What's in the News

So... is there poison rain in Tianjin?

we'll know tonight... Beijing is about to get one hell of a downpour

In case anyone missed it:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/14/eyewitness-tianjin-china-chemical-explosion-video


/kaboom

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/21/chinese-authorities-investigate-mass-fish-death-near-tianjin-explosion-site

Authorities say that the dead fish are not related to the explosion 

My wife's cousin lives less than 2 km from teh blast site. Windows were shattered, and residents evacuated. She figures when she and her family get back, they will probably find their doors kicked in and their home ransacked. She also figures the official estimates of dead/injured are greatly underestimated.

Another one, hope it is just a coincidence.   

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34029202

Commentary: Debates on V-Day Parade Indicate China's Progress

China will hold its first military parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on September 3, which has undoubtedly been a hot topic amongst the Chinese social media recently.

Everyone seems to have their own concerns about the parade. Some people wish to take a glimpse of the foreign troops; some want to widen their knowledge of the armaments; others are making efforts to get tickets that could get them into the scene. Still, some are complaining about the inconvenience caused by the recent traffic control and other regulations.

These are all normal reactions in a Chinese society where an important event is approaching. Chinese people have become more willing to express their own feelings, share their personal experiences, and take different perspectives. It is encouraging to see people taking diverse look at the current issues rather than agreeing or disagreeing on something altogether. Such a phenomenon truly indicates China as a more open, tolerant, and advanced society. It is also important for us to think, amongst all the emotions, what core facts of the happenings are and what reflection we could gain from it.

Last week, China’s latest model of military jets performed a display during parade rehearsals in Beijing. Many of those who were able to take photos of the scene and then post online were actually those who got stuck on the road by temporary roadblocks. With the sounds of the rolling tanks rumbling pass, and with all the photos of the heroic soldiers on news reports, one can hardly act indifferently about the significant progress China has made during its past 70 years.

Indeed, China has gone through too many things in the past century, and people view and judge them differently. But when speaking of the end of WWII and the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the majority of Chinese people hold a solidary attitude of pride and excitement. Therefore, on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, is it appropriate to revive the old spirit that once supported us during the anti-war period? Is it meaningful for modern China to commemorate the legacy of the wars and to rethink the development of our country? The answer is YES.

Because of this, it is respectable of people to pay constant attention to the parade, bear some inconveniences in this period of time, and share their true feelings in this. In some way, it is like the annual travel rush during Spring Festival, people have to make all efforts to book a train ticket in the midnight, prepare all kinds of New Year’s gifts for extended families, and change from one vehicle to another just for family reunion. Once all family members are reunited, all exhaustion will be washed away. And same thing applies to this V-Day parade. Compared with some daily inconveniences, the inner fulfillment people will get is far more significant.

Liang Qichao, a famous Chinese scholar and journalist, once compared a young nation to a teenager, who needs not only physical growth but also the development of mind. During the past years, China has grown from a teenager to a young man, who is now facing more challenges and responsibilities. In some sense, the upcoming parade and many other efforts China has made, such as improving the legal system, commemorating the history, as well as highlighting heroes and heroines, are of great significance. More importantly, we also need to build a modern country with strong mobilization ability.

In this way, the heated discussion on the upcoming V-Day parade shows that Chinese people are actively participating in thinking about the development of their country. How can we make September 3 a more meaningful day? How should we maintain memorial constructions and hold commemorative activities? And what can we learn from the war of resistance against aggression? People across the nation have been thinking deeply about these questions. It also indicates that Chinese people are making new progress.


/manyfold ironies.


best quote:

With the sounds of the rolling tanks rumbling pass, and with all the photos of the heroic soldiers on news reports, one can hardly act indifferently about the significant progress China has made during its past 70 years.


Let us all take a moment to attach great importance.

With the sounds of the rolling tanks rumbling pass, and with all the photos of the heroic soldiers on news reports, one can hardly... forget that only the "bad guys" march their military through the streets in a public display of power to their citizens.

