Me Thinks... (我想...)

I'm famous!!

2006-09-25T17:19:00.000-05:00

Okay okay, I'm not famous by any means, but I thought it was very kind of Mark Base to write about me in his blog. I helped him out with a translation of a phrase that he wants tatooed on his arm. Check out his blog-- he seems to be an interesting guy.

今天的中文量词 - "步"

2006-09-15T12:24:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "步"

步 - bù - step

步 is used for the number of steps (as in walking) or movements in chess playing etc.

走几步路 - zou3 ji3 bù lù - to walk a very short distance

一步棋 - yì bù qí - one piece that is moved (in chess etc.)

赶了两步 - gan3 le liang3 bù - (have) quicked 2 paces to catch up

慢了一步 - màn le yí bù - one pace slower

今天的中文成语 - 闭门造车

2006-09-15T12:15:00.000-05:00

今天的中文成语 - 闭门造车

闭门造车 - bìménzàochē

闭 - bì - to close

Literal Meaning - To make a cart behind closed doors. In ancient times, carts were built according to fixed specifications, therefore you could build a cart "behind closed doors" (i.e. shutt off from the outside world).

Metaphorical Meaning - To work behind a closed door; to act blindly, divorced from reality.

Example Sentences:

这种闭门造车的人没有不碰钉子的。
Zhèzhong3 bìménzàochē de rén méiyou3 bù pèng dīngzi de。

我们的工程技术人员要到实际中去考察, 不能闭门造车地搞设计。
Wo3men de gōngchéng jìshù rényuán yào dào shíjì zhōng qù kao3chá, bùnéng bìménzàochē de gao3 shèjì。

"fraternity" - it's greek to me!

2006-09-14T13:05:00.000-05:00

I did not write this article, but I found it interesting. The full version can be found at:

http://www.shsu.edu/~eng_wpf/frat_hist.html

Anything which endures usually has a unique beginning and is the invention of creative and curious minds. College social fraternities, as they exist today, began in 1776, the year America declared its independence as a nation. However, history records the existence of secret societies in ancient times, and from these roots the essence of "fraternity" had its foundation. In the Middle Ages, brotherhoods of men were created to unite those skilled in specific trades. Even though the existence of religious and trade societies is crucial to the establishment of college fraternities in their basic form, the founding of Phi Beta Kappa, the first Greek-letter college fraternity in America, was due to the desire by its members to unify students at the nine colleges in the colonies and to strengthen the intellect of the members. A resident of one colony was as much a "foreigner" to another colonist as a European is to the American today. Ancient Secret Societies and Trade Unions. Fraternal groups began with the first assembly of men who gathered regularly for any reason at all; historical evidence suggests that religion was the focus of early fraternal gatherings. Ancient Egyptians had secret and mysterious religious cults; the Greeks and Romans formulated secret societies which were primarily religious in nature. Through the centuries many secret societies were formed which had rituals and initiations, primarily for the purpose of camaraderie and "rites of passage" for young men. Most religious societies came to a halt during the third and fourth centuries due to proclamations of Emperor Constantine I, who lifted the ban on Christianity in the Roman Empire, and later, Emperor Theodosius I, who completely banned all secret religious groups (Harris and Level). During the Middle Ages, several "semisecret friendly societies" were formed by craft unions, whose membership was limited to those skilled in the particular craft. (The best known of these societies is the Freemasons.) Each union had an apprenticeship program designed to attract the most talented of the younger men. Therefore, each union selected its apprentices very carefully. Once chosen, the younger men became part of the brotherhood. Secrets were devised to identify those who were truly skilled and to discourage impostors from being employed. Although these unions restricted their members to those in the trade, in 1717, they began to disseminate to other professions, accepting those men who were notable in their fields. However, these groups had little to do with the establishment of the college fraternity, which was conceived by young college students in an environment of learning and need for social escape.

Williamsburg, in colonial Virginia, was a quiet town part of the year and a frenzied town the other part; this duality created a unique atmosphere for the college student! Williamsburg---established in 1699 as a replacement for Jamestown, which had deteriorated into an economically poor colony of shopkeepers and tavern-owners---was chosen as capitol because of its location between the York and James Rivers. The population was close to 1,600, but quadrupled when the courts and assembly were in session.

The Capitol Building and the College of William and Mary were at either ends of the mile-long main street, the Duke of Gloucester Street, with other structures sprinkled along the main thoroughfare. A student walking from William & Mary at one end would pass Blair House, Washington's home, then Bruton Parish Church, "the center of religious life in Virginia." Chancellor George Wythe's home, used as Washington's headquarters during the battle of Yorktown," faced the Palace Green where the lavish Governor's Palace was located---"the center of the official life of the new commonwealth". Down the street was the Court House where many of the law students argued cases in moot courts. There were several coffeehouses and taverns where visitors could lodge during busy times.

Two blocks further down the main street stood the Raleigh Tavern, the place which was not only the "center of the unofficial social life of the capital [sic.]" but also the place where crucial government business took place. "In time of crisis [The Raleigh Tavern] displaced the Capitol for the political gatherings of the Colony." Near the Raleigh was the Capitol Building. "The students at William and Mary did not merely study textbooks and listen to lectures. They observed statesmanship in action and history in the making".Therefore, it is not surprising that many of the members of Phi Beta Kappa became involved in government and the shaping of the country.

The College of William & Mary.

The purpose of the College was expressed by its royal namesakes to be "a place of Universal Study, a perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and the good arts and sciences" a truly progressive idea in education at the time.

"The educational methods of the College were as revolutionary as the political environment of the capital [sic.]." The college, under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson, was truly innovative. Upon completion of Grammar school at the age of fifteen, after being tested in Greek and Latin by the officials of the College, a male student was admitted to the Philosophy School, in which debating took place. This aspect of education became an essential part of Phi Beta Kappa's makeup.

Six prominent educators lectured to between sixty to seventy students. Lecturing was introduced at William & Mary in 1758; it was the first college to use this method of teaching. "The professors at William & Mary in the Revolutionary period were not only great scholars; they were great men, interested not merely in teaching but in life itself. They were not merely in touch with the problems of their day; they were busily engaged in trying to solve them. This their students knew, and they rated their professors accordingly".
Student Life.

The "typical" student at William & Mary was younger than his 20th-century counterpart and much better prepared. Not all of the students at William & Mary came from the gentry or wealthy families; about one-fourth were on scholarships. All students had to manage their money wisely due to strained economic conditions. Students lived at the college or in nearby homes. Since professors were not allowed to marry and had to live at the college, there was constant interchange between teacher and pupil. The education received in the classroom was enhanced by daily contact in town and at nearby taverns and general gathering places. Although the education received may have been on a more sophisticated level than today, the teenagers who attended college still had fun!

Favorite diversions from academic endeavors included horse-racing, cockfighting, gambling, and billiards, but these extracurricular activities became so distracting that the faculty finally threatened students with suspension if they participated; the edict stated that no student, regardless of age, could keep a horse, bet on a horse race, wager or play at billiards, keep or fight cocks, or gamble at cards under penalty of suspension. However, there is no record of any student being suspended or punished for infractions of these laws, so most of the students undoubtedly enjoyed these pleasures . When school was not in session, the students enjoyed the lifestyle of plantation life. "They enjoyed the best of urban and rural society."

Since Williamsburg had become the state capitol in 1699, politics became a constant focus of attention, and the many students who dined at the well-known Raleigh Tavern were frequently in the midst of diplomats and politicians. This exposure did not mean that the young men who attended William & Mary were unusually gifted in intellect or ambition, but they were of a select body of men who were exposed to the meshing of politics and education causing them to become eager in these fields. Many of the college's graduates became involved in government and the designing of America. The same is true for the members of Phi Beta Kappa.

The excitement of independence of the colonies, the progressive educational environment of Williamsburg and the College of William & Mary, and the ingenuity of the men who conceived Phi Beta Kappa are the primary factors for the society's founding, its continued strength, and its later influence for future college fraternities.

Revolutionary times are difficult for all people, but perhaps more for the young. We have all witnessed the reaction of college students to critical events which take place in our country, whether the issues concern humanitarian problems or war. We also know that it is the young who are called upon to defend their country and its principles; this naturally leads to a necessary bonding of different men with one purpose.

The Founding of Phi Beta Kappa. On Thursday evening, December 5, 1776, five young undergraduates had dinner in the Apollo Room at the Raleigh Tavern. They were members of the well-respected and very competitive Latin-named literary societies at William & Mary. On this night, these men decided to form a secret organization, one which would be different from the ones which "had lost all reputation for letters, and [were] noted only for the dissipation & conviviality of [their] members," such as the notorious Flat Hat Club which existed briefly at William & Mary about 25 years before. Phi Beta Kappa "was purely of domestic manufacture, without any connexion whatever with anything European, either English or German." Therefore, John Heath, the instigator of Phi Beta Kappa suggested the development of a fraternity which would have honorable intentions, "and in conformity with his own reputation formed and adopted the Greek phrase indicated by the initials" PBK.

The principles of Phi Beta Kappa were "Fraternity, Morality, and Literature." A badge was designed in the shape of a square; a secret handshake was devised; a secret ritual, including an obligation, was written; a motto---"Philosophy is the guide of life"---was patterned after the name of the fraternity: Phi Beta Kappa. The men decided to use Greek letters for their society because Latin was already used in the names of existing literary societies and because Heath, who later became a Congressman from Virginia (U.S. Government Printing Office), "was the best Greek scholar in college." They recruited new members from students at the college. "They declared the society was formed for congeniality and to promote good fellowship, with `friendship as its basis and benevolence and literature as its pillars.'"

Although the concept of Phi Beta Kappa was not unique, it developed uniqueness because it became "highly selective, it was secret, and [later] it initiated a pattern of sister branches within and without the state." At first the only secrets were the mysterious letters used on the badge. Hastings believes that the "S" and "P" on the badge, which meant Societas Philosophiae, Philosophical Society, was the original name of the Society and that the name Phi Beta Kappa came from the motto "Philosophy the Guide of Life." The heading on the original list of members states: "A List of the members, who have been initiated into the S.P. alias Phi Beta Kappa Society." In May, 1777, two new signs were devised: "a salutation of the clasp of the hands, together with an immediate stroke across the mouth with the back of the same hand, and a return with the hand used by the saluted"; these new gestures were for the purposes of distinguishing Phi Beta Kappa members ``in any foreign country or place". Gaining Stability. At the first meeting on Sunday, January 5, 1777, four men were selected to join and they, along with the founders, were the first to obligate themselves to preserve the secrets of the fraternity.
"I, [name], do swear on the holy Evangelists of Almighty God, or otherwise as calling the Supreme Being to attest this my oath, declaring that I will, with all my possible efforts, endeavor to prove true, just, and deeply attached to this our growing fraternity; in keeping, holding, and preserving all secrets that pertain to my duty, and for the promotion and advancement of its internal welfare."

Soon after, twenty-seven governing laws were presented "as proper and most conductive to the advantage of our growing fraternity". All concerns were expressed in these laws: dues and fines, meeting times, qualifications for new members, officers and their duties, conduct and restrictions, punishments for violations, purposes of the society, content and format of declamations, and amendments. During the five years of its existence on the campus of William & Mary, the fraternity would have to add only three additional laws, the most important one dealing with chartering new chapters. It is interesting to note that the first governing law indicates the men's strong belief in God, but acknowledges different beliefs. The rest of the governing laws are specific in nature. Later, the student members decided to admit tutors and faculty members. They also took on a philanthropic endeavor. Phi Beta Kappa was not formed merely as a social fraternity; it was based primarily on philosophical ideas. At each meeting the debated issue was the focal point. Phi Beta Kappa "was intended to form a philosophical club, whose purpose should go far beyond the narrow range of the college studies of those days, and should include not only the wide range of what was then called `philosophy,' but the consideration, at the same time, of political questions. These, too, were discussed, not in the abstract, but in their bearing on the events of the day". Recruiting New Members. Initially, when a new member was voted in, he was given full membership status, but it was quickly discovered that sometimes an individual would not fulfill his obligations or he would do something which embarrassed the entire group. Therefore, a probationary period for prospective members was instituted.

Many of the fifty men who became members of the Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa over a four-year period became noted in law and politics; most fought and some died in the Revolutionary War; many participated in the Continental Congress which ratified our Constitution. The most famous of these fifty was John Marshall, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, but others were equally prominent as congressmen and senators. Expansion. The founders decided to form chapters at other colleges in 1778. Four chapters were added in 1779, and were, at first, given names that corresponded with the order of the Greek alphabet---Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta---which started the tradition of most fraternities which identify their chapters this way. In 1780, a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established at Yale, and in 1781, when William & Mary was closed because its buildings were used by British, French, and American troops in the war, another chapter appeared at Harvard. If these two chapters had not been created, Phi Beta Kappa may have died out, but these chapters remained strong. Yale members renamed their chapter Alpha of Connecticut, which started the alternative practice of naming chapters that some fraternities use today. (Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Tau Omega are examples.) Expansion stopped for several years, but in 1817, a chapter was installed at Union College in Schenectady, New York, which eventually led to the founding of more fraternities structured similarly to Phi Beta Kappa. (Today Phi Beta Kappa is an honorary fraternity.)

The Union Triad.

At Union College, three fraternities were created in the mid-1820's. In 1825, Kappa Alpha Society (considered the oldest college fraternity as they now exist) and in 1827, Sigma Phi and Delta Phi were founded, and the Union Triad was born. These fraternities primarily competed in literary and philosophical debates with each other; the campus winner would then represent its college in competition with other colleges. It was quite a prestigious honor to be declared the best; consequently the best debaters on campus were attracted to these fraternities. These fraternities soon became an important asset to the colleges and each established chapters at other schools.

Although the Union Triad fraternities did not spread as widely as ones which came later, they firmly established the college social fraternity as it is now. In the 1830's five new fraternities were founded at four Northern colleges and one in the South. Because of the successful growth of these fraternities, several others followed. For example, in 1844, Delta Kappa Epsilon (Dekes) was founded at Yale and quickly installed chapters at several colleges, one of them being Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

The Miami Triad.

In 1855, the Miami Triad was completed with the founding of Sigma Chi. The Triad, composed also of Phi Delta Theta and Beta Theta Pi, greatly influenced the fraternity "system" because of their advancements and influence. For example, between 1846 and 1850 at the University of Michigan, where fraternities were called a "giant evil," Beta Theta Pi resolved the hostility of the faculty by initiating professors. Soon, because of the prestige of the men who joined the Miami Triad fraternities and the fraternities' involvement with the colleges, positive feelings about fraternities prevailed.

Fraternities Become Integral Part of College Life. During the last half of the 19th century, Greek-letter societies were considered "valuable adjuncts of student life and, instead of opposing them, most institutions decided that they might be put to work helping run the school, keeping recalcitrant students in line, acting as convenient units of discipline in college life". Many felt that fraternities were important in character development and many prominent men acknowledged that their fraternity involvement helped them achieve success. John Addison Porter, private secretary to President McKinley, stated: "The most prominent characteristic of American undergraduate social life" is the college fraternity. Thomas Marshall, Vice-President under Wilson, stated that "the influences which had been the greatest in his life were his faith in God and his college fraternity".

Today there are over four million initiaties of the 56 recognized college fraternities and nearly 5,000 chapters. Sigma Chi ranks second in total initiates and fourth in number of undergraduate chapters.

今天的中文量词 - "拨"

2006-09-14T12:35:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "拨"

拨 - bō

I always read this character as "fā", I need to get it in my head!!

拨 - is used for a group of people.

一拨儿顾客 - yì bō gùkè - a group of customers
一拨儿人 - yì bō rén - a group of people
一拨儿游客 - yì bō yóukè - a party of tourists

What I would like to know is, what is the difference between "一帮人" and " 一拨儿人". Is the first in spoken language only, and the latter a generic term for a "group" that can be used in written and spoken? If someone out there knows, please educate me!!

今天的中文成语 - 力不从心

2006-09-14T12:21:00.000-05:00

Let me know if I am wrong, but here is the Chinese version of " The heart is willing, but the flesh is weak."

今天的中文成语 - 力不从心

力不从心 - lìbùcóngxīn

力 - lì - strength power
从 - cóng - to follow, obey

Literal Meaning - the strength is not equal to the will.

Contemporary Meaning - the heart is willing but the flesh is weak.

力不从心 - lìbùcóngxīn - this idiom often describes doing things or sometimes on occasions of graciously declining to do something.

Example Sentences:

到下半场, 甲队已经力不从心。
Dào xiàbànchang3, jia3 duì yi3jīng lìbùcóngxīn。

对我来说, 这是一件力不从心的事。
Duì wo3 lái shuō, zhè shì yī jiàn lìbùcóngxīn de shì。

不是不肯定帮忙, 实在力不从心。
Bùshì bù kěndìng bāngmáng, shízài lìbùcóngxīn。

今天的中文量词 - "遍"

2006-09-13T09:10:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "遍"

遍 - biàn

遍 - is used for the course of an action from the beginning to end.

改了一遍 - gai3le yí biàn - to correct it
检查一遍 - jian3chá yí biàn - to check up
看一遍 - kàn yí biàn - to see or read
念了两遍 - niànle liang3 biàn - (have) read twice
再说一遍 - zàishuō yí biàn - to say it once again
听了几遍 - tīngle ji3 biàn - (have) listend several times
想了遍 - xiang3 le biàn - to think over it
问过三遍 - wènguò sān biàn - asked it 3 times

今天的中文成语 - 节外生枝

2006-09-13T09:01:00.000-05:00

For all you homeowners out there, you know what I am talking about!!

今天的中文成语 - 节外生枝

节外生枝 - jiéwàishēngzhī

节 - jié - bamboo joints, where sprays of leaves grow

Literal Meaning: Sprays of leaves growing where they shouldn't.

Metaphorical Meaning - New problems cropping up unexpectedly.

姑娘一旦订了亲, 就怕节外生枝, 也怕她会碰上了流氓什么的。
Gūniang yīdàn dìng le qīn, jiù pà jiéwàishēngzhī, yě pà tā huì pèngshang le liúmáng shénme de。

这个人疑心最大, 也许会节外生枝地弄出新麻烦来。
Zhège rén yíxīn zuìdà, yěxu3 huì jiéwàishēngzhī dì nòngchū xīn máfan lái。

今天的中文量词 - "笔"

2006-09-12T07:28:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "笔"

笔 - bi3

笔 - is used to describe calligraphies, paintings, and writings etc. Only 一, 两 and 几 are used as numerals.

