Eventi, cortei, feste e spettacoli in Umbria

Oltre al fascino dei suoi luoghi storici, l'Umbria offre al visitatore anche una ricca serie di eventi che rievocano tradizioni storiche e popolari dalle origini antichissime. Si tratta di momenti si splendida vitalità capaci di richiamare le suggestioni e le atmosfere di un grande passato. In questo articolo offriremo una serie di indicazioni sulle varie manifestazioni previste durante l'anno.

Calendario di maggio

Tre giorni dal primo martedì del mese di Maggio - Assisi.
È l'evento ideale per chi ama le atmosfere medievali. Le fazioni gentili di Parte di Sopra e Parte di Sotto si sfidano a colpi di esibizioni di sbandieratori, danze, sfide tra arcieri e balestrieri, canti, serenate. I rioni della città di Assisi sfilano in abiti tradizionali medievali accompagnati da fiaccole e bandiere mentre dame e cavalieri sciamano per la città intonando serenate e canti d'amore. Impossibile non tornare con la mente, in occasione di tale evento, al tempo di un San Francesco gaio giovinetto prima della conversione. Festa dei Ceri

15 Maggio - Gubbio
L'evento ha origini antichissime e cade alla vigilia della morte del santo patrono della città:
Sant'Ubaldo. Protagonisti indiscussi della festa sono i "Ceri": quattro enormi macchine di legno, del peso di circa quattro quintali, che recano in cima la statua di Sant'Ubaldo, Sant'Antonio e San Giorgio. I Ceri vengono portati a spalla e di corsa dai portatori dal Palazzo dei Priori (nella piazza centrale di Gubbio) fino alla sommità del Monte Igino, di fronte alla basilica del santo patrono.

Palio della Balestra
Ultima domenica di Maggio - Gubbio.
Le prime tracce di questa affascinante festa risalgono almeno fino al 1410. A fronteggiarsi alla presenza delle autorità medievali della città sono le squadre di San Sepolcro e di Gubbio, in costume storico e accompagnate da sbandieratori. I tiratori utilizzano balestre costruite da maestri artigiani secondo la più rigida tradizione medievale con gli stessi materiali del tempo. Al vincitore viene assegnato il palio. Dopo la gara, un suggestivo corteo storico, accompagnato da fiaccole, si snoda per le vie di Gubbio.

Giostra della Quintana
Sfida: seconda domenica di Settembre - Foligno.
Rivincita: terza domenica di Settembre - Foligno.
La gara è una riedizione, ripresa nel 1946, di una sfida risalente al XVII secolo che vede fronteggiarsi giovani cavalieri desiderosi di dimostrare la propria lealtà al Principe o alla dama amata. La sfida consiste nell'infilare, a cavallo e di corsa, con una lancia una serie di anelli che si restringono sempre di più, sospesi nella mano di un fantoccio. I cavalieri provengono da ognuno dei dieci rioni della città. La sera precedente la gara, per le vie di Foligno, si tiene un corteo storico cui prendono parte decine di figuranti in costume.

Infiorate del Corpus Domini
Domenica successiva alla festa del Corpus Domini - Spello.
Le cosiddette "infiorate" sono costruzioni realizzate con composizioni floreali di eventi, figure o motivi decorativi di ispirazione religiosa e preparate nel corso della notte con fiori rigorosamente freschi. Le vie della città vengono così decorate da questo spettacolo per la gioia degli occhi e del naso, dato che vengono scelti, per comporre le figure, fiori e erbe particolarmente profumati.

Per maggiori informazioni: Expo Umbria

 

La Festa di Piedigrotta: origini e tradizioni

La Festa di Piedigrotta è stata, fino agli anni '70, uno degli eventi più pittoreschi e amati di tutta la tradizione napoletana. È grazie a tale festa che canzoni come "Fenesta vascia", "Michelemmà" o la celeberrima "O'Sole mio" hanno fatto varcato i confini dello spazio e del tempo. Ma quali sono le origini di questa celebrazione? Dove si celebrava in origine e perché? Per rispondere a queste domande dobbiamo fare un salto nel tempo che ci riporta ai tempi dei nostri antenati Romani. Le origini della festa di Piedigrotta infatti risalgono alle antiche celebrazioni dei Baccanalia, antichissimi riti in onore del dio Priapo. Uomini e donne si incontravano in una oscura galleria detta Crypta Neapolitana per celebrare i riti orgiastici della fertilità, di fronte al simulacro del dio Priapo, accompagnati da musica e da sfrenate danze. La galleria, che la leggenda vuole sia stata scavata dal poeta e mago Virgilio in una sola notte, è in realtà un tunnel utilizzato per spostare velocemente le truppe romane da Napoli ai Campi Flegrei. L'avvento del cristianesimo non poté spezzare però una tradizione vecchia di millenni e così al posto del sacrario del Dio Priapo, ad essere onorata fu la statua della Madonna di Piedigrotta, custodita nell'omonimo santuario che andò a sostituire l'antico altare di Priapo.

Secondo la leggenda, la notte dell'8 settembre del 1353, la Vergine apparve in sogno a tre persone differenti, rivelando loro il punto in cui scavare per ritrovare una sua immagine, da custodire in una chiesa da erigere ai piedi della grotta. In realtà però, con l'avvento del Cristianesimo, i culti di Priapo, celebrati proprio la notte del 7 settembre, furono sostituiti dal culto di Santa Maria dell'Idria (anch'ella simbolo di fertilità) e proprio ai piedi della grotta dove avveniva le orge fu eretto un primo nucleo di santuario a lei dedicato: il santuario di Santa Maria "de pedi grotta".

Il santuario divenne centro di un culto molto sentito, tanto che anche il Petrarca celebrò la devozione dei popolani che vi si recavano in visita: donne in cerca di marito, mogli in attesa di un bambino, uomini affetti da impotenza, madri che invocavano la protezione per i propri figli marinai. In un primo momento i riti avvenivano nella grotta, ma nel corso dei secoli furono allargati anche all'attuale villa comunale. Durante tali celebrazioni in onore della Madonna e della fertilità che questa poteva regalare, si ballava, si cantava, si banchettava, si assisteva a spettacoli pirotecnici.

Durante il regno borbonico, la festa divenne anche occasione per imponenti parate militari, poi scomparse dopo la caduta dei Borbone.

È però nel 1835 che la festa prende le forme di una grande manifestazione canore e canzoni come "Michellemmà" e "Io te voglio bene assaje" costituiscono la colonna sonora che accompagnerà la festa nel corso degli anni, fino al suo declino negli anni '70.

Da allora, la festa venne progressivamente abbandonata, anche se nel 2007 le autorità cittadine hanno tentato di ridare lustro alla Piedigrotta organizzando una serie di manifestazioni canore, spettacoli e giochi pirotecnici nella zona del centro di Napoli, promettendo di replicare negli anni a venire. Solo i posteri ci potranno dire se si tratta di una pallida imitazione della storica festa oppure se è la premessa per una vera rinascita di un evento che affonda le radici nel mistico passato della città.

Per maggiori informazioni: Bella Napoli

Assuring Your Life Forever

Insurance is a signed contract called policy. The party who buys the policy is called the Policyholder and the party that sells it is called the Insurer. It is taken to safeguard oneself from any financial loss occurring due to any event like death, accidents, damage to property or business, through acts of nature or caused by humans. It gives you peace of mind because you know you've prepared yourself for the worst.

The policy is always taken for a fixed period on which a pre-determined amount is paid at regular intervals to the insurer. This amount is called the Premium. Premiums are either paid as lump sums for a year or in installments.

