The Midi es musica series is offering concerts in an inspiring and unique setting, in the heart of downtown Montreal. Thanks to a wide range of themes available throughout the season, diversity will always be in the forefront of the shows, ready to transport the spectator to another world!

Presented during dinner time, this serie of recitals offers the chance to discover emerging artists as well as the renowned ones.

Bring your lunch and come live the experience!

Free entry – 5$ contribution is encouraged

Opening of doors: 12:05 pm
Start of concert: 12:15 pm
End of concert: 12h55pm

Église du Gesù
2300 rue de Bleury (Métro Place des arts : sortie Bleury)

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May’s Program

• May 7th, 2013 : Kayo Yasuhara – shamisen
• May 14th, 2013 : Mariko Tanabe  – dance / with Malcolm Goldstein – violin
• May 21^st, 2013 : Venus Fu – violin
• May 28th, 2013 : Huu Bac Quach – dan-bau  / with Jean-Félix Mailloux –Double bass

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• May 7th, 2013 : Kayo Yasuhara – shamisen

Kayo Yasuhara studied theatre at the TamagawaUniversity in Tokyo, Japan. She has been fascinated Japanese traditional theatres and stage arts such as Kyogen, Kabuki, Kodan, Rakugo and Taiko. She studied Kyogen Izumi-ryu and Noguchii taiso (a style of Japanese gymnastics) with Mr. Yukou Ishizuka, and Kabuki dance with Isaburo Hanayagi. She got her Bachelor of drama art in 1990. Between 1990 and 1992, she performed in Japan in theatres, television programs, comic shows and an opera. In 1992, she played the first role of ‘Natsumi’ in « The Summer in Karafuto 1945 » at the Tsukiji Hongan-ji Theater in Tokyo. She also played the role of the Samurai boy ‘Natunoshin’ in « Shimotsuki no Hoshi no shita de (Under the Sky of November) » at Akashi Studio in Tokyo. In 1994, she took popular and jazz style singing classes with Ms. Linda Griffin, from ‘The School of the Natural Voice’ in Los Angeles. Since 1996, she has performed Japanese kabuki style dances (that she choreographed herself) and sung Japanese songs several times in Montreal and around the province of Quebec at different Japanese cultural events. In 2000, she joined the Montreal Japanese percussion (taiko) group ‘Arashi Daiko,’ as well as taking singing lessons with Mr. Ivon Claude of the Studio Orphee of Montreal. In the summer of 2006, she travelled to Japan to take lessons in Japanese folk dances with Mr. Shohei Kikuchi, president of the Japanese dance organization ‘Manyoshu,’ in the prefecture of Akita in North Japan. It was in the spring of 2006 that she joined the Matsu Take Ensemble for which she dances, sings, plays the taiko.

• May 14th, 2013 : Mariko Tanabe  – danse / with Malcolm Goldstein – violon Mariko Tanabe  – violin

Mariko Tanabe : Renowned for her electric stage presence, her passionate, sensuous and highly stylized works are inspired by the richness of her intercultural and metaphysical explorations. These explorations include research into her own Japanese Canadian heritage, as well as the fiery explosive dynamics of Flamenco dance forms. She is drawn by the mysteries of the human spirit and is inspired by ancient mystical traditions, mythological archetypes and religions.

She enjoys the process of collaboration with composers, musicians and visual artists and is the artistic director of her company Mariko Tanabe Danse in Montreal. She has a weekly radio dance chronicle on Radio Ville Marie. MARIKO TANABE ’s background includes work in traditional Japanese dance forms including Kabuki and Noh. She has also trained in Butoh, Flamenco, Middle Eastern Dance, experimental theatre, Alexander technique, yoga and the healing arts.

For twelve years she worked with American Modern Dance pioneer Erick Hawkins with whom she was a principal dancer, teacher and associate rehearsal director. As a guest artist she has taught at several Universities and Art Centres.

Her work “Narcisse en Silence” is in the permanent archives of the German Tanzfilm Institute in Bremen. In 1996 she was Assistant to the Artistic Director and Rehearsal Director or Compagnie Marie Chouinard in Montreal. She is the recipient of awards by the NAJC Endowment Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, La Ville de Montreal, The Ministry of Culture and Communications of Québec. The Canadian Commission for UNESCO and The Laidlaw Foundation for her choreography.