一笔得意之作
yì bi3 déyì zhī zuò
a work one is proud of

他还能画几笔画儿
Tā háinéng huà ji3 bi3 huar4
His is still good at painting

一笔漂亮的字
yì bi3 piàoliang de zì
nice handwriting

笔 is also used to describe a sum of money or fund.
一笔财产 - yìbi3 cáichan3 - a property; an estate
一笔贷款 - yìbi3 dàikuan3 - a loan
一笔稿费 - gao3fèi - a payment for and article
一笔交易 - jiāoyì - a deal, a bargain
一笔经费 - jīngfèi - a fund
一笔开支 - kāizhī - an expense
一笔钱 - qián - a sum of money
一笔生意 - shēngyī - a deal, a bargain
一笔收入 - shōurù - a summ of income
一笔遗产 - yīchan3 - a legacy; a heritage
一笔债 - zhài - a debt
一笔账 - zhàng - an account

今天的中文成语 - 东山再起

2006-09-12T07:18:00.000-05:00

Since today is election day, I wanted to find an idiom having to do with politics. The picture on the right is of Marion Barry, who used to be the DC Mayor in the 90's, got arrested for drug use (cocaine) and a few years ago was re-elected to the city council. Can you beleive it?

东山再起 - dōngshānzàiqi3

东山 - dōngshān - name of a mountain in present day Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province.

起 - qi3 - to reinstate

再起 - to e an official again

Xie An of the East Jin Dynasty lived on East Mountain after his resignation. The imperial court asked him to be an official many times, but he refused. Later, when appointed Sima (a high official) he agreed and came off the mountain.

Literal Meaning: To be reinstated after coming out from East Mountain; reinstatement to ones post.

Metaphorical Meaning: To regain political power after one has lost it.

This Chinese Idiom describes individuals, powers and organizations.

Example Sentences:

他们这样作, 是为了保存实力, 等待时机, 以便东山再起。

Tāmen zhèyàng zuò, shì wèile bao3cún shílì, děngdài shíjī, yi3biàn dōngshānzàiqi3。

敌人是不甘心失败的, 什么时候都妄图东山再起。

Dírén shì bù gānxīn shībài de, shénme shíhou dōu wàngtú dōngshānzàiqi3。

My 100th Post- China's Contaminated Water

2006-09-11T10:27:00.000-05:00

Congradulations to me! 100 posts! I know that isn't very much in the blogger world, but it is an accomplishment for me.

On to the news...

I read a report today that says accidents that seriously contaminate China's rivers occur every two or three days. The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), recorded 130 incidents of water pollution in the 11 months since the environmental disaster on the Songhua River in north-east China. So that totally makes me want to take a trip to China!

China has more than 20,000 chemical factories distributed along major rivers, including 10,000 along the Yangtze River and 4,000 along the Yellow River. A chemical plant on the Xinqiang River in Yueyang county in central China was the latest to cause a spill, sending arsenic into the river that left 80,000 people without drinking water over the weekend. They spill is also threatening China's second-largest freshwater lake.

No one has been reported poisoned from the arsenide wastewater pond leakage in Hunan province. Although arsenic levels are higher than normal in Dongting Lake, a major drinking water source for Hunan, SEPA officials said it is safe to consume. The lesson to be learned is don't forget to bring a water bottle.

今天的中文量词 - "本"

2006-09-11T09:07:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "本"

本 - běn

本 is used for books, notebooks, and account books.

一本笔记 - bi3jì - a notebook
一本词典 - cídian3 - a dictionary
一本读物 - dúwù - a reading material
一本画报 - huàbào - a pictorial
一本集邮册 - jíyóucè - a stamp album
一本日记 - rìjì - a diary
一本日历 - rìlì - a calendar
一本书 - shū - a book
一本相册 - xiàngcè - a photo album
一本小说 - xiao3shuō - a novel
一本杂志 - zázhi - a magazine
一本账 - zhàng - an account book

本 can also be used to describe a coil or spool of film

这个电影一共有十本
zhège diànying3 yígòng you3 shí běn
This movie has 10 reels

本 is also used for works to be performed by actions on stage

一本戏 - xì - a drama

今天的中文成语 - 守株待兔

2006-09-11T08:42:00.000-05:00

今天的中文成语 - 守株待兔

守株待兔 - shou3zhūdàitù

株 - zhū - a stump of a tree
待 - dài - to wait

Literal Meaning - To stand by a stump waiting for a rabbit. Han Fei of the warring states period (475 B.C. - 221 B.C.) told a fable in Han Fei Zi: There was a peasant in the state of Song, in whose feilds stood a tree stump. One day when he was tilling the land, a rabiit dashed itself against the stump, and broke its neck. He was delighted to have the dead rabbit. From then on, he stopped ploughing the fields and just stood by the stump, waiting for another rabbit to come along.

Metaphorical Meaning - T osit idle and enjoy the fruits of others' work.

Contemporary Meaning - To stick to old experience without considering the circumstances; to trust to chance and windfalls; to reap where one has not sown.

Example sentences:

我们尊重经验, 但又不能守株待兔。
Wo3men zūnzhòng jīngyàn, dàn yòu bùnéng shou3zhūdàitù。

有耕种才有收获, 那种守株待兔的思想是要不得的。
You3 gēngzhòng cáiyou3 shōuhuò, nà zhong3 shou3zhūdàitù de sīxiang3 shì yàobudé de。

现在我们来个守株待兔, 让敌人自投罗网。
Xiànzài wo3men lái ge shou3zhūdàitù, ràng dírén zìtóuluówang3。

Trust in the Lord

2006-09-11T08:31:00.000-05:00

This blog has been fun for me to write. I usually try to stick to things pertaining to Chinese, but I will admit that some things aren't. This post is one of those times. I had to give a talk at Church yesterday, and I figured since I spent all this time preparing, I may as well post it up. Hope you enjoy.

Charles Blondin, the famous 19th century tight-rope walker and acrobat, owed his celebrity and fortune to his idea of crossing Niagara Falls on a tight-rope, 1100 ft. long, 160 ft. above the water. This he accomplished, first in 1859, a number of times, always with different theatric variations: blindfold, in a sack, trundling a wheelbarrow, on stilts, carrying a man on his back, sitting down midway while he made and ate an omelette.

In 1860 a Royal party from Britain saw Blondin cross the tightrope on stilts, and again blindfolded. After that he stopped halfway and cooked and ate an omelette. Next he wheeled a wheelbarrow from one side to the other, and returned with a sack of potatoes in it.
Then Blondin approached the Royal party. He asked the Duke of Newcastle, "do you believe I could take a man across the tightrope in this wheelbarrow?"

"Yes, I do", said the Duke.

"Hop in, then", replied Blondin.

Well, the Duke declined Blondin's challenge. He might have believed Blondin could do it, but he wasn't about to trust him with his life.

When it comes to God, this kind of belief is not much good to him. God is looking for followers who will trust him with their lives.

Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6.: trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him; and he will make your paths straight.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

The Christian call is to have the sort of trust that makes us prepared to put our entire lives into God's hands. Simply believing in God is not good enough. We are to have trust, after all as David O Mckay said “To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved” Faith in God sometimes seems like an abstract concept, doesn't it? It's hard to pin down exactly what it means; it's hard to know whether we really have "faith".

Trust on the other hand is something we are all familiar with. We find ourselves having to trust people everyday. We trust whoever built our house that it's not going to fall in on our heads. We trust the bank with our money. We trust whoever designed our video recorder that when we set the timer it will record the program we wanted. We exercise trust all the time, quite unthinkingly. We know what it means.

Faith is believing the specific promises that God makes to you.. Trust is knowing that "God has got you covered." The scriptures say in Alma“And now, behold, is your knowledge not perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant. I would submit to you that when our faith becomes dormant as a result of a perfect knowledge, our faith has become trust.

But we often forget the role that trust has in our faith. And we forget how to apply that trust in our spiritual lives. Why is trust greater than love? Let me rephrase one scripture in the bible. “If you trust me, keep my commandments” We all know that faith without works is dead, have we ever considered “love without trust is empty” Once again I quote David O. Mckay, “To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved”

When we trust God we show that our faith in Him and love for him is real.

The call here is a complete trust in God: trusting him with our whole lives. We are not to pick and choose—OK, Lord, I will trust you with my marriage, but not with my career—, we are to trust him with our whole hearts and put our whole lives in his hands.

Real quickly, what is the difference between trust and confidence? As I was preparing for this talk, I looked up trust in the topical guide and came across the word confidence several times. In its most basic form, I don’t think there is that much of difference between trust and confidence- they are so similar that there is only a little difference. That difference is that people who trust are still aware of circumstance risks and alternatives, whereas confidence refers to an attitude that familiar things will remain stable. The (perceived) total absence of threats to personal freedom could thus be defined as confidence.

The person who has put his or her trust in God has to get into that wheelbarrow when God challenges us, no questions asked, and perhaps more significant is the fact that this person is aware of the “worldly risks” that he is taking. We are to trust in the Lord with all our hearts.
Do we have to abandon trust in other things to have trust in the Lord? I think that the answer in many cases would be yes. For example, the scriptures tell us not to put our trust in riches, in man and in ourselves. There is nobody here today who doesn't have common sense, but I am sure that many of us, if not all have at one time or another planned to do something, or act a certain way, but the spirit tells us otherwise, and what the spirit is telling us to do doesn't make any sense to us- that's when we have to put our trust in the Lord.

A good example of this is Nephi. He knew the commandment “thou shalt not kill”, but the Lord told him to kill Laban. Imagine what must have been going on through his mind. “And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him. And the spirit said unto me again: Behold, the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the lord, and he also had taken away our property” You can see that he is trying to put his trust in the lord. He is making himself aware of what the real situation is. “And the spirit said unto me again, Behold, the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.” “inasmuch as you keep my commandments you shall prosper in the land.” I find it interesting that when Nephi recalls the words and promises of the Lord, he was able to muster enough courage to put his trust in the Lord. He knew that he couldn’t understand all the ways of the Lord, but he knew that he would always have the Lord on his side if he kept his commandments.

Lean not on your own understanding.

One problem is that at some point in our lives we have thought we know better than God. We think we know better than God, but the reality is that, like Adam and Eve in the beginning, our wisdom and understanding is weak. Nonetheless, we persist in trying to do things our own way, believing somehow that our ways are better than God's ways. Imagine how different things could have been had Nephi not had done as the Lord commanded him to do because He didn’t understand why he was doing it.

To illustrate how naïve this is lets go back to Blondin and his invitation to take the Duke across Niagra in a wheel barrow.

Blondin asks "do you believe I could take a man across the tightrope in this wheelbarrow?"
"Yes, I do", said the Duke.
"Hop in, then", replied Blondin.
“Sure!” The Duke hops on in the wheel barrow and makes himself comfortable

Half way across the tight rope the Duke starts panicking and yells “You don't want to do it like that" He then proceeds to jump out of the wheel barrow and starts pushing across the tight rope himself, 160 feet above a raging waterfall. He only makes it a few inches before he falls.
That's what we try to do all the time. We believe we know better how to run our lives than God; we try to lean on our own understanding. The lesson to be learned here is that we can trust in God, but our trust cannot be limited by outside influences. Is trust really trust when it wavers?
If we persist in leaning on our own understanding rather than trusting in God with all our hearts then our lives will end in ruin.

What is the alternative to leaning on our own understanding? It is to lean instead on God. God's ways are not our ways, so we need to learn Gods ways.

Lean not on your own understanding. Lean instead on the wisdom of God's word. As we read daily and understand his word we will be learning to think like Him. And that will help us as we seek to trust in him with all our hearts.

70% right, 30% wrong

2006-09-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

Saturday marks 30 years since Chairman Mao died. In this post, I do not wish to honor him becuase he is responsible for the deaths of millions of people, but then again I don't feel like making this is Mao bashing either. Lets just call it a reminder.

The worst "accomplishment" would have to be the cultural revolution. Those who survived and are still around today will never be able to forget the horror and the fear they lived through. In college I would always joke that I wouldn't mind having 3 years off school- but of course I would never trade it for hard labor.

Mao grew up a nobody, who turned into somebody everybody thought could lead the country. This goes to show that a nobody can unify a country, but that its probably not the best choice (for obvious reasons).

The great leap forward "propelled" China into the future. It also propelled them into a hole.

In the end after all the good Mao did, China finally came around (after his death) and admitted Mao wasn't always right, he was 70% right and 30% wrong. I would be interested in seeing a percentage now. For those of the Chinese who weren't around during the Mao era, he has become not only a hero but also somewhat mythical. At least the Chinese look up to their leaders.

Incase you have nothing to do on Saturday... you could always celebrate or commemorate Chairman Mao.

今天的中文量词 - 杯

2006-09-08T07:06:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - 杯

"杯" - bēi

"杯" is used for the quantity which a cup can hold.

一杯白开水 - báikāishui3 - a cup of plain boiled water
一杯茶 - chá - a cup of tea
一杯果汁 - guo3zhī - a cup of fruit juice
一杯酒 - jiu3 - a cup of liquor
一杯咖啡 - kāfēi - a cup of coffee
一杯可可 - kěkě - a cup of cocoa
一杯矿泉水 - kuàngquánshui3 - a cup of mineral water
一杯牛奶 - niúnai3 - a cup of milk

今天的中文成语 - 七窍生烟

2006-09-08T06:58:00.000-05:00

今天的中文成语 - 七窍生烟

七窍生烟 - qīqiàoshēngyān

窍 - qiào - hole, cavity
七窍 - qīqiào - refers to two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and the mouth

Literal Meaning - Smoke coming out of one's eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth; to fume with rage.

English Equivalent - steam coming out of one's ears.

A.K.A. - 七窍冒烟 - qīqiào màoyān

This Chinese idiom is used most often in the spoken language and describes high levels of emotions, especially anger.

Example Sentences:

听说儿子无缘无故被人打了, 他七窍生烟, 恨不得和人拼命。
Tīngshuō érzi wúyuánwúgù bèi rén da3le, tā qīqiàoshēngyān, hènbùde hé rén pīnmìng。

他气愤已极, 到了七窍生烟的地步。
Tā qìfèn yi3jí, dàole qīqiàoshēngyān de dìbù。

今天的中文量词 - 抱

2006-09-07T08:56:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - 抱

抱 - bào

"抱" is used for the quantitiy of things held by two arms putting round.

一抱柴火 - yíbàocháihuo - an armful of firewood
一抱衣服 - yíbàoyīfu - an armful of clothes

今天的中文量词 - 抱

2006-09-07T08:51:00.000-05:00

今天的中文成语 - 庐山真面

2006-09-07T08:39:00.000-05:00

When I came across this idiom, I couldn't help but think of Phil Collins. I wonder if their is a Chinese version of his song "True Colors."

今天的中文成语 - 庐山真面

庐山真面 - lúshān zhēnmiàn

庐山 - one of China's most famous mountains, is located south of Jiujiang city in Jianxi province. Viewed horizontally, it looks like undulating hills, and viewed from the side, it resembles towering peaks. It looks different from every angle.

Literal Meaning - The true appearance of Lushan

Metaphorical Meaning - The truth of a thing, or the true color of a person.

Also Known As: 庐山真面目(lúshān zhēnmiànmù) and 庐山面目(lúshān miànmù)。

Example Sentences:

这个人的庐山真面现在还看不太清楚。
Zhège rén de lúshān zhēnmiàn xiànzài hái kàn bùtàiqīngchu。

通过这一件小事, 大家看清了他的庐山真面。原来他是一个极端自私自利又凶狠残忍的人。Tōngguò zhè yī jiàn xiao3shì, dàjiā kànqīngle tā de lúshān zhēnmiàn。Yuánlái tā shì yī gè jíduàn zìsīzìlì yòu xiōnghěn cánrěn de rén。

Chinese Idiom Test Online

2006-09-06T08:08:00.000-05:00

Friends,

All of you know that I am a fan of Chinese idioms, but I am certainly not perfect at them. Earlier today I found this site that tests your idiom knowledge. Go ahead and give it a try!

http://www.geocities.com/sam01wan/quiz04.htm

Why Learning Chinese is a Smart Business Move

2006-09-06T07:46:00.000-05:00

Why Learning Chinese is a Smart Business Move
By Matthew Worley

Top 10 Reasons

Like most Westerners, just a few years ago you might not have been thinking very much about China. However, these days China is all over the news. You, like more and more people, may be wondering, “Should I be learning Chinese?” The answer is a resounding "Yes". The following are the top 10 reasons why learning Chinese is a smart business move for the young professional or career-minded person.

1. Because the world is changing. You've heard it before. Globalization. Outsourcing. Opening of free trade. The US, while still important, must now share the stage with other countries, primarily China. With China's admittance to the WTO, a large trade balance in its favor, and its booming economy, the need to interact with China is apparent.

2. Because everyone else is doing itOK, so not everyone else is learning Chinese. But did you know that Chinese is the fastest-growing language studied in the US? Enrollment in college Chinese language courses is at an all-time high. Recently a bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress to provide Chinese language classes even for high school students. Other countries are even more advanced in this regard.

3. To stay competitiveIn a few short years, these myriads of workers fresh out of college will be hitting the work force with Chinese speaking skills. By learning Chinese now, you set yourself apart as a proactive person. Not only will you position yourself to compete with the new entrants, you can also take advantage of increased opportunities that arise as trade with China grows.

4. Global supply chains. But your company has its factories in the US, you say. But will it always have? What about the subcomponents or raw materials? Even US-based manufacturing firms are discovering that to maintain competitive cost structures, they often must deal with global supply chains and sourcing. Of course, the largest provider of the subcomponents and raw materials is China.

5. Manufacturing. China has 1.3 billion people, a workforce that is good at labor-intensive jobs, and lower costs. Enough said. But these factories often have foreign management, consultants, accountants, etc. And these factories also have to deal with the other end of the global supply chain. By learning Chinese, you can help provide the links between these factories and American companies.

6. Because the Chinese market is the largest consumer market in the worldIt's not just about manufacturing and outsourcing any more. Today, Western companies are looking at the Chinese economy as potentially the most profitable market in the world. According to the Department of Commerce, more than 16,000 American companies sell products in China. The China of today is not the China of yesterday. In China, urban teenagers are seen walking with an MP3 player in one hand and a cell phone in the other, just as in America. The Chinese are hungry for consumer goods -- foreign goods to boot. Western companies need professionals with Chinese speaking skills to build links with Chinese companies, form partnerships with Chinese companies, and market, brand, and sell products to the Chinese.

7. Because your career may depend on it. So we already know that a) outsourcing to China is growing and b) there are already many young professionals in the pipeline learning Chinese. Suppose you are a manager having to make the unfortunate decision about whose job to cut: what are you going to do? Are you going to cut the person with the keys to potentially the most lucrative market in the world, the one who showed foresight and proactivity by going to learn how to speak Chinese to begin with? No, I don't think so. That person is too valuable. Learning Chinese can only help your career and give you more options.