Well, there are two types of insurance coverage: Life and General or Non Life Insurance. Life coverage is taken to support one's family in the unfortunate event of death or permanent disability or a life-threatening disease. If you have loved ones who are financially dependent on you, then seriously opt for this cover. General coverage on the other hand covers all non-life losses. These can include health issues, damage to property or business, etc.

Lets discuss health, accident and vision insurance, in the sense, what are they and how they are different from each other. Think for a moment and you'll realize how time has passed by. Basic necessities like food, education, etc are not available at the same price today, which were few years back. In short, our cost of living has increased which means with the rise in the cost, health care has also become expensive now-a-days.

Healthcare expense would include medical bill, operation charges, medicines, hospital stay etc. If one day when you fall seriously ill and need to be hospitalized then this policy will help cover the medical expense. This way you are saving yourself and your family from financial difficulty.

You've been a very good driver all these years with a clear record. You follow rules and safety precautions, but not everybody does as you do, although they are expected to do it. Don't fool yourself into believing that nothing will happen to you. What if one day you get hit by a fast moving vehicle coming your way. You can be badly injured and it might even lead to death.

In such situations an accident policy will take care of you and your family. It will cover tall the expensive medical treatments, physical therapy, crutches, wheelchairs etc.

Vision insurance is different from health insurance but is also a part of it, in the sense that it focuses on a certain part of your body i.e., your eye. It pays for eye examination, eyewear and other vision services. Some of the benefits you can get when you take this policy are: routine eye check at reduced rates, access to ophthalmologists, laboratories, surgeons etc.

What I strongly recommend is, before taking an insurance cover make sure to check the history of the company and its reputation. Evaluate policies with the insurer for changes or alterations in premium rates.

East Insurance - The East Coast Insurance Companies That Will Help You Save

'm not sure why so many of the quality life and car insurance companies mainly focus their advertising efforts towards the west coast. However rest assured there are a number of quality life and car insurance companies on the East Coast as well.

What should really drive your decision on picking an insurance company is the type of product that you need. Not all life insurance companies are right for the same person. On the east coast Prudential life insurance offers the best long-term whole life insurance products. They have three different options that will help you manage risk as well as create an awesome investment vehicle.

But not everybody can afford a whole life insurance policy. They are very expensive. There is no way of getting around this. Or is there?

AIG life insurance offers hybrid life insurance plans. These plans allow you to obtain a cheap term life insurance policy that can later be converted to a whole life insurance plan. The best part is that a portion of your premiums that you pay towards your term life insurance plan can be recaptured when you ultimately switch to the whole life insurance product. It's unfortunate that more people do not know about these plans.

AIG has a number of different pricing options that make these plans available to a wide audience. The pricing will affect your term life coverage as well as how much you recapture when you convert to the whole life insurance product.

If you are on a tight budget but still would like the comfort of owning a term life insurance product. Then you should consider looking at American Direct. On the East Coast it is hard to beat the prices of their term life insurance product. Their standard term life insurance product is not as flexible as the choices described above. However, the policy will provide you excellent coverage at affordable rates.

Please don't give up looking for a sound life insurance product. Life insurance should be an extremely important part of your overall investment portfolio. As a CPA I actually see people reap the benefits that life insurance provides. We hope this information helps you pick the best product for you and your family.

Commodity Forex Online Trading

Forex trading is a hot commodity today and is on the rise. Commodity forex online trading is probably something that you personally have never heard of but it has been done by banks, large financial institutions, and multi-national corporations of years and years. These companies have gotten filthy rich off this ungoverned and unregulated market and now it is your turn. Forex trading is an absolute gold mind and if done properly can turn your low risk investment into millions and millions of dollars. The exchange rate, both on a global and local level control all the forex trading today. The object of the market in a nutshell is to buy currency for cheap while the exchange rate is low, and wait for your currency to rise as the market fluctuates and sell it. You can make a killing doing this on a daily basis and as this market is unregulated your earning potential can sky through the roof. You can find yourself quitting your day job and focusing on currency trading within a matter of weeks. The foreign exchange market can turn the average Joe into a big name multi-millionaire. It can definitely change your life for the better.

The custom forex indicator is a good way of telling how each different currency is doing at any point in type. Basically the forex trading market is the exchange of currencies between two different countries. Believe it or not, if you have traveled to a different country you participated in forex trading at a much lower level. Being up-to-date on all international issues is a must when forex trading. The slightest sway in global events can change your currency value dramatically for the best or worse.

You don't need to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on broker forex online trading. No need for a fancy broker in forex trading, that may be only needed for stock trading. Forex trading is much more different and a lot more profitable. So when you are thinking forex trading, do not think of the stock market. They are similar, yet so much different. You need to get yourself an easy forex system and stick to it. For a low cost of a system, you can find yourself making a killing day after day. This year alone I have made over $300,000 just by trading currencies. Forex global trading has finally hit its highest point in history. Individual forex traders are finally finding out the benefits to forex trading instead of this business strictly being for financial institutions or multi-national corporations. If they can make millions of dollars doing it, why can't you?

With forex trading you absolutely and positively control your own destiny. This market is 100% liquidated and you are never tied up in a certain currency. You can get out at anytime and trade your currency away at anytime. Unlike the stock exchange, the forex market is open 24hrs a day. There is no other investing market out there with this type of service! I wish you the best of luck!

Forex Trading System Software

Forex trading system software can be expensive, worthless and can cost you a lot of money. Before we get into forex trading system software, let's discuss the basics of forex trading.

Forex is short for foreign exchange market. Forex is an investment wheel which deals with the authorized exchange of one currency for another form of currency. Brokers are required to keep track of all forex transactions that involve an exchange of currency. It doesn't matter of the customer uses a check, a forex trader investment, or a bank exchanging currency.Accredited brokers track all legal currency transactions that occur on the exchange.

Many currency exchanges are happening everyday illegal and legal. Still, it is only considered legal when recognized by the CFTC which is an acronym for Commodities Future Trade Commission. Many unadvised exchanges that take place exist outside the forex trading legality, typically consist of single investor trades. Even though an unadvisable method, it happens everyday around the clock for many many reasons.

Let's go over one of the foreign currency exchange market differences. The Forex is an investing market but it differs from the stock market in many ways. Forex trading is a huge, international trade market, and it is effected more than stock trading. Which means, if the stock market is doing horrible like it has been lately, the forex market will not be affected by this. They do not work hand and hand. There is definitely more money to be earned in the Forex market as opposed to the stock market. It is the largest market in the world which see's more than 3 TRILLION dollars in trades per day! Most of the trillions of dollars though are coming from large financial institutions such as large corporations or banks, single investors make up a small amount of the trade market.

The forex has a huge advantage over the stock exchange because it is not regulated heavily like the stock exchange. There may be a few huge accredited financial institutions monitoring the forex market. Which means since there is no regulation, there is no telling how much money you can earn easily! You need to jump right into the forex trading system before it gets regulated and earn all your money while you can before it is to late.

I have been trading forex currency for over 10 years. The dangers of forex trading are so minuscule compared to the rewards. You really need to live on the edge and take a chance by investing in forex trading. There are many free courses out there that will train you exactly on how to trade in this highly profitable market. You can throw your 9-5 day job out the window and just strictly invest in forex trading. I am averaging over $300,000 dollars a year just by forex trading. I have developed one of the best forex trading education simple to use systems out on the market. There is no need for a forex trading robot, they make mistakes and are not human. You may lose so much money if you decide to go this route.

Enjoy Music in Prague

The Czech Capital is going to be overwhelmed with all genres of music in the next few months! Prague’s offers to its citizens of all ages and its international tourists is amazing!