Malcolm Goldstein, as composer/violinist, has been active in the presentation of new music and dance since the early 1960′s, in New York City, as co-founder of the Tone Roads Ensemble and as participant in the Judson Dance Theater, the New York Festival of the Avant Garde and the Experimental Intermedia Foundation. Since then he has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, presenting solo violin concerts and appearing as soloist with new music and dance ensembles.

His “soundings” improvisations have received international acclaim for having “reinventing violin playing”, extending the range of tonal/sound-texture possibilities of the instrument and revealing new dimensions of expressivity.

Since the mid-1960′s Goldstein has integrated structured improvisation elements into his compositions, exploring the rich sound-textures of new performance techniques within a variety of instrumental and vocal frameworks. His music has been performed at several New Music America festivals. In the 1990′s he was director of the Ensemble for New Music of the Hessischer Rundfunk, Frankfurt.

Goldstein has received grants for his music from the national Endowment of the Arts (USA), Massachusetts Council for the Arts and the Canada Council for the Atrs. He has received commissions from Westdeustcher Rundfunk, Canada Council for the Arts, most recently receiving a commission to compose a string quartet for Quatuor Bozzini, Montreal, as well as being represented on numerous CD recordings, such as Experimental Intermedia (XI), da capo, wergo, Nonsequitur/0.0.Discs, Eremite, etc.. He has written extensively on improvisation and is the author of the book: Sounding the Full Circle.

• May 21^st, 2013 : Venus Fu – violin

Venus Fu started to learn violin at age 6. Because of her great talent, she was recurred as the first violinist at the Beijing Children Palace Orchestra and promoted as concert master 2 years later.

She later jointed the China Film Orchestra at Beijing as the first violin, and after moved to Hong Kong in 1987, jointed The Hong Kong Sinfonietta where she performed for over 10 years.

At the year 2000, Venus and her family moved to Montreal, Canada and jointed The Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra in 2006 as the concert master. She performed together with Mr. Joseph Milo, the conductor of The Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra, for various concerts and music which include: The Butterfly Lovers (Liang Zhu) violin concerto, in 2010; Donation concerts for Haitian earthquake suffering, in 2010; Fund raising concert for the Youth Activity – Good Shepherd Church and Kids in the Park – South-Shore Community Church, in 2011.

She was also the musical director for 2010 & 2011 Montreal Multi-culture New Year Concert for the Montreal Chinese community. Then Venus performed together with The Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra in the 2011 Montreal Multi-culture New Year Concert.

Venus is also one of the founders of the Trio al Piacere performing at different cities in Quebec.

She also regularly participates in Brossard City Les Melodistes Choir as violinist. In 2010, she was invited by the City of Brossard to perform with the Longueil Symphony Orchestra for the Christmas Concert as solo violin Performing Meditation from Thais & Chinese traditional music: Charming Night (Liang Xiao).

In 2010, Venus was awarded the Silver Medal Violin Teacher and in 2011 the Gold Medal Violin Teacher by The Royal Conservatory of Music, Canada. She frequently brought along her violin students to visit and perform for various Senior Retirement Homes & Hospitals.

• May 28^th, 2013 :  Huu Bac Quach – dan-bau  / with Jean-Félix Mailloux - double bass

Huu Bac was born in Vietnam.  At the age of 2, his family moved to Quebec, Canada.  He is a disciple of Pham Duc Thanh, master of dan bau, vietnamese monochord.  He studied jazz guitar at McGillUniversity, and chinese erhu at Shanghai Conservatory.  He took part in events such as “Festival Musique Multi-Montreal”, “World Francophone Summit 2008”, “Montreal African Nights Festival”, and “Vancouver Summer Festival”. He performed for televison programs “In Concert”, on TFO; “New World Symphony”, on ARTV; and “Nous Sommes des Vôtres”, on CBC radio 1.  He performed regularly in Peru with the group Sonidos Vivos, led by composer Lucho Quequezana, and learned to play quena and charango.  In 2009, he recorded for the show “Totem” of Cirque du Soleil, and for “Canotgraphie”, a show  by artistic director Robert Lepage.  In 2010, he was a finalist for the “Montreal Arts Council Diversity Award” and participated in a residency by Vision Diversité, at the Studio-Théâtre de la Place-des-Arts de Montréal.  In november 2011, he performed at the “Africa-Asia” festival, in Paris, under the direction of Wally Badarou.  He was twice awarded a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts in composition, in 2011 and 2012.  He is currently preparing his debut album as a composer and band leader.  His compositions express the various eastern and western traditions that were major influences on him.

