【转载】中国的贪污和美国的浪费

信源：央猫

毛泽东曾曰：“贪污和浪费是极大的犯罪。”当今世界美、中两大国的社会特点正好印证其言。

中国人爱贪非天生，乃社会体制所致：一党制无监管、言论无 自由、买官卖官、笑贫不笑娼……，故贪腐盛行。大贪几十亿人民币并拥有许多豪宅及情人者已不新鲜，连一个小“官二代”也大有作为：浙江省湖州市前市长黄萌 为官仅数年，就捞取百姓雪花银近三亿元（人民币）。随时间推移，“官三代”也开始粉墨登场。

中国贪污手法已有所改进：系由家属亲朋代理或转 移海外，近年来已有数万贪官及家属带近千亿美元远走高飞，仅纽约地区就成百上千，一下飞机每家（有的仅1人）即用数百万美金购买了带泳池的花园洋房、雇了 会英语的“华人小秘”，在美利坚享起了清福。其实留在中国的赃款更多，官员只要忠于一党专政，在国内还是安全的。因为中国已拥有数万亿美金的外汇储备、一 万多亿美国债券和大量军警保护，保证大小贪官享用百年了。

在不良社会风气侵蚀下，少数民众也学会了见利忘义、你欺我诈、巧取豪夺之术。一名十三年前在美比赛摔伤致残的运动员，突然来美索赔巨款（合人民币一百多亿元！）结果官司败诉，且由原告变为被告，颜面扫地……横财梦的破灭成了2011年人们笑料。

贪腐在中国很不得人心，社会矛盾尖锐，已成国家兴亡最大危机。当然，美国人也非不爱贪，只是不敢贪。健全法制使贪腐难度很高、代价过大，大多数人在三思之后不得不“退避三舍”了。

同样，美国人爱浪费也非天生，也系社会体制造成：多党制本是社会民主、自由之进步。但自“9.11”后党派分歧、斗争日趋严重，延误政府决策、经济危机形成 财富巨大流失；劳资关系混乱致使生产效率下滑，各种“尾巴工程”屡见不鲜，能源浪费司空见惯，欠思改进……青年时我在中国熟悉的“磨洋工”、“吃老本”现 象，想不到老年时在美国有更深的感受。
使美国元气大伤的“9.11”恐怖袭击和十年反恐战争令山姆大叔雪上加霜，如今已负巨债达10余万亿美金（美国人均4万余元），奥巴马苦无良策，还要加债。长此以往，全球老大沦为老二并非危言耸听。

当然，中国的浪费也很严重。主要是特权阶层的乱指挥和少数暴发户的肆意挥霍……其本质和美国有所不同。 

Van Overloaded With 66 Children In China Stopped By Police

Police in China's Hebei Province were shocked to find a passenger van packed to the brim with 66 young children.

The Telegraph reports that the group of 4 and 5-year-olds had been crammed into the van normally designed for eight people.

Police stopped the van when they suspected it was overloaded only to find the van's seats had been ripped out, and the nearly 70 children were sitting on wooden benches.

Reports of what happened to the van's driver vary.

According to the BBC, the driver was arrested. The Daily Mail reports the man was only given a series of tickets for the driving infraction.

The children, who were not hurt, were transported home in 12 police vans that came to pick them up from the side of the road.

Video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/17/van-66-children-china_n_967503.html

Why don't westerners provide for their parents?

We heard a lot about westerners life style, like independant, open mind, fkk everywhere.......but some of things confuse me all the time, everyone coming from their parents, then parent feed kids, raise them to grow up, get education, teaching them everything.

In China, when children turn into an adult and earn living, we always pay back to our parent by part of our salary, for me, I give my Mom almost a half of my salary each month. but I never take that as a money issue, I think it's a kind of grateful mind, your parent born you, raise you, they paid out their time, their kind, their patience, their energy....... so we should appreciate back to them by all we have......

so but why westerners leave home when he 18 years old, some people even never meet their parent again after leaving......... do u hate ur parent to bring u to this world or what? and why don't u appreciate for your parent kindness on raising you, accompany you all the time when u were kid........

it's so strange, I'm wondering.........