Just to start, we can mention the Prague SPRING International Music Festival that is generally considered the most important music event in Prague. Everything started in 1948, so forth this year the Festival celebrates its 60th anniversary! Worthless to say, the program offer is incredible huge, including nearly 50 performances and social events among Opera and Symphony orchestras, instrumental and chamber music…

The Prague SPRING International Music Festival will take place from Monday 12 May to Wednesday 4 June for nearly one month of music and entertainment!!
The first venue will be conducted by the BRNO Philharmonic directed by Petr Altrichter whilst the Festival will end with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. All theatres of Prague will host alternatively performances, concerts and theatre venues.

To get a complete and detailed program of what you are going to listen and see, you can visit the event web site: festival.cz. This year, it has been introduced the new service “M-TICKET for ticket sales by mobile phone. Visit Ticketpro.cz

For accommodations in Prague, there are many possibilities for many budgets! Worthless to say, online is very easy to find all kind of accommodations you might require. In general it depends on the number of people you are travelling with. A recent trend is to book apartments and Prague apartments owners are becoming very professional either on the selling methods, either in the offered comforts, services and atmosphere. They are usually very well refurbished, and newly appointed with colours and modern furniture. There are a few that we could recommend located all thru Prague historical centre and at very good rates.

Apartments Magicka Zahrada ( magic Garden) from 62 euros for a very nice atmosphere, Ikea style, so to say. Or the Old Town Apartment House, Hotel Apartments Wenceslas Square, Amazing Prague Apartments or some guest houses or pensions that can be quite comfy for families or small groups, like the pension Prague City, Euro Guest House or the travel Club Prague in a residential area of the city of Prague.

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit cheap apartment Prague or for travel insurance visit Apartments in Prague.

Sustainable tourism in Hanoi, Vietnam

Vietnam's small and pleasant capital Hanoi is a fascinating blend of East and West, with French design from its colonial past and Chinese influence from centuries of dominance.

Founded in 1010, in 1954 it became the official capital of independent Vietnam. A peaceful city of lakes with leafy boulevards, Hanoi lies at the heart of the northern Red River Delta and somehow reflects an European feel. Especially the streets of the Old Quarter preserve age-old customs, where trade takes one back half a century, and temples, pagodas and monuments reflect the historic character of Vietnam. In this area there are many hotels which have been recently refurbished with a special care to the traditional architecture and design. Hanoi Hotels are surprisingly modest but preserve a unique charming environment.

Some of them are set in historical buildings: the Ritz Hotel for example or Joy Hotel Return Hotel, the Pearls hotel, the Old street Hotel, Y Van Riverside Hotel, Hanoi Plaza hotel and Hanoi Queen Plaza. They are all front serene Hoan Kiem lake and - quite surprisingly for the standard they provide-, the prices are extremely cheap. Spending a night in any of these Vietnamese hotels will cost you from around 3,5 euros per person up to 15 euros per person. Although Hanoi, and Vietnam in general, have been absorbing a tourist boom since1993, which of course has seen an infiltration of western-style food and fashions into the once inaccessible city, Hanoi has retained its appealing sense of the old world.

This means that the city provides many services for tourists as nice boutique hotels, internet cafés and restaurants offering wide range of food. Do not forget that tourism has in general a bad influence in the way local people live, too often being responsible for changing their tastes, habits and underlining economic gaps and unequal access to resources. So forth, it is important each one of us makes a difference in the way we wish to live the city.

Respecting local traditions and habits is important, from the way of dressing to general behaviour while in public areas, to gender differences roles. Regarding shopping for example, do not indulge in mass tourist souvenirs. Sometimes, the best way to take home part of the spirit, is taking a good shot, or buying some spices, or typical things that a local person would buy. From a notebook, to a normal pen, or a traditional t-shirt or a votive candle or a dolly used by Hanoi girls. This will help much more the local community than anything else.

The hotels listed above are also Vietnamese run and your money will not feed some Western Fat Industries. Think about it.

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit cheap hotel Hanoi or for travel insurance visit Hanoi hotels.

Hanoi and Vietnamese Festivals: best time to go

Surely, if not for the hot and humid weather that characterizes Hanoi for most of the year, the best time to go visiting Vietnam cultural capital is between September and December, when rainfalls have ended and humidity levels are lowest.

Hanoi is located in northern Vietnam and will certainly offer to its visitors incredible sceneries, beautiful landscapes, pointed with colours, gorgeous food, friendly people and a millenary culture.

In terms of accommodation Hanoi has nothing to envy to some traditional fascinating cities providing at the same time good services to the travel industry. Being less developed than Ho Chi Minh City, and thanks to this, Hanoi has preserved a special vibe given by old colonial and traditional buildings, green boulevards, and colourful temples. In terms of accessibility, Hanoi provides many services as comfortable boutique hotels, internet point and restaurants with a good variety of food.

In the Old Quarter that preserves an ineludibly French taste, many boutique hotels offer modest but unique charming environments to their guests. In fact, the recent refurbishments have been respecting the traditional architecture and design of Vietnam. Many of them, like the Pearls hotel for example, or the Old street Hotel, Hanoi Queen Plaza, the Ritz Hotel, the Joy Hotel, the Return Hotel, the Y Van Riverside Hotel or the Hanoi Plaza hotel are facing the still water of Lake Hoan Kiem offering sometimes a gorgeous view to the guests that ask for it.

In terms of cultural events Hanoi’s calendar and Vietnamese calendar in general are spotted with many interesting festivals. Despite not within December, however some of the most important events of Vietnamese culture are in January when you can still hope to get a mild wheatear.

In January, there is probably what it is considered to be the biggest festival that celebrates the Lunar New Year. The Tet Nguyen Dan festival lasts for an entire week and involves families in particular. In fact, each family member is reunited and everyone is offered some little presents with special wishes for health and happiness. It is also a moment where family discussions, old difficulties and hangers are levelled in an atmosphere of forgiveness. But as the traditional family cannot forget the ancient relatives, the ancestors, many candles and incense sticks are burst for them. In the same month the annual Dong Da Festival celebrates the triumphant historical victory of King Quang Trung (Nguyen Hue) against the invaders of the Vietnamese nation. There are different venues where processions, activities and games, competitions, war stories, fires of colourful dragons and much more will entertain adults and kids!

Still in January, but on the 6th day of Tet Hanoi and Vietnam celebrate the 5 elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) with music and sacrifices with the so called Co Loa Festival. Colourful flags and Dai Flags (great ones) in the wind and sculptures adorning the temples, are just some of the magic things you will be assisting to.

Last but not least, The Cau Ngu Festival celebrates an ancient native who came from the north to teach the village locals many arts and techniques like fishing, trading etc. The name of this man was Truong Quy Cong, or Truong Thieu.

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit budget Vietnamese hotels or for travel insurance visit Vietnamese hotels.

Fascinating old style Hanoi, Vietnam

The 1,000-year-old capital, a low-rise city of lakes and peaceful parks, Hanoi will enchant its visitors with simple but unique moments.

Early morning mist rises from the Hoan Kiem Lake while elders perform the slow movements of tai chi in green parks, streets become filled with mopeds and cyclo drivers (three-wheeled bicycle taxis) clamour for people attention.

Although a city of historical importance considered to be the social and cultural centre of Vietnam, Hanoi is a far slower and less developed than Ho Chi Minh City. Luckily, this slow pace development has preserved the special vibe you will live in Hanoi, with old fascinating buildings, green views on treed boulevards and smiling local people. Especially the historic Old Quarter with its French style streets and arts and crafts bargains.

