China Youth Daily: Why is Learning Magic Tricks So Popular in China?

　　Chinese magician Liu Qian's mind-blowing performance at the 2009 CCTV Spring Festival gala has sparked a nationwide fervor for learning magic。

　　According to an online survey launched by Beijing's China Youth Daily, nearly 90 percent of those polled want to learn magic ricks。

　　The paper filed an article explaining why learning magic is gaining popularity in China。

　　In the article, Cai Mingfei, who started a campus magic club in Beijing, said that learning one or two magic trick can make a person more charming。

　　Qin Mingxiao, a famous magician in China, says the development of magic is tied to the progress of China's economy, culture and technology。

　　Nowadays, people are willing to learn magic tricks for fun because they have more spare cash than before, he is quoted as saying.Wang Shuixiong, a sociology professor at Beijing's Renmin University, said that magic has been commercialized through marketing methods, further increasing its popularity。

　　Simulating Olympic Champion---An Insult to Olympic Spirit?The operator of the iconic Bird's Nest, or the National Stadium has come up with a new idea to make the venue profitable after the Beijing Olympic Games。

　　Visitors can pay 120 yuan, or nearly 17 dollars to experience the feeling of winning an Olympic medal。

　　The experience includes wearing a Team China Olympic costume, standing on the podium to receive a bouquet and posing for a photo with a fake gold medal。

　　The tourist package has triggered debate among the public. Some people have expressed opposition by saying that the activity is an insult to the Olympic spirit。

　　However a commentary in the Beijing News says the impact is not as negative as what some people think。

　　The writer says, almost everyone adores the athletes who won glory at the stadium last summer. Many athletes fulfilled their dreams there. The "Olympic Champion" tour package just caters for common people's desire to be a success。

　　The article says the annual operation cost of the Bird's Nest is about 150 million yuan. It's quite reasonable for it to find new means to attract tourists. The only question is whether the charge for the service is reasonable。

　　Mexico Closes Schools in Capital City in Fear of the Spread of Swine Flu Mexico shut down schools, museums, libraries and state-run theaters across its capital Friday when at least 20 people died and more than 900 others fell ill from what could be a new strain of swine flu。

　　Jose Cordova, the Health Secretary of the country, said the school closure, the first of its kind since the city's devastating earthquake in 1985, is a preventive measure。

　　"We are facing a new influenza virus, which constitutes a respiratory epidemic, so far under control, whose symptoms are: fever over 39 degrees, which comes suddenly. Intense headache. Muscular and joint aches. Eye irritation and nasal drip."

　　The World Health Organization also raised its internal alert system on Friday, enabling the agency to divert more money and personnel to dealing with the outbreak。

　　The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said tests show some of the Mexico victims died from the same new strain of swine flu that sickened eight people in Texas and California。