aRTiCeL 2

Why 09/09/09 Is So Special

Have special plans this 09/09/09?

Everyone from brides and grooms to movie studio execs are celebrating the upcoming calendrical anomaly in their own way. In Florida, at least one county clerk's office is offering a one-day wedding special for $99.99. The rarity of this Sept. 9 hasn't been lost on the creators of the iPod, who have moved their traditional Tuesday release day to Wednesday to take advantage of the special date. Focus Features is releasing their new film "9," an animated tale about the apocalypse, on the 9th. Not only does the date look good in marketing promotions, but it also represents the last set of repeating, single-digit dates that we'll see for almost a century (until January 1, 2101), or a millennium (mark your calendars for January 1, 3001), depending on how you want to count it. Though technically there's nothing special about the symmetrical date, some concerned with the history and meaning of numbers ascribe powerful significance to 09/09/09.
For cultures in which the number nine is lucky, Sept. 9 is anticipated - while others might see the date as an ominous warning.

Math magic .Modern numerologists - who operate outside the realm of real science - believe that mystical significance or vibrations can be assigned to each numeral one through nine, and different combinations of the digits produce tangible results in life depending on their application. As the final numeral, the number nine holds special rank. It is associated with forgiveness, compassion and success on the positive side as well as arrogance and self-righteousness on the negative, according to numerologists. Though usually discredited as bogus, numerologists do have a famous predecessor to look to. Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and father of the famous theorem, is also credited with popularizing numerology in ancient times. "Pythagoras most of all seems to have honored and advanced the study concerned with numbers, having taken it away from the use of merchants and likening all things to numbers," wrote Aristoxenus, an ancient Greek historian, in the 4th century B.C.
As part of his obsession with numbers both mathematically and divine, and like many mathematicians before and since, Pythagoras noted that nine in particular had many unique properties.

Any grade-schooler could tell you, for example, that the sum of the two-digits resulting from nine multiplied by any other single-digit number will equal nine. So 9x3=27, and 2+7=9. Multiply nine by any two, three or four-digit number and the sums of those will also break down to nine. For example: 9x62 = 558; 5+5+8=18; 1+8=9. Sept. 9 also happens to be the 252nd day of the year (2 + 5 +2)...
Loving 9 Both China and Japan have strong feelings about the number nine. Those feelings just happen to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Chinese pulled out all the stops to celebrate their lucky number eight during last year's Summer Olympics, ringing the games in at 8 p.m. on 08/08/08. What many might not realize is that nine comes in second on their list of auspicious digits and is associated with long life, due to how similar its pronunciation is to the local word for long-lasting (eight sounds like wealth). Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared prominently in architecture and royal dress, often in the form of nine fearsome dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have been built with 9,999 rooms. Japanese emperors would have never worn a robe with nine dragons, however. In Japanese, the word for nine is a homophone for the word for suffering, so the number is considered highly unlucky - second only to four, which sounds like death. Many Japanese will go so far as to avoid room numbers including nine at hotels or hospitals, if the building planners haven't already eliminated them altogether.

Comment: Many people can make their special plan for special date. Especially for weeding, engaged, and others to easy to learn. The number is the important things and for a few religion,it is give the meaning. It also a unique number and we're never forgot that.

aRTiCel 3

1Malaysia marks Merdeka spirit

KUALA LUMPUR: The pomp and pageantry might have been subdued, but the Merdeka spirit was roaring at the 52nd National Day celebration yesterday. For the first time, the national-level celebration was held at Parliament Square with the participation of a limited number of people due to the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic and the Ramadan month.

For the same reasons, the celebration was held on a moderate scale mostly indoors in the states. But, here too, the vibrant colors of Merdeka and the spirit of the participants could not be subdued. This year’s celebration was themed “1Malaysia: People First, Performance Now”.

The event at Parliament Square began at 8am with the arrival of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah. Also present were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman.The event, which lasted about 30 minutes, was confined to a rally and performances, without the usual parade of contingents and the participation of schoolchildren.

Nevertheless, Parliament Square, which often serves as a venue for welcoming ceremonies for visiting foreign dignitaries, was a scene of variegated colour, with civilians in resplendent attire and members of the security forces in spick-and-span uniforms.

The arriving VIPs were greeted by about 10,000 cheering flagbearers lining the road from the roundabout near Bank Negara to Parliament Square. Tuanku Mizan took the royal salute upon arrival, followed by the playing of the national anthem, N e ga ra k u , by the Royal Malay Regiment central band. Seven helicopters of the Royal Malaysian Air Force flew past overhead, bearing the Jalur Gemilang, the armed forces flag, the flags of the army, navy and air force, the police flag and the Maritime Enforcement Agency flag, as they spewed smoke trails in red, blue and yellow.

Tuanku Mizan later inspected a guard of honour mounted by four officers and 103 men of the 1st Battalion Royal Malay Regiment.
The event continued with the raising of the Jalur Gemilang and the singing of Negaraku follwed by a gun salute and the recital of the Rukun Negara by seven teachers representing the main racial communities in the country.
This was followed by seven shouts of “Merdeka” and the 1Malaysia slogan. There was also choir singing, with the song Malaysia Tanah Airku rendered by members of the Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti).

Comment: From the articel, the first time, the 52nd National Day celebration in this year was held at Parliament Square with the participation of a limited number of people due to the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic and the Ramadan month. Before this, the national-level celebration was held at Dataran Merdeka every year.