Jean Félix Mailloux studied double bass with Marc Denis (classical), Michel Donato and Frédéric Alarie (jazz), composition with Hughes Leclair, José Evangelista and Christopher Smith and improvisation with Jean Derome and Jean-Marc Bouchard. Jean Félix produces, composes, arranges and plays double bass on a variety of projects: Trio Jean Félix Mailloux, Bomata and Cordâme. The trio produced the cd Aurores Boréales and played many gigs at Montreal jazz festival. Cordâme received a grant from the FMMJ and Cirque du Soleil in 2005 to record their first album and grants from Quebec and Canada’s Council for the arts, in 2009 the group released Migration their second cd that was very well received by critics. Bomata produced a CD in 2008 and played Montreal jazz fest and many other gigs in Canada. Jean Félix is also a member of the Damian Nisenson Trio, which won the Best Performance Prize at the 2006 Montreal OFF Jazz Festival. Jean Félix also compose music for film, theatre and dance. He is a regular studio musician for composer Robert M. Lepage. Jean Felix is involved in a variety of other great projects.

SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre)

Sarindar Dhaliwal, the cartographer’s mistake: untitled (2012) © K. Jennifer Bedford

Visual arts

April 6 to May 11, 2013

Vernissage : samedi 6 avril – 15 h

The annual SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre) contemporary art exhibition presents the broad range of work being carried out by its members. Chosen by a jury following a call for submissions, the work on exhibit is a revealing glimpse into the variety of artistic and sociopolitical concerns of contemporary South Asian artists.

A dazzling portrait of twenty-first-century contemporary art, this event will introduce viewers to works that are arduous and contemplative, and through which themes of diaspora merge with new ways of examining South Asian economies, politics and culture.

This year, in collaboration with the MAI, SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre) is exhibiting these works in Montreal in order to engage with the existing discourse of contemporary diasporic, intercultural art production. Two artists from Ontario – Sarindar Dhaliwal & Atanas Bozdarov, and two from Québec – Khadija Baker & Mona Sharma present work that address the complications of a universal Canadian multiculturalism, as well as a monolithic notion of diaspora.

Founded in 1997, SAVAC *is the only artist-run centre in Canada devoted to contemporary art created by artists of South-East Asian origin. This non-profit Toronto group mounts its annual off-site exhibitions in collaboration with a variety of Canadian cultural organizations. *Le 7e registre is the first of their events to be held in Quebec and the first time the group has collaborated with the MAI – a partnership that is sure to inspire a transcultural dialogue on a regional, provincial and national level.

In collaboration with SAVAC

Press release

Bollywood cardio Feel Good! est de retour!
Les lundis, 17h30 – 18h25, à partir du 22 avril
Pour plud d’infos: Claudine Carbray
Tél. 514.522.2246, poste 237

Danse Bhangra
Les mercredis, 19h30 – 21h, à partir du 17 avril
$150 (taxes incluses)
3680 Jeanne Mance

Danse Kathak
Les vendredis, 18h30 – 20h30, à partir du 19 avril
$200 (sans les taxes)
3680 Jeanne Mance

Danse Bollywood pour les enfants
Les samedis, 14h – 14h55, à partir du 20 avril
$120 (taxes incluses)
3680 Jeanne Mance

Danse Bollywood
Les samedi, 15h – 16h30, à partir du 20 avril
$150 (taxes incluses)
3680 Jeanne Mance

SVP envoyer un Email pour plus d’infos ou pour vous inscrire

Appel de participation: Danseurs (use) professionnels pour une production de danse Bollywood

Je cherche des danseurs (uses) professionnels pour une production de danse Bollywood, qui aura lieu cet été dans quelques festivals et de spectacles au Québec?

SVP écrivez-moi un Email pour plus d’infos.

Deepali
deepali.ca 514.699.6534 info@deepali.ca

A member of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security ensures that Iran is now capable of assembling drones that are technologically as advanced as one of the CIA that was captured last year. Avaz Heidarpour explains that experts have analyzed the composition of the RQ-170 Sentinel drone seized in December 2011, which would allow Iran to assemble pilotless surveillance aircraft.