8. Because 2 billion people speak ChineseThat's right, 2 billion! Talk about having access to a greater social and professional network! Can you think of one other activity that could possibly open up more doors than learning Chinese?

9. Beijing 2008 Olympics. The Turin Olympics just closed. The next day headlines touted China's preparation for 2008. China’s government realizes (as do most of the people in the know) that this is the “coming-of-age party” for China. Beijing 2008 is not only symbolic of China's emergence onto the world stage of economic power but also pragmatic, as it helps Beijing showcase its flourishing economy and to deepen ties with Western companies. By learning Chinese, you can be ready for this historic event and take part in it.

10. Because it’s not as hard as you think. That's right. Learning to speak Chinese is not as hard as you think. Unfortunately, many Chinese schools and Chinese learning materials have given students the opposite impression. However, modern technology can aid in the learning process dramatically. Furthermore, most professionals will find that learning to speak Chinese will be enough without learning to write Chinese characters (which is what really takes up the most time). In the modern age, the computer can help you type anyway. At our Chinese language school, we follow an approach that focuses only on the most necessary communications and practical applications. The Chinese language has a surprisingly straightforward set of rules regarding speaking and grammar. With the correct approach people can find themselves speaking Chinese within a short period of time. So by learning Chinese you can take part in an activity that has huge benefits for your career and your résumé but takes less time than getting a second degree or learning other skills.

This article can be found at http://whylearnchinese.1monthchinese.com/ More chinese learning articles About the AuthorMatt Worley is the principal of the 1-Month Mandarin™ program at the Chinese Language Institute of Beijing, a private Chinese language school in China. He holds an MBA and a Masters of Accounting Science and is self-taught in Chinese. 1-Month Mandarin™ is specially designed to help young professionals learn Chinese quickly by prioritizing learning and utilizing computer-assisted language learning.

Please visit: http://www.1MonthChinese.com
This article may be republished so long as links are active and attribution is given.

今天的中文量词 - "包"

2006-09-06T07:06:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "包"

包 - bāo
包 is used for things of the same kind wrapped or tied up or fixed in bundles.

一包饼干 - bing3gān - a packet of cookies
一包茶叶 - cháyè - a packet of tea leaves
一包大米 - dàmi3 - a sack of rice
一包点心 - dian3xin - a packet of refreshments
一包东西 - dōngxi - a packet of things
一包瓜子 - guāzi - a packet of melon seeds
一包火柴 - huo3chái - a box of matches
一包货 - huò - a sack of goods
一包棉花 - miánhua - a sack of cotton
一包糖 - táng - a sack of sugar
一包香烟 - xiāngyān - a packet of cigarettes
一包药 - yào - a packet of medicine
一包衣服 - yīfu - a bag of clothes

今天的中文成语 - 鸡犬升天 (All dogs go to Heaven)

2006-09-06T06:40:00.000-05:00

For all you dog lovers out there who are mad at China for killing 50,000 plus dogs. The Chinese have an idiom just for you.

今天的中文成语

鸡犬升天 - jīquan3shēngtiān

犬 - quan3 - dog
升天 - shēngtiān - to go up to Heaven to be an immortal.

Literal Meaning: Even the fowls and dogs go to Heaven. A daoist legend goes that Liu An, Prince of huainan in the Han Dynasty "(206 B.C. - 220) became an immortal after taking a certain medicine. His chickens and dogs are the leftover medicine and went to Heaven too.

Metaphorical Meaning: When someone becomes a high-ranking official, all people related to him gain ascendance as well.

Example sentences:

这种荣妻贵, 父显子阔, 一人得道, 鸡犬升天的现象, 在封建社会里很普遍。
Zhèzhong3 róng qīguì, fùxian3zi3kuò, yī rén dédào, jīquan3shēngtiān de xiànxiàng, zài fēngjiàn shèhuì li3 hěn pu3biàn。

他受到了任何人都无法相比的思宠, 加官, 晋爵, 赐第, 赏金, 接踵而至, 其父封一等公, 其子封一等男爵, 家奴也被赏四品, 真可谓鸡犬升天。
Tā shòudào le rènhé rén dōu wúfa3 xiāngbi3 de sī chong3, jiāguān, jìnjué, cìdì, shang3jīn, jiēzhong3'érzhì, qí fù fēng yīděng gōng, qí zi3 fēng yīděng nánjué, jiānú yě bèi shang3sìpin3, zhēn kěwèi jīquan3shēngtiān。

Reform in Shanghai Schools: Chairman Mao replaced by Chairman Bill Gates

2006-09-05T07:27:00.000-05:00

High school students in Shanghai are in for a surprise when they open their history textbooks. History is something you don’t deal with in China, let alone think about changing it or leaving something that defines national character out. But that is exactly what has happened, and all I can say about it is “It’s about time!”

You know, lets skip all the hoop-la over the Tang and the Ming dynasties, because well, personally no one cares anymore. The world is changing and so are Chinese textbooks. New history texts dropped dynasties changes, peasant struggles, ethnic rivalry and wars and Communist revolutions to make room for information on economics, technology, political stability, respect for diverse cultures, social harmony, foreign trade, innovation and globalization. Wait! It gets better! Chairman Mao is even replaced by the Chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates. Mao, founding father of Modern China, is mentioned only once — in a chapter on etiquette. The theory of Socialism has been reduced to a single short chapter in the textbook version for senior high school students.

The authors say these changes are part of a broader effort to “promote a more stable, less violent view of Chinese history that serves today’s economic and political goals.” But lets be realistic, someone at the head of the Ministry of Education finally realized how dry history books are and made a change citing the need to modernize and broaden historical horizons to the present. Kudos to him. This is another sign of the abandonment of official ideology, which would have people to look to their past to find their future.

Before we get too excited though, I regret to tell you that this radical change in education is limited to Shanghai. I guess they feel that high school students in Shanghai are more metropolitan and able to accept the change. But the elite urban region of Shanghai has leeway to alter its curriculum and textbooks, and in the past it introduced advances that the central government then instructed the rest of the country to follow.

今天的中文量词 - "帮"

2006-09-04T11:25:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "帮"

"帮" (bāng) is used to describe a crowd or group of people, used in the spoken language, sometimes in a derogatory sense.

一帮歹徒 - yìbāngdai3tú - a gang of scoundrels
一帮废物 - yìbāngfèiwu - a gang of worthless people
一帮孩子 - yìbāngháizi - a gathering of children
一帮流氓 - yìbāngliúmáng - a gang of hooligans
一帮朋友 - yìbāngpéngyou - a party of friends
一帮青年 - yìbāngqīngnián - a gathering of young people
一帮人 - yìbāngrén - a group of people
一帮人马 - yìbāngrénma3 - a group of people with a common purpose
一帮土匪 - yìbāngtu3fěi - a band of bandits
一帮小伙子 - yìbāngxiao3huo3zi - a gang of young fellows
一帮学生 - yìbāngxuéshēng - a group of students

今天的中文成语 - 聚沙成塔

2006-09-04T10:49:00.000-05:00

今天的中文成语

聚沙成塔 - jùshāchéngta3

聚 - jù - to gather

Literal Meaning - Many grains of sand piled u pwill make a pagoda.

Metaphorical Meaning - If you collect enough of something insignificant you can obtain something worthwhile.

English Equivalent - Many a little makes a mickle.

This Chinese idiom mainly refers to the accumulation of property or knowledge. May be used together with its synonyms 积少成多 (jīshao3chéngduō) and 集腋成裘 (jíyèchéngqiú), and may be used as a quotation.

Example Sentences:

他们用聚沙成塔的办法集中了大量社会闲散资金, 支持工业,农业。
Tāmen yòng jùshāchéngta3 de bànfa3 jízhōngle dàliàng shèhuì xiánsan3 zījīn, zhīchí gōngyè, nóngyè。

俗话说"聚沙成塔, 集腋成裘" 只要我们把大家的智慧和力量集中起来, 就能完成伟大的事业, 任何困难也不在话下。
Súhuàshuō, "jùshāchéngta3, jíyèchéngqiú" zhi3yào w03men ba3 dàjiā de zhìhuì hé lìliang jízhōng qi3lai, jiù néng wánchéng wěidà de shìyè, rènhé kènnan yě bùzàihuàxià。

今天的中文量词 - "瓣"

2006-09-02T09:48:00.000-05:00

The first thing that I notice about the character 瓣, is that it looks like it isn't a simplified character, but sure enough it is. Go figure!

今天的中文量词 - "瓣"

瓣 - bàn

瓣 is used for a segment or division of fruits, flowers or corm etc. (Yes, that is corm with an "m" it is something like a stem or a bulb. Wierd, I know.)

一瓣儿百合 - yí bànr bai3hé - a petal of a lily

一瓣儿花 - yí bànr huā - a petal

一瓣儿橘子 - yí bànr júzi - a segment of an orange

一瓣儿蒜 - yí bànr suàn - a clove of garlic

今天的中文成语 - 流连忘返

2006-09-02T08:39:00.000-05:00

For all of you that have been to Hawaii you know what I am talking about when I say the scenery is so beautiful it makes you want to stay and never go back home!

今天的中文成语 - 流连忘返

流连忘返 - liúlián wàngfan3

流连 - liúlián - to be reluctant to go away

Literal Meaning - To have such a good time that one is reluctant to go home。

The use of this Chinese idiom is always commendatory, and is descriptive of one who was infatuated with playing and forgot to return home. Its contemporary use describes one who is reluctant to go away becuase of beautiful scenery or other beautiful things.

Example Sentences:

西湖的风景十分宜人,到这里来的人们往往流连忘返。
Xīhú de fēngjing3 shífēn yírén, dào zhèli3 lái de rénmen wang3wang3 liúlián wàngfan3。

流连忘返的人们仍陶醉在这里的湖光山色之中。
liúlián wàngfan3 de rénmen réng táozuì zài zhèli3 de húguāngshānsè zhīzhōng。

今天的中文量词 - "版"

2006-09-01T09:30:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "版"

版 - ban3

"版" is used to measure sapce of a page in newspapers, books, records and disks etc.

头版头条消息 - tóuban3 tóutaió xiāoxi - at the top of the front page news

头版新闻 - tóuban3 xīnwén - Headline News

"版" - used as a verb:

出了一版 - chūle yì ban3 - published one edition

印了三版 - yìnle sān ban3 - printed 3 editions

今天的中文成语 - "泥古不化"

2006-09-01T09:27:00.000-05:00

今天的中文成语 - "泥古不化"

I once had a teacher who would never change her style, this ones for her!

泥古不化 - nìgu3búhuà

泥 - nì - to rigidly adhere to

化 - huà - to change

Literal Meaning - To rigidly adhere to ancient conventions or formulas and never change.

English Equivalent - A stick-in-the-mud.

This Chinese idiom is derogatory and mostly describes those who are learned but conservative.

Example Sentences:

时代在不断前进,新事物不断涌现, 我们的思想也要跟上时代前进的步伐, 不断有所创造, 有所前进,不能泥古不化。
Shídài zài bùduàn qiánjìn, xīn shìwù bùduàn yong3xiàn, wo3men de sīxiang3 yě yào gēnshang shídài qiánjìn de bùfá, bùduàn you3suo3 chuàngzào, you3suo3 qiánjìn, bùnéng nìgu3búhuà。

这种泥古不化的人, 对新事物往往采取压制的态度。
Zhèzhong3 nìgu3búhuà de rén, duì xīn shìwù wang3wang3 cai3qu3 yāzhì de tàidu。

对于古代的东西应该加以分析, 好的就继承, 不好的就扬弃, 不能泥古不化地照搬硬套。
Duìyú gu3dài de dōngxi yīnggāi jiāyi3 fēnxi, hao3de jiù jìchéng, bùhao3 de jiù yángqì, bùnéng nìgu3búhuà di zhàobān yìngtào。

Live Long and Prosper.com

2006-08-31T14:36:00.000-05:00

If any of you are like me, you count your pennies more often than you should. I have always been interested in making the most out of my money. I am not stock savvy, nor do I have a portfolio that anyone would care to gawk at but I always lend an ear to the term "save money."

I am trying to build a nice CD ladder, not the most extravagent way to make money but it suits my need just fine. As I was browsing the web today I stumbled upon prosper.com. Basically it is an innovative way to skip the whole bank process and either get the lowest interest rate that someone will offer you, or on the investment side it provides the potential to lend money and receive a higher rate of interest than you by storing the money in the bank.

I have not signed up for an account, I am just now learning about the whole process. Like you, my first thoughts are skeptical "how can I trust my money to an internet site?", but I remember when many of us were skeptical to buy things from Ebay etc. Interestingly enough even foreign websites of a similar nature will be coming to the US in the near future.s

If anyone has had experience with this type of online "banking" please let me know what you think of it!

今天的中文量词 - "班"

2006-08-31T11:23:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "班"

"班" (bān) - is used to describe a group or a bunch of people。

一班年轻人 - niánqīngrén - a gathering of young people
一班人马 - rénma3 - a staff of personnel
一班学生 - xuéshēng - a class of students
一班战士 - zànshì - a troop of soldiers

"班" (bān) - can also be used for the service frequencies of means of communications and transportation.

一班船 - chuán - a steamer service
一班飞机 - fēijī - an airplane flight
一班火车 - huo3chē - a train service

今天的中文成语 - 祸不单行

2006-08-31T11:19:00.000-05:00

Save this Chinese idiom for a rainy day, or better yet for one of those days where everything seems to be going wrong.

祸不单行 - huòbùdānxíng

Literal Meaning - Misfortunes don't come singly.

This Chinese idiom mostly serves as an independent sentence which may be preceded by a phrase indicating an affirmative tone such as 真是 (zhēnshi); this may be placed before, in the middle or at the end of the phrase expressing the coming of two or more disasters.

Example Sentences:

真是祸不单行, 他先是得了肺病, 后又得了肝炎, 最后连饮食起居也不能自理。Zhēnshi huòbùdānxíng, tāxiānshì déle fèibìng, hòu yòu déle gānyán, zuìhòu laiń yin3shíqi3jù yě bùnéng zìli3。

那年冬天, 祖母死了, 父亲的差使也丢了, 正是祸不单行的日子。Nà nián dōngtiān, zu3mu3 si3le, fùqin de chāishi yě diūle, zhèngshì huòbùdānxíng de rìzi.

Chinese Internet Radio Stations

2006-08-30T12:28:00.000-05:00

Below are some links to various Chinese language radio stations that are based in China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Hopefully you will enjoy these links as much as I have.

China

Beijing Music Radio
Beijing
Top 40
32 Kbps Real Audio

CCTV News
Beijing
TV Live Broadcast
128 Kbps WinMedia

CCTV 4
Beijing
TV Live Broadcast
128 Kbps WinMedia

CCTV 9 International
Beijing
TV Live Broadcast (in English)
128 Kbps WinMedia

China National Radio 1
Beijing
News/Music
32 Kbps Real Audio

China National Radio 2
Beijing
News/Music
20 Kbps Real Audio

China National Radio 3
Beijing
News/Music
20 Kbps Real Audio

China National Radio 4
Beijing
News/Music
20 Kbps Real Audio

China National Radio 5
Beijing
News/Music
20 Kbps Real Audio

China National Radio 6
Beijing
News/Music
20 Kbps Real Audio

China National Radio 7
Beijing
News/Music
20 Kbps Real Audio

China National Radio 8
Beijing
News/Music
20 Kbps Real Audio

China Radio International
Beijing
News in English
32 Kbps WinMedia

China Radio International Round the Clock
Beijing
News/Information in English
32 Kbps WinMedia

CQBS Chongqing
Chongqing
News/Music
32 Kbps Real Audio

CRI FM88.7
Beijing
Chinese Top 40/News
64 Kbps Real Audio

East Radio Shanghai 792 AM
Shanghai
News
32 Kbps WinMedia

East Radio Shanghai 990 AM
Shanghai
News
32 Kbps WinMedia

East Radio Shanghai Folk Opera
Shanghai
Chinese Folk Opera
48 Kbps WinMedia

East Radio Shanghai Gold
Shanghai
Variety/News
32 Kbps WinMedia

East Radio Shanghai Pop
Shanghai
Top 40
48 Kbps WinMedia

East Radio Shanghai Story
Shanghai
Stories
32 Kbps WinMedia

East Radio Shanghai Traffic
Shanghai
Chinese Pop/News/Traffic Reports
32 Kbps WinMedia

Efly Radio 91.4
Guangdong
Top 40/Talk/News
32 Kbps WinMedia

FM 99.3
Guangdong
Chinese Pop/Talk
32 Kbps Real Audio

FM 103.6
Guangdong
Chinese Top 40/Talk/News
40 Kbps Real Audio

HNIR AM
Beijing
Variety
48 Kbps WinMedia

HNIR FM
Beijing
Adult Contemporary/Talk/News
48 Kbps WinMedia

Nanjing Business News
Nanjing
Business News
32 Kbps WinMedia

Nanjing Music
Nanjing
Chinese Top 40
32 Kbps WinMedia

Nanjing News
Nanjing
News
32 Kbps WinMedia

Nanjing Sports
Nanjing
Sports/Adult Contemporary
32 Kbps WinMedia

Nanjing Traffic News
Nanjing
News/Traffic Reports
32 Kbps WinMedia

Ningbo Radio Business
Ningbo
Business News
32 Kbps Real Audio

Ningbo Radio Music
Ningbo
Adult Contemporary
32 Kbps Real Audio

NJTV TV
Nanjing
TV Live Broadcast
350 Kbps Real Audio

NJTV TV Entertainment
Nanjing
TV Live Broadcast
350 Kbps Real Audio

NJTV TV Lifestyle
Nanjing
TV Live Broadcast
350 Kbps Real Audio

NJTV TV Nanjing News
Nanjing
TV Live Broadcast
350 Kbps Real Audio

NJTV TV News
Nanjing
TV Live Broadcast
350 Kbps Real Audio

NJTV Youth TV
Nanjing
TV Live Broadcast
350 Kbps Real Audio

Radio Foshan Colour FM
Foshan
Chinese Top 40/Talk
32 Kbps WinMedia

Radio Foshan Love FM
Foshan
Chinese Top 40/Talk
32 Kbps WinMedia

Radio Guangdong 99.3 FM
Guangdong
Adult Contemporary
32 Kbps Real Audio

Radio Guangzhou 106.1 FM
Guangzhou
News
20 Kbps Real Audio

Radio Shenzhen Channel 1
Shenzhen
News
64 Kbps Real Audio

Radio Shenzhen Channel 2
Shenzhen
Information/Music
64 Kbps Real Audio

Radio Shenzhen Channel 3
Shenzhen
Chinese Pop/Traffic Reports
64 Kbps Real Audio

SZR 1 89.8 FM
Shanghai
Talk/News
64 Kbps Real Audio

SZR 2 97.1 FM
Shanghai
Talk/News
64 Kbps Real Audio

SZR 3 106.2 FM
Shanghai
Talk/News
64 Kbps Real Audio

SZTV 1
Shanghai
TV Live Broadcast
224 Kbps Real Audio

SZTV 2
Shanghai
TV Live Broadcast
224 Kbps Real Audio

STV Shanghai
Shanghai
TV Live Broadcast
224 Kbps WinMedia

TDM
Macau
Chinese Adult Contemporary
20 Kbps WinMedia

XATV-1
Xian City
TV Live Broadcast
331 Kbps WinMedia

XATV-2
Xian City
TV Live Broadcast
331 Kbps WinMedia

XIHU 105.4 FM
West Lake
Variety
20 Kbps WinMedia

ZHBS Zhuhai Radio 87.5 FM
Guangdong
News/Chinese Pop
44 Kbps Real Audio

ZHBS Zhuhai Radio 95.1 FM
Guangdong
News/Chinese Pop
44 Kbps Real Audio

Hong Kong

CR1 Live Broadcast
Hong Kong
News/Information/Chinese Pop
8 Kbps Real Audio8 Kbps WinMedia

