LONDON, Apr 23(BBC)Pope John Paul II has called on humanity to renounce racism and xenophobia, in his traditional Easter message from Rome. The Pope also prayed for a more just world in which "the blind egoism of the few will not prevail over the cries of pain of the many in their misery". A crowd of at least 100,000 pilgrims packed St Peter's Square for the traditional Easter mass and blessing called "Urbi et Orbi" - the Latin expression for "to the city and to the world". John Paul made also an appeal for human rights to be respected not only by governments but also by individuals. He asked for "effective responses to the increasingly felt demand for justice and equal opportunity in all areas of society." In the message, he prayed for "a happy outcome" to difficult peace talks trying to bring an end to conflicts in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and some parts of Europe. The ceremony The two-hour mass was broadcast live to millions of people in 60 countries. The Pope made his appeals shortly before he read Easter greetings to the world in 61 languages. This year's mass had a greater significance because it was the first of the new millennium and the first since John Paul's historic trip last month to the Holy Land. Some 50,000 flowers, brought from the Netherlands, added colour to the ceremony. Health worries The Pope, 79, looked tired at times. His hands and head shook due to Parkinson's disease, his voice trembled and he sometimes seemed short of breath. His health condition has been raising speculation in the Catholic community. Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, the Archbishop of Paris, told the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche that John Paul was becoming a prisoner in his own body. "One knows that his illness is leading to a progressive paralysis of the body, but his spiritual faculties remain intact," the Cardinal was quoted as saying. But Cardinal Lustiger dismissed recent rumours that John Paul might become the first pontiff for more than 700 years to abdicate voluntarily.
ALMATY, Apr 22(THE GLOBE)Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world, with over 50 million playing it world-wide. Some people believe that a country's prosperity can be measured through golf's development there. At present, Kazakhstan can boast of only two golf clubs, but the future is looking bright. On April 19 the oldest golf club in Kazakhstan, Interlux, which is now almost 5 years old, opened a children's golf school. It offers three groups for children of different ages, from 12 to 16. A professional instructor from Moscow, Alexander Strunkin, has been taken on to train the juniors d and occasionally sinking it in a whole, the continuous discussion between players, covering a range of civil and social topics, has a large part in the game. That is why the increasing popularisation of golf brings with it the potential for other future changes. Children's interest in golf in Kazakhstan is significant. At the opening of the children's school, they were keen to try all different kinds of golf clubs and were soon excitedly hitting the balls far into the field. The Moscow instructor said children seemed to be very talented and were catching onto everything very quickly. Although they've only just started to learn, it is not impossible that Kazakhstani juniors will one day be taking part in major international competitions, and perhaps even doing more than that.
(History channel)Although the plays of William Shakespeare may be the most widely read works in the English language, little is known for certain about the playwright himself. Some scholars even believe the plays were not written by William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon but by some other well-educated, aristocratic writer who wished to remain anonymous.Shakespeare's father was probably a common tradesman. He became an alderman and bailiff in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Shakespeare was baptized in the town on April 26, 1564. At age 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, and the couple had a daughter in 1583 and twins in 1585. Sometime later, Shakespeare set off for London to become an actor and by 1592 was well established in London's theatrical world as both a performer and a playwright. His earliest plays, including The Comedy of Errors and The Taming of the Shrew, were written in the early 1590s. Later in the decade, he wrote tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595) and comedies including The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597). His greatest tragedies were written after 1600, including Hamlet (1600-01), Othello (1604-05), King Lear (1605-06), and Macbeth (1605-1606).He became a member of the popular theater group the Lord Chamberlain's Men, who later became the King's Men. The group built and operated the famous Globe Theater in 1599. Shakespeare ultimately became a major shareholder in the troupe and earned enough money to buy a large house in Stratford in 1597. He retired to Stratford in 1610, where he wrote his last plays, including The Tempest (1611) and The Winter's Tale (1610-11). Meanwhile, he had written more than 100 sonnets, which were published in 1609. Although pirated versions of Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet and some other plays were published during Shakespeare's lifetime, no definitive collection of his works was published until after his death. In 1623, two members of Shakespeare's troupe collected the plays and printed what is now called the First Folio (1623).
ALMATY, Apr 24(THE GLOBE)This week Jews all over the world, including those in Kazakhstan, are celebrating Pesah, a religious holiday that began last Friday and will last for a week.� I have been living in Kazakhstan for 7 years, and this year Pesah is being celebrated far more widely than in previous years. The same is happening in Israel,� the high Rabbi of Kazakhstan said to THE GLOBE.According to Yeshaya Cohen, Jewish communities in all of Kazakhstan's major cities celebrate Pesah. �We have brought two lots of matzah to Kazakhstan from Israel, yet they was not enough. This goes to prove that local communities very actively participated in the Pesah celebrations,� Mr. Kogen emphasised.Seizing the opportunity, the high Rabbi of Kazakhstan congratulated all Jews in Kazakhstan and wished all of the country's citizens good will and peace. Every year during Pesah the Jewish celebrate their liberation from slavery in Egypt 3000 years ago. The taste of Pesah matzah reminds them that it is possible to be free and satisfied with little, that is why matzah is cooked only of flour and water.For those Jews who cannot celebrate Pesah Seder (a Passover service that includes a meal) at home, a common Seder has started to be held, for example for those Jews in the CIS. Pesah is a holiday consisting of several parts: cleaning the home for Pesah, preparations in the synagogue, at school and in the community, when young people study the history of the Jewish people's exodus from Egypt, and the Agadu, a Pesah story.During Pesah hametz (products cooked using the 5 kinds of grain) are banned. It is also forbidden to eat bread, kvas, beer, vodka, vinegar, as well as any fruit or berry liqueurs. The Pesah Seder is the culmination of the celebrations, when people eat matzah, drink 4 glasses of wine and have maror (bitter herbs), as a reminder of the bitterness of slavery.The Jewish people left Egypt to receive the Ten commandments and to find the land of Israel. The Seder helps people to understand what was opened to them on the day of their exodus: The Jewish people are a people that possesses their own country and their style of life differs from that of other peoples
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