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Happy Birthday Confucius

Confucius rituals aka teacher's day. Taiwan. Craig Ferguson Images

Rituals to honor the Chinese sage, Confucius.

It’s often said that Chinese culture is better preserved in Taiwan than it is on the mainland and no where is that more evident than in the rituals and ceremonies conducted to honor the great sage Confucius. September 28th is traditionally celebrated as his birthday and 2011 marks the 2561st year since his birth. Throughout Taiwan, Confucius temples in each city hold ceremonies at dawn to mark the occasion. In Taipei, the ritual is a mixture of public and private with the president typically taking part in the public event and the oldest male lineal descendant of Confucius conducting the private ceremony. Currently the 36 year old Kung Tsui-chang, a 79th generation direct descendant of Confucius, occupies the position as lineal head of the family. He also serves as a special adviser to the president of Taiwan.

Phottix Odin – An ETTL Flash Trigger

Phottix Odin

It’s here. The Phottix Odin, an ETTL capable remote flash trigger that has just hit the market. The release announcement was today and they will start shipping next week. I’ll add some links to the Phottix Store as soon as it’s ready to buy. From talk that’s gone on around the photography world in recent months, this is a device that has been eagerly awaited by many since it was first announced earlier this year. As a Phottix-sponsored photographer, I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time over the past few months testing with demo samples of the Odin and providing some feedback to Phottix from real world situations. Now that it’s been released, I can offer you my thoughts on this unit. What follows is based on my experiences with the Odin and is in no way influenced by my relationship with Phottix.

Medicine Men

Dai Ming Xi, a third generation supplier of Chinese medicine. His store, Yongsheng Pharmaceutical, has been in business for more than 80 years. (Craig Ferguson)

Dai Ming Xi, a thrid generation supplier of Chinese medicine. His store, Yongsheng Pharmaceutical, has been in business for more than 80 years. (Craig Ferguson)

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history throughout the Chinese world and includes such practices as acupuncture, massage, herbal medicines and dietary therapy. Throughout Asia, TCM healers can easily be found and for many people, they are the first choice when illness strikes. In the Western world, the practice still exists under the “alternative therapies” label. Health is looked at in a holistic or whole body manner, and disease is indicative of an unbalanced state. While the oldest evidence of the practice of TCM dates back to the Shang Dynasty (14th-11th centuries BCE), the oldest received work is Huangdi Neijing or the Yellow Emperors Inner Canon from around the first century BCE. Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor) is believed to be the ancestor of all Chinese and the founder of Chinese civilization. Ceremonies paying respect to Huangdi take place during the Qingming Festival held in early April throughout Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and other Chinese-influenced communities.

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Happy Birthday Confucius

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Phottix Odin – An ETTL Flash Trigger

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Medicine Men