Especially in this area there are many recently refurbished hotels that kept an eye to the traditional architecture and design. Modest but with an unique charming environment some Hanoi Hotels are located in historical or colonial buildings. Just to mention some that you can easily find and book directly online are the Pearls hotel for example, the Old street Hotel, Hanoi Queen Plaza, the Ritz Hotel, Joy Hotel, Return Hotel, Y Van Riverside Hotel or Hanoi Plaza hotel. Most of them face the quiet Hoan Kiem lake providing guests with beautiful views from terraces and windows. Quite unexpectedly for the standard they offer, the room rates in Hanoi Vietnamese Hotels are modest in general, ranging from 3,5 euros per person up to 15 euros per person.

As a cultural centre, Hanoi has quite a lot to offer. In fact, during the year Hanoi guests many traditional events from water puppet shows, to music and religious festivals, dance performances and a lot more. Just to mention a couple of curious ones held in springtime, that will certainly worth a visit to Vietnam and Hanoi in particular, are the Whale Festival and the Elephant Race, both in March.

The former is a fishermen festival typical of Quang Nam Village in Da Nang province, where people worship Whales and their gods asking for prosperity; the latter is more traditional in the countryside in Don Village or in forests near the Sevepoi River (Dac Lak). The race track is large enough for 10 elephants running on even ground near the forest for 1-2 km. At the signal, the mahouts command their elephants to go to the starting line and will start running excited by the sound of the drums, gongs, and cheering from the viewers.

At the end of the race, the winning one wave to the viewers with its trunk and is offered sugarcane and banana leafs!

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit cheap hotel in Vietnam or for travel insurance visit Vietnam hotels.

Not only olympic games

2008 offers many reasons why one should pack up and catch a flight to Beijing.

The 2008 Olympics are for sure a world-wide event attracting thousands and thousands of visitors. Let’s see how the Government will adjust together the 15 millions citizens with the foreign human flood in hot and humid August…

For sure is not the best time to go. And somehow we perceive a kind of contradiction between the sport ethic of fair play.. and the human right deception China is constantly trying to mask. Luckily impossible in its 100%.

Further reasons why this metropolis is worth a visit are to be discovered in its past rather then in its present. From Chinese mythic bicycles, to Tai-Chi practice, tea houses and old hutongs or special foot massages you will have a glance of what the Chinese Republic is and was.

To escape from the mass touristy attractions, entertainment, anonymous luxury accommodations and expensive cliché, or simply to hide away from the city smog and confusion there are a few things that someone can do to discover some Beijing traditional pearls.

Fragrant Hills, in the north-western corner of Beijing, is a good place for weekend outings and picnics. Formerly a Qing imperial garden, today Fragrant Hills makes an easy short climb in the suburbs of Beijing. It's also home to the Fragrant Hills Hotel, designed by I.M. Pei (Louvre Museaum Pyramid). Take buses 331, 726 to the last stop. ¥10, students ¥5. From here, if you like green, have a visit to the Botanical Garden, next door.

Steps away from the east gate of Fragrant Hill, Beijing Botanical Gardens offer acres of greenery and flowers where Sir Johnston, teacher of the last emperor Puyi, had a villa in Cherry Glen, a silent and beautiful retreat in the Gardens. In the spring, the gardens hosts special exhibits of tulips, peach, plum blossoms and peonies. Buses 331, 726. ¥10, students ¥5.

A smart cool place to visit, not so common among tourists, is the 798 Art Zone, a part of the Chaoyang District. A thriving artist community set among 50-year old decommissioned military factory buildings of unique architectural style. It is often compared with New York's Greenwich Village or SoHo, but faces impending destruction from the forces driving Beijing's urban sprawl.

The Hutong Villages of Beijing most represent the traditional housing of Chinese locals. Some of the streets in the Qianmen Hutong have a history of about 500 years, with unchanged street layouts. The Hutongs are the perfect place to get a glimpse of Chinese daily life. Unfortunately, the majority of Hutongs have been demolished to make space for modern buildings. However some of them are still well preserved and converted in lodgings for tourists. They offer the warmest atmosphere you can imagine while keeping the traditional architecture, decoration and style. Hutongs are considered very valuable and are popular to some kind of tourists. If you can transform an attraction into a place where you can rest, and live for a while as you were in XIX century, well, maybe this is the best way to experience Beijijng.

Many of the hutongs have been transformed in youth hostels often run by former European travellers that decided to stop their run, save this enchanted peaceful places and establish a business. They offer all the comforts you can expect on private rooms decorated with taste and making use of traditional colours and red-wax piece of furniture. All rooms, as in traditional hutongs, face an inner secret garden well kept and decorated with marble statues and plants.

And finally, how would you move around these typical Hutong Villages? Rickshaws that can weave in and out of their narrow streets are the answer. But for a more personalized and traditional approach to this Country of bicycles, (the so called Bike kingdom) we recommend you rent a bike a healthy, environmentally friendly, convenient, economical, safe and fun means of travel transportation and recreation! China truly is producing and using more bicycles than any other nation in the world. Cycling in China is a kind of life style for the Chinese people. Don’t forget that in the traffic and in the narrow alleys of the Hutongs bikes are the best means to explore the city and is a super-individual way of transport by your own pace! There are some companies like The Bicycle Kingdom.com to rent your own bike.

So what are you waiting for? See the Olympics in the freshness of your home with a beer and some friends and let other melt in the “smoggy sun”. Experience Beijing in Springtime.

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit hostel Beijing or for travel insurance visit backpackers in Beijing.

How to get around China’s second largest city, Beijing

Nowadays, with a population of 15 millions of people that live and gravitate around it, Beijing is China's second largest city after Shanghai.

Whereas Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in the economic field, Peking is widely recognized as the political, educational and cultural centre of the Country, with a jurisdiction over 18 districts and counties. To get around this metropolis you might find useful these brief suggestions on public transports once you land there.

Public Bus and trolley Bus: you need to keep in mind some numbers. Buses Nos. 1-200 and trolley buses run in the city ( 1 yuan per person); buses Nos. 201-212 run at night; buses Nos. 300-599 go to the suburbs, charging according to the distance covered. Air conditioned buses starting with n. 8 are charged according to the distance covered. They usually run through the bustling streets. Buses starting with n. 6 go to the residential areas…and so on. (for details see bjbus.com).

Beijing Capital International Airport (010 645 63 604) is one of China's major gateways. It is 28 km from the city centre, about 40 minutes' ride by car. Taxi costs about 100 yuan.

There are 4 railways stations in the city: Beijing Railway Station (ph. 5101 99 99), Beijing West (the largest; ph: 5182 6253), South (ph: 63030031) and North Railway stations. Passengers may buy train tickets from the ticket offices 10 days in advance or book by phone ( ph. 010- 51827188 from 9am-9pm every day) or internet (036.com.cn ) 5 to 11 days in advance.

There are 3 different types of taxi charges (1.2, 1.6, and 2 yuan per kilometer) and they are very convenient to explore the city. ( Call the taxi centre: 010- 683 73399)

Subway: 4 lines criss-cross the city of Beijing . Line 1, Line 2, Line 13 and Batong line. The latter two are city rails. They run from 5am till approximately 10 or 11 in the night. Subway entrances feature a gray cement structure with a symbolized lamp box. A one-way ticket is about 3-5 yuan.

Bikes and bikes! As always we cannot avoid mentioning a healthy, environmentally friendly, convenient, economical, safe and fun means of travel transportation and recreation! The bike! China truly is the ‘Bicycle Kingdom’, producing and using more bicycles than any other nation in the world. Cycling in China is a kind of life style for the Chinese people. Don’t forget that in the traffic and in the narrow alleys of the Hutongs bikes are the best means to explore the city and is a super-individual way of transport by your own pace! Try companies like The Bicycle Kingdom to rent your own bike.