Source: http://journalmetro.com/monde/206014/liran-dit-pouvoir-assembler-des-drones/

• Pakistan

Al-Qaeda announced on Friday, December 7 the death of one of its leaders, Khaled bin Abdul Rahman Al-Hussaïnane, alias Abu Zaid Al-Kuwaiti in a U.S. raid in Pakistan. Specialists of the anti-terrorism fight said that Khaled bin Abdul Rahman Al-Hussaïnane had been killed in an attack by a drone. These experts believe that this 46 year-old  kuwaiti, described as a leader of the second generation of Al-Qaeda, would have been entitled to replace Ayman Al-Zawahiri as head of the extremist network.

Source : http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/article/2012/12/08/al-qaida-annonce-la-mort-de-l-un-de-ses-chefs-au-pakistan_1801961_3216.html

• Bangladesh

In an exhaustive investigation, the New York Times analyzes the drama of the Bangladeshi factory Tazreen Fashion, which caused the death of 112 people at the end of November 2012. Objective: understand how a factory already accused of breaches in the security could continue to sell clothing to C&A, Walmart or Sears, at the expense of employees’ lives. Based on the conditions of the factory fire (a building still under construction, flammable materials placed on the floor next to the generators), the survey denounced this $9 billion industry: audit firms responsible for inspecting defective factories, intermediaries that provide the orders of international brands who approach them, and also the consumers, hungry for discounts.

Source: http://bigbrowser.blog.lemonde.fr/2012/12/07/bangladesh-enquete-sur-lindustrie-de-lhabillement/

• Thailand

Seven people were killed by an attack possibly perpetrated by Islamic separatists on Tuesday in Southern Thailand, including a 11 months old girl. Five people were killed and four others injured when a tea shop was attacked with automatic weapons in the district of Ra-Ngae, in the province of Narathiwat. The girl of 11 months, Efahni Samoh, is among the victims, while a little boy of 10 months was also injured. The shop owner is an officer of the village, which could explain the attack.

Source: http://journalmetro.com/monde/205492/des-violences-font-sept-morts-en-thailande/

• Japan

The Japanese finance’s gendarme plans to publish the identities of persons professionally involved in insider trading, a disincentive to strengthen the vigilance of investors, according to Kyodo News. Japan, where several insider trading were revealed this year, is often accused of being a nation too lax in this regard. Until now, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) was reluctant to make public the names of the perpetrators subject to administrative penalties, in order to preserve their privacy, allowing them to pursue their careers.

Source: http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2012/12/11/delit-d-initie-le-gendarme-japonais-donnera-les-noms_1804716_3234.html

Our musical style is inspired by Eastern philosophy, a slow, fluid and harmonious rhythm which makes you enjoy the sounds and the silence, that also has a place in our lives. Our music style may seem original because the instruments we use are not part of the popular Western culture. The majority of the instruments we use are from Asia. It is also important to mention that the majority of the concerts we do are often made intuitively. Unlike a more conventional band, the majority of the shows we give don’t have songs where each note is already calculated in a precise rhythm. Each concert is unique and we never do the same thing twice. Of course, it happens that some clients order us a more accurate delivery for a particular event. In these cases we can prepare more structured pieces.

Where does crystal bowls music come from?

It would be difficult to talk about crystal bowls practices without mentioning the origin of these strange instruments. It is important to know that in the beginning these “vessels” were not supposed to be musical instruments, but rather laboratory crucibles for melting precious metals and electronic components. To produce these bowls, we use quartz powder of 99,995 pure rock . This powder is melted at about 2500 ° and then placed in a mold that goes into a centrifugal oven. This process creates what is called: the crystal bowls. Twenty years ago, searchers from the United States discovered that these laboratory instruments have the property to produce sounds that have an amazing harmony. Shortly after the first crystal bowls concerts, many people also wanted to start practicing this new instrument.

How did you learn to play this style of music?

Our first story with a crystal bowl was a coincidence. While we were visiting a couple who worked in energetic medicine and worked with the sounds, we heard our first crystal bowl. This moment was so amazing for us that we decided while leaving to go buy our first crystal bowl. As each bowl is a note and we found a little limiting to have only one note to sound, we decided to expand our inventory, in order to offer concerts to our family and friends. Over time, we also decided to expand our horizons and to integrate other vibratory instruments in our concerts such as gongs, tingsha, chime, Tibetan bell and bowls and shruti-box.

You perform meditative concert, what is it exactly?

In our concerts we love to create a sacred moment and space for us and the public. A time to sit down, to look inside ourselves and to be present by breathing, feeling and listening. A space just to be… linked to other human beings who also experience these sounds. Before each concert, we take a moment to meditate to be guided by our feelings. Our instruments are carefully selected for their pure, deep and harmonious sounds. They are all vibratory instruments and have a powerful effect on the brainwaves. Therefore, they allow participants to enter in a mental state of deep calm. If the participants agree to get in the experience, these instruments can bring him in a deep meditative state.

