Do-it-yourself funeral kits go on sale in Japan

If funeral hall prices are killing you, this Nagano-based company wants to help make your final purchase an affordable one.

Do-it-yourself projects aren’t just fun, they’re financially rewarding too. When you consider all the things you can do yourself, it seems like you’re practically throwing your money away by paying someone else to build your furniture, repair your car, or hold your funeral, doesn’t it?

What’s that? You said you’ve never heard of anyone having a DIY funeral? To be honest, neither have we, but there’s now a company in Japan that’s offering to set customers up with a kit to let them handle the ceremony themselves.

Tsubasa, a funerary services company based in Nagano Prefecture, has begun taking orders for its new DIY Funeral Set. The set includes a wooden coffin, with a fold-open window to show the face of the deceased, as well as a pillow, mattress, and blanket. The package also provides an urn for ashes and a silver-accented box to hold the bones left over after cremation, as well as three furoshiki wrapping cloths. Finally, there’s a handbook that explains how to perform the ceremony’s rites to put the soul of the departed at ease.

Priced at 25,800 yen (US$240), the DIY Funeral Set is a major savings over the services of a professional funeral hall. Not that we’re planning on dying anytime soon, but a bit of online research shows that the average price of a funeral in Japan is somewhere around 2 million yen, so Tsubasa’s kit is a huge savings.

We should point out that the kit is only meant to give buyers what they need for the funeral ceremony itself. The handbook doesn’t teach you how to use cosmetics to prepare the deceased’s face, so you may still need to contact a mortician for that, and you’ll also need the services of a licensed crematorium after the ceremony.

Oh, and since SoraNes24 is deeply devoted to linguistics, we must also mention that the DIY Funeral Set is really a do-it-for-someone-else funeral kit, since no matter how industrious you are by the time it’s your turn to be the one in the casket, you’re really not going to be in any position to carry out the ceremony yourself.

But provided you’ve got a friend or family member who you think would be willing to do you one last favor, Tsubasa’s DIY Funeral Set can be ordered online.

Source: https://soranews24.com/

Thailand: Tropical bay from 'The Beach' to close until 2021

A Thai bay that was made famous by its appearance in the film The Beach is to remain closed until 2021.

Maya Bay, on the island of Phi Phi Leh, was temporarily closed last year after officials said a sharp rise in visitors had severely damaged the environment.

Before it closed, up to 5,000 people were visiting the bay every day and most of its coral died as a result.

Authorities have now extended the ban on visitors by two years to give more time for Maya Bay's ecology to recover.

The beach featured prominently in the 2000 film of that name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Since the bay closed last year, blacktip reef sharks have been sighted swimming in the waters of the bay.

Prof Thon Thamrongnawasawat, who advises the Thai department of national parks, told the BBC in January that when the park reopens the number of visitors will be restricted and boats will be banned from mooring within the bay's waters.

Local tourism operators have said they rely on the beach.

The head of the local tourism association, Wattana Rerngsamut, told AFP that there should be public hearings "so that local people can earn a living".

Source: www.bbc.com

Eni starts production from Jangkrik offshore Indonesia

Italian energy company Eni has kicked off gas production from its Jangkrik fields offshore Indonesia.

Eni said production from the fields would ramp up to 83,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The 10 wells are connected to the Jangkrik floating production unit.

From there, gas will be transported ashore through a 79kilometre long pipeline.

Eni chief executive Claudio Descalzi said: “We are very proud of what we have achieved with the Jangkrik Development Project.

“The completion of the project and the start-up of production ahead of schedule further confirm Eni’s strategy and global capabilities.

“Furthermore, it provides the opportunity for the Jangkrik Floating Production Unit to become a hub for the development of our nearby gas discovery Merakes, which could start production within the next two years.

“We will consolidate our near field exploration strategy and operating model and maximize the integrated development of our projects also in Indonesia.”

Eni is the operator with a 55% stake of the Muara Bakau PSC through its subsidiary Eni Muara Bakau BV.

The other partners are Engie E&P with 33.334% and PT Saka Energi Muara Bakau with 11.666%.

Source: www.energyvoice.com

Lotte World Tower opens in Seoul setting world records

After six years of construction, the 555-meter-tall (1,820 ft) Lotte World Tower opened in April, setting three world records and redefining the Seoul skyline.

Not only is it the tallest tower in South Korea and fifth highest in the world -- dwarfing the Korean capital's next highest building, Three IFC Office Tower, by nearly 300 meters -- it's also home to the highest glass-bottom observatory at 478 meters (1,568 ft).

But its most impressive feat?

The Lotte World Tower features the world's tallest and fastest double-decker elevator, the Sky Shuttle, which whisks passengers from the basement to the 121st-floor observation deck in one minute, or at 10 meters per second.

From the top of the half kilometer-tall tower, visitors can survey the edges of Seoul's vast urban sprawl and the mountainous terrain beyond -- only a handful of other skyscrapers in sight.

Lotte hired American elevator manufacturer the Otis Elevator Company to bring its double-deck Sky Shuttle to life.