CR2 Live Broadcast
Hong Kong
News/Information/Chinese Pop
12 Kbps Real Audio12 Kbps WinMedia

Metro Finance 104.1 FM
Hong Kong
Business News
12 Kbps WinMedia

Metro Showbiz 99.7 FM
Hong Kong
Talk/Top 40
12 Kbps WinMedia

Putonghua Channel
Hong Kong
Talk/Top 40
16 Kbps Real Audio

RTHK Channel 1
Hong Kong
Talk/Adult Contemporary
16 Kbps Real Audio

RTHK Channel 2
Hong Kong
Talk
16 Kbps Real Audio

RTHK Channel 3
Hong Kong
Top 40
20 Kbps Real Audio

RTHK Channel 4
Hong Kong
Classical
20 Kbps Real Audio

RTHK Channel 5
Hong Kong
Adult Contemporary
20 Kbps Real Audio

Singapore

Capital Radio
Singapore
News/Talk
16 Kbps WinMedia

Chinese Evergreens
Singapore
Chinese Oldies
16 Kbps WinMedia

Dongli Radio 88.3 FM
Dongli
Chinese Top 40
20 Kbps WinMedia

Love 97.2 FM
Singapore
Top 40/Lifestyle
16 Kbps WinMedia

RSI News Mandarin
Singapore
News
16 Kbps WinMedia

UFM 100.3
Singapore
Chinese Pop
20 Kbps WinMedia

WKRZ
Singapore
Top 40/Dance
20 Kbps WinMedia

Yes 93.3
Singapore
Chinese Top 40
16 Kbps WinMedia

Taiwan

BCC Classical
Taipei
Classical Music
20 Kbps Real Audio

BCC Hakka
Taipei
News
20 Kbps Real Audio

BCC Music
Taipei
Chinese Adult Contemporary
20 Kbps Real Audio

BCC News Network
Taipei
News
20 Kbps Real Audio

BCC Pop
Taipei
Chinese Pop
20 Kbps Real Audio

BTLive TV
Taipei
TV Live Broadcast
180 Kbps WinMedia

CBS Asia
Taipei
News
20 Kbps Real Audio

CBS Asian Dialects
Taipei
News
20 Kbps Real Audio

CBS Europe/America
Taipei
News
20 Kbps Real Audio

CBS Music
Taipei
Music
20 Kbps Real Audio

CBS News Network
Taipei
News
20 Kbps Real Audio

Da Ai TV
Taipei
TV Live Broadcast
273 Kbps WinMedia

Good TV
Taipei
TV Religious Programming
120 Kbps Real Audio102 Kbps 141 Kbps WinMedia

IC 97.5 FM
Taipei
Adult Contemporary
40 Kbps WinMedia

ICRT 100 FM
Taipei
Top 40/Talk
64 Kbps WinMedia

NER 1 1494 AM
Taipei
Educational/Information
32 Kbps WinMedia

NER 1 FM 101.7
Taipei
Talk/Chinese Pop
32 Kbps Real Audio

NER 2 103.5 FM
Chang-hua
Talk/Chinese Pop
32 Kbps Real Audio

NER 3 103.7 FM
Hua-lien
Talk/Chinese Pop
32 Kbps WinMedia

NER 5 101.7 FM
Kao-hnsiung
Educational/Information
20 Kbps WinMedia

NER 102.9 FM
Tai-tung
Talk/Chinese Pop
32 Kbps WinMedia

Shih Hsin Radio AM 729
Taipei
College Radio
64 Kbps WinMedia

Shih Hsin Radio FM 88.1
Taipei
College Radio
64 Kbps WinMedia

Taiwanese Voice Greenpeace Channel
Taipei
News/Music
40 Kbps MP3

TVBS e111
Taipei
TV Live Broadcast
221 Kbps WinMedia

Voice of NCCU 88.7 FM
Taipei
College Radio
128 Kbps WinMedia

今天的中文量词 - "把儿"

2006-08-30T10:16:00.000-05:00

"把儿"

For vegtables, plants or a bunch of long narrow objects gathered closely together.

一把儿菠菜 - bōcài - a bunch of spinach
一把儿挂面 - guàmiàn - a bunch of dried noodles
一把儿韭菜 - jiu3cài - a bunch of leeks
一把儿筷子 - kauìzi - a bundle of chopsticks
一把儿鲜花 - xiānhuā - a bunch of fresh flowers
一把儿香蕉 - xiāngjiāo - a bunch of bananas

把 & 把儿

Both are used for a quantity of things that can be held in one hand.

"把" is often used for things scattered.

For Example:

她抓起一把菠菜, 用草捆了起来。
She took hold of a bunch of spinach and then bundled it up with straw rope。

"把儿" is used for things bundled up

For Example:

她买了一把儿菠菜, 是用草捆着的。
She bought a bunch of spinach bundled up with straw rope。

今天的中文成语 - 化干戈为玉帛

2006-08-30T07:07:00.000-05:00

化干戈为玉帛 - huàgāngēwéiyùbó

化 - to change

干 & 戈 - two kinds of weapons from ancient times, in this idiom it is referring to the generic term "weapons"。

玉&帛 - jade articles and silk knitwear, wich dukes and princes brought with them as gifts to meetings to form alliance or as tribute to their sovreign。In this idiom they refer to gifts in general or peace。

Metaphorical meaning - Turn war into peace。

English equivalent - To turn swords into ploughshares。

This Chinese idiom often refers to two belligerent parties or two sides of a fight.

Example Sentences:

那年月, 时常有打群架的, 但是总会有朋友出头给双方调解;三五十口子打手, 经调解人东说西说,喝碗茶, 吃碗烂肉面,便都可以化干戈为玉帛了。

nà niányue, shíchángyou3 da3qúnjià de, dànshì zong3huì you3 péngyou chūtóu gěi shuāngfāng tiáojiě; sānwu3shíkou3zi da3shou,jīng taiōjiěrén dōngshuōxīshuō, hē wan3chá, chī wan3lànròumiàn, biàndōu kěyi3 huàgāngēwéiyùbó le。

原来曾经尖锐对立的两个民族,通过和亲这种化干戈为玉帛的政策,变成了兄弟。
yuánlái céngjīng jiānruì duìlì de liang3 gè mínzú, tōngguò héqīn zhèzhong3 huàgāngēwéiyùbó de zhèngcè biànchéng le xiōngdì。

Chinese Reality TV

2006-08-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

CCTV has finally made a good move! For all of you Chinese speaking Survivor fans, or American Idol Fans CCTV has come through for you.

CCTV announced that they will be hosting a search-not for a singer--no, not even for a winner of a million dollars--they are searching for 2 people out of 1.4 billion to become the hero's of the Beijing Olympics. One lucky male and one lucky female will be chosen to steer the men's and women's teams of eight rowers in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The requirements are a good set of lungs and a great sense of direction. CCTV officials have said they are going to take parts from "Survivor", "The Apprentice" and "American Idol" as ways to sort through the literally billions of people.

Reality TV isn't a new thing is China, they have had their own fair share of spin-offs for a few years now. What CCTV is hoping for though is to use this competition to boost local interest in the Olympics. Last year "Super Female Voice" a TV reality show like American Idol, raked in a whopping 400 million viewers for the finale. I personally doubt that number is true, but even so I bet it beat out American Idol's record breaking 36 million.

The competition will be called "China Olympic Coxswain Competition" and the rowing sport was picked because "This is the only sport in the Olympics in which such a competition could be held. The coxswain position is unique because you don't need great physical strength, just mental strength," says Liu Ai Jie, vice president of the China Water Sports Association. I know you are thinking what I was thinking when I first read the news "How in the world did this fly by so many people and get continuous OK's? Aren't they worried that they will make a fool of themselves once again? Wouldn't these two lucky winners have to train for a long time before they could do this?" The answer is simple when you see what catch line was used: "Chairman Mao is China's Great Helmsman. The position has special meaning. Rowers won't be able to go in the right direction without the leadership and purpose of a good helmsman." No pressure there! I almost feel sorry for the winner now!

The nationwide search starts in September, with 80 contestants selected based on essays and interviews. I am suprised that CCTV didn't make them take a battery of tests, I mean what would a Chinese competition be without a test? The contest will air in prime time in mid-November, when 20 finalists will be voted off by a set of judges and the audience in weekly televised trials that will test their stamina, leadership skills as well as their ability to withstand stress.

China's Best Buy

2006-08-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

Best Buy is going to open its first store in Shanghai China and is said to be recruiting 500 people to work the first store. Best Buy hopes to open the store by the end of the year covering 4 floors of the Jiang Shan Building in the Xu Jia Hui commercial district, though top executives were quick to point out that there are not in a race and the store will open when the time is right. There has been speculation of Best Buy trying to buy out some local companies that could pose as future competion. In May Best Buy announced they would pay $180 million for a majority stake in the Jiangsu Five Star Appliance Co., which just happens to be one of the top five electronic appliance retailers China.

Robert Willett, chief executive officer of a Best Buy said that they are taking there time with the Chinese market becuase "The Chinese consumer is pretty unforgiving if we get it wrong."He's definitely right about that.

今天的中文量词 - "把"

2006-08-29T07:07:00.000-05:00

今天的中文量词 - "把"

There are 6 uses of the measure word "把" . The uses are listed below followed by examples corresponding to each usage.

1. For article of everyday use or instruments with a handle.
2. For a quantity of thins that can be held in one hand.
3. For some abstract nouns such as strength and age, it can one be used with the numeral 一.
4. For some figurative nouns and used only with the numeral 一.
5. For indicating the level of ability or performance in a persons work, especially those with special skills.
6. For actions done with the hand. It is used only with the numeral 一.

Here are the example uses:

For article of everyday use or instruments with a handle.

一把 - yība3
一把叉子 - chāzi - a fork
一把茶壶 - cháhú - a teapot
一把铲子 - chan3zi - a shovel
一把尺子 - chi3zi - a ruler
一把锤子 - chuízi - a hammer
一把大提琴 - dàtíqín - a cello
一把掸子 - dan3zi - a duster
一把刀 - dāo - a knife
一把二胡 - èrhú - a two stringed Chinese bowed instrument
一把斧子 - fu3zi - an axe
一把剪子 - jian3zi - a pair of scissors
一把剑 - jiàn - a sword
一把扫帚 - sàozhou - a broom
一把扇子 - shànzi - a fan
一把勺儿 - sháor - a spoon; ladle
一把手枪 - shou3qiāng - a pistol
一把梳子 - shūzi - a comb
一把刷子 - shuāzi - a brush
一把算盘 - suànpán - an abacus
一把锁 - suo3 - a lock
一把钥匙 - yàoshi - a key
一把椅子 - yi3zi - a chair
一把雨伞 - yu3san3 - an umbrella

For a quantity of things that can be held in one hand.

一把钞票 - chāopiào - a handful of bank notes
一把稻草 - dàocao3 - a bundle of rice straw
一把瓜子 - guāzi - a handful of melon seeds
一把胡子 - húzi - a full beard
一把花生 - huāshēng - a handful of peanuts
一把韭菜 - jiu3cài - a handful of leeks
一把筷子 - kuàizi - a handful of chopsticks
一把米 - mi3 - a handful of rice
一把糖 - táng - a handful of sweets
一把头发 - tóufa - a handful of hair
一把土 - tu3 - a handful of dirt
一把雪 - xuě - a handful of snow

For Some abstract nouns such as strength, age, etc. It is used with the numeral 一 only。

一把劲儿 - jìnr - great strength
一把力气 - lìqi - great strength
一把年纪 - niánjì - advanced age

For some figurative nouns and used only with the numeral 一。

哭得一把鼻涕一把眼泪的
kū de yì ba3 bíti yì ba3 yan3lèi de
to cry tearfully

瘦成一把骨头了
shòu chéng yì ba3 gu3tou le
to become a person of skin and bone

放了一把火
fàngle yì ba3 huo3
to set (a house) on fire

过一把瘾
guò yì ba3 yi3n
to one's heart's content

For indicating the level of ability or performance in a person's work, especially those with special skills。

他真是一把好手。
tā zhēnshì yì ba3 hao3shou3。
He is really a skillful man。

她是一把能手。
tā shì yì ba3 néngshou3。
She is a capable woman。

For actions done with the hand. It is used only with the numeral 一。

洗一把脸
xi3 yì ba3 lian3
to wash ones face

动量词- verb form

帮他一把 - bāng tā yì ba3 - lend a helping hand to him
拉他一把 - lā tā yì ba3 - pull him with a jerk

今天的中文成语 - 茅塞顿开

2006-08-29T06:57:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been stuck on a problem and you couldn't seem to understand, then all of a sudden, the light bulb comes on and it makes sense. This Chinese idiom is for you!

茅塞顿开 - máosèdùnkāi

茅 - máo - cogongrass
塞 - sè - to block up
顿 - dùn - suddenly, at once
开 - kāi - to open

Literal Meaning - The way which seemed to be stopped up by cogongrass is suddenly opened。

Metaphorical Meaning - To reach instant enlightenment; suddenly see the light。

This Chinese idiom refers to a teaching and learning situation where one has overcome an inability to understand something; often used in a pivotal structure。

Example Sentences:

这本书我看了好几遍也抓不住要点,您的短短几句话,使我茅塞顿开。

Zhè běnshū w03 kànle hao3ji3biàn yě zhuābuzhù yàodian3, nín de duan3duan3 jī jùhuà, shi3 w03 máosèdùnkāi。

老赵茅塞顿开般地说: "你看,我怎么就没有想到这一层?"

Lao3 Zhào máosèdùnkāi dì shuō: "ní kàn, w03 zěnme jiù méiyou3 xiang3dào zhè yī céng?"

茅塞顿开的小林感激地说:"谢谢, 谢谢!"

máosèdùnkāi de xiao3lín gan3jī dì shuō: "xièxie, xièxie!"

A Great Leap Forward--Don't Post My Grades

2006-08-28T12:37:00.000-05:00

For thousands of years, China has been posting test results. This practice has led to unmeasurable joy and has led to unneeded stress. Students are publicly honoured or disgraced by the posting of their test score.

To lighten the load of China's future generation the Education Ministry announced that test results in primary and middle schools will not be allowed to be publicly posted. Students will be able to receive their scores in private. In China, the public posting of test scores and the potential humiliation that can occur, has been blamed for suicides throughout the country. Memorization and cramming for tests is taught from the earliest of grades.

This new rule however, does not apply to high schools, which is where the most fierce competition takes place. Students fight to bring honor to their names by testing well, and testing into reputable colleges.

The government also banned the practice of setting up high funded "key schools" or "key classes within a school" which recruits the best teachers and students.

Is this the beginning of "westernization" in Chinese schools? How long until this law applies to high schools? I think that this is the first step of education reform in China. I know that when I didn't do to well on tests I didn't want anyone to know, even when I did well on a test, there was always someone who didn't and was obviously ashamed. Why would anyone want to exploit it and make it known to the world? I am no expert in the area, and I am sure that those who have followed the subject for a long time appreciate this more than I, but I am anxious to see what happens in the near future, this is a great step.

今天的中文成语 Todays Chinese Idiom

2006-08-28T11:52:00.000-05:00

Have you ever met someone who seemed to excel much quicker than you? Ever been out performed by someone whose talents came out of the blue? This Chinese idiom is for you.

扶摇直上 - fúyáoshíshàng

扶摇 - fúyáo - a cyclone that rapidly spirals upward。

Literal Meaning: To soar on the wings of a cyclone。

Metaphorical Meaning: To have a successful career and to be promoted quickly; to shoot up into the sky。This can be used to describe people as well as concrete and abstract things。

只见那风筝扶摇直上, 越来越小, 最后连一个小黑点也看不见了。
Zhi3jiàn nà fēngzheng fúyáoshíshàng, yuèláiyuèxiao3, zuìhòu lián yī gè xiao3 hēidian3 yě kànbujiàn le。

扶摇直上的军费开支大大增加了人民的负担。
fúyáoshíshàng de jūnfèi kāizhī dàdà zēngjiā le rénmín de fùdān。

Missionary Helping N. Korean refugees faced 20 years in a Chinese Prison- Gets a slap on the wrist

2006-08-22T10:21:00.000-05:00

Rev. Phillip Jun Buck was arrested by Chinese authorities in May 2005 for attempting to sneak North Korean refugees into South Korea. The Chinese accused him of providing work and shelter for North Korean Refugees in route to South Korea. The Chinese see the helping of North Korean refugees as human trafficking rather than lending a humanitarian helping hand. After being arresting in May of 2005, he went to court in December of the same year, where he faced a maximum of 20 years behind bars. Family and friends of the Reverend notified congressmen and publized the ordeal, putting the cause in the hands of various human rights groups. Pressure was put on the Chinese and the Reverend received 15 total months in jail.

In religious fashion, he returned home and immediately gave prayers for North Korean inmates he was incarcerated with. Family and friends don't think he is going to give up on helping those who stand in need of help.

My question is this: does the underground work of various churches in China help their cause? Do these churches think that this will help them become a recognized church in China? I know there are hundreds of underground churches, they give out bibles under the table and give releif to those in need, but is this only helping in the short run? I beleive it hurts them, they become an irritation to the government and only stifles their progress. Why aren't there any churches in China who follow the rules and do as they are told? Why is a church greater than a government? Shouldn't we all obey they laws of the land?