China won’t save the economies of Italy and the world

by Bernardo Cervellera

Many hope that Beijing might buy Italy’s and Europe’s sovereign debt; however, China’s economy has the same problems as that of the rest of the world: overproduction, export dependency, and overreliance on exports and foreign capital—add to that the yuan’s artificial value and an unfree workforce. Instead, China and Europe should heed Benedict XVI’s teachings, namely that man (not profits) and a sense of responsibility must be at the centre of the economy.

Rome – It will be difficult if not impossible for China to save Italy and Europe from its sovereign debt crisis. In recent days, the Financial Times ran a few stories saying that Rome and Beijing had reached a deal for the mainland to buy Italian treasury bills. Many economists and bankers reacted favourably to the news that China was coming to Europe’s rescue. Some predict that China would even save the world.

We cannot share this optimism. Speaking to World Economic Forum in Dalian, China’s premier Wen Jiabao said that his country would lend Europe a “helping hand” but he showed very little enthusiasm about paying for Europe’s debt. What is more, his conditions for help, like granting China ‘full market economy’ status as well as the elimination of tariffs, would be just the sign of another flood of Chinese goods.

Indeed, the numbers do not add up. If Beijing wants to help the European and world economies, it should lift its own tariffs on imported goods.

Looking at figures for 2010, China’s trade surplus with the rest of the world stood at US$ 184.4 billion. If Beijing wants to help the world pull out of this crisis, it must import more and its trade balance should be in negative territory. However, if it did this it would likely increase unemployment, which is already high and a source of headaches for China’s leaders.

It is true that with US$ 3 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, China is investing around the world. Italy and Europe could hope for some crumbs. However, if we look closely at the numbers, we see that if the mainland invested US$ 38 billion abroad in 2009, the rest of the world splurged US$ 106 billion in China (Source: UNCTAD). In short, Beijing takes more than it gives. And this surplus goes to help China to recapitalise its often insolvent banking system.

Placing any hope on China helping the world economy is unrealistic and flawed reasoning. China is in the same situation as the rest of the world, weighted down by overproduction, export dependency, overexposed banks, and compressed consumption. Its success lies on an artificially overvalued yuan and a cheap and unfree workforce.

With a doped economy, Chinese leaders have launched an ambitious infrastructure programme to boost gross domestic product. Contrary to expectations, this did not created any real wealth. More than half of all housing and office space lies vacant because no one can buy them.

China’s economy lacks something else: fantasy and creativity. For centuries, Chinese leaders held their culture within restrictive confines, stifling their people under imperial and then Communist control. Creativity instead needs freedom and human rights, another element that is still missing in today’s China.

China can pull off great shows—the Olympics, Shanghai Expo, Asia Games—but it cannot solve the problems of its people: the chaotic traffic in its megacities, pollution, quality of life and justice for its workers and farmers.

On his flight to Madrid for World Youth Day, Benedict XVI said that “man must be the centre of the economy and the economy cannot be measured according to the maxim of profit but rather according to the common good of all, that it implies responsibility for others and only really functions well if it functions humanly, with respect for others.”

China, but also Europe, has not placed man at the centre of things; their leaders lack a creative sense of responsibility. Both tend to seek solutions by dumping responsibility on the shoulders of some “economic saviour”.

US report says Chinese military could destabilise Asia-Pacific by 2020

In its annual report, the US Defence Department says Beijing is modernising its military forces, in particular anti-satellite missiles, building an aircraft carrier, and boosting its cyberwarfare capabilities. This could change the balance of power in the region. Its J-20 stealth fighter aircraft programme is expected to be operational by 2018. Beijing is none too pleased about the report.

Beijing – China’s People’s Liberation Army appears on track to modernise by 2020, a rapid build-up that could potentially destabilise the Asia-Pacific region, a United States Department of Defence report said on Wednesday. In an angry reply, China called the US claim “unfounded suspicion and exaggeration”.

The US Defence report noted that Chinese military growth in the past decade exceeded most US forecasts, especially in strategic areas like aircraft carrier programme, cyber warfare capabilities and anti-satellite missiles.

Some China watchers, including members of the US Congress, note with apprehension that China’s rising defence spending comes at a time when Washington plans defence cuts.

The Pentagon report noted that China’s J-20 stealth fighter aircraft programme would not achieve “effective operational capability” prior to 2018.

China is also building its first domestic air carrier, which would not be operational before at least 2015, if construction began this year.