Have you planned to perform in Montreal?

We offer several concerts during the year at different places in Quebec and sometimes abroad. We play for different types of events such as corporate events, weddings, funerals and also in several festivals, yoga classes, workshops and alternative medicine for private groups. The best way to stay in touch with our upcoming events is to “like” our facebook page where we post all our concerts open to the public.

Typhoon Bopha, the most powerful of the year in the Philippines, killed at least 239 people and hundreds went missing in the extreme south of the country, swept away in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. People have died in floods, landslides or falling trees on the island of Mindanao generally spared from the many typhoons affecting the Philippine archipelago every year. A total of 142 people died and 241 others were missing in New Bataan, a city hard to get in a small mountain region, according to AFP Lieutenant Colonel Lyndon Paniza, military commander of the southern region.

Source: http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/monde/20121205.AFP6901/philippines-le-typhon-bopha-fait-239-morts-et-des-centaines-de-disparus.html

• North Korea.

North Korea has completed the installation of the rocket in charge of launching a civilian satellite in December that Westerners and part of the international community suspect to be a ballistic missile, according to what the south Korean agency Yonhap said on Wednesday. North Korea has drawn condemnations from South Korea and its allies, including the United States, but also the UN and Russia, announcing last weekend its intention to proceed with the firing of a rocket carrying a satellite earth observation, between December 10 and 22. They believe that this is a new long-range ballistic missile shooting test while the communist regime is within the scope of multiple international sanctions after two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

Source: http://www.lepoint.fr/monde/coree-du-nord-pyongyang-a-fini-d-installer-la-fusee-sur-le-pas-de-tir-05-12-2012-1539496_24.php

• China.

The Chinese have everything to stay in alien area, including vegetables. The official agency information new China has announced, Monday, December 3rd the success of a scientific experiment designed to grow four kinds of vegetables in an artificial ecosystem in Beijing. It is a space of 300 cubic meters supposed to allow astronauts to generate their own supply of air, water and food during their missions outside the atmosphere. The system, which uses plants and algae, “is intended to be used in alien bases on the Moon or Mars,” according to the state press agency. It has enabled the “harvest of fresh vegetables for dinner.”

Source: http://bigbrowser.blog.lemonde.fr/2012/12/04/soupe-cosmique-les-chinois-sont-prets-a-planter-un-potager-sur-mars/

• Syria.

Syrian civil war approached Tuesday the core of the power in Damascus, where fighting between government forces and rebels have taken place in several areas, raising concerns that the capital will be the next major battleground of the conflict. The Syrian regime has announced on Tuesday that nine students and a teacher were killed by a mortar attack on a school rebels of the Damascus area. The official SANA news agency had previously announced the death of 30 people in the attack. Although most poor suburbs of Damascus have long been bastions of the insurrection, fighting has increased in the region in recent days, while the rebels intensify attacks in their attempt to overthrow the regime of President Bashar Assad.

Source: http://journalmetro.com/monde/201848/syrie-la-guerre-se-rapproche-du-coeur-du-pouvoir/

• Malaysia.

Malaysian authorities announced Monday the arrest of 12 leaders of a placement agency which employed servants without pay. More than a hundred women, most of Indonesian origin, were treated as slaves and kidnapped by the agency. According to an official of the Department of Immigration of the Province of Selangor in the center of the country, these women assumed throughout the day cleaning jobs in various houses, and were then locked overnight in a three-storey building. The agency that recruited them had promised monthly salaries before their arrival in Malaysia, but they have not been paid for more than six months. Police arrested 12 leaders of the agency during an operation in the building. 105 women, 95 Indonesians and 10 Cambodian and Philippines, will be evicted from Malaysia because they had only tourist visas prohibiting them from working.

Source: http://journalmetro.com/monde/201320/malaisie-105-femmes-traitees-comme-des-esclaves/

How do you define the “Kathakas” music style? Where did you find your inspiration?
I honestly never consciously thought about it at the time of creation but looking back I would have to say it’s a mix of western pop, some gypsy sounds and of course music from the south Asian continent. My inspiration came from the journey of life, Shyamal Si the main song in Kathakas whose beautiful lyrics were written by Meena Chopra, problems in this world and how some of us strive so so hard to do something spectacular.