Also, to avoid long stressful researches on where to go and what to do, here we have highlighted for you some of the central Beijing districts divided by main interest. Haidian District is home of China's Silicon Valley -Zhongguancun- and 39 universities including Beijing, Tsinghua and Renmin Universities, so basically good for shopping feaver. Xuanwu District is a good area for everything related to traditional medicine whilst the Chaoyang District is the 798 Art District and flea market district. Dongcheng District is an area where many nice backpackers youth hostels are located. Just to mention some names: the 9 dragons youth hostel, Beijing City Central youth Hostel, the Courtyard Hotel, Beijing Harbour Inn Hostel, the Saga youth Hostel, the Beijing New Dragon Hostel.

Xicheng District hosts some public parks as the Beihai park, Jingshan Park, Yuetan Park and the Beijing Zoo. In the area the famous Zhongnanhai and the popular Houhai bar . If you like this ‘green’ area, we also suggest a very nice boutique value hotel nested in an hold traditional hutong called the Spring Garden Courtyard Hotel. A hotel in a Chinese traditional, deluxe courtyard, comprises a autumn and a spring garden offering a unique cultural connotation. In fact, each of the rooms introduces you to the life of different distinguished emperors in Chinese history and the dynasties that they lived in. In the multifunction hall, there are approximately one hundred photos with English translations depicting Beijing (Peking) past. These include places of interest, culture, religion, and every day life in the city. There is also a staff member available to answer questions and explain the 800 years of Beijing history).

Other central location districts are: Fengtai District; Shijingshan District; Chongwen District.

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit B&B Beijing or for travel insurance visit accommodation in Beijing.

Hints for you Beijing shopping fever

The opening up of Beijing to the West has had a profound impact on shopping. A wide range of consumer goods – both local and imported – are now available and there are many bargains to be found throughout the city.

Remember: most shops are open daily 9am-8pm . There is no sales tax in China.
Do not forget that haggle is essential especially in touristy markets and shopping areas for common items. Starting your bargain at least with 1/3 of the price…still sounds good whilst keeping the “walking-away technique” as your last chance to get the lowest price!

The main shopping area is around Wangfujing Dajie and XiDan, where there are a number of department stores, including the Beijing Department Store, which primarily caters for the Chinese market whilst ZhongGuanCun, often dubbed 'China's Silicon Valley', continues to be a centre for electronics and computer-related industries. In other words Zhong Guan Cun (中关村）is a must! You can find almost everything from speakers to computer parts at an astonishingly low price. It is located just a couple miles from Tsinghua University. Avoid vendors inviting in their shops. Remember that there is a lack of standards in these items and there’s no ‘return policy’.

So at least don’t pay too much. Regarding pirated CDs and DVDs, you can get them for not more than 5 to 10 Yuan. Although quality is not too high, at least make sure you are buying the English version! Look for this: '英文' = yingwen. But maybe one of the best suggestions we can give you is for you to exercise ‘collective shopping’!! It works quite well!! If you are with friends, try buying things at the same time. Vendors are ‘obliged’ to make discounts!

If you wish to buy where Chinese buy, with the best prices, almost no need to bargain and a lot of genuine goods, try the clothing market in Xizhi Men, next to the Zoo. Once there look for the new giant building standing just in front and walk behind it.

Is you wish to buy silk then reach SanLiTun YaShou Market (58, Gongti Beilu) with good prices and not so popular among tourists as the Silk Street (8 East Xiushui Street Jianguo Men Wai Dajie).

If you need very cheap items for your trip, see the leading Outdoor Gear Stores Sanfo located in different areas of the Beijing. (Try at Building 4, Entrance 5, Nancun, Madian. Take metro 2 to Zhishuitan; or bus 315, 344 or 345 to Madian. The store is located southside of Bei Sanhuan, west of Madian intersection. Or other departments at Jinzhiqiao Dasha, Guomen, Chaoyang District).

Xidan Market (West of Tiananmen square): in the area around the subway station there are several large malls but there is also a market which is quite good! Remember that, especially in these markets, credit cards are not so extensively accepted. Anyways, this situation is getting better as the Olympics Games approach. Last but not least, be wary of fake money: there are a lot of counterfeit bills in circulation.

As saving money is a common traveller’s aim in order to experience as much as possible, accommodation is often an important voice. Dongcheng District is mostly a middle-class residential area hosting significant locations you’ll love to see: Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, Zhongshan Park and Ditan Park and the National Museum of China. In the same area there are quite a lot youth hostels for international backpackers. The 9 dragons youth hostel, the Beijing New Dragon Hostel, Beijing City Central youth Hostel, the Saga youth Hostel, the Courtyard Hotel, Beijing Harbour Inn Hostel are for sure some budget solutions.

We hopefully have been of any help and we wish you a fantastic shopping time in Beijing, China!

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit hotel Beijing or for travel insurance visit budget hotels Beijing.

Bikes and hutongs in beijing experience chinese tradition

Far from boring you with further historical news and information, remember that this year would be particularly expensive to head to China’s capitals, unless you are particularly fond of sports.

On this matter, we pass you the sarcastic truth of a vignette published this week on the Internazionale magazine where someone says “China is highly developed in many things, but not in human rights To say ‘all that glitters is not gold…

In any case Beijing has a lot to offer either for first time visitors, either for veterans.

If you are among the ones that can choose the period to travel to Beijing, be aware that it is exposed to a continental monsoon climate with clear-cut seasons. Best time to go is during Autumn with generous sunshine and fewer tourists are in town. Locals describe this short season as tiangao qishuang - literally 'the sky is high and the air is fresh”. Spring is less pleasant - not many tourists but lots of wind and dust.

Some of the best activities one can indulge in can be the following:
- renting a bicycle and discovering some of the latest preserved hutongs.
- getting into a vision of early morning Tai Chi practitioner at the ‘divine’ Temple of Heaven starting their day.
- relaxing on an un-expensive foot massage
-seeing a Beijing opera in a typical Tea House

Last tip that can make you say “wow, this article rocks!” concerns very special lodgings you can experience. Maybe not everyone knows that the word hutongs (from the Mongolian hottog meaning "water well’) are narrow streets or alleys formed by lines of ‘siheyuan’, traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods were formed by joining one siheyuan to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. The word hutong is also used to refer to such neighbourhoods. In these days hutongs are used to guest travellers and tourists. They will fascinate you with their décor, atmosphere and pieces of furniture.

Usually, as the traditional architecture imposed, guests rooms face an inner secret garden decorated with marble statues, ponds or fountains and plants. Some hutongs have been transformed in boutique hotels, some others keep the price on a budget and are classified as youth hostels. Just to mention some: the Saga Hostel, the Shongtang hotel, the 9 Dragon hostel, the Houhai Youth hostel, the Temple Side hutong hostel, the Hutongren or Autumn Garden Hotel. They are all well run and will make your stay better.

Following the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, many of the old hutongs were demolished and disappeared, replaced by the high rises and wide boulevards of today’s Beijing. Some of Beijing’s ancient hutongs still stand as more recently they have been designated as protected areas in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history. The hutongs in the vicinity of the Bell Tower and Shichahai Lake are especially well preserved and attracts many tourists.

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit Beijing Guest houses or for travel insurance visit hostelling in Beijing.

Beijing or peking what is the difference

Beijing literally means northern capital, a role it has played many times in Chinas long history and in line with the common east Asian tradition whereby capital cities are explicitly named as such. Another Chinese city similarly named is NanJing, meaning south capital.

At times in history, the capital was declared to be NanJing rather than BeiJing, according to whether the then current powerbase lay to the north or south of China.