I am glad that the Reverend received a lighter punishment than what could have been given. I am also thankful for his willingness to help those in need. Though I don't personally know him, he is a good man. I just don't understand the reasoning and the risk that he puts himself and his faith in. Any comments you may have are more than welcome.

China Airplane Bomb Scare

2006-08-22T00:05:00.000-05:00

I have seemed to forget that not all terrorism is all directed at the U.S. China is having problems as well. With the recent scares in London, and last weeks emergency landing in Boston, it seems that no flight is safe. The most recent scare happend on a Chinese Airline a few short hours ago. What is the world coming to? Are the terrorists giving up on blowing up planes and trying to terrorize the notion of flying? Do they have something against the airline industry? Gee whiz!

A China Southern Airlines flight originating from Guangzhou bound for Australia was forced to make an emergency landing after a threatening note was found on board. About an hour into the flight a bomb threat note was found on board. The pilot made the decision to return to Guangzhou. Officials had all the fuel from the plane dumped, and chaos was the only apparent truth that was known among the passengers. Like in Boston, the plane was met with 20+ police cars and fire trucks, and all of the passengers and crew were questioned before the could reboard the plane.

如何增强企业核心竞争力

2006-08-21T12:52:00.000-05:00

如何增强企业核心竞争力

我开始研究我报告的题目时，发现有不少可以提高企业核心竞争力的方式。因为每个经济学家都有自己不同的解决此问题的方法，所以通过研读富有细节的文章我获得一些关键的要素。虽然中国经济正在经历很大的进步，但是如果企业忽视如何发展核心竞争力，就不会生存得很久。所以，我要试图解释中国企业为何要获得核心竞争力以及如何达到此目的。

我个人认为，人们应该先了解核心竞争力是什么，然后才能够更有效地找到一个解决核心竞争力的方法。那么，核心竞争力的定义究竟是什么？我看文章时，找到几个定义。一种说法是：” 企业核心竞争力是指企业赖以生存和发展的关键要素，比如某些技术、技能和管理机制”

。美国著名管理学者，普拉哈得和哈默尔认为核心竞争力是”能使公司为客户带来特殊利益的一种独有的技能或技术”，

. 虽然这两个定义有一些差别，但是都肯定技术与管理的因素对企业的重要性。如果公司的领导人很重视先进技术的发展与体制改革，公司就容易在竞争中遥遥领先。

知道核心竞争力是什么之后，我对中国企业是否具有核心竞争力做了研究。我找到的结果说明中国企业基本上缺乏核心竞争力。为了解决问题，我举了一些具有核心竞争力的外国公司的例子以便对比说明企业核心竞争力的关键性。这些公司是联邦快递，索尼，和百事可乐。这些公司的竞争力体现在他们的技术或管理的独特性上。联邦快递的独特性是即时运送。索尼的特殊技术是迷你化，生产不少好携带的产品。百事可乐有优势的品牌管理与促销的能力。这些例子帮我更清楚地了解核心竞争力的定义。

目前，大多数中国企业都不能在国际市场上占有一席之地。大部分的知名品牌都属于国外的公司。我找到了一个惊人的数据。中国五百二十户国家重点企业的收入仅仅等于世界前两名企业--美国通用汽车和德国戴姆勒-克莱斯勒汽车公司--的收入之和。这个数据说明中国企业仍然缺乏核心竞争力。虽然中国在经历经济崛起，可是缺乏核心竞争力的事实使很多国内企业继续依赖跨国公司的经营策略，从而不能真正地实现经济的独立。所以下面我要分析影响核心竞争力的因素。

第一个因素是跨国公司谋求技术霸权。因为我们住在信息化的世界当中，所以最具竞争力的公司必须拥有优势的技术。例如，世界上最大的软件生产商微软公司生产的Windows操作系统很受欢迎。微软把这个高科技软件卖给其他公司，使其他公司能够减少人力资源的使用。微软的技术已代替了很多人的工作。第二个因素是政企职能的混淆。在社会主义体制下，政府倾向于干预经济发展。目前，不管是中央政府还是地方政府都仍然在不同程度上对国营和私营企业进行控制。第三个是企业和社会忽视对知识产权进行保护。如果中国公司对这个问题置之不理，长期下来，别的国家就会不愿意跟中国做生意。况且，中国人自己发明的产品也不会得到应有的保护。如果政府能够严格执行保护知识产权的法律，科技先烈的现象就不会发生。第四个是国内人士的矛盾心态。有人认为尊重知识产权是必要的，有人则认为不是那么重要。因为在中国，许多生产假货的公司为人们提供了很多就业机会。因此，从某种程度上来说，深入地打击假冒伪劣对政府和社会的经济代价是很大的。第五个是国内法律与国际条约的差异。加入世贸以后，中国被要求遵守世贸规则。中国国家的法律与世贸规则有很多不同之处。因此，中国政府必须在执行法律之前彻底了解国际法律，以免因疏忽尔违反国际法规。第六个是企业科研经费投资不够。大多数具有核心竞争力的国际大企业的科研投资至少是他们收入的5%，而一般中国企业的科研投资却不到总收入的1%。这导致许多中国企业不能发展创新能力。为了提高核心竞争力，这些上述的因素都应该被改进。

那么，中国应该如何促进和提高核心竞争力呢？因为现代化带来了很多体制与管理的变化，所以企业内部改革越来越重要。公司先要重视深化制度改革与调整企业结构，然后提高技术创新能力。公司也必须与政府建立”窗口指导”制度，在核心竞争力的发展过程中获得直接指导和推动。通过这些步伐，中国企业的体制会更成功。另外，因为加工制造不是一个很复杂的过程，所以加工制造的工作是低收入的工作。如果中国试图发展自己的产品，而不是仅仅依靠跨国公司，中国就会开始建设更多具有核心竞争力的公司，并且用更能赢利的工作来代替加工制造的工作。加之，要是中国继续符合世贸的规则，就会受到国际社会的接受和认同。

我认为，促进和提高企业核心竞争力的最重要的两个要素就是培训人才与打造品牌。最近，中国企业越来越注意到人才的价值。企业要提高员工待遇，增加培训投资，改善培训计划与工作条件。企业如果没有满足员工基本的需要，员工就会选择离开公司，导致公司的人才流失。第二，一般来说，企业要先在国内发展产品以打响品牌，然后再把目标转移到国际市场。因为国际竞争普遍来说比国内竞争激烈得多，只有在国内推行成功的产品才能在国外生存和竞争。例如，美国的可口可乐，麦当劳和中国的海尔。再者，能在竞争中生存的产品必须具有一种独特性。响亮的品牌是一种难得的无形资产，所以应该也得到像知识产权一样的保护。

中国企业的未来一定会很成功，但是为了获得更大的经济优势，中国企业还需要发展核心竞争

力。为了达到这个目的，中国企业必须分清政企职能，才能够合适地分配责任。提高创新能力会

帮助企业提高产品质量和促销能力。勇于面对和与知识产权问题作斗争也会很有利于中国企业。

企业应该遵守国际法规以获得更多国际社会的认同。发展本土品牌会改善产品的质量和促进中国

企业到国外发展。最后，培训人才会给员工他们需要的知识和技能来更有效地工作。如果中国遵

循上述的建议，就会变成一个经济强国，其企业也会更繁荣。

Marco

2006-08-21T12:17:00.000-05:00

Friends,

A recent visitor to my site, Marco, has been so kind to always check out what I have been writing about. He is becoming a fast friend - I enjoy his thoughts and his help. I would like to encourage any readers who are out there to check out his blog, you can either check it out here at http://marcowongcn.spaces.live.com/ or by clicking on the link that I have posted on the sidebar.

Thanks Marco for all of the help.

D.A.

换轮胎

2006-08-21T12:06:00.001-05:00

换轮胎

假设你在高速公路和你的轮胎刚刚开始漏气。糟糕怎么办？别发呆！就需要很快换轮胎。需要先安全地把汽车开到路旁边，然后慢慢地把停下来。因为在你后面的交通看不见你，所以如情况允许的话，就把车子停在直的马路旁边。必须把车子停在一块平的地方。然后，把应急灯打开以便让其他的人绕道而行。

把车子的工具拿出来。用车轮固定头套筒板手来把螺母拧松。如果不能拧松螺母，别担心，用脚来踩车轮固定头套筒板手的一侧，以便用杠杆作用来转动扳手。不要把螺母拿出来，只把它们拧松。

查看你车子的说明书以便知道把千斤顶放在哪里。经常千斤顶碰到车子的位置在前轮胎的后面或后轮胎的前面。把千斤顶放在车子下面，然后用千斤顶把车子支起来。升高千斤顶到轮胎在脱离地面的六英尺。因为给车胎打气之后，所以车胎要更多的空间或间隙。

把轮胎拆除。把紧固螺母拧下来。把螺母放在你旁边。把轮胎拉出去。把备胎放在车子上。把螺母放在轮胎上。使用车轮固定头套筒板手把紧固螺母紧固一下以便降下车子使轮胎碰到地面。车子的四个轮胎在地上的时候，把所有的螺母紧固好。你必须先把一个螺母紧固好，然后把对面的紧固好，等等。

最后，把坏轮胎放在备胎的地方。把所有的工具放在适当的地方。落实你没有留下东西在车子的周围。

终于，可以成功的开车。

不支持干细胞的研究的理由

2006-08-21T12:06:00.000-05:00

In a recent post, Jot (Of Epic Perceptions)shared some of his feelings about stem cell research. I have written some of the reasons why I do not support embyonic stem cell research. I thought that I could write down just a few of my thoughts. The subject is one that is quite interesting to me, but a very touchy subject to many. This isn't by any means a disertation or anything, so don't think that my way of thinking is perfect by any means! Ha ha. Anyway, for those who care to read:

不支持干细胞的研究的理由

我在网上时看到一篇跟胚胎干细胞有关的文章。布什总统的夫人支持他的立场。参议院克立完全不同意他们的立场。从那篇文章里我注意到一句话,”学家表示，从胚胎中提取的干细胞可能会为老年痴呆症等疾病提供治疗办法”。在这句话里面，我注意到”可能会”这个用词。这个词对我来说表示研究干细胞的结果并不是百分之百肯定的。这个结果令人失望。就算干细胞的研究产生积极的成果，道德的问题还是存在。采取干细胞的过程一定会导致一个胚胎以及一个生命的死亡。那不行。摧毁生命以便治病是不可以接受的。

讨论这个问题之前，我觉得各方都必须明确表示他们相信人类的生命是何时开始的。无论是一个

基督教徒还是无神论者，大部分的人都尊重人类的生命，但是还有不少人支持堕胎。有人觉得一

个生命开始的时刻就是一个孩子嘎嘎坠地之时，有人认为是胎儿具有所有身体的器官的时候。还

有人认为一旦受孕，就是一个生命的开始。所以，如果不支持堕胎，先必须个人决定生命的出发

点什么时候开始，才能更清楚地说明你的立场。另外一个方面，如果支持堕胎的话，也许摧毁胚

胎的问题不影响你的立场。因为支持堕胎的人并不认为胚胎是一个完全发育的个体，所以对他们

来说堕胎并不是摧毁生命。

从胚胎人体提取干细胞是一个摧毁生命的方式。因为干细胞具有培养一个完全发育的人的能力，所以摧毁胚胎就是摧毁一生命。但是，还有一个更大的道德问题。一对夫妇接受体外受孕之后，要决定他们是要保留还是要捐赠剩余的受精卵。所以问题就是如何处理剩余的胚胎。

避免危险的道德滑坡。如果我们接受摧毁胚胎，那下一步我们会接受摧毁未出生的婴儿。然后呢，我们也许会接受用干细胞来克隆。危险的滑坡一直会继续下去。

我认为我们的责任是找出别的方法来治病。我们不应该靠近或涉足这个问题。摧毁人类的

生命不是一个我们应该考虑的问题。

中国的诗

2006-08-17T12:02:00.001-05:00

中国的诗

寻隐者不遇

贾岛

松下问童子

言师采药去

只在此山中

云深不知处

这首诗是唐代诗人贾岛写的。唐代有许多著名的诗，总称唐诗三百首。其中有一首叫<<寻隐者不遇>>的诗吸引了我的注意。我一看到这首诗，就自己想，太短了。它的内容怎么会有深刻的意义？可是，后来，我越看越发现那首诗的内容比较丰富。并且，我看别人的分析以后，就学到每个人都有自己的看法和见解。我认为诗歌是一种艺术，所以个人的见解会因读者自己的经验和思想而不同。

我要先分析标题的目的。我认为看标题以后，读者就会知道这首诗和什么有关。不过，我也认为标题有更深的意思。可能会想，那个隐者到底是谁？也许读者有一个很像隐者的朋友可作比较。或者，读者有自己的问题和需要寻求别人的帮助来解决其问题。所以，读者可以把自己放在诗里面，才能更了解诗人企图说什么。我从这首诗学到，通过我很想要找东西的过程，找到另外一个东西。这个诗人在上山的时候，看不见隐者在哪里，因为有很多云雾。所以，童子告诉他<<只在此山中>>的一句话。从这句话我推测诗人需要先从山里面走出来，然后，才能正确地发现隐者在哪里。

我认为诗人上山找隐者的原因是为了解决他自身的问题。因为这首诗词的一句说，<<言师采药去>>，所以隐者可能具有药可帮助诗人。但是，诗人没能找到隐者的原因，就是因为有很多云。他自身处于云雾当中。诗人需要从山上走下来，才能看到山的真正面目。就是说，他需要先从问题中跳出来，才能认清问题的本质。所以，这首看起来很简单的诗，真的不是那么简单，而是有更深的意义

我分析诗歌的内容的时候，我发现诗歌提到三个地点和三个人物。所以我推测人物跟地点有联系。因为诗人企图找隐者，所以我认为松树代表贾岛。树有很多向外伸展的树枝。为了找东西，人们伸出自己的胳膊。而且，松树为了生存，树根会向四周延伸找养分。

我觉得这首诗歌中提到的云代表着那个童子。童子真的不知道隐者在哪里，他只可以猜一猜。隐者的下落不明。云是一种无形的东西，没有具体的形状。童子没有很多有关隐者下落的信息，所以不可以详细地给诗人方向。童子只对贾岛说，只在此山中，这是一个模糊的回答，跟云很相似。

山代表着隐者。我认为隐者不喜欢被别人影响，因此他的性格应该很清高而倔强。山也很坚定，所以，隐者很像山。并且，为了逃避社会的问题，人们常常到山上去。

总结，贾岛的诗是把这个小故事和生活的意义来作一个比喻。因为我可以把我自己的经验

来看和更了解贾岛的诗，所以我从这首诗学到很多智慧。

改革开放与社会问题--中国的污染问题

2006-08-17T12:02:00.000-05:00

改革开放与社会问题

中国的污染问题

改革开放以来中国经济发展日益增加。中国经济的成功吸引别的国家和投资者的注意。但是，经济发展也带来了一些坏处。例如，唯物主义和污染。中国政府企图以政策与法律为保护环境，可是还没有那么好的效果。现在专家在警告如果中国政府不按时扭转环保的情况，就会影响中国经济的进步和中国人生活水平。近年来，中国对于遏制污染的问题所采取的政策没有效。在吉林省，吉林市有一个化工厂爆炸导致了松花江的污染。不久，广东省韶关市又发生超标排放工业废水事件。Y有人认为这两事件只是冰山一角而已。一个统计指出3亿农村人口的饮用水不合格。酸雨影响国土面积的三分之一。工业危险废料年产1千1百多万吨。全国水土流失面积为356万平方公里。据世界银行的数据，世界上十个环境污染最严重的城市，中国城市占其中的六个。中国政府的环保法律真的没有问题，但是政府执行法律有问题。中国需要有效地执行法律和政策。如果经济发展太快，很难控制和执行有关的法律。

另外一个问题是地方官员需要同时处理环保问题和经济问题。所以官员经常选择把经济的发展置于环保之前。如果官员计算污染的成本，就会发现利润不是那么高。如果官员意识到污染的成本，会改变他们发展经济的策略和动机。

很多国家用非政府组织来解决污染问题。民间团体解决于污染问题的效果很成功。如果中

国政府给这种的组织更大的发挥空间地援助，就会带来很大的进步。

Google is not a verb! // Google Goes to China

2006-08-17T11:35:00.000-05:00

So, how many times have you not known about something and said "I'd better go home and google it?" Google is no longer just a company, they have become an entry in the dictionary.

Google - verb. to search for information on the internet.

Well, Google doesn't want Google to be a verb.

I guess google is arguing that if the word becomes a verb, it isn't connected to the company and is in violation of some intellectual property blah blah blah. I'm a big fan of Google, but there is no way they are going to stop it from becoming a verb. Maybe they should worry about something else.

In other Google news....

China.com just announced that it's partnering with Google on search engine technology, branding and advertising. China.com has about 30 million registered users, and provides gaming and other internet services.

It is speculated that given Google's emphasis on the mobile marketplace, their partnership with China.com could be a foot in the doorway of the Chinese mobile phone market..

This is not the first time Google has gone to China, their willingness to censor search results has drawn vast critisism from human rights advocates. But who can blame them, they are only keeping the laws of the land right? I mean, a business cannot go into a country and think they are exempt from the law right? So whats the big deal?

干细胞研究

2006-08-15T09:15:00.000-05:00

干细胞研究

现在在美国,政治家对于干细胞的看法很重要。谁都知道干细胞的研究可以帮助人类面对各种各样的病毒,但是问题就是联邦政府应不应该提供钱和管理这个很大的任务。美國的国家卫生研究院报告指出，“重要的技术障碍仍然存在，通过几年的集中研究才能克服。”虽然"几年的集中研究才能克服"但是医学家认为干细胞研究有能力通过修复特定组织或生长器官，改变人类怎么样去应对疾病.干细胞可以分四類：

全能干细胞，由卵和精细胞的融和产生。这细胞可以无例外地生长出任何细胞类型
万能干细胞，是全能干细胞的后裔，可以生长出除全能干细胞以外的任何细胞类型
多能干细胞，只能产生那种血细胞，包括红血细胞、白血细胞和血小板。
专一性干细胞，只能产生一种细胞类型；但是，具有自更新属性，将其与非干细胞区分开。

存在的更大问题也就是胚胎干细胞。他们是从胚泡得到的干细胞。它们算是万能的，意思就是胚胎干细胞可以成为身体内200多种细胞类型中的任何一种。问题就是得到这种的干细胞最终杀死原来的活性生物。所以可以说是牺牲小我,完成大我,因此很多的宗教派和那些"鸽派人权"的人反对这种联邦政府支持的干细胞研究。

Bilingual search capability

2006-08-14T23:45:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon this website that lets you search chinese news, by inputting english. I tried out a couple of phrases and found that the pages it retreived for me were fairly relevant. Just, F.Y.I.

http://search.adsotrans.com/

Shaq and China

2006-08-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

NBA star Shaquille O'Neal signed a five-year contract on Monday with Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning. The new "Shaq Dunkman" line will be marketed exclusively in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Mr. Zhang Zhiyong CEO of Li Ning praised O'Neal as being a wonderful NBA player, with great character, passion and is a hero on the court. Zhang Zhiyong said these traits are not only the traits of Shaq but are reminiscent of oriental heroism and of the Li-Ning brand. Shaq was in Beijing for the announcement and is quoted as saying "I'm excited and happy to finally be able to work with the Li-Ning brand and look forward to a very bright future." I had no idea that Shaq had wanted a contract with a Chinese shoe company.

