreams and a festival for all mankind to share friendship and enjoy peace.

The slogan of the Beijing Olympics "One World, One Dream" symbolizes the Olympic spirit of solidarity, friendship and peace, reflects the world trend and delivers mankind's perennial expectations: progress and peace, coexistence in harmony and harmonious development.

EXCHANGES FOSTER PEACE

In a world beset by all kinds of contradictions stemming from political, economic, cultural and religious differences, the problems have always tended to become more acute and evolve into disputes and even conflicts and wars if there is lack of exchanges and mutual understanding and trust.

As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon put it, the Beijing Games should be a venue for people to demonstrate their athletic skills through fair competition. "But at the same time this should be the venue where we can promote the harmony and friendship and mutual understanding, transcending all ideologies and ethnicities and national geographical boundaries," he added.

Ban's remarks reflect the essence of the Olympic movement. Exchanges can promote mutual understanding, while mutual understanding fosters mutual trust. Friendship is built upon mutual trust and is a prerequisite for achieving peace.

When athletes from Israel and Palestine compete at the same arena, U.S. and Iranian teams share experiences and fans from both sides of the Korean Peninsula cheer for their own teams and opponents alike, the seed of friendship is sown and hopes for a more secure world are rekindled.

HARMONY PROMOTES PROGRESS

Harmony is one of the fundamental goals the Olympic movement has been pursuing since its very beginning. A century ago, Pierre de Coubertin, known as the father of the modern Olympics, wrote: "The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity."

Only by harmony among people can an atmosphere of friendship and cooperation be created for fair competition, and only by harmony between different countries can the warring parties bury the hatchet and put their war behind them in the interest of getting together at the grand sporting festival.

Growing harmony among people, between countries and between man and nature is the goal of Olympism, a sincere wish of the host and aspirations shared by peoples from around the world.

OLYMPIC IDEALS SHOULD TRANSCEND ATHLETICS

The significance of the Olympic ideals goes far beyond the sheer numbers of new sporting records and gold medals.

The Olympic motto "Higher, Faster and Stronger" embodies mankind's desire to challenge the limits of human capacity. The slogan of Mass Participation mirrors people's aspiration for equality. Calls for a Clean Olympics give expression to mankind's dream for justice and fairness.
The concept of a Green Olympics advocates the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. And UN calls for an Olympic Truce represent the international community's profound hope for peace.

The whole world is eagerly awaiting, and the curtain will soon rise on the 2008 Olympic Games. Let the world share the exultation and joy brought about by competitions in the next 20 days. And the ideals and dreams behind athletics will always become a spiritual legacy which provides a constant driving force for the progress of mankind

Prostate cancer screening no good?

Scientists urge men over the age of 75 to stop undergoing routine prostate cancer screening tests, saying that they are not beneficial.

According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the risks associated with early treatment do not outweigh its benefits, as unlike other cancers, prostate malignancies are slow growing tumors.

Previous studies had found that the early detection of the condition affects the health and life expectancy of only 29 to 44 percent of sufferers, proving wrong the belief that early treatment always improves survival chances.

Many experts believe that early treatment can also lead to various complications including erectile and bowel dysfunctions, urinary incontinence, and death.

US Preventive Services Task Force scientists concluded that frequent prostate cancer screening not only does not reduce disease-related mortality rate, but also financially and emotionally strains individuals and their families.


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High-dose vitamin C kills cancer cells

National Institutes of Health scientists have suggested that injecting high doses of vitamin C can help keep certain cancers at bay.

According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, by developing a destructive process within cancer tissue, vitamin C injections reduce the size and weight of brain, ovarian, and pancreatic tumors in mice by 50 percent.

The study also revealed that such injections slow down the disease spread pace. American researchers claim that high-doses of vitamin C produce sufficient levels of hydrogen peroxide effective in killing tumoral cells while leaving healthy ones intact.

Scientists are optimistic that the findings of the present study will pave the way for the production of new anti-cancer treatments.


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How to gain profit on economic crisis

Gas prices are high; the real estate market isn’t good, stocks are down, and many banks are in a mess. The media keeps drilling it into our heads like we had no idea.

Despite their negativity this may actually be an excellent time to better your life and the lives of those around you. Tough times are some of the best times for people to become resourceful, innovative, and make positive changes.

Here are the ways you can take advantage of this “terrible” economy.

1. Buy foreclosures and invest in real estate

It’s a buyer’s market for sure. You don’t want to look back in ten years from now and have a “shoulda, coulda, woulda” moment. Even if prices aren’t low in your area, explore different towns and states for commercial locations and empty lots. Even if you don’t have the resources and funds to develop right now, stake your claim while you can.

2. Invest in green technology

High oil prices are igniting interest in alternative fuels and green technology. If you’re active in the stock markets, perhaps you should consider doing some research on emerging green companies. If you’re not an active trader, another way to invest is to explore purchasing a hybrid or electric car. It might be costly now, but in a few years you’ll be happy.

3. Start a company

Sure, there are a lot of companies shutting down but this maybe the right time to start a company up. Here are some tips to think about if you want to launch a start up:

- Look for an industry or market with a large number of businesses closing. Are the big competitors shutting down? If so, you’ll have less competition.

- Research the reason why they closed.

- Find a solution and an opportunity in what they did wrong.

- Many of the companies shutting down are large corporations. So one of the best things going for you is being small but thinking big.

4. Switch careers

I know exactly what you’re thinking or even saying right now, “well there are no jobs, and my job’s safe.” Is it really though? Do you like what you do? Is there a long commute? And many expenses? You must ask yourself questions like these. Wouldn’t you rather be your own boss? Or have a job that you enjoy so much you don’t care what you get paid or what it costs you to get there?

5. Move somewhere you’ve always wanted to

A location or town you’ve dreamed about living in might be at its most affordable right now. Seize this window of opportunity to make a big change.