China’s defence budget this year is 601.1 billion yuan (US$ 91.5 billion), an increase of 12.7 per cent from a year before. However, many experts believe that it is much higher. With an army of 1.25 million men, the report suggests that China’s actual defence spending might top US$ 160 billion.

Beijing’s reaction was swift. A spokesman for China's embassy in Washington said the report was “a reflection of Cold War mentality”.

“It’s normal for China to develop its army and update its weaponry,” a defence Ministry spokesman said.

“We hope the US will take practical steps to work with China for stable and healthy military ties by following the spirit of mutual respect, mutual trust, reciprocity and mutual benefit,” Embassy spokesman Wang Baodong said.

Yet, “The pace and scope of China's sustained military investments have allowed China to pursue capabilities that we believe are potentially-destabilising to regional military balances,” said Michael Schiffer, a deputy assistant secretary of defence.

In fact, China appears to be aiming at becoming a naval power. It has also not given up its claims to Taiwan, which it considers a rebel province.

At least, 1,200 short-range missiles are aimed at the island. In 2010, Beijing suspended all military cooperation with the United States to protest US weapons sale to Taiwan.

Taipei has asked the United States for 66 F-16C/D fighter jets, a request Washington has not yet considered to avoid worsening relations with Beijing.

In addition, China claims sovereignty over a number of archipelagos in the Pacific Ocean, and this year has used violence against fishing boats from Vietnam and the Philippines to keep them away from the islands.

For the Pentagon, despite its progress at becoming a more powerful regional military power, Beijing is not expected to be able to project and sustain large forces in high-intensity combat operations far from China before 2020.

Yet, cyberattacks last year against the US government were apparently traced back to China.

(AsiaNews)

Wen Jiabao dampens hopes over Europe’s debts

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Dalian, the Chinese premier says his country is willing to help European nations, but wants them to recognise the mainland as a “full market economy” at the WTO. He also tells Europe and the United States to get their house in order.

Dalian – Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said China can offer “a helping hand” to indebted European nations, but stressed that developed countries must get their act together, cut their deficit and create jobs. In addition, Europe and the United States, which are hoping for Chinese help, should “recognise China’s full market economy status.”

Speaking this morning to the World Economic Forum in Dalian, Wen dampened hopes raised yesterday in the media that China might help European nations, including Italy, by buying their debt.

He politely reminded his audience that “we’ve said countless times that China is willing to give a helping hand, and we'll continue to invest there;” however, Europeans must get their house in order.

As a friend, he suggested the European Union should reciprocate Beijing's help by moving to grant China “market economy” status.

Getting such recognition at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) would help the mainland protect itself against dumping charges.

In December 2001, China joined the WTO as a non-market economy for 15 years following anti-dumping probes.

Thus, Wen Jiabao is calling for China’s market economy status be granted ahead of schedule. In exchange, he guaranteed that his country would have a stable and growing economy.

Recently, the Financial Times reported that Italy had asked China to buy substantial amounts of its debt.

However, Italy’s Economy Minister Tremonti said that recent talks between Rome and Beijing were aimed at attracting Chinese investments in Italian companies, not selling Italian treasury bonds.

(AsiaNews)

Shanghai: hundreds of people held in ‘black jails’ without trial

One prison held some 300 inmates. Some detained petitioners go on hunger strike. About 200 residents of Anting township were arrested and handed back to their district police. Despite its economic success, China is plagued by widespread corruption and “mass protests”, more than 90,000 incidents a year.

Shanghai – Chinese authorities are using ‘black jails’ to hold demonstrators and petitioners, sometimes for months, and usually without formal charges or trial. Often, hotels, mental hospitals and shelters are used for such a purpose. In one case, the building had about 300 prisoners.

Last Saturday, a group of about 20 petitioners were riding a public bus in Beijing when police officers stopped the bus and demanded they show their ID cards. When the petitioners refused, the police officers seized them and sent them to Jiujingzhuang Black Jail.

According to some who were released, they counted about 300 inmates inside the facility.

On Sunday, about 150 of these prisoners were moved to another black jail in Beijing South Train Station, where some decided to go on a hunger strike.

Unlike their Beijing counterparts, some 200 residents in Anting township (Jiading District, Shanghai Municipality) were able to mark some points when they tried for the 35th time to protest against the seizure of their lands.