For those interested, Nike is the leading basketball shoe in China. Adidas is 2nd and Li Ning 3rd. Yao Ming sports Reeboks. Cavaliers' Damon Jones starred in commercials for Li-Ning and wore its shoes in NBA games. In an earlier post I talked about the NBA's growing relations with China, and the article I read today said that more than 1 billion Chinese watched NBA games last year. Basically, everyone in China watched one game.

Of Epic Perceptions

2006-08-14T19:37:00.000-05:00

As you may have noticed from yesterdays post, I have been spending alot of time talking with Jot. He wrote some very kind words about me and "Me Thinks." I too have enjoyed our conversations, and hope that we will continue to maintain a dialogue. I myself am very interested in what is going on around the world, and find his posts enjoyable to read. For the convinience of my readers, I have just added a permanent link to "Of Epic Perceptions" on the right hand side of the screen. I would encourage you all to take the time to read a post or two.

D.A.

Chinese Censor Cartoons in Primetime

2006-08-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

I know, the acronym for the title of this post is CCCP. How Ironic!!

China has found it in their best interest, and in the interest of their homegrown animators to ban the Simpsons and Mickey Mouse prime-time TV. The goverment cited worries of the effects of foreign cultures on Chinese Children. The prime time slot in China is between 1700 - 2000 (5pm-8pm for those of you who don't read military time). State run media has previously announced a ban on programs that mix animation and live characters. This means that the Chinese children will never find out who framed Roger Rabbit, or be taught by the show "Blue Clues." Maybe this is a good thing afterall, I mean I never liked those shows, and lets not even start on Barney or the Teletubbies. Hmm... so at least the communist party is showing that they have taste!

Okay, back to the story.

There are around 250 million children in China. That is just about the total population of America. Japanese anime dominates the market suppressing the local animation studios, but who can blame the Chinese children for liking the creative minds of the Japanese while the Chinese are putting out cartoons that either directly copy or parralel traditional stories such as Journey to the West, and the Adventures of the Monkey King. The main concern is the fact that it seems as if the Chinese government is forcing Chinese goods upon the people. The Chinese animation studios have yet to come up with something like Mickey Mouse or Pokeman. Though the announcement has yet to become official, this is not the first time that the Chinese have put limits of foreign shows. In 2000 limits were put upon Japanese cartoons, and in 2002 they mandated that 60% of the primetime cartoons had to be government endorsed propaganda in cartoon form. Oops! Did I write that, I meant, 60% of primetime cartoons had to be Chinese.

Todays Chinese Idiom (今天的成语)

2006-08-14T11:18:00.000-05:00

This is for all you students out there who go to class and whatever the teachers says "goes in one ear and out the other"

囫囵吞枣 - húlúntūnzao3

囫囵 - húlún means whole。

Literal Meaning: to swallow dates whole. Once upon a time, a doctor said "eating dates is bad for one's teeth, but good for the spleen and stomach. On the contrary, eating pears is beneficial to one's teeth, but no good for the spleen and stomach." Upon hearing this, a person said "I sill swallow dates whole rather than chew them carefully, and will just chew pears and not swallow them. In this way, I will benefit from eating bothe dates and pears.

Metaphorical Meaning: to lap up information without analyzing or digesting it; to study without understanding.

Also Known As: 鹘囵吞枣 - húlúntūnzao3

Idiom usage: Derogatory

Example Sentences:

要真正学到知识, 必须认真请教, 深入思索, 决不能囫囵吞枣。yàozhēnzhèng xuédào zhīshi, bìxū rènzhēn qing3jiào, shēnrù sīsuo3, juébùnéng húlúntūnzao3。

古人读书,据说老师是不怎么讲解的,就让学生去念, 去背, 这种囫囵吞枣的方法不太好。gu3rén dúshū, jùshuō lao3shī shì bùzěnme jiang3jiě de, jiùràng xuéshēng qù niàn, qù bēi, zhèzhong3 húlúntūnzao3 de fāngfa3 bùtàihao3。

在教学中, 有的知识讲得太少, 不深不透, 学生还不懂呢, 就囫囵吞枣地过去了。zàijiàoxuézhōng, you3de zhīshi jiang3 de tàishao3, bù shēn bù tòu, xuéshēng hái bùdong3 ne, jiù húlúntūnzao3 de guòqule。

My thoughts on China's future

2006-08-13T16:16:00.000-05:00

Readers, the information found below belongs to Jot, who is becoming a fast friend of mine in the world of blogs. His questions and thoughts are very interesting to me and I have been writing replys to his post regarding the connection between China / Iran / Hezbollah. Below is the link to his post.

http://epicperceptions.blogspot.com/2006/08/chinairanhezbollah-connection_10.html

Here is my first reply:

This is a very interesting post. It always seems like China will do whatever it takes to get on America's bad side. I can't help but wonder though if what you say will really come to pass... I mean--China would basically be saying we'll go to bat for everything anti-American in the middle east, it would add yet a whole other dimension to the conflict, or should I say world war.Thanks for the great post. I'll be back again.http://terracottabloggers.blogspot.com
Posted by D.A. 8/10/2006 03:45:05 PM

Tell me, D.A., as you are apparently Chinese (based on a quick jump over to the blog linked to your name), what do you think will happen? Or, perhaps a better questions is, how much is enough for the Chinese government? Will economic control be sufficient, or will it become literally territorial?As for going "to bat for everything anti-American in the middle east" - do a quick Google search on Russian/Chinese relations and how both countries are deeply embedded financially in the middle east oil trade. The possibility (likely or not) of American control of middle east oil is enough to have a great number of countries lining up against the U.S., although I will concede that many don't do it in public statements. They do it in non-publicized, and economically based ways.I'd be interested in your thoughts, if you'd care to share them.Peace...Jot

Posted by Jot 8/10/2006 05:53:18 PM
Jot-I am no fortune teller, but I like to think that I know what is going on. China is poising themselves for a later battle. China is in a pubescent stage, they are filling out, getting hair on their chest, but aren't ready to take on the big guys, not yet at least. Even though China has the largest standing army and could probably fight a multi-front battle purely based on numbers, I do not think that this will become a territorial battle. Economic control though, would be a huge win for China. Everyone knows that they are becoming the economic super power, but imagine if they could play their chips right, they would be able to demonstrate that they can use their economic power as leverage in a global conflict. The Chinese want to show the world that economic greatness can exist in China without having to change their government to do it. Not only would they be saving face, but also inflating it. The crisis would have to escalate exponentially to have the Chinese get involved militarily. China wouldn't have a problem supplying all the missiles in the world- but its like you said- they wouldn't publicly do it.What are your thoughts on China's position?Thanks for the mental stimulation.

Posted by D.A. 8/11/2006 10:24:08 PM
Jot-I am no fortune teller, but I like to think that I know what is going on. China is poising themselves for a later battle. China is in a pubescent stage, they are filling out, getting hair on their chest, but aren't ready to take on the big guys, not yet at least. Even though China has the largest standing army and could probably fight a multi-front battle purely based on numbers, I do not think that this will become a territorial battle. Economic control though, would be a huge win for China. Everyone knows that they are becoming the economic super power, but imagine if they could play their chips right, they would be able to demonstrate that they can use their economic power as leverage in a global conflict. The Chinese want to show the world that economic greatness can exist in China without having to change their government to do it. Not only would they be saving face, but also inflating it. The crisis would have to escalate exponentially to have the Chinese get involved militarily. China wouldn't have a problem supplying all the missiles in the world- but its like you said- they wouldn't publicly do it.

Posted by D.A. 8/11/2006 10:24:44 PM
I agree with you that China is becoming, if they're aren't already, the economic superpower you speak of. I'm curious though, to hear more of your thoughts on the "later battle" that you believe China to be poising for.It's interesting that you write how China percieves its rise in economic power as a testament to its communist/socialist philosophy of government. Would you not agree that this meteoric rise economic status is based in capitalistic policies? As such, while the economic gains most definitely benefit the government itself, how does it benefit the people of China? Further, how long will the people of China take the scraps from the governments table before they decide they want more? The stand-off in the square was, indeed, many years ago, and many things have changed since that time. However, do you feel the Chinese people are more willing to accept the status quo today than they were then?Unfortunately, I also agree that the Chinese government wouldn't have a problem supplying all the missiles in the world. Sadly enough, this, too, is a page from the U.S. playbook. Wars are easy when you don't have to fight them yourselves, right?

Todays Chinese Idiom (今天的成语)

2006-08-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

Do you remember not being allowed to do something until you got permission from you parents? Life seemed so controlling, until you figured out that if you did it first, and then told your parents -- they couldn't do much about it, because the so called "damage" was already done. If this scenario describes you, than this idiom is for you!

先斩后奏 xiānzhan3hòuzòu

斩 - to execute
奏 - to advise or to submit a written statement ot a sovereign, to report。

In ancient Chinese law, criminals who were sentenced to death could only be executed with the approval of the sovereign。However, under special circumstances, local officials could have the criminal executed first and report to the ruler afterwards, hence the idiom 先斩后奏 xiānzhan3hòuzòu。

Metaphorical Meaning: to act first and report to one's superior afterwards。

Also Known As: 先行后闻 (xianānxínghòuwén) and 先斩后闻 (xianānzhan3 hòuwén)。

Example sentences:

要建立报告制度,重大事情, 下级必须先报告, 批准后才能实施,不能先斩后奏。
Yào jiànlì bàogào zhìdù, zhòngdà shìqing, xiàjí bìxū xiān bàogào, pīzhun3 hòu cáinéng shíshī, bùnéng xiānzhan3hòuzòu。

包拯坐镇开封府, 有先斩后奏的权力。
Bāo Zhěng zuòzhèn Kāifēng fu3, you3 xiānzhan3hòuzòu de quánlì。

小张气愤地说, "这也不批,那也不准,我们给他来个先斩后奏,看他怎么办!"
Xiao3 Zhāng qìfèn dì shuō, "zhè yě bù pī, nà yě bùzhun3, wo3men gěi tā lái gè xiānzhan3hòuzòu, kàn tā zěnme bàn。

RemoteObjectAMFO update to latest Cairngorm

2006-08-11T18:25:00.000-05:00

这个blog原来是在英文写的,但是最近Renaun的blog开始有中文版。我自己觉得翻译电脑方面很难。真了不起!说实话, 我是跟他的blog连接起来就是为了帮他做广告。原文(英文和中文)就在这儿。

Renaun写的:

为了表现最新的Cairngorm包那些RemoteObjectAMF0的类别和标本代码已经更新了。在labs.adobe.com的网站你可以找到Flex2的Cairngorm。从现在开始我RemoteObjectAMF0的类别不会包括Cairngorm。

现在的RemoteObjectAMF0包,包括两个例子。第一就是更新的Cairngorm注册例子 (例子/代码程序)。

我所创造的新例子是一个non-Cairngorm AMFPHP的例子。(例子/代码程序)。

Todays Chinese Idiom (今天的成语)

2006-08-11T17:49:00.000-05:00

飞黄腾达 - fēihuángténgdá

飞黄 - fēihuáng - a legendary horse which runs very fast。
腾达 - téngdá - to jump high, to rise。

Literal Meaning - To fly rapidly in the sky like a magic horse。
Metaphorical Meaning - To rise metaphorically, to attain sudden success and honour。
Idiom Use: usually derogatory and satirical。

Example Sentences:

先前, 还可以希望招驸马, 一下子就飞黄腾达起来, 现在皇帝没有了, 即使满脸涂着雪花膏, 也永远遇不到公主的青睐;至多,只可希图做一个富家的姑爷而已。

Xiānqián, hái kěyi3 xīwàng zhāo fùma3, yīxiàzi jiù fēihuángténgdá qi3lai, xiànzài huángdì méiyou3le, jíshi3, man3lian3 túzhexuěhuāgāo, yě yong3yuan3 yùbùdào gōngzhu3 de qīnglài; zhìduō, zhi3kě xītú zuò yīgè fùjiā de gūye éryi3。

杜月笙投到黄金荣门下后,才逐渐有了飞黄腾达的机会。
Dù Yuèshēng tóudào huángjīn róng ménxià hòu, cái zhújiàn you3le fēihuángténgdá de jīhuì。

1935年, 他已是在中外享有盛名的画家,但他不想飞黄腾达。
1935 nián, tā yi3 shì zài zhōngwài xiang3you3 shèngmíng de huàjiā, dàn tā bùxiang3 fēihuángténgdá。

Human Trafficking

2006-08-11T17:20:00.000-05:00

I recently read an article about Human Trafficking in Yunnan Province. This is an absolutely disgusting practice. Below is my summary of BBC's 8/9/06 article.

In Yunnan province, young women are allegedly being sold as wives or to brothels and sweat shops in Thailand. Yunnan villages, which lie close to the border with Burma, are very different from other parts of the economically booming China. The villages are homes to ethnic minorities, whose language and culture has more in common with northern Thailand than with the Han Chinese. Trade and tourism across the border with Burma has fallen, which translates to little opportunity for young people in these small villages. Every year, thousands pack up and leave, heading for the cities or crossing through Burma to Thailand in hopes of getting a well-paid job. Very few do make money and come back to the villages to show off their success which in turn only encourages more young people to follow suit. This only feeds the vicious cycle.

Qing-qing is 19 now but when she was just seven-years-old, she and her mother were sold. "A woman my mother knows came to our house with some men we hadn't seen before," she told me. "My mother was tricked. They sold her as a bride to a man in eastern China."

It is difficult to find officials who give a clear and honest picture of this human trafficking. Not very much is known about who exactly the traffickers are. It is suspected that they are Chinese people from Sichuan province. Because it would be too hard for Thai people to come to the villages to recruit girls, they are not suspected in the recruitment process. This practice has been going on for who knows how long yet Yunnan just barely setup the country's first anti-trafficking program. I would have to say that there is nothing but ignorance coming from these state officials, the only thing they govern is their state of denial. No matter what laws or programs are put in place it seems like the traffickers are targeting younger and younger girls. New dangers and freedoms await China as they become an economic power house, but in order to loose the chains of its past, China will have to change their culture of secrecy and cover-ups.

Bodies of missing Falun Gong found; family suspects foulplay

2006-08-10T16:04:00.000-05:00

Today on www.ntdtv.com an article was posted concerning the ongoing allegations that the Chinese government is abdutcing members of the Falun Gong and removing vital organs for transplant to sick people. If you haven't heard about this, the Chinese government is accused of using targeting Falun Gong as using its members as living donors in punsihment for opposing the government.

So here is the scoop: two bodies of two members of Falun Gong are found in the mountains outside of Guiyang city (capital of Guizhou), their remains missing many organs (including their eyes), the heads shaved and holes throughout their noses. Family members have called for an investigation, but the police have refused, saying that the incident was suicide.

After studying pictures taken of the remains, Dr. Xu Jianchao of the university of Yale stated that the evidence indicates that the operations (or murder) were conducted while the victims were still alive!

Whether or not the government was actually behind the crime is impossible to say (lack of evidence), but I think that the worst part of the story is the blatant cover up by the police. I mean, people don't cut out there own eyes, extract their own organs just to frame the Chinese government. Although, Falun Gong has been known to set themselves on fire, so you never know.

Here is a link to the whole story.
http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/gb/2006/08/09/a_47668.html

The China/Iran/Hezbollah Connection

2006-08-10T15:48:00.000-05:00

Who knows how true this really is, but it is definitely something to think about and certainly not totally out of the question. China makes weapons, sells them to Iran, who then sells the to Hezbollah, and now China might step up and admit that they are doing it and defend their position. China has a history of siding with the other side.

http://epicperceptions.blogspot.com/2006/08/chinairanhezbollah-connection_10.html

Flex AMFPHP and VO’s (RemoteObjectAMF0 update)

2006-08-10T12:44:00.000-05:00

这个blog原来是在英文写的,但是最近Renaun的blog开始有中文版。我自己觉得翻译电脑方面很难。真了不起!说实话, 我是跟他的blog连接起来就是为了帮他做广告。原文(英文和中文)就在这儿。

Renaun写的:

由Flex Coders List的一些人, 我能够更新换代 Remote Object AMFO,给几个怎么用AMFPHP和PHP/AS
VO的例子。用PHP 5.1.1和PHP 4.3.11可以做得到。

在过程中我学到一些事情。其一,
在Flex和AS3用[ArrayElementType(”com.renaun.samples.vo.BookVO”)]
你能定义ArrayCollection的object type。

[code lang=”javascript”]
[ArrayElementType(”com.renaun.samples.vo.BookVO”)]
public var books:ArrayCollection;
[/code]

为了在PHP 4用BookVO.php你需要把”public”改到”var”。

现在Remote Object AMFO包有两个例子。第一个是更新换代的Cairngorm注册例子 (例子/代码程序)。

我刚创造的是一种non-Cairngorm AMFPHP的例子 (例子/代码程序)。

注意, 我改namespace到 “com.renaun.”不是原来的 “com.multispan.”。

感谢Robert Was, 他给我代码程序的一部分。

[更新换代]

.
AS Remote class的登录做错了。必得用[RemoteClass(alias=”com.renaun.samples.vo.BookVO”)],
别用以前的registerClass的方法。感谢Andrea的注意。

我有更新换代代码的例子, 所以按数据网项目的时候他会在label field把名字表现出来。

Todays Chinese Idiom (今天的成语)

2006-08-10T12:39:00.000-05:00

佛口蛇心 - fókǒushéxīn

佛 - Buddha

Literal Meaning - A buddha's mouth and a poisonous snakes heart.

Metaphorical Meaning - To say good words and have vicious intentions.

Chinese idiom use: derogatory.

