March 2003

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SPRING HOLIDAY
Martisor-2003 was the 37th Spring Festival in Moldovan history. Minister of Culture Veaceslav Madan emphasized that representatives from over 13 different countries took part in the event. Preparations started long before the opening date with the government allocating 100 thousand lei from the state budget, commercial sponsors donating approximately 270 thousand lei, and the business people of Moldova contributing about 200 thousand lei. So much money has never been raised before.

From the capital Martisor moved to other towns and regions across the country. Residents of the most distant corners of Moldova had the opportunity to experience for themselves the arrival of this national holiday. The Minister of Culture invited many honored guests to Martisor including the Vice-President of Russia Valentina Matvienko and the Russian Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvidko following a recent cultural agreement between Moldova and Russia, and others such as the Minister of Culture of Azerbaidjan Polad Biul-Biul Ogli. Continued...

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Chinese Camellia
Cea-Cha-Thea
This is neither a game nor a magic spell. «Cea» what means «a young leaf» is the most common denomination of tea in China. However, it is pronounced differently in different Chinese provinces: «cha» or «thea». At the end of the 19th century the latter was taken as a basis for the botanical Latin name of tea (Thea). The English began to pronounce it as [ti:] while the French, the Dutch, the Spaniards and the Scandinavians as [te]. Continued...

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CHOLESTEROL… WHAT’S TO FEAR?
Bon Appetite!
Have you ever been about to take a big bite of your triple chocolate fudge cake when someone leaned over and said: “you had better watch your cholesterol”? And did you notice the earnestly anxious physiognomy of that young lady who started admonishing you against eating the very meal that just an instant ago made your mouth water and your stomach melt in anticipation? No matter how hungry and excited about the meal you may be, the vehement rant against cholesterol always seriously affects your appetite… So, is the lady right or is she simply misinformed and overly obsessed with ridiculous diets? Continued...

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SHOPPING DILEMMA
Over the last five years I’ve had the opportunity to witness an extraordinary increase in the number of shops and grocery stores round and around Chisinau. Enthusiastic entrepreneurs traveling to gain experience on what the world has to offer in terms of combining quality and good service in retail are now getting first signs of success in implementing that on Moldovan soil. Continued...