A number broke through a police blockage and took the underground train to their destination. However, that is how far they got. Police eventually stopped them, throwing them into waiting vans before they were handed over to Jiading police.

It appears that China’s economic success is coming at a heavy price, namely widespread corruption and injustice.

According to official figures, on average more than 90,000 incidents of mass protest are recorded each year, including demonstrations and clashes with police.


(AsiaNews)

Chinese inflation slows, stock market rises

Inflation at 6.2% in August, after 6.5% in July. Prices of pork meat also slow to a steady climb: +45.5% in August after +57% in July. Cautious, but positive reaction on stock market. Expert: Inflation will remain high, structural reforms are needed to avoid middle income families bearing the brunt.

Beijing - Inflation was "only" at 6.2% in August, after 6.5% in July and after months of rising living costs, despite government efforts to contain it. The positive reaction of the Chinese stock market was immediate, driven also by cautious optimism that followed yesterday's speech by U.S. President Barack Obama in the Senate on plans to increase jobs and cut taxes.

For months, Beijing has increased the cost of money (from October, the Central Bank of the People of China has increased the rate of interest five times and the required cash reserves for banks nine times) and allowed a controlled Yuan appreciation to curb inflation, which in July reached a three year record. Measures that contained easy loans, often used for pure speculation, but which have increased the costs of many small and medium-sized businesses, eroding already thin profit margins and leading many to closures.

The figure for August was welcomed but with caution by experts, who consider it "likely" that inflation will remain high in the coming months and almost certainly higher than the target of 4% per annum fixed by the government. In addition, a large amount of money remains in circulation that, with the decline in productive investment, could feed into speculative bubbles.

Xianan Dong, an economist at Peking First Advisory, explains that the easing in inflation is also a consequence of the slowdown in foreign demand for Chinese products, but the anti inflationary measures in place must be maintained, and "in the medium term," structural change like "tax reforms" must be introduced.

Now we wait to see the trend of food prices, which are the most important cost for hundreds of millions of families and which have often unexpectedly increased: in August, food prices rose by 13.4%, compared to 3% of non-food products. The price of pork, which is essential for families, increased by 45.5%, although the growth was 57% in July and June. Analysts fear that the price of pork and other foods that are the basis of Chinese cuisine will continue to grow throughout 2011. Many fear that the cost of the crisis is being paid primarily by the middle class: the bank gives an interest of 3.5%, well below the increase in the cost of living, pushing the small and medium investors to seek refuge in other goods.

However, the data of August brought an immediate cautious optimism to the stock market. At the midday break, the Hong Kong stock exchange had risen by 0.2% and 0.1% in Shanghai, minimum but significant data after the repeated losses of recent weeks and despite signs of crisis that continue to arrive from 'Europe, where yesterday European Central Bank president, Jean-Claude Trichet, warned that "the worst crisis since World War II" is underway and that "uncertainty is very high" in the eurozone and there are "prevailing risks " for growth, estimated at between 1.4 and 1.8% and inflation above 2%.

The good news was also fuelled by Obama's speech to the U.S. Congress yesterday, in which he has announced a package of measures to the tune of 447 billion dollars to boost employment, cut taxes and reduce the public debt. Now experts are waiting to studying the proposals and the reaction of the Parliament.

(AsiaNews)

The “opportunities” and risks of Beijing’s purchase of Italian debt

Two economists talk about a report in the Financial Times to that effect. “It’s nothing new. China has been looking at our market for some times,” says one. “It is a warning to the UCB. If it buys our debt, someone else will be the big player,” says d’Orlando.

Rome – China’s purchase of Italian public debt “is nothing new. It should not cause any alarm. Beijing has been buying Italian bonds for quite some time,” an Italian economist told AsiaNews. “Of course, if it should turn out that it holds 4 per cent of Italian debt that would be news, good news that is,” he added. The economist entertains cordial relations with Beijing and Chinese businessmen.

According to the Financial Times, China holds about 4 per cent of Italy’s € 1.9 trillion debt (US$ 2.6 trillion). Citing Italian sources, the newspaper said that the recent visit by “Lou Jiwei, chairman of China Investment Corp, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds” was a sign of China’s interest in Italian bonds.