Did you enjoy the shooting of “Kathakas”?
To be honest my goal was never to set out and shoot this project myself, I was just wasting too much time finding someone to shoot it so I shot it myself. I loved it so much I’ve decided to shoot more.  So yeah, you can definitely say I enjoyed it ?

What are your next projects in Canada?
My next projects are going to be several more small short musical film projects (like Kathakas) that are currently in the works based on music I’ve already recorded.  But I am going to let my influences and passion take over and drive my next project.  That’s exactly what drove Kathakas.

You said “Everyone is an artist at birth and we either embrace it in life or conform to societal boundaries”. According to you, is it impossible to be an artist and to fit in society?
No thankfully not, although I think it can sometimes be a challenge as it was for me for many years.   I guess it is really based on the journey I took as I had worked in the corporate world for many years and had only recently returned to my artistic passions several years ago.

A new antinuclear party was born on Wednesday, November 28 in Japan to encourage the development of new energy sources, nearly two years after the Fukushima accident and two weeks before parliamentary elections. An initiative from Governor of Shiga Prefecture (Central West), Yukiko Kada, the Party of Japan’s future gathers groups opposed to the use of nuclear energy and hope to get many elected representatives during the upcoming election. The favorite party, the PLD, is however, rather pro-nuclear. In his program, he is committed to decide within three years to boost or not each of the forty-eight reactors stopped in the country as a precaution since the Fukushima accident.

Source: http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2012/11/28/97001-20121128FILWWW00420-japon-nouveau-parti-antinucleaire.php.

• Bangladesh.

Thousands of workers protested, Monday, November 26 in Dhaka Bangladesh’s capital, to fight for better safety and working conditions two days after the death of 112 employees in a fire in a textile plant industrial suburb of the city. A hundred others are still hospitalized.

Paid 40 to 80 euros per month, victims, mostly women, sewed clothes for Tuba group, which counts among its clients Carrefour, Walmart or C & A. A simple emergency exit would have been enough to escape from the fire whose cause is unknown. Workers were burned alive or jumping out windows. On Tuesday, police announced they were looking for the owner of the factory leak. Survivors said that “managers did not allow workers to leave when the fire started,” according to the chief of police.

Source : http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/monde/20121128.AFP6219/incendie-d-usine-au-bangladesh-des-cadres-arretes-5-000-manifestants.html

• Pakistan.

Pakistani web underwent a series of targeted attacks, Saturday, Nov. 24, according to The Express Tribune. Two hundred and eighty-four websites have seen their home page replaced with an image of two penguins on a bridge on a page with a black background. Among the victims were Pakistani versions of websites Google, Apple, Microsoft, eBay, PayPal or Cisco. Sites were taken offline this weekend and some are still inaccessible on Monday, November 26. Piracy, which has not been claimed, is the act of one or more known hackers, according to The Register. Page thus mentioned the name “KriptekS” already responsible for tens of thousands of replacements, according to the catalog of attacks Zone-h. The pseudonym used to attack Google, “Eboz” would be linked to over three hundred incidents.

Source : http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2012/11/26/pres-de-300-sites-pakistanais-d-envergure-pirates-ce-week-end_1795970_651865.html

• Burma.

 The Burmese forces scattered, using water cannon, hundreds of protesters who oppose a project Chinese of copper mining in the north of the country, according to activists, who reported about twenty wounded in the night from Wednesday to Thursday, November 29. This incident occurred while the Burmese are more likely to test the limits of their new freedom after the dissolution of the junta, ago year and a half. A fundamental test for the new system made ​​up of former military reformers seeking to attract foreign investors.

Source : http://journalmetro.com/monde/198413/des-manifestants-occupent-une-mine-en-birmanie/

• Laos.

The Lao government has officially relaunched on Wednesday, November 7, the site of the controversial Xayaburi dam project on the Mekong. The construction of this work in Upper Laos raises fears of Cambodia and Vietnam. For eighteen months, the project was suspended due to the inability of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam to agree on this huge hydro-electric project whose cost is estimated at 3.8 billion (€ 2.9 billion) and the power to 1260 megawatts (MW). But a few days ago, and without a new agreement announced on the launching of the work, the State Secretary Laotian environmental and mining Viraphonh Viravong, announced in the press that the “construction begin this week, “and the opening” would take place on November 7. “As explained Dominique Van der Borght, Director for Oxfam in Laos, it is “regrettable that the recommendation of a ten-year moratorium approved by the MRC on the construction of any dam on the Mekong is not taken into account. There are enough alerts of scientists to fear a significant impact on the food security of over 60 million people living near the Mekong. Extensive studies of the impact of the Xayaburi dam should consider more seriously the problem of access to fisheries resources as the main source of protein or natural soil fertility due to sediment. This is a major issue.”