Why China's 'Retired' Leaders Don't Leave Quietly

Unlimited power and little supervision encourage officials to seek to influence politics long after they retire.

Under mainland China’s long-standing institutional system, having elders interfere in government has been a serious problem. Some veteran cadres worked conscientiously all their lives, never turning crooked. They retired at 60 – but then found that they can no longer easily supplement their meager salaries. After retirement, it’s hard for them to go out, to see a doctor, or even to live. So in the past few years, we’ve seen the rise of the “59-year-old phenomenon”: some leading cadres, just before retirement, turned especially corrupt in order to provide themselves with a “retirement fund.”

The Chinese idiom that “when a person leaves, the tea gets cold” doesn’t refer literally to tea. Instead, the tea stands for power. Some leading cadres, especially the top local leaders, use the cadre appointment system to promote their own people before retirement. Then, these leaders officially retire but don’t actually retire — they rule from behind the curtains and continue to interfere in politics. It’s almost enough to make one think that China’s 2,000-year-old tradition of dynasties has returned.

These “elders” who are unwilling to leave their official posts (and their trusted followers) are corrupt “tigers.” When it comes to these tigers, the saddest thing is that they have failed to bring any benefits to the people during their long time in office, nor did they make essential and necessary changes to the system. If these “retired” cadres were trying to win power in the name of justice and fairness, it could be accepted. However, that’s not the case. They are simply letting their descendants and followers continue to enjoy the power these cadres arranged while they were still in office. The common people will clap and cheer when these “elders” are taken down and their families are broken up....


(a) Guess who the article's referring to
(b) well, gosh darn, even "The Diplomat" is doing Chinese propaganda telegraphing now? That thing, which is part of Chinese political life, where not very cryptic musings get published as guidance and warnings. What's next, big-character posters on Facebook?

I'd nominate her for another prize if she'd also publish a book on traditional treatments that are useless or even harmful.  It's not just a Chinese thing.  Anytime one (of many thousands) of traditional treatments is shown to work, some people (my lovely wife included) instantly believe that this proves all the other treatments are automatically validated.

I heard there were some deaths in the Panyu and Shunde areas of Guangdong from the typhoon that hit the area. I know BrandeX lives there. Everything ok man? You live in the Clifford Estates right?

I'd nominate her for another prize if she'd also publish a book on traditional treatments that are useless or even harmful.  It's not just a Chinese thing.  Anytime one (of many thousands) of traditional treatments is shown to work, some people (my lovely wife included) instantly believe that this proves all the other treatments are automatically validated.

I saw an article sourced from the Nobel announcement where the Nobel spokesman made EMPHATIC responses to Chinese reporters that Tu's Nobel was based on her scientific research, not on the qualities of TCM. Though on my social websites, I'm getting a lot of this noise, including my former English dean at a TCM university who made his mark in Translating medical texts for the TCM uni. Gloating can be good sometimes.

I'm more impressed by the social webs here that point her out as one of the Three-Nos: No
postgrad degree, no foreign education/research experience, no leading role in one of the Chinese Academies (of Science, Social Science, Engineering, etc.)

Indeed, most of her initial research was done during the Korean War and Cultural Revolution. Maybe China's past is catching up, at last, to China's future. This Nobel award recognises that.

New data retention laws begin today, this is what you need to know

BEGINNING today, every phone call you make [in Australia], text message you send and email you write [in Australia] will be tracked by the [Australian] government under a new metadata retention scheme.

This scheme is allegedly being implemented to protect the country against organised crime and terrorism, but it is also being slammed as a major invasion of privacy.

An Essential poll from early in the year showed that around 40 per cent of Australians support the introduction of the new metadata laws and 44 per cent did not, while 16 per cent had no idea what it was....


We'd all be wildly unwise to imagine China does not already do this, with metadata, and maybe even actual data, though they'd need truly massive storage capacities, but now Australia's gone and made it a legitimate national policy. Thanks Australia. Can't wait for the rest of the world to follow suit.