Example Sentences:

这个人佛口蛇心, 你跟他打交道,得处处放着点。
zhège rén fókǒushéxīn, nígēntādǎjiāodào, déchùchùfàngzhediǎn。

唐朝的李林甫, << 红楼梦>>里的王凤都是佛口蛇心的典型。
tángcháo de lǐlínfǔ, <hónglóumèng> lǐ de wáng fèng dōu shì fókǒushéxīn de diǎnxíng。

BMX Dirt Pro Reuel Erickson

2006-08-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

These pictures are of Reuel Erickson and some of his BMX dirt riding friends. This event took place just outside of Las Vegas in a town called Henderson. Findlay Toyota sponsored the event.Reuel Erickson holds the current world record holder for the longest backflip at 57 feet. Along with the longest backflip Reuel also has the longest decade air at 55 feet. This is similar to a tailwhip except your body goes around in a 360 degree turn with your handlebars instead of the back of your bike. This means you will have to get up off your seat and swing yourself around the front of your bike pressed against your handlebars and spin with them. http://www.diamondbackbmx.com/team.asp

The guy in the white shirt is Brad Wilson, I think he is from Australia.

This is an upclose shot of Reuel and his Pro-Tec Reuel Erickson Pro Series BMX Helmet
Reuel Erickson model
High-density, ABS shell for durability
EPS liner for impact protection
2 shell breaks
Compression-molded interior fit pads
Certified to CPSC 1203 US, ASTM 1492 and Euro EN 1078 standards
It was almost like he was posing on his Diamondback Bike just for me! Becuase I am not a photographer, the following pictures don't do the BMX jumpers any justice.

Bryce Canyon National Park

2006-08-09T18:43:00.000-05:00

Bryce Canyon is famous for its unique geology. The geology of Bryce Canyon consists of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. Frost-wedging and dissolving rainwater help shape colorful limestone rock into bizarre shapes including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called "hoodoos."

Bryce Canyon is named after a Mormon Pioneer Ebenezer Bryce and became a national park in 1924. The entrance fees are $20 for aprivate vehicle, a Commercial Vehicle around $150 (depending # of seats) and the Individual Pass is $10.

We actually stayed in a hotel/motel a few miles away. The scenery is absolutely beautiful.

What state has the most national Parks? Utah, with 5. They are:

Capitol Reef National Park

The Canyonlands National Park

Zions National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Arches National Park

All of these National parks provide lots of entertainment for those who enjoy the outdoors. You should check it out and make some time to go visit!

Chinese Idiom of the Day - 今天的成语

2006-08-09T10:50:00.000-05:00

赴汤蹈火 - fùtāngdao3huo3

赴 - fù - to move towards
汤 - tāng - hot water
蹈 - dao3 - to tread on

Literal meaning: To move towards the boiling water and tread on the fire.

Metaphorically meaning: to dash ahead regardless of ones safety.

This idiom is commendatory.

Example sentences:

为了祖国和人民的利益,即使赴汤蹈火, 我们也在所不辞。
wèile zu3guó hé rénmín de lìyì, jíshi3 fùtāngdao3huo3, wo3men yě zàisuo3bùcí。

他早已下了赴汤蹈火的决心,所以任何艰难险阻,也不能让他退后一步。
tā zao3yi3 xià le fùtāngdao3huo3 de juéxīn, suo3yi3 rènhé jiānnánxian3zu3, yě bùnéng ràng tā tuìhòu yībù。

我既不能正面的赴汤蹈火地去救国,至少也不该太怕敌人的刀斧与皮鞭。
wo3 jì bùnéng zhèngmiàn de fùtāngdao3huo3 di qù jiùguó, zhìshao3 yě bùgāi tài pà dírén de dāofù yu3 píbiān。

他们都是些英雄好汉,敢赴汤蹈火。
tāmen dōu shì xiē yīngxiónghao3hàn, gan3 fùtāngdao3huo3。

Flex default bgcolor is it a color or an image?

2006-08-09T10:33:00.000-05:00

这个blog原来是在英文写的,但是最近Renaun的blog开始有中文版。我自己觉得翻译电脑方面很难。真了不起!说实话, 我是跟他的blog连接起来就是为了帮他做广告。原文(英文和中文)就在这儿。

Renaun写的:

靠着文件就是一个图片, 所以就有颜色。我的意思是说, 在preloaders,我看到Ted的评论。用Flex Builder2而从新的项目下载来源和开始代码, 背景就会闪光。我所说的闪光就是Flex应用的缺省蓝色。我是想了解这缺省蓝色背景怎么出来,我没有改过代码的任何部分。在livedocs,我找到这些。

应用的风格就是用图片为缺省背景的图片。这图片把你所定的背景颜色把水搅浑。所以为了使背景颜色表现好,你必须除掉应用背景图片的样子。你需要把他定为space character。

如下:Application { backgroundImage: ” “; }

他是讲缺省背景颜色被图片把水搅浑。我一直不懂的就是我试过定背景图片为上述的例子, 但是没什么不同。所以为了取掉那个闪光,我把Ted的HTML代码程序和当地Flex Builder2的做个比较。不同在于属性。在index.template.html的${bgcolor}范围内属性就定的。我试过找在应用或者FlexBuilder 2一中合适的办法定好一些值量。

为了修改闪光的问题我就在index.template.html内把所有的${bgcolor}改成#ffffff

自己看在:
Ted的例子
Flex Builder下载

在Ted的HTML你会看到bgcolor=”#ffffff”和bgcolor=”#869ca7″。

The Chinese Wal-Mart

2006-08-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Wal-Mart Stores Inc announced it would allow unions to be established in all Chinese outlets. But the government-run labor organization maintains its skepticism in regards to the American megastore.

To pledge continuing cooperation with the Chinese government Wal-Mart stated that

'We intend to collaborate with the All China Federation of Trade Unions ... [this act] reflects our mutual aim to establish grassroots unions within each Wal-Mart store throughout China. Wal-Mart China desires to further strengthen its ties to China and our associates."

Wal-Mart has 60 stores in China and employs more than 31,000 workers. After intense pressure to unionize, 5 union groups have been organized in the last two weeks.

Wal-Mart has said its employees have been free to set up unions if they wish and that it they follow Chinese laws. But we all know what usually follows after a store unionizes--Wal-Mart pulls out. Wal-Marts struggle to convince the Chinese government that they are committed to their word will be a long uphill battle. China has every right to worry about Wal-Mart getting revenge on the stores that unionize, their track record is hideous, and has urged Wal-Mart not to act with retribution.

The sad thing is, no matter who forms or sanctions the unions, in the end, the Chinese workers still get screwed. You must either join a state run union, or be pushed around by Wal-Mart. Why would Wal-Mart allow unions in China but not in the U.S.? The answer is simple, China is a bigger market with bigger growth potential, and the goods are made there.

Chinese Idiom of the Day - 今天的成语

2006-08-08T20:47:00.000-05:00

座无虚席 zuòwúxūxí

Literal Meaning: To not have an empty seat。A full house. Jam packed. Standing room only

Also Known As: 座无空席 zuòwúkòngxí

This idiom describes cinemas, stadiums, auditoriums and other large scale rooms.

Often preceded by 场场(chang3chang3),早已(zao3yi3) and 几乎(jīhū)。

Example Sentences:
这次足球塞观众非常踊跃,能容纳六万名观众的球场几乎场场座无虚席。

zhècì zúqiúsài guānzhòng fēicháng yong3yuè, néng róngnà liùwànmíng guānzhòng de qiúchǎng jīhū chang3chang3 zuòwúxūxí。

这时, 座无虚席的大厅里传出了热烈的鼓掌声。

zhèshí, zuòwúxūxí 的dātīngli3 chuánchūle rèliè de gu3zhang3shēng。

The Biggest Dam Problem in China

2006-08-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

E Jingping, Director of the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Releif Headquarters (The best Dam job in China) has announced that one third of China's dams are defective and at risk of collapsing. (The biggest dam problem in China) China has more than 85,000 dams and if confronted with torrential rain, they pose a very real and serious risk in the dam surrounding areas. In other words, the Chinese are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.In August of 1975 two large dams collapsed in Henan province, killing 26,000 people in the Zhumadian. The cause of the collapse— those dam heavy rains that China always gets. Most of China’s dams were built in the dam 50’s and 60’s. Since the beginning of the dam 2006 rainy season, floods have killed 1,231 Chinese, demolished 650,000 dam houses and have cost an estimated 91.9 billion dam yuan (11,528,570,393.91 USD) in dam losses. But E Jingping pointed out that China’s improved preparedness has kept the dam death toll below the dam national average of 1800.

MP3 Player on the way!

2006-08-08T14:24:00.000-05:00

So I needed a new MP3 player, hopefully one with more than the 512 megs on my old one. After some exhaustive research I have narrowed it down to (and already ordered) the Creative Labs Zen Microtouch 8 gig.

So why go with last years CNET MP3 Player of the year you ask? Why not spend a little more to get this years CNET player of the year? Good questions, lets get to it.

1. No video player. Honestly, unless you are commuting by yourself for more than 25 minutes to school or work, when would you use this? Or I suppose you can take it on long plane trips in order to strain your eyesight even more. I have no use for a video player. I can watch enough video on my computer or T.V., thank you.

2. Only 8 gigs? Its more than enough. As Creative advertises on their website, the player can hold around 4000 songs. If I am not putting video on the player (see reason 1 above) I don't need more space. If I get tired of the 4000 songs I have on the player, it probably isn't difficult to plug my player into the computer and swap a few albums. But maybe if you are going to live with pygmies deep in the Congo for a couple years it would be nice to have a little more space.

3. Removable battery. I'll let you all in on a little secret. Batteries don't last forever! Shocking, I know. I'd rather pay 10 bucks for a replacement than 50+ for Apple to do it for me.

4. It's lime green. Ok, that isn't really a benefit other than I got it for twenty less on Amazon by getting a color that obviously doesn't sell as well. I'm secure in my manhood. (I think)

So I saved a hundred bucks or so over getting a new model. Basically I figured I wanted to listen to MP3's, that's all.

But I did realize something that the Microtouch is missing: a line-in recorder!! That would be handy for recording Hitoradio (straight out of Taibei, baby!). So afer I receive the player I'll give it a spin, maybe I'll be sending it back for something with line-in.

China Executes Spy

2006-08-08T13:22:00.000-05:00

Tong Daning, who helped manage China's $26 billion pension fund, was executed on April 21 on a charges of spying for Taiwan. Daning was the highest-ranking official to be executed for espionage since 1999. The case in 1999, was of an army general and colonel who were caught selling the locations of China's missiles to Taiwan for somewhere around $1.6 million.

Tong was a former Director of China’s National Council for Social Security, before that, Tong worked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 15 years. At that time, Tong was responsible for the qualified domestic institutional investors plan (QDII), which allowed Chinese investors to convert deposits into other currencies.

Since the execution China has publicly shown video of the execution to discourage the Chinese from becoming spys for Taiwan, and touts that Tongs death cripples Taiwan’s spying activity in China. But we all know that Taiwan will still spy on China and China will still spy on Taiwan otherwise the unemployment rates in both countries would rise drastically! The governments are only trying to create jobs! Geez!

Renaun的Adobe Flex Ad Idea

2006-08-08T12:18:00.000-05:00

这个blog原来是在英文写的,但是最近Renaun的blog开始有中文版。我自己觉得翻译电脑方面很难。真了不起!说实话, 我是跟他的blog连接起来就是为了帮他做广告。原文(英文和中文)就在这儿。

Renaun写的:

Adobe最近做一些Federated Media网站的广告, 但Flex的爱好者受不了这些广告。原文在这儿。
最棒的就是Adobe的Jeff Whatcott看到这个blog之后决定问整个Flex社会的意见。Adobe问意见是非常好。

我决定试一试, 我很会写Flex的代码, 但我不是一个市场专家–别笑我 (哈哈)

原来我是想做一些很有”不可思议”影响的小代码例子。所以试了以后发现代码不是那么小, 但对于Web 2.0的banner space是还可以的。

为了看代码程序在SWF文件上右按或按下面的连接。

Adobe Flickr广告意见
Adobe Flickr广告意见代码程序

反正,这就是一个”终于试试Flickr AS3 Library”的借口。为了看到Adobe Flickr广告的例子Flickr和Corelib Adobe AS3 libraries是必要的,也可以在labs.adobe.com的网站找到。
注册Flickr的用户和API钥匙是必要的。然后在下面的代码程序(AdobeFlickrAd.mxml)把” “改成你的API钥匙。

[code lang=”javascript”]private var API_KEY:String = ““;[/code]

我还有意见但时间不够, 那就是在Flickr的图片下把”View Source”,来源和Flex2的信息等等连接起来。你也可以把RIA这个缩略词,做出更多有意思的事像”Real Important Advice” (实在重要的劝告), “Rapid Integration Applicator” (迅速共同体应用), “Rebel Innovation Artist” (寇贼革新艺术家) 等等, 都可以。

所以我的市场本事都用光了。

Napoleon Hill: The Law of Success (拿破仑希尔:成功法则)

2006-08-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

I recently portions of the translated text of Napoleon Hill's "The Law of Success." I thought it was interesting at parts, but sometimes the book was more than I could bite. He had an interesting tangent of creativity, which lead me to write the following little blurp:

你们有没有想到所有的音乐,电影,卡通风格都已经用尽了?像迪斯尼的卡通全部都是关于一个人在他们自己的单调生活中隔离。他们希望自己能够闯入世界,看到各种各样的人,文化和生活中的每一个有趣的地方。虽然他们的故事都是一样,但我们还是付钱的。你上次看到的完全有创新的电影是什么时候?加勒比海盗是有创新的吗?世界从来没有海盗故事的电影吗?肯定有。我觉得我们去看这些电影就是因为角色不一样。想一想,美国的每一个运动电影都有一样的"吃苦在先"成功在后。所以我想虽然美国的创造性程度很高还也有不足之处。关键在于表现一样的故事但是用另外的方法来做。举个例子好了我们都害怕恐怖电影,但是为什么M.奈特夏马南的第六感那么流行?因为创造性。他把这个故事弄的不一样,不是普通的清节电影有死者出现就把电影的奥妙隐藏在我们的面前。但是我想因为大家都没发现电影里的奥秘是什么。目的一样,方式不同。这也是为什么那个穷人能够有汤吃。他的目的是明确,但是因为他用的方法富人从来没有看过而且还让他进去。他进去厨房之后很容易引起厨娘对这为穷人的好奇。我想,好奇就是穷人的关键工具。这不仅是创造性也是匠心。我们好奇的时候我们不是很乐意去奉献我们的时间和才能。厨娘就是这样,她付出时间, 才能连碎肉都给穷人而且她是很乐意做的。

中国的成语:哀鸿遍野

2006-08-07T22:04:00.000-05:00

哀鸿遍野
āihóngbiànyě

哀鸿- wild geese crying with sorrow. This is often used metaphorically to refugees yelling sorrowfully.

Literal translation: A land covered with famished refugees.

Also Known As:
哀鸿遍地

This idiom is often used in the written language describing war driven scenes of chaos。

Here are a few examples of its use。

战乱之后又遭旱灾,中原一带哀鸿遍野。
zhànluàn zhīhòu yòu zāo hànzāi, zhōngyuán yīdài āihóngbiànyě。

一闭眼, 那哀鸿遍野的悲惨景象就又浮现在我的眼前。
yībīyan3, nà āihóngbiànyě de can3jing3 jing3xiàng jiù yòu fúxiàn zàiwo3 de yan3qián。

当时社会动荡,哀鸿遍野。
dāngshí shèhuìdòngdàng āihóngbiànyě。

The NBA going to China

2006-08-06T12:53:00.000-05:00

Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets went to Beijing and Shanghai in October of 2004, and played Sacramento for a preseason exhibition game. Now since the NBA recognizes China as the second largest market for the organization, and in some aspects a bigger market for the sport than the United States, the NBA is planning some more preseason action for China in 2007. The NBA is even considering having these games be regular season games!! The reason for not having a game in China this year is because of "preparations for the world championship". The goal for China and the NBA is to have China host continuous competitions, including pre-seasons games, regular season, national competitions and perhaps even coaching clinics.

China-U.S. game tickets for the world championship, (played on Monday), are being sold for up to 3,800 Yuan (about 475 U.S. dollars), with even higher prices in the black market. This price corresponds to ticket prices for the Houston-Sacramento game in 2004. In 2005, the NBA Asia (the Asian division of the league) moved it s headquarters from Hong Kong to Beijing and even opened a branch office in Shanghai to explore the possibilities of the Chinese Market.

What the Dell?

2006-08-04T19:23:00.000-05:00

Since Dell has been doing business in China, they have had a bundle of complaints. For example, instead of receiving an Intel Core Duo T2300 processor at their front door step as they were expecting many Chinese actually got a T2300E, which lacks ``virtualization technology,'' a feature that allows the computer to run more than one operating system at a time. When they call Dell up and complain, Dell's response is "There is no difference in performance between the two processors, and the virtualization technology is a feature that's oriented toward server computers." Dell acknowledge that they made one "Dell" of an" error'' in not telling customers about the switch ahead of time. (wait a minute, Dell was planning this switch, but they didn't tell the customers?? JERKS!) The computer maker has sent notes to its Chinese customers explaining its position on the matter but hasn't offered any compensation, and why would they, they probably charged more money, and are trying to get away with pulling the rug under the Chineses' feet, so they can make up for the recent drop in stocks.

The next part of the article really interested me.

"Chalk one up for the power of the Chinese Internet. While criticizing the government online is still taboo, there are few constraints on airing grievances about corporate behavior. In thousands of Internet forums, the mainland's millions freely point out poor customer service, misleading ad campaigns, shoddy safety standards, and much more. Americans ``think the Internet in China is controlled and censored,'' says Sam Flemming, chief executive of CIC Data, a Shanghai research firm that tracks Chinese online forums and blogs. But when it comes to commenting on business, ``Chinese people are vocal and active.'' "

I think I have become one of those Americans that has stereotyped the Chinese Internet usage. Like everyone I knew that criticizing the government in a blog or e-mail was taboo, but I didn't realize that such complaints or grievances were allowed for corporations or other businesses. Now that I think about it, why wouldn't they be allowed to? Why haven't I heard of this before? Am I out of the loop or something?

Zillow

2006-08-04T18:53:00.000-05:00

I know, many of you are thinking that I misspelled "Willow" the movie with Val Kilmer , but I didn't. I was recently introduced to zillow.com, and it is such a cool site! Have you ever wondered how much your house is worth? What about your neighbors? Have you ever wondered what the value of your house was 10 years ago? You can find all this and more at zillow.com. I know what you are thinking, "how much is this service?", --that is the greatest part, it is completely free, and you don't have to enter any personal information (so no pesky agents will be calling you)! After comparing the value of my home with previous estimates, I found that zillow.com is quite accurate. Anyways, I thought the site was cool, you should check it out.