Emperor Wu was the first to declare the site of Beijing as the capital in 1057 BC. Subsequently, the city has gone by the names of Ji, ZhongDu, Dadu, then finally Beijing when the name was chosen by the Ming Dynasty Emperor ChengZu in 1421. Before 1949, Beijing was known as Peking by the Western world. Beijing was once again the capital only when Mao ZeDong declared the Peoples Republic of China on October 1st 1949.

Beijing first served as the capital of a (more or less) united China in 1264 when Kublai Khans victorious Mongol forces set up the city of Dadu (Great Capital) to rule their new empire, from a northern location closer to the Mongol homelands. After the fall of the Mongol Yuan dynasty in 1368, the capital was moved back to Nanjing, but in 1403, the 3rd Ming emperor Zhu Di moved it to Beijing again and also gave the city its present name.

This was Beijings golden era: the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and many other Beijing landmarks were built at this time. Beijing remained the capital into the Qing era and into the revolutionary ferment of the early 1900s, but in the chaos following the abdication of the last Emperor, Beijing was beset by fighting warlords. The Kuomintang thus moved the capital to Nanjing again in 1928, renaming Beijing as Beijing ("Northern Peace") to emphasize that it was no longer a capital. However, the Kuomintang was eventually defeated by the Communists, who in 1949 proclaimed the Peoples Republic of China with its capital at Beijing.

Beijing is divided in 18 districts. Some central Beijing districts are Haidian District (home of Chinas Silicon Valley -Zhongguancun- and 39 universities including Beijing, Tsinghua and Renmin Universities); Chongwen District; Xuanwu District ( for traditional medicine); Chaoyang District (Art District and flea market district); Xicheng District and Dongcheng District. The last two ones are very nice areas where you can find some public parks and green areas and boutique hotels nestled in hold traditional hutongs ( like the Spring Garden Courtyard Hotel) in the former or a lot of youth hostels for international backpackers in the latter.

The 9 dragons youth hostel, the Saga youth Hostel, the Courtyard Hotel, Beijing Harbour Inn Hostel, the Beijing New Dragon Hostel, Beijing City Central youth Hostel are just some of them.

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit Beijing lodging or for travel insurance visit accommodation in Beijing.

First Serve and Honor your internal customers –your employees ; business and customers will come naturally.

You are in the service industry, your team drives hard to meet timelines to deliver the proposal. Long hours put in, week ends sacrificed, numerous statistics collated, hard-hitting brain storming sessions pursued, and the graphics department meticulously and tediously worked though the presentation slides. At last it’s done; we now await the final outcome. The anxiousness can be seen on all their faces. Then the news arrive, ‘Ms MD , we are pleased to inform you that our board has approved your proposal’. Those were the much awaited words that the team has been waiting for. Everyone celebrated with joy…

Is this a culture in your organization? Does the team spirit exist? Do they sacrifice their leisure, weekends and after working hours for the company? In this company, the excitements happen all over again in the next proposal submission.

How do you make the team tick?

First do you know the make of Service teams? What drives them to serve your company with such dedication? These are issues which must be first considered even before, working on a reward policy.

The Color Brain Communication Inventory (CBCI), and the Human Drivers Assessement researched and developed by the founder of Directive Communications Mr Arthur F Camazzi, helps organization to ‘assess’ the make of teams and /or other available resources to identify their suitability . The methods when followed through will save organizations much tangible and intangible cost.

· First, Review the make of the existing service team.

Do you have the right mix of members in the service teams? Are there leaders who are ‘green’ brain individuals who will lead the team to deliver the goods on time, are there members who are into details that will provide the quality control? Are there ‘red brain’ individuals with the right focus, purpose and attention and necessary to get the team back on track with all the distractions while on project mode? Do you have people who are versatile especially in hearing others out and are able to play the different roles?

· Then, Show Respect and Empower them.

Companies that deliver exceptional service, employs exceptional employees.

However do you know your employees well? Are they willing to take on the responsibility that has been entrusted to them? How would you know? The key is in knowing what ‘drives’ them. If your front line service employees are driven by excellence, you are on the right track. Employees driven by excellence will do what is necessary to deliver- they are ever ready to be empowered. However, employees driven by security and compliance may ‘freak-out’ if entrusted with empowerment.

· Lastly, Reward them graciously.

No body works for free. Establish a progressive reward system. Just as we mentioned individuals are driven differently, so are their needs for rewards. Ask your employees what returns drive them, not all are excited over monetary gain immediately. Those with children would rather nest their trust funds; the younger generations would need the extra cash to lavish on luxury items while the veterans would like a trip for their pilgrimage, etc. How you treat, honor and value your internal customers-will reflect on how you serve your external customers. They are watching!

Passion Written by Aziah A Bakar, The Service Banker, Putting the ^ of Service in Financial Services, The writer can be reached at aziah@theservicebankerl.com. Dated …

New Psychology based Modular Training system that gets Measurable Results in Less Time, makes Dollars and Sense

One of the difficulties training and HR managers face, is planning their training and development with limited time availability of employees and getting cost effective, yet EFFECTIVE results. It is easy to get inexpensive training in the saturated Malaysian market, but to what avail? If the training does not conceive measurable results, is it even worth the time OR money? But on the other hand, the high end internationally recognized training providers are NOT CHEAP.

But one international organisation has…

…FOUND THE EFFECTIVE TRAINING REMEDY with its DC Psychology based modular training system.

Traditionally training for leadership, customer service, communication, project management… is all separately conducted and all using independent methodologies. The result is that people cannot fully understand each other’s roles and how those roles can connect to achieve Cooperative and competent execution of a common goal.

Directive Communication International (Asia) has a new philosophy when applying its Directive Communication Psychology based training: “One Language, One Vision” They have set an HRDF accepted system to solve cross-organisational implementation and result measurement.

How it works

When an organisation is trained in the Fundamental DC Methodology with a 2 day course, they are primed to take on “Application Modules” that only last 1 day (instead of the traditional 2days). This not only saves time and money, but puts everyone in the company on the same page. These application modules are executed by internationally renowned experts in each field who are accredited DC Psychology practitioners.

“This program has been implemented in Fortune 500 companies around the world with exceptional results” says Lily Lau, Directive Communication Practitioner specializing in Cultural Diversity.

Martin Le Roux, Manager Planning, Projects & Development for Emirates Hotels & Resorts said "This program has far exceeded our expectations, it has managed to achieve more in 2 weeks what we have he been trying to implement for the past 6 months. It has added a new dynamic in the whole approach to establishing a service culture.”

The Founder Comments

“The process develops leaders at all levels, disciplines and departments through a common Psychological perception that allows personal and organizational alignment. Employees and managers not only gain the ability to learn complementary skills to apply expertise synergistically, but gain confidence and attitude to take charge of the End Result, and not just in their specific job function" says Arthur F. Carmazzi, the principal founder of Directive Communications Methodology.

For more information on the Directive Communication Methodology, training or culture change programs and how they create measurable results in different types of organisations, please contact: Marcie@directivecommunication.com

For Immediate Release
For more Hi-Res Pictures or interviews opportunities, please contact:
Marcie Coldwell
PR Manager – Directive Communication International ( Asia ) Pte Ltd
Tel : +62 361 977 536
Email : Marcie@directivecommunication.com
www.directivecommunication.com

Mediaset Board Meeting 11 March 2008 - Approval for 2007 result

APPROVAL FOR 2007 RESULTS
Consolidated results
Net revenues: €4,082.1 million
Operating profit: €1,149.0 million
Net profit: €506.8 million
Proposed dividend of €0.43 per share

Italy
Advertising revenues grow: +1,1%
Television costs: -0,8%
Mediaset Premium: revenues more than double
Ratings: Mediaset confirms leadership
in the 15-64-year-old audience
Canale 5 Italy’s most popular channel

Spain
Operating profitability: 44.9%
Ratings: Telecinco Spain’s leading channel
The Board of Directors of Mediaset, which met today under the Chairmanship of
Fedele Confalonieri, has approved the annual report for 2007 of Mediaset SpA and
the consolidated annual report of the Mediaset Group for the year ended 31
December 2007.