In his visit to Italy (which follows a visit to Beijing by the head of Italy’s treasury, Vittorio Grilli), Lou held talks with Italian Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti and representatives of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (Deposit and Loans Bank), during which Tremonti negotiated the mass purchase of Italy’s public debt even though he expressed reluctance for what he once described as “reverse colonisation”.

“To talk about colonisation in today’s world and with the existing international financial system is absurd,” an economist told AsiaNews. “Tremonti knows it and perhaps sought a valid alternative to the usual buyers. The collapse of the eurozone or the default of some European nations would be hard blow to Beijing. An ‘international governance’ espoused by some governments would be even worse. This is why the purchase is going ahead.”

According to Maurizio d’Orlando, an economist and economic commentator for AsiaNews, “this is not surprising. What the Italian government wants is simple but misconceived. By leaking the information, Italy has for all intents and purposes let the European Central Bank know that it wants Europe to buy Italian public debt. If the ECB does, Italy then would have more buyers lined up; in this case, China.”

Beijing “is trying to do with Europe what it has done with the United States,” d’Orlando explained. “Since it cannot move away from an export-driven economy, and continues to hold the yuan below its real value, it must prop up export markets for its own goods. So far, the Old Continent has defended itself with import rules and non-tariff barriers, like quality requirement on imported goods”.

“What China is doing is something else,” d’Orlando noted. “It wants to turn the euro into an international reserve currency to counter the dollar. However, this is a dangerous policy, for Europe as well. It could increase the EU’s trade deficit with China, which until recently, was not very big. This can be inferred from the fact that the Chinese exchange rate is lower than the rate that the one based on the purchasing power parity, which is to the advantage of Chinese exporters.”

(AsiaNews) 

What's the buzz

A bone marrow donor refused to proceed with his donation after a machine stopped working during the operation. Data show that around 20 percent of bone marrow donors in China break their promise.

China Daily mobile news readers share their views with us:

I think it is a very irresponsible practice because we should try our best to help others when it is within our power. To take back the hope of life we have already given others is crueler than refusing to offer it in the first place.

Ye'an, Xuzhou, Jiangsu province

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It is not hard to imagine that volunteers' willingness to donate their bone marrow must involve a loving heart and concern for their own safety. If the medical equipment breaks down it does not affect their loving heart, but it does affect their safety concerns, and even desire to save others.

Elane.W, Wuhu, Anhui province

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That the donor decided not to proceed is due to a lack of understanding of the whole process and the hospital's failure to inform the volunteer properly before signing the contract. The donor is not the one to blame. If all the preparation is done properly before hand, such as viewing a video of the procedure, I believe that many of the donors would realize they do not want to go through with the operation and choose not to register.

Angel, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province

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Personally I think a bone marrow donor "running away from an operation" harms not only the patient, but also our trust in others. In my opinion, the solutions to the problem include, first, paying donors, as it is very likely that more donors would be willing to come forward; second, where possible a back-up donor should be found to act as a double insurance.

Li Keke, Nanchang, Jiangxi province

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Why do almost 20 percent of bone marrow donors decide to change their mind at the last moment? First, they lack a realistic understanding of bone marrow donations and the relationship between themselves and the patient. I think such donors are irresponsible both to themselves and the patient. Donors should sign an agreement, which includes the clear-cut responsibilities, benefits and interests of the donor, patient and hospital. The malfunction of medical appliances has a detrimental effect on donors, therefore hospitals must be responsible for the operation and make proper preparations.

Nora, Nanjing, Jiangsu province

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As a doctor, I feel sorry for this occurrence. We cannot overly blame donors, because, in my opinion, everyone will hesitate before agreeing to such an operation, especially given the current medical environment. Therefore, instead of excessive criticism, the media should offer more charitable publicity to bone marrow donors. This would gradually eliminate people's anxiety, and instill more trust in hospitals and foster more love and care for others.

Yuan Huinan, Xinxiang, Henan province

杨义成 and Nash Laoshi - Nash pleads "MERCY"

By Deananash

Please spread this story. I LOVE China, not with words, but with my actions.  I am pleading for MERCY.

Over the past few days, the story of my student Danny "杨义成" has spread like wildfire over the Chinese internet.  Our story is quite moving, full of hope and one that he and I are both proud to have lived together.