Tang Dynasty Poetry

2006-08-03T15:10:00.000-05:00

Poem By: Chen Ziang
ON A GATE-TOWER AT YUZHOU

前不见古人,后不见来者;
念天地之悠悠,独怆然而涕下

Where, before me, are the ages that have gone?
And where, behind me, are the coming generations?
I think of heaven and earth, without limit, without end,
And I am all alone and my tears fall down.

因为这首诗的名称就是登在幽州的大门,这首诗好像是从军人的角度写的。那时候我想应该只有军人会保护大门。这首诗给我的印像就是一个写诗人看着一个军人单独站着,站着很久,没人可谈话。太阳大,在这位的脸上风也吹着灰尘, 他渴了, 脚痛了,他累死了。他一定有家人, 可能也有情人, 一定寂寞极了。站着几个小时你会想到什么呢?当然会想家人,情人,但是每天可以这样吗?这件事对于任何的一个人是非常受不了的。这个时候他开始想"前不见古人"这个意思就是他在想"我怎么样来到这儿?"我怎么是个军人?我为什么有这个地位? 他想一定是祖先传下来的, 但是他们现在在那儿? 跟我有什么关系? 他们传下来的只是痛苦,流汗和寂寞。祖先是从经商从军被贬吗?我应该庆祝祖先和他们所传下来的地位或咒骂他们吗?想了半天后开始想"后不见来者。"这对我来说,他开始想到他自己的未来。我想在这个世界大家都希望我们的后裔会过比我们好的日子。因此这位军人是想我的后裔会有一样的痛苦经历吗?我真的有可能改善他们的生活吗?我真的正在为他们服务吗?在他们的心目中我会是怎么样的一个人?他们会崇拜或咒骂我?如果他自己没有改善的机会他的后裔肯定会跟他现在一样, 寂寞,痛苦, 劳累。又问自己--后裔会庆祝或咒骂我?
我该怎么办?现在这位军人领悟到天的广泛可能性,缘分就是在他的手中。是天命?我可以永远进步。我可以通过持续的用功工作进一步使我家富有并加强,我后裔未来的位子。这时候他一直想个办法,不管脚那么痛,流多少汗。不久后他得下岗。明天是一个新日子,但是没有什么改变,他还会站半天继续这个不良循环。

Just a Thought (免费的打电话给中国)

2006-08-03T09:20:00.000-05:00

I recently saw an ad for "Free Calls to China." 免费的打电话给中国. Anyone know how I could call China for free? What is the going rate for a telephone card to China? How much does it cost to call China on a regular home line? Does Vonage let you call China?免费的打电话给中国.

Java in the RIA space, comeback or always there?

2006-08-03T01:37:00.000-05:00

这个blog原来是在英文写的,但是最近Renaun的blog开始有中文版。我自己觉得翻译电脑方面很难。真了不起!说实话, 我是跟他的blog连接起来就是为了帮他做广告。原文(英文和中文)就在这儿。

Renaun写的:

Ryan所写的文章关于Java的复兴很有意思。但是他让我想到比Adobe Flex更早的Java RIA关键数字,它叫Nexaweb。RIA 的大部分就是时间。总地来说因特网刚开始掌握RIA的应用。想到Java也比任何人更早地占着这个空间很有意思。他们会不会改变自己或继续在他们原来的 “Sunny”前途往前走。Nexaweb为了与自己的支程序UI供给AJAX的面貌选择改变了自己。其他的Nexaweb选择提供的工具不仅是为RIA 的前面也是提供一个全面的背后答案。我是Adobe Flex/Flash的爱好者, 也想它会占领这世界, 但是历史不是那么容易, 在各个领域一定会有更多的关键人物,总是来到贯彻性和执行。一定会有一些糟糕Flex应用使动作的妨碍。不可忘记的事–很多的Flex背后也就是在 Java建立了。

Dragon Boat Festival (端午节)

2006-08-03T01:29:00.000-05:00

端午节是为了纪念中国古代爱国诗人和中国最伟大的诗人之一屈原 (前340年-前278年). 屈原早收到楚王的信任二变成楚国的最有忠的臣子。屈原希望楚国会永远持续。在屈原的努力下楚国的国力一直增强。别的国打不了楚国。因为别的臣子本身是腐败, 这些臣子对屈原感到非常嫉妒。因此他们欺骗楚国之王。楚国之王以开始不信赖这些臣子但是后来他跟屈原越来越疏远。屈原被楚国之王赶出去。不久以后因收腐败臣子的欺骗楚国之王被秦国打败了。屈原的亲爱的楚国就灭了。从此之后屈原开始写诗歌。屈原的主要作品就是: 离骚,九章,九歌,天问,哀郢,怀沙。屈原终于对于他的生命和国感到绝望而在农历的五月五日在汨罗河里自尽淹死。平民发现他自尽时为了表现对屈原的热爱上船,打水而大喊--不让鱼吃屈原的肉体。他们把米粉洒在水里也希望鱼不会吃屈原的尸体。过了几天屈原的灵魂对这些平民显现而且告诉他们一条龙吃掉他们所洒的米粉。屈原要求他们把这个米粉在最宝贵的丝里包起来--然后洒在河里。屈原说这是惟一不让龙吃掉米粉使鱼能吃--因此他的尸体不会被鱼吃掉。因此为了纪念屈原每年在农历的五月五日上龙船打水而大喊--不让鱼吃屈原的尸体。

吹牛 (Bragging)

2006-08-03T01:27:00.000-05:00

人家吹牛的原因很多但是大家做的方法可能不太一样。比方说白云, 他凭与崔永元上台的机会来写一本书。这本书说明而夸张白云的经验。她写这本书的原因不仅是为了吹牛而是为了挣钱。对她来说因为这本书真是一本书它证明她的经验并不是那么夸张的。要是是我,我当然会对自己觉得很满意但是我不会去写一本书, 我会告诉所有的亲朋好友来看, 也会解释给朋友听, 但是我不会写一本书。

很多人吹牛因为他们连一点自信心都没有。因此为了表示他们的生活有幸福的他们得把真理的一个微粒夸张太过份了。也有人吹牛为了别人的接受。他们想如果自己在每一方面不如他们就完蛋了。外表有钱有福就好了。可不是吗? 象今天早上与大维打篮球的时候--我并不是那么好但是偶而会做一个特别好看的事, 这个好看的是也不故意做的但是作完之后我会一直提到。这可能就是因为我想变成象大维一样--打好篮球。我想模仿他但是因为平常打不好, 打好的时候特别吹牛特别夸张我做得那么好。总结来讲这种的吹牛就是为了收到别人的接受。

另外一个理由就是为了自己的骄傲。这种吹牛平时就在父母方面可以看到的。我们都有看过一些大人吹牛他们的孩子。这并不是坏但是大家需要小心因为一点点的吹牛可以变成太过份了。

Internet use in China

2006-08-02T22:58:00.000-05:00


China's CCNIC has reported that Internet users there are now 123 million people, of which 77 million are broadband access.Some may say that the Chinese are already socially backwards by western standards. So what does this mean for the socially backwards Chinese who will now spend all day every day on the internet and get even more socially backwards? The video explains it all!

Most Popular Chinese Names for Boys (中国最流行的男性名字)

2006-08-02T19:56:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what your Chinese name would be? If you are thinking of giving yourself a Chinese name and have tried the online tranliterations here is a list of the Most Popular Chinese Names for Boys, and their meanings. For the characters that are 3rd tone I put the number 3 after the pinyin. For some unknown reason blogspot doesn't recognize the 3rd tone marker.

安 Ān Peace; in good health

豹 bào Leopard

波 bō Waves

财 cái Fortune

成 Chéng Accomplish; succeed

德 Dé Virtue

东 Dōng East; orient

峰 Fēng Peak

刚 Gāng Hard; solid; unyielding

国 Guó Country; nation

虎 Hu3 Tiger

辉 Huī Splendor; brightness

健 Jiàn Health

杰 Jié Outstanding; a hero; an elite

康 Kāng Health

力 Lì Power; strength

亮 Liàng Bright; shining

龙 Lóng Dragon

猛 Měng Fierce; vigorous

宁 Níng Tranquil; peaceful

鹏 Péng Big bird; A roc

强 Qiáng Strong

世 Shì Generation

松 Sōng Pine

涛 Tāo Big waves

天 Tiān Heaven

伟 Wěi Great; big

文 Wén elegant; gentle; refined; literature

武 Wu3 Martial; brave and daring

雄 Xióng male; grand; powerful

毅 Yì Firm; resolute

勇 Yong3 Brave

友 You Friendly; friend

震 Zhèn Shake; shock; quake

S...L...O...T...H...

2006-08-02T19:34:00.000-05:00

I have a good friend of mine who loves sloths. How do you say "Sloth" in Chinese? The answer is simple, but lets see if you can guess. The literal translation is "tree lazy" Yep, you guessed it, its 树懒 (shùlan3). Does anyone know where I can buy a 树懒 ?

Most Popular Chinese Names for Girls (中国最流行的女性名字)

2006-08-02T16:40:00.000-05:00

If you are thinking of giving yourself a Chinese name and have tried the online tranliterations here is a list of the Most Popular Chinese Names for Girls, and their meanings. For the characters that are 3rd tone I put the number 3 after the pinyin. For some unknown reason blogspot doesn't recognize the 3rd tone marker. The Most Popular Chinese Names for Girls are in no particular order.

爱 Ài Love

宝 Bao3 Treasure

碧 Bì Green jade

彩 Cai3 Colorful

婵 Chán Beautiful and graceful girl

翠 Cuì Emerald green; Jade greeen

黛 Dài Black, eyebrow beautifier

丹 Dān Red

娥 É Beautiful girl

芳 Fāng Fragrant

凤 Fēng Phoenix

红 Hóng Red

花 Huā Flower

环 Huán Jade ring

惠 huì Benevolence; kindness

娇 Jiāo Charming, lovely, beautiful girl

菊 Jú Chrysanthemum flower

娟 Juān Graceful

兰 Lán Orchid flower

莉 Lì Jasmine

丽 Lì Beautiful

莲 Lián Lotus

琳 Lín Beautiful jade

梅 méi Plum blossom

美 měi Beauty

娜 na/nuó Graceful girl

妮 nī Little girl

倩 Qiàn Pretty

巧 Qiao3 artful, clever

青 Qīng Blue, green

琼 Qióng Red Jade

珊 Shān Coral; Precious

淑 Shū Kind and gentle

婷 Tíng Graceful

雯 Wén Beautiful clouds

霞 Xiá Colorful clouds; morning or evening glow

娴 Xián Refined and skilled

香 Xiāng Fragrant; Aromatic

秀 Xiù Elegant; Excellent

雪 Xuě Snow

艳 Yàn Colorful; Gorgeous

燕 Yàn Swallow

莺 Yīng Golden oriole

玉 Yù Jade

媛 Yuàn Graceful young lady

云 Yún Cloud

贞 Zhēn Faithful; Chastity or being chaste

珍 Zhēn Precious; treasure

芝 Zhī Fragrant; noble

珠 Zhū Pearl

姿 Zī Appearance

紫 Zi3 Purple; violet

Flex 2 RollOverButton Examples

2006-08-02T16:09:00.000-05:00

这个blog原来是在英文写的,但是最近Renaun的blog开始有中文版。我自己觉得翻译电脑方面很难。真了不起!说实话, 我是跟他的blog连接起来就是为了帮他做广告。原文(英文和中文)就在这儿。

Renaun写的:

在Flash你可以制造简单图片/按纽滑动。但是在Flex, 超过缺省按纽滑动skin贯彻, 你有很多的选择。我有编辑一些用动作脚本语言(Action Script)和Custom Class。制造图片滑动使用的方法很多。连CSS也可以用, 但是都需要自己安排鼠标在按钮上滑动(rollOver),鼠标滑出按钮(rollOut)和鼠标按下时触发事件(MouseDown)。

想看应用按这儿

To see the application run go to http://renaun.com/flex2/RollOverButtons/

想看应用的代码按这儿

To see the application’s source code go to http://renaun.com/flex2/RollOverButtons/srcview/

Chinese Computer Terms (电脑生词)

2006-08-02T12:04:00.000-05:00

下面有一些连接关于电脑方面的生词。如果你还有一些连接请你跟我联络。

Here are some Links that I have found helpful when trying to read something computer related. Let me know if you have any more that I should add.

Computer terms Link 1
Computer terms Link 2
Computer terms Link 3

Computer terms Link 4

Computer terms Link 5

Chinese Chess (象棋)

2006-08-01T23:53:00.000-05:00

Those of you who have been to China know that 象棋 (Chinese Chess) is a very popular game. I have enjoyed learning the strategy and the so called "art" of the game. I have searched the web for a long time trying to find a site that was user friendly and where I didn't have to pay. I finally found a great site to play Chinese Chess.

The format is simple, and you can play with people from around the world. The site originates from Poland. Hope to see you there.

Flash Player 9

2006-08-01T23:30:00.000-05:00

这个blog原来是在英文写的,但是最近Renaun的blog开始有中文版。我自己觉得翻译电脑方面很难。真了不起!说实话, 我是跟他的blog连接起来就是为了帮他做广告。原文(英文和中文)就在这儿。

Renaun写的:

Flash Player 9 只出台了8天。据悉这浏览器应该获得比以前版本的普及率又多又快,这是因为新的装置方法。
从2006年4月, 以前的普及率为97.7%。想看比较详细的数据按这儿。这些数据表示总数增加从645百万到723百万用户和 Adobe Flash Player 的普及率也从630百万增加到706百万。
上网时碰到 Flash Player 9.0.16 下载网站在 Downloads.com。这网站说从2006年7月7日有 6,433,676人下载了这软件。所以每天有804,209人下载这个软件。所以两年左右才能达成97.7%。1.44年内可以达成 60% (424百万) 和1.9年内可以达成80% (565百万)。Adobe(以前的Macromedia)的投影是12月内会达8成。上述的数字是从 Downloads.com 而已。我想知道Adobe 网站的下载率。Flash Player 9 只出台8天和这些数字还需要计算。我先睡觉好了…

Here's the Church, here's the Steeple, open the door and see all the...rubble?

2006-08-01T20:00:00.000-05:00

China tore down a newly built Christian church that was built without "proper" approval. The police also arrested two people. The Church was located in an eastern city of Hangzhou.

After authorities sought to demolish the church around 3,000 Christian residents in Hangzhou clashed with police. 20 of the residents sustained injuries. The building of the church began on July 17, but was not registered and had no official approval.

Supposedly the church occupied an area in the booming industrial suburb where a commercial center was planned. Though they tore down a church, the government, out of the kindness of its heart "negotiated" with the Christians and offered a plot of land nearby for use. No doubt this kind of negotiation was like the negotiations the U.S. had with the Indians back in the 1800's, which if you remember, also provided a good plot of land for use. Translation: the land was useful and the government wanted it.

The Chinese Communist Party tolerates religions that accepts official supervision of the government. In recent years some 80,000 protestant (in the literal sense) Christians have fought over building houses of worship.

Linese-- What does it stand for?

2006-08-01T19:43:00.000-05:00

Linese is a "Learn Chinese" website run by the Chinese government. The content looks pretty good. Its got podcasts, blogs to read, cultural information, teaching aids and the like. What I don't get is, what in the world does "Linese" mean? Learn Chinese? Living Chinese? I dunno.
Anyhow, it seems to prove a viable tool for foreigners.

Why You Should Learn Chinese

2006-08-01T19:22:00.000-05:00

I recently read an article that can be found at here. The Chinese language is an increasingly important language, listed below are some reasons why you should learn it!

Over 1.2 billion people speak the Chinese Language. It is spoken by one out of every five people on earth, more than any other language in the world.
The Chinese civilization is over 6000 years. Learning the language is the key to explore and appreciate the cumulative knowledge and experience of one the world's oldest and exquisite cultures.
China is fast becoming a dominant player in the international economic and financial system of this century. When China joined the WTO, it created huge demands for a greater understanding and trading with the world's fastest growing nation
The United States government designated America's relations with China as one of the most important foreign policy issues. Ever-broadening U.S./ China relations in various business fields increased the importance of Chinese presence in American communities.
Chinese is one of the four "critical languages" for Americans. Understanding and proficiency in the Chinese language are of critical importance to the United States in economic advantages and opportunities.
Chinese communities in all countries around the world, play many important and vital roles. These include: Science, Business, Education, Arts, and many more. Learning the Chinese language benefits you greatly in being able to communicate with and better understand the members of any Chinese community wherever you are in the world.
Learning Chinese not only satisfies your desire to grasp a foreign language, it also becomes the greatest asset to your career advancement. The opportunities for government and business careers, as well as for scientific, scholarly and cultural exchanges are virtually mushrooming and you are standing on the threshold of a booming and expanding Chinese economy. You can be part of that exciting ride!

Year of the Dog??

2006-08-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

Skip this post if you are a dog lover!!

To celebrate the Year of the Dog, China has killed over 50,000 dogs in just 5 days. The reason? Rabies. But we all know what really happened—there was a surplus of democratic dogs, Tibet sympathizing dogs, and religious dogs. China reports about 2000 deaths per year from rabies, but did you know that in 2006 alone, 25 dogs were killed for each fatal case of rabies last year, this doesn't even count how many were killed for the local "Beef stew"!! Military guard dogs and police dogs were spared, because they can’t get rabies, and becuase they aid in propagating propaganda.

Some parts of southern China are very poor, so, to enlist the aid of the common folk, dog owners were offered 5 yuan (about 63 cents) for each animal they killed. Last year, the average income for China’s lower class was 7,400 (US$890) yuan. I think the scheme worked, because the poorest farmer probably realized that if he went out and killed 120 dogs, he would make one months worth of his normal income! Lets just say, dogs are not mans best friend in China. I won't mention that people who took their dogs out for a walk not only returned home a little more healthier, they also had dinner, courtesy of the local police man who beat their dog to death on the spot.

Good news though, due to an unexpected surplus in dog meat, Chinese resturants have lowered their prices!

Reuel Erickson

2006-08-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

Reuel Erickson will be putting on a pretty cool show in Las Vegas this Friday (8/4/06) @ the valley auto mall. He'll be jumping over some cars, and showing off his awesome bike tricks like the superman decade. KVBC 3 Las Vegas has been airing several commercials of Reuel showing off his stuff, to help promot the event. Here are a couple of snippets about Reuel and what he is doing, on tour and in the community.

http://www.dewactionsportstour.com/modules.php?name=Articles&mv=ShowArticle&ArticleID=155

http://www.dewactionsportstour.com/modules.php?name=Athletes&mv=ShowAthlete&AthleteID=84&subnav=Sports&SportID=5&page=Athletes