MEDIASET GROUP: CONSOLIDATED RESULTS
• The consolidated net revenues of the Mediaset Group grew by 8.9% to reach
€4,082.1 million, compared with the €3,747.6 million of 2006.
• The group’s EBIT rose to €1,149.0 million, an increase of 10.8% compared with
the previous year (€1,036.6 million).
• Operating profitability rose to 28.1% from the 27.7% of 2006 and is, at a
consolidated level, the best performance among listed continental broadcasters.
• net profit attributable to the Group, after taxation, came to €506.8 million (€505.5
million in 2006) despite marked non-recurring increase in the tax rate, resulting
from the introduction of new fiscal norms.
• the Group’s consolidated net financial position went from -€568,3 million at 31
December 2006 to -€1,208.9 million at 31 December 2007. The increase in
indebtedness was mainly the result of investments made in the third quarter (of
€628 million) for the acquisition of the Medusa Group and the capitalisation of the
investment vehicle established for the acquisition of Endemol, as well as the
distribution of dividends by the parent company and the Telecinco subsidiary (for a
total of €644.7 million).
• During the period the group’s net cash generation came to €666.0 million, up
from the €363.6 million of the previous year.
It should be noted that companies acquired during the year have been consolidated
from July 2007. The companies of the Medusa Group have been fully consolidated
while the 33.3% stake held in the consortium that controls the Endemol Group,
through Mediacinco, is consolidated on a net equity basis.
A BREAKDOWN OF RESULTS BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA
Italy
• consolidated net revenues in 2007 came to €3,002.1 million, an increase of
9.1% on the previous year (€2,751.5 million). The increase is the result of a
positive contribution by Publitalia, increased revenues from the pay-per-view
activities of Mediaset Premium, network operator activities and the consolidation
of the revenues of the Medusa Group.
Gross television advertising sales came to €2,880.6 million, an increase of
1.1% on 2006 at the end of a year that saw a constant progression, culminating in
the extraordinary performance of the last three months in which there was doubledigit
growth in advertising revenues.
Mediaset Premium generated revenues of €225.9 million more than double
those of 2006 (€107.8 million). During 2007 more than 2.3 million new rechargeable
cards were sold, as well as 6.3 million re-charges. Mediaset
Premium’s revenue from the sale of encrypted football rights to other platforms
amounted to €94.3 million.
• EBIT rose to €663.8 million, compared with €597.1 million in 2006 (+11.2%).
• Total television costs saw a fall of -0.8% compared with 2007.
• Pre tax profit rose from €569.1 million in 2006 to €608.0 million for 2007.
• Net profit came to €330.8 million, down from the €347.2 million of 2006 due to
the abovementioned non-recurring effect of the tax rate.

• The economic impact of the recent acquisitions (Medusa and Endemol) have
already proved positive, net of acquisition costs.
Ratings: in 2007 Mediaset channels confirmed their national leadership across all
time bands among viewers in the 15 to 64 year-old age range (the commercial
target): Mediaset recorded ratings of 42.9% in prime time and 43.0% across the 24-
hours.
Canale 5 is Italy’s most popular channel in the commercial target with a 23.5% share
in prime time and 22.6% across the 24-hours.
Spain
• during 2007 the consolidated net revenues generated by the Telecinco Group
grew to €1,081.6 million from the €997.6 million recorded in 2006.
• operating profit (EBIT) rose to €485.2 million from the €439.6 million of 2006
(+10.4%).
• operating profitability increased to 44.9% (44.1% in 2006).
• pre-tax profit rose to €487.4 million, from the €450.6 million of the previous year.
• net profit came to €353.1 million, an increase on the €314.3 million of 2006.
• Ratings: Telecinco consolidated its position as Spain’s most popular channel with
a 20.9% share in prime time and 20.3% across the 24-hours.
RESULTS OF THE PARENT COMPANY: MEDIASET S.p.A.
The parent company Mediaset S.p.A. ended the year 2007 with a net profit of €481.6
million, after making amortizations and depreciations for a total of €14.1 million.
DIVIDEND PROPOSAL
The Board of Directors agreed to propose to the Company’s Annual General Meeting,
to be held on April 15, on first calling, or, if necessary, on second calling, on April 16
2008, a dividend of €0.43 per share, the same as that for the previous year
The dividend will be payable from 22 May 2008, with coupons detachment from 19
May 2008 (Coupon N°. 12).

FORECAST FOR THE YEAR
For the current year, the company expects to be able to improve its consolidated net
profit with respect to 2007. The scale of the improvement will mainly depend on the
rate of growth in advertising revenues in the two main markets, and the effects of
higher financial charges and an improvement in the tax rate, following a reduction in
rates in both Italy and Spain.
Italy
• In the first two months of 2008, gross advertising revenues for Mediaset’s
channels confirmed the positive trend that began in the closing months of 2007,
with an increase of around 5% compared with the same period of the previous
year.
• At the end of the first two months of 2008, Mediaset channels confrmed their
leadership position in the commercial target (15-64 year-olds) with an average
share of 42.7% across the 24-hours and 42.5% in prime time. Canale 5
remained Italy’s most popular channel with a prime time share of 23.3% and
Italia 1 remained in thrid place with 11.8%.
• The excellent performance of Mediaset Premium continues and as of 5 March
active clients had grown to 2,420,000, compared with 2,067,000 on 31
December 2007, an increase of 353,000 clinets in just two months.
Spain
• In Spain, Telecinco maintained its position as the most popular channel in the
first two months of the year, both in the daily average and in prime time,
consolidating its undisputed leadership in the commercial target across all of
the time bands.

SHARE BUY BACKS
The Board of Directors of Mediaset will ask the forthcoming AGM to renew authorisation to effect share buy backs in order to pursue, in the interests of the company, the aims foreseen by relevant regulations, including:
a) the availability of shares to be sold to employees of the company, its subsidiaries and
holding, as part of the Stock Option Plan for 2003-2005 and 2006-2008;
b) to conduct operations for trading, coverage or arbitrage purposes.
c) conduct investment operations in liquidity.

Given the importance of operating in the company’s shares, the Board of Directors has agreed that it will ask the shareholders for the cancellation of shares in the portfolio only when the total reaches 10% of the share capital, Buy back operations will be conducted in accordance with Artt. 2357 ff. of the Civil Code, Art.
132 of D. Lgs. 58/98, Art. 144-bis of the Consob Regulations implementing the legislative decree of 24 February 1998, n. 58, regarding the regulation of issuers and all other applicable norms, including those of the Directive 2003/6 and relative national and European norms.

The company’s current share capital of €614,238,333.28, is divided into 1,181,227,564
ordinary shares and, on 11 March 2008 the company had in its portfolio. 44,825,000 shares, corresponding to 3.79% of the share capital; Mediaset’s subsidiary companies do not hold shares in the parent company.

The proposal foresees the attribution to the Board of Directors of the power to buy, also through options trading or financial instruments and derivatives of Mediaset stock, up to a maximum of 118,122,756 and, in any case, within the legal limit, of ordinary company shares with a nominal value of €0.52 each (equal to 10% of the company’s share capital), in one or more operations, up until the approval of the Company’s Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2008, and, in any case, for a period of not more than 18 months from the date of Shareholders’ approval. The above sum is guaranteed by existing reserves from the last approved balance sheet.

