Dateline: The Orient. Okay, hang onto
your ... hats ... we have a lot to cover this issue. Let's start with what's
been happening in the Orient since last we met.
We Have Bad News . . .
As you may or may not know,
Ningyo Minamoto has been faced with a number of major
changes in RL and, sadly, is unable to be online with us for the foreseeable
future. As a result, she has officially retired as an Orient Scribe. Lalita
and I would like to wish her all the best and thank her, publicly, for the
hard work she put in helping to make the Orient launch such a rousing
success. Ningyo, you will be missed! Come back to us soon.
. . . and Good News
Now, to fill the void, we are
extremely pleased to
announce that
Aria Murasaka has agreed to take on the job of riding
herd on Lalita and me. *eg* Ah, if she only knew what she was getting into!
Aria has been with us since very shortly after the Orient opened and has
been one of the hardest working members of our World, even taking on the
task of protecting the Orient from any (dare I say it?) unsavory elements
(and you know who you are!), while Lalita and I were away for the holidays.
And if you haven't seen her offsite site
Asian-Center
Net, you're missing something! At any rate, it's a pleasure to welcome
her to the staff. If you get a chance, please stop by her pavilion and give
her your sympathies...er, uh...congratulations and welcoming wishes.
Lunar Festival, February 4-13
The New Year is upon us...I know, the rest of you already had that,
but for The Orient, it happens on February 9th. In addition, Setsubun and
Vasant Panchimi happen at the beginning of February, the 3rd and the 13th
respectively. This year, The Orient kicks off our Lunar Festival on the 4th
by celebrating Setsubun with the
live Haiku Challenge we had to
postpone over the holidays. The Challenge will take place at the
Falling
Cherry Blossoms Haiku thread on February 4th and is sponsored by
The 10
Philosophers Haiku group.
Did you know... that during Setsubun,
people scatter beans to ward off evil spirits? In keeping with this
tradition, we will be scattering beans throughout the Orient. Your task, if
you join the fun, is to track down as many of the beans as possible. If you
manage to find 15 of the 30 beans, you'll get a lucky charm to protect your
home for the upcoming year. The person who finds the most, will be awarded a
special prize...
The Great Bean Hunt begins on Feb. 5th.
On the
7th, China will take over with a contest inspired by
Lantern
Festival. Visitors will be asked to either find or create their own
lanterns in preparation for this yearly celebration and prizes will be
awarded for the three best lanterns. Legend holds that at the end of each
year a ferocious monster named Nian once terrified the people of China,
until they were told that Nian was afraid of loud noises. Since that time,
fireworks displays and the beating of drums and gongs have been traditional
New Year's activities in the Orient. We have found it difficult to arrange a
fireworks display for our celebrations, so as a substitute, we will be
offering a "
Bop Nian" game for everyone to enjoy. The game will open
on Feb 8th. On the 9th, the
Art of
AncientWorlds group plans to open its first
Members Art
Exhibition. Artists from all over AncientWorlds will be displaying their
own artistic creations — from web graphics to oil paintings to photography.
Be sure to stop by and see the exhibition, it promises to be terrific.
India and
Bharat Mata brings
Vasant Panchimi celebrations
to us beginning Friday, Feb 11th. Traditionally, during Vasant Panchimi,
revelers adorn themselves and their homes in shades of yellow, so this gives
us an opportunity to decorate our avatars! Yellow decorations will also be
handed out in the thread (to be created). A tour of India will be presented
for your enjoyment and traditional music and arts will be up in various
Orient spots. Don't miss it!
In addition to all our planned festival activities, we will be
honoring a small group of non-Orientals who have gone above and beyond to
help bring the Orient to the attention of the other AncientWorlds.
Announcements of the first recipients of the title "
Foreign All-stars of
the Orient" will be made every other night during neighborhood blocks
parties. Dress will be casual...unless you'd care to come in your best
robes. These informal gatherings will be held on the public boards of our
neighborhoods commencing in
Japan on the 5th and followed by
Korea on the 7th,
China on the 9th,
Cambodia on the 11th, and
India on the 13th. Watch for links to these events on
the Comm Panel during the festival. And, remember, Information on all
festival activities will be found in the header of the
Orient
Festival Guide beginning February 3rd. We hope everyone can join us for
at least some of our events!
Quote of the month
I thought this month we would
give you what might be the two dumbest quotes of 2004:
"I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted
against it." —Sen. John Kerry, on voting against a military funding
bill for U.S. troops in Iraq. (We're not sure what you actually meant to say
there, John....)
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people,
and neither do we." —President George W. Bush. (Okay, okay we know
what you
meant to say...but get it together, George!)
Neighborhood Updates
As you've probably
heard,
Lotus Horemheb has just launched an
Egyptian Virtual Bazaar. While mentioning this in the
Orient World News may seem odd, there's method to my madness. Lotus would
like to have foreign shops represented at the Bazaar, and to that end, we
have decided to create shop threads in the Edo district of Yoshiwara for any
Oriental who would like to have their own storefront. If you're interested,
visit Egypt's Bazaar and see what's for sale...then leave a message at the
Yoshiwara
Chamber of Commerce to let us know you have merchandise
to offer and need some shop space.