Source : http://fr-ca.actualites.yahoo.com/le-laos-lance-les-travaux-dun-barrage-controvers%C3%A9-111752012.html

1. What is the role of calligraphy in Chinese culture?

- A method of writing characters in an art form.
- A visual art merging with literature and philosophy
- Calligraphy Artworks are presented:
in all important festivals and events
in great architectural designs

- An exercise enhancing the well being of body and mind
- Skill in calligraphy was formerly an essential quality for a good career in government.

2. How and why calligraphy became an art? For instance in Western countries, there is not this kind of art with the alphabet.

The creation of Chinese writing/characters are inspired by the beauty of nature.  Chinese tradition claims that Chinese characters were invented five thousands years ago. In ancient classics, it was recorded as follows: “Ancient writings were invented by Ts’ang Chieh, the official chronicler of the Yellow Emperor. Ts’ang Chieh looked up in the sky and noticed the round and curved shapes of the Constellations. He also stooped down to examine the patterns on the shell of a turtle and the traces left by birds. By extensively collecting the diverse beauties of the universe, he assimilated them into writing.”(1)

At different times in Chinese history, many scholars have been fond of oddities. They explored the multifarious changes in surrounding objects; fathomed their minuteness and wonders, and finally obtained wonderful results. These discoveries became inspirations for Chinese calligraphy creations – what could be called “idea-images”–. Simply speaking, with their personality, sentiments, culture and education, the ancient calligraphers quietly observed the forms and movements of all the things in the universe. They then transformed their observations into idea images, the very soul of Chinese calligraphy, which were revealed in the artist’s strokes. Each artist has his own “idea-images” to write and compose the calligraphy piece. This makes calligraphy evolve into many different styles of formal art or abstract art.

3. How can you explain the growing interest of Montrealers for calligraphy?

As soon as China opened their door to the world, whenever and wherever a traveler visited China, they would see calligraphy art in many places, such as mountain peaks, temples, and villages.  Nowadays the Chinese government puts a lot of energy to promote this art because it is a unique manifestation of the national culture. After more than 20 years teaching calligraphy in Montreal mainly to french speaking montrealers, I am still amazed by their sensibility, their openness to new ideas in art; they seemed to be keen to explore the strange world of Chinese calligraphy.

4. What is the role of calligraphy in the art of tattoos?

Instead of being just a form of body ornamentation, Calligraphy carries tattoo designs to a literal and spiritual level. Writing tattoos using alphabet or Chinese printing fonts were popular because writing is a direct way to express one’s idea. Nowadays more and more tattoo lovers discover the beauty of Chinese calligraphy. They also want their quotes to carry profound meaning. Since Chinese Calligraphy is an art impregnated with literature and philosophy, it becomes a natural way of expressing one’s thought and belief or the promises and maxims of life. There are five styles of calligraphy scripts, which make the designs of tattoos very interesting and original.

5. What activities do you propose here in Montreal?

It’s a fact that nowadays more and more Montrealers grow an interest for Chinese calligraphy. However, there is still a long way to go for them to get a real appreciation for this art. But some resources are available.

Chinese calligraphy technique involves complex movements. A slight erroneous move could make a great difference in quality. Although an artist, amateur of professional will always develop his own technique; the traditional calligraphy rules cannot be ignored. It takes quite some time and patience to achieve some mastering in the techniques of Chinese calligraphy. Trying to learn Chinese calligraphy merely from a book is impossible. Observing demonstration by a good calligrapher is the sole practical and effective mean to understand although no one can gather all the technical subtleties. The first step in learning calligraphy is to find out a good professional calligrapher and teacher. One can have written and even taught calligraphy for years without ever really knowing the technique of the art. Chinese calligraphy is much more than writing Chinese characters!

Activities by professional calligraphers: Calligraphy workshops, Calligraphy seminars with demonstration, Calligraphy exhibitions with other related activities (Dance, Tea, Tai-Chi…)

6. What can be the roles of calligraphy in the daily life?

An art inseparable from real life: real life happenings are the sources of inspiration for calligraphy creations. For example, dots in calligraphy are described as “falling rocks from the summit of a high mountain”; horizontal strokes as “an array of clouds of a thousand mile”. It is a leisure activity for everybody. One can learn the art and also benefit from a mild physical exercise and a period of meditation; all for the well being of body and mind.