If you haven't read it, you can start here::Yang Yicheng

Unfortunately, the stories have left out quite a bit of information.  In 2008, because of the Beijing Olympics, I was told that I could no longer renew my visa in Hong Kong, that I would have to return "home" to America.   But my home was in China, where I had more than 150 students such as Danny living and studying with me, FOR FREE, for 6+ years.

In fact, I had 17 year old David, a blind boy who I found begging and had brought to my home a couple of months earlier living and learning with me.  Because of his blindness, he had NEVER been to school.  But he is very intelligent and was actually my best student of the more than 150 poor who I had living in one of my two apartments over my 6+ years in China.

Long story short, I had to choose between returning to America to get a new visa, or "maliciously" overstaying my visa thereby NOT abandoning David.  By the way, today David is in a Chinese school for the first time in his life - and thriving.  He's also a contest winner as he has a lovely singing voice. He's the first picture on the page and in the last major paragraph at the bottom: David

I am guilty of overstaying my visa.  For this, I was justly expelled from China.  It's been two very long years and I so want to return and continue my work of helping the poor.  I believe that EVERY child is Ru Zi Ke Jiao.  EVERY child deserves a chance.

I am asking for the Chinese government to extend me some MERCY. 

I am asking for the Chinese government to extend me some MERCY.  

Thank you for spreading my plea.

Knowledge no longer changes fate?

By Huang Shuo

"Knowledge can change fate," a well-known notion, has stimulated numerous children in rural areas of China, particularly remote places, to learn and fundamentally improve their livelihood and their families. Studying has been their hope, even a life-saving straw for the future. In old times, Chinese people regarded the process of changing destiny through learning and national exams as "Carps jump over dragon door." However, this jump of changing fate is more and more strenuous and tough for rural students at present.

"It is bound to be hard for youngsters from poor families in rural areas to become elites of society in China," a teacher recently said at an online forum, which sparked a new round of discussion and debate on the uneven distribution of social resources.

The proportion of rural students at leading universities in China has increasingly fallen since the 1990s. The ratio at Peking University jumped down to around 10 percent from the previous 30 percent. According to a sample survey of students at Tsinghua University in Beijing enrolled in 2010, students from the countryside accounted for 17 percent of the total. And in 2010, China's rural students took up 62 percent of the overall students joining the National College Entrance Examination (or Gaokao).

Educational experts and mass media concentrated on the decline of the acceptance rate of rural students in the Gaokao and analyzed the reasons. The unfair distribution of educational resources in urban and rural areas is undoubtedly the main culprit. When urban children are enjoying kindergarten, preschool education for many children in the countryside is still a blank, which means that Chinese rural children fall behind at the initial phase of their lives.

Urban education has gathered most advanced educational resources and urban students can choose a better school with the advantages of preferential enrollment policy like independent recruitment and bonus points, which further enlarge the educational gap between urban and rural areas in China.

The key part of solving the problem is to promote the integration of rural and urban education and improve the equality in allocating educational resources across the country. The essence of the integration of rural and urban education has determined the boundary of the relative institutional reform. The institutional reform about the integration of rural and urban education mainly focuses on basic education, vocational education and continuing education, among which basic education is the key, and compulsory education is the priority. The reform of education institution that promoted the integration of rural and urban education includes the institutions of student cultivation, educational quality evaluation, educational personnel, educational investment, school enrollment, and school management. The objective of the integration of rural and urban education is the equity of rural and urban education. The equity of rural and urban education includes the equity of quality, difference and compensation. The different educational equity has put forward different requirement to relative educational institution reform.

As for the distribution of educational resources, the authority should firstly allocate more public spending to rural education, and allow students to take their college entrance examinations in other places in order to universalize good education resources and let rural students migrate with their parents to urban areas to receive better education directly and conveniently. In addition, private or foreign capital can play a helping role for the government in joining the rural education programs organized by educational institutions or organizations, such as Project Hope.

Equality in a society is not only relative fairness in wealth distribution, but also equality in opportunities of altering fate for every member of society. The fairness in education sector plays a major part in realizing the equality of the starting point of lives and social equality and justice. The notion of "knowledge can change fate" can become true and the movement among different social layers can be possibly smooth so as to stabilize the current social structure of the country only if everyone enjoys fair educational opportunities in society.