Buy back operations will follow the following procedure:
i) buy backs destined to facilitate the Stock Option Plans for 2003/2005 and
2006/2008, must be made on the listing Stock Exchange at a price that is not
greater than the reference price of the stock on the day prior to each single
operation and not less than 20% less than the price recorded by the stock on the
day prior to each single operation.

ii) any other eventual buy backs must be made on the listing stock exchange
according to the procedures foreseen by Art 144- bis b) and c) of the Regulations
for Issuers at a price not greater than 20% and not less than 20% of the reference
price of the stock on the day before any such operation. Such parameters are
considered adequate to identify the range of value within which any acquisition is in
the interest of the company.

iii) The Shareholders will also be asked to authorise, as per Art: 2357 ter of the Civil Code, the Board of Directors, within the terms of the law and norms that may be introduced from time to time, and the regulations issued by Borsa Italiana and in conformity with relevant European norms, to:

a) transfer company shares acquired on the basis of the present authorisation, or already
held in the portfolio, to employees of the company, its subsidiaries or holding, for the
exercise of options to buy such shares held by the said employees at the prices, on
the terms and in the manner foreseen by the conditions of each of the Stock Option
Plans for 2003/2005 and 2006/2008. The present authorisation applies to the period of
validity established by the stock option plans;
b) transfer company shares acquired on the basis of the present authorisation, or already
held in the portfolio, in the following alternative procedures:
i) in cash; in such cases, sales will be effected on the listing stock exchange and/or off
market, at a price of not less than 90% of the reference price of the stock on the day
before any such operation;
ii) by trading, exchange, contribution or other operations, in the context of industrial plans
or extraordinary financial operations. In such cases, the economic terms of the
transfer, including the evaluation of the shares that are involved in the exchange, will
be determined with the assistance of independent adjudicators, given the nature and
the characteristics of the deal, also taking account of the market performance of
Mediaset shares.
The authorisation as at b) above is agreed for a period of not more than 18 months from the
date of the resolution.
STATUTORY MODIFICATIONS
In order to bring the company statute into line with the Transparency Directive (legislative
decree n° 195 of 6 November 2007), the board of directors will propose to the annual general
meeting the completion of modifications to the statute relating to shareholders’ meetings and
the regulation of management and control boards.
Of note among the changes are the terms for the calling of shareholders’ meetings and the
harmonisation of the procedures for the presentation and voting of lists for the board of
directors with those for the board of statutory auditors.
The executive responsible for the preparation of the Mediaset S.p.A. accounts, Andrea
Goretti, declares that, as per para. 2 art. 154-bis, of the Single Finance Bill, that the
accounting information contained in this press release corresponds to that contained in the
company’s books.

Cologno Monzese, 11 March 2008

Department of Corporate Communications and Image
Tel. +39 0225149156
Fax +39 0225149286
e-mail: ufficiostampa@mediaset.it
www.mediaset.it/corporate/

Investor Relations Department
Tel. +39 0225147008
Fax +39 0225148535
e-mail: ir@mediaset.it
http://www.mediaset.it/investor

Dulce-Amargo: Jackie’s ode to the Mexican people

Over the two years, 2008 and 2009, Jackie Sleper will have various solo exhibitions at museums in Mexico, curated by Matty Roca.

At the beginning of 2008 Jackie Sleper , the winner of the section “Sculpture and Installation” at the Florence Biennale 2007, will go to Mexico for several solo exhibitions curated by Matty Roca, commencing with the Museo de la Cultura Maya de Chetumal. For these exhibitions, the Dutch artist has realized a series of works inspired by and dedicated to Frida Kahlo and to Mexico.

Jackie Sleper has always been fascinated by Mexico and it’s artist Frida Kahlo, for whom she has a profound admiration. In 2005, she received an invitation from Matty Roca, art historian and President of the Council for Arts and Culture in Cancun to depict her vision of Mexico. Over the course of two years Jackie Sleper, together with her husband and children, spent many months in the country, where she created many of her works. Jackie says: “Matty became a dear friend. She showed me Mexico. I took in everything around me, spoke with lots of people and, especially, got a sense of the country. My previous love of Mexico only grew stronger. In March my work will be travelling to various museums in Mexico – something I would never have dared dream of as a child. I feel like I am on top of the world. This is the link that completes the chain.’

Her modern works are at times reminiscent of Rivera, Orozco, Tamayo and Pollock. Jackie Sleper assumes absolute freedom in applying various techniques and introducing experimental elements: her work is characterised by combinations of photography and painting, and the use of mixed media. In addition to paintings, Jackie creates objects that incorporate a variety of multiple materials, which she transforms into wholly new and surprising concepts. The artist allows her work to be guided by a profound sense of humanism, and she’s depicted as an artist in the truest sense of the word: her work has always been grounded in her exploration of human existence and the significance behind it.

Matty Roca: “I have been able to witness Jackie Sleper’s development – as a photographer, painter and sculptor – at first hand. Every painting is an intensely personal creation and expression, presenting the world as she perceives it. She is sensitive, intense, mysterious and subtle, but also possesses a cast-iron personality. Above all, she knows exactly what she wants. She conveys her personality with exceptional clarity, so that she is comprehensible for one and all.”

Jackie Sleper was born in Amsterdam and studied at the Utrecht Academy for Visual Arts. Between 1988 and 1995 she spent time in Ireland, Spain and Prague for study purposes. Works produced in her home country, the Netherlands, include a tile plateau in honour of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, commissioned by the municipality of Utrecht, and ‘light objects’ for the Kruisheren Hotel, a design establishment that opened in Maastricht in 2005. Outside the Netherlands, she has exhibited in Antwerp (Art-Event), Stockholm (Art Fair), Marbella (Marb Art – Feria Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo), Geneva (Europ’Art), Klagenfurt (Biennale Austria), Salzburg (Mozart Festival), Florence (Museo Diocesano and Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea), Milan (Studio D’Ars), New York (Carrozzini Von Buhler Gallery and CVB Space), and in Mexico. One of her works, Modestia, was exhibited during La Biennale di Venezia, at Open 2007. She won the 1st prize for “Sculpture and Installation” at the Florence Biennale 2007.

CALENDAR MEXICO 2008 (dates to be confirmed):

• 6 March - 30 April
  Museo de la Cultura Maya de Chetumal
  Av de los Héroes y Calle Mahatma Gandhi,
  Chetumal , (Mexico)
• 8 May - 20 June
  Museo de la Isla de Cozumel
  Av. Rafael E. Melgar entre 4 y 6 Ote.
  Cozumel, Quintana Roo
• 3 July - 25 August
  Museo de Arte Moderno de Gòmez Palacios.
  Londres y Lisboa
  Col. El Campestre
• 4 September - 23 October
  Museo Palacio Pedro de Alvarado
  Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua
• 6 November - December (closing date TBC)
  Museo del Aguacate
  Durango

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Jackie Sleper
website: http://www.jackiesleper.com

Images:
You can also see images of Jackie’s artworks at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dulceyamargo

For journalists only:
High resolution files of these images or other press related information can be requested directly from the press office:
Vito Abba, press officer
Studio Abba - Corso Italia, 6 - 50123 Florence, Italy
info@studioabba.com
www.studioabba.com

Other images and further information are available at:
http://www.dulceyamargo.com/

It will be possible to follow the various stages of “Dulce y amargo” thanks to the information and images that will be posted on www.dulceyamargo.com.
Visitors to Jackie’s exhibitions in Mexico, can also upload photos taken during the exhibitions on flicker and share them with
http://www.flickr.com/groups/dulceyamargo
At the end of the exhibition series, the authors of the three photos that Jackie likes most, will each receive a signed lithograph of one of her works.

For general comments contact:
dulceyamargo@yahoo.com

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