The main colors of traditional Calligraphy artwork are black, white and a touch of red. These neutral colors go well with the surroundings, whether at the office or in the house. A piece of calligraphy on a wall can remind us of the beliefs, promises or maxims that are part of our life. A piece of calligraphy is a silent companion whose artful voice cannot be ignored.

The French army ended its combat mission in Afghanistan on Tuesday in accordance with its accelerated withdrawal schedule, leaving the Kapisa province, the deadliest one since 2001. After the departure of the last “combat forces” at the end of the year (two years before the NATO force (ISAF) deadline (end of 2014)) France will count no more than 1,500 soldiers in the country: trainers and logisticians, mainly based in Kabul. The Afghan Ministry of Defense has thanked, without naming specific countries, “all foreign forces who fought in Afghanistan” in finding that his security forces were now “ready to take over.”

Source: http://www.20minutes.fr/monde/afghanistan/1046090-afghanistan-armee-francaise-retire-kapisa-mardi

• Vietnam.

A Vietnamese court has upheld on appeal, on Wednesday, November 21, the penalty of six years in jail for a dissident blogger, his lawyer said. Dinh Dang Dinh was accused of having published between late 2007 and his arrest at the end of 2011, hundreds of documents criticizing the government and the Communist Party, which prohibits any political debate. The blogger also had called to pluralism and protested against a controversial bauxite mining in the Highlands of central Vietnam, according to the official press. Reporters Without Borders has demanded his release, citing a “judicial farce”. According to Human Rights Watch, Vietnam has sentenced at least ten peaceful activists and at least seven other bloggers this year.

Source: http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/article/2012/11/21/un-blogueur-condamne-a-six-ans-de-prison-au-vietnam_1793640_3216.html

• ASEAN.

The leaders of the 10 member countries of ASEAN have mainly discussed of the acceleration of the construction of the ASEAN Community by 2015, ASEAN Interconnection, the achievement of various objectives set in the ASEAN Charter, the stimulation of the economic recovery of ASEAN in the context of the sluggish growth of the world economy, increasing the capacity for coordinating disputes in the ASEAN and the concretization of the “Declaration on the behavior of different parts of the South China Sea.” Meanwhile, they agreed unanimously to continue efforts to deal effectively with the international financial crisis, stabilize the finances of their respective countries, to revive the economy, to increase employment, to improve living conditions of the population.

Source: http://french.cri.cn/720/2012/11/21/50s303218.htm#.UK0BNOMSVD8

• India.

The Bombay Center, economic and financial capital of India, was overwhelmed on Sunday, November 18th by a crowd of two million people came to pay a last tribute to Bal Thackeray, extreme right Hindu Regional icon, who had a profound influence on Indian politics for nearly forty years. Mr. Thackeray died Saturday at the age of 86 years. A major figure in India called the “identity politics” disappears with him, which had contributed heavily to the rightward shift of the Indian political scene in the 1980s and 1990s. For nearly forty years, Bal Thackeray has fueled regional pride of the people of Maharashtra – the state of which Mumbai is the capital – even if it ignited xenophobic or sectarian passions against migrants from other regions and Muslims. Campaigns initiated by the Shiv Sena – Shivaji’s army – have fostered a climate of intolerance and hatred that often led to violent clashes. Bal Thackeray once said that muslims ”spread like a cancer.” And he confessed without harm his admiration for Hitler, the “artist”.

Source: http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/article/2012/11/19/bombay-paralyse-par-les-funerailles-de-bal-thackeray-figure-du-regionalisme-d-extreme-droite_1792499_3216.html

• China.

A fake photo of top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, including the outgoing president, Hu Jintao, and his successor Xi Jinping, in the middle of the Gangnam style choreography was censored this weekend. However, four months after its release, nobody was spared by the choreography of this South Korean song, number one of the charts in several countries, whose music video has already been viewed over 770 million times on YouTube. Many world leaders have already been immortalized in the process of trying the movement, mixing gallop and lassoing, like a cowboy rodeo. Among them, big names like the head of Google Eric Schmidt, the British Prime Minister David Cameron, or even Ban Ki-moon, General Secretary of the UN.

Source: http://www.slate.fr/lien/65227/chine-censure-photo-fake-gangnam-style