Consisting of two attached cabins stacked on top of each other, it simultaneously carries passengers to separate floors. Other famous structures featuring this type of technology include the Canton Tower, in Guangzhou; the Petronas Towers, in Kuala Lumpur; the Eiffel Tower, in Paris; and the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai.

Boasting twice the capacity of a conventional elevator -- each cabin holds 52 passengers -- the tower's lift directly connects the basement and the observation deck, skipping the floors in between which are full of shopping complexes, offices, and even a "seven star" hotel.

"A double-deck elevator was used because the observatory would be crowded at certain times of day," Wonixuk Choi, manager of Lotte Corporation, tells CNN.

Inside the lift cabins, it feels like a video game -- 15 OLED displays offer a virtual tour of Seoul during the 60-second ride.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com

Iran leapfrogs Iraq as India's no. 2 oil supplier in February

India's oil imports from Iran rose nearly 17 percent in February from a month earlier as refiners received less crude from key OPEC producers Saudi Arabia and Iraq after an OPEC deal to cut output, shipping data showed on Monday.

The jump meant Iran replaced regional rival Iraq as India's second-biggest oil supplier - a role Tehran used to occupy before Western sanctions were imposed against it over the country's disputed nuclear program.

While Saudi Arabia remained the biggest oil supplier to India, ship tracking data and a report compiled by Thomson Reuters Oil Research and Forecasts showed imports from Iran rose to 647,000 barrels per day (bpd) in February. That was 16.7 percent more than January, and almost trebled from February 2016.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) pledged to curb production by about 1.2 million bpd from Jan. 1, the first cut in eight years, in a move designed to boost prices and drain a supply glut. Iran, Libya and Nigeria were, however, granted exemptions from the deal.

In the first 11 months of this fiscal year, between April and February, India imported about 542,400 bpd from Iran, compared to about 225,522 bpd for the same period a year ago. Average oil volumes supplied by Iran over this period were the highest on record.

In the first two months of 2017, India's oil imports from Iran averaged 598,400 bpd compared to about 192,500 bpd a year ago, the data showed.

Indian refiners including Reliance Industries Ltd, operator of the world's biggest refinery complex at Jamnagar, have returned as buyers of Iranian oil after having stopped imports from Iran during the sanctions period.

Meanwhile, India's February oil imports from Saudi Arabia and Iraq were nearly a third lower than the same month a year ago.

Nigerian oil supplies in February stood at 527,400 bpd, the data showed, a jump of 94 percent from the previous month. That meant the African nation emerged as the fourth-biggest oil supplier to India, displacing Venezuela.

The latter, witnessing a decline in production, is cutting supplies to India as it is fulfilling obligations under oil for loan deals with China and Russia.

Source: http://oilpro.com

Wat Sampran Dragon Temple in Nakorn Pathom Thailand

Wat Sampran Dragon Temple or Wat sampran Phutho-Phao-Wana is located at Sampran district in Nakorn Pathom province Thailand. Features of this temple is Red Building by the Dragon is surrounded the building. High outstanding, which can be seen from afar. This Building is a Buddhist monk where to stay, sphere 80 meters high as the age of the Buddha, There are 16 storey (for can to see it) as heaven 16 heavens.

This building allows visitors had only 2 floor (1 floor is basement for make The documentation of the temple). The 3-17 storey are the monks where to stay are not allowed to visit, unless the special chances of the temple only. About the red color. The Chinese believe that red Color of bringing fortune.  Thai people believe The color of sacrifice and unity. European believe Symbolized by the color of love Like a rose given to lover.

Dragons is meaning represent the strong, ascendancy high very halo are resolute, courage. Antique Chinese person used as a symbol of the Emperor. Dragon is entwined a the building the Buddhist monk from 1 story to 16 storey is meaning to The circulation of the low perspective to high perspective bores by take 108 with preaching by 108 monks to the nirvana in the heaven. Green dragon scales, gold bars is a peacefulness as a shade of the trees.

Fins and tail of the dragon is the compulsion,  poised to go the right direction and is a weapon for protect dangerous. Legs, fingers and nails dragon is moving towards the direction of greatness and captured, the braced, firmly without falling.

Inside temple area have Religious activities to the people to for practice Dharma. sample : a prayer, A prayer against the dragon, and the 12 zodiac. A prayer to the Lord Waitin, A coin toss in the pit Dragon. Throughout the shady walkway in the temple are a pilgrim’s footprint street model, Leads us to the important places inside the temple. Sample: walk to pass under the Elephant stomach, Couples Naga Bridge, Giant Turtle’s Buddha Hall, which is a tunnel and have Footprint model inside, when walking out, The walkway will lead us up to a hall to walk up to the fourth floor of Vegetarian hall.

Source: https://lifeseasiamagazine.com

Descendents gather for super-sized family photo

Extended family photos are not unusual in traditional Chinese families, but one this size is no ordinary feat. 

About 500 descendents of the same ancestor squeezed into a super-size family photo at a village in Shengzhou, a county-level city in East China's Zhejiang province, during the Spring Festival holiday. From the 25th to 31st generation, they were among 1,000 people surnamed Ren who reunited on Jan 31, 2017 in their hometown to celebrate their shared history and genealogy. [Photo/VCG]

Source:http://en.people.cn/