On the contrary, the Matthew Effect, the phenomenon in sociology where "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer," caused by educational inequality, will set barriers on the way to higher level development for young grass-roots even accelerate the status crystallization to threaten social harmony and stability.
It is undeniable that all levels of government in China are twisting and narrowing the gap between rural and urban education in recent years, especially in achieving equality in allocating educational resources. Whereas, the old issue becoming a hot topic on the Internet rings a warning bell for departments in charge of education once again.

Oil spill lessons

China Daily 09/05/2011 page8

The order by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) to ConocoPhillips China that it must stop all production operations in Bohai Bay is long overdue given the two-month long oil leaks and extensive contamination of large areas of Bohai Bay.
An investigation conducted jointly by seven central government departments has confirmed that the subsidiary of the Houston-based US energy giant has seriously violated operating rules. What is even more serious is the lack of attention to the abnormal phenomena that preceded the oil leaks and its disregard for their consequences.

Comparing the information ConocoPhillips China has provided about the oil spill and the measures it has adopted to stop it with the results of the investigation, it is not hard to realize that the firm lacks any basic social responsibility.
When the oil leaks were first revealed, assessment of the extent of the oil spill and the efforts taken by the company to deal with the leaks were based entirely on information provided by the company. The joint investigation organized nearly two months after the oil leaks were first reported has shown that not only is the oil spill worse than the company reported but, despite its assurances to the contrary, it has failed to bring the situation under full control and find and stop the sources of the spills.

That the foreign firm does not need to worry about the penalties it will have to pay for its errors and lies has clearly influenced its response to the environmental disaster it has caused. The highest fine that can be imposed under China's maritime environmental protection law is 200,000 yuan ($30,920), peanuts to the energy giant.

Obviously, China needs to learn a lesson from this incident.

A mechanism needs to be established so that timely investigations and actions can be implemented in the event of any similar accident. The relevant law needs to be revised so that more severe penalties, such as heavy fines or even the revoking of operating licenses, can be imposed on those firms that are held responsible for environmental disasters and/or fail to take effective remedial action.
Oil firms should also be made to contribute to a fund, whose money will be used in a timely manner for clean-up operations.

To our relief, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, ConocoPhilillips China's partner in the oil field, has finally promised to tighten supervision over its partners' efforts to abide by the decisions of the SOA and to consider setting up a maritime environment fund.

Despite what has been achieved so far, the whole incident is far from over. More needs to be done to let the US firm pay the price for the environmental disaster it has caused in the Bohai Sea and its environs.

Being single, why not?

By Huang Shuo

You can be sure that males would like to be coupled up, however, sometimes they also seek being single, particularly in our modern era with diversified lifestyles.

Ask any single person, and they'll tell you -- being single is awesome. The natural instinct of human beings is to be social, to have other people in our lives that we can share our experiences with. And the ultimate of this is “digging out” a partner we can enjoy our lives with. When you face troubles or experience hardships, half of your heart may be a good listener to release psychological pressure and a helper not leaving you. So many men feel sad and depressed because they're not in a relationship with a girl. They think that if they can only find a girl to date, all their troubles and bad feelings will suddenly disappear and they will be happy. If only they could find that one special girl to be their soulmate -- everything will be okay!

It is true that having a special someone in your life can help increase your sense of fulfillment and happiness. I believe that can occur when you find the right girl for you. But you also need to understand that being with another person brings up a whole different set of problems.

I've been around long enough to see that a lot of people in relationships are completely miserable. They're not happy at all! In fact, it's like they are in prison. Many of them are trapped and they'd give anything to be single. Too many guys are so desperate to find a woman, they'll go with any girl who's even remotely interested in them - it doesn't matter if the girl is good for them or not! They just don't want to be alone.

In fact, the biggest danger of getting into a relationship because you don't like being alone is that you can trap yourself in an unhappy situation because you think it's better than being single. However, being single is actually about having choices. It's about having the freedom to search for the woman that's going to actually make you happy!

Lots of men believe that being single is terrible because they don’t know how to find the right woman for them. They flounder in the dating scene, and they are afraid of getting rejected. So instead, they have to settle for what they can get, as opposed to going after what they truly want.

There can be many advantages to being single if you just stop and think about it.

Being single means you have more freedom. You answer to no one. If you’re single, you don’t have to let anyone know when you decide to go somewhere. It allows for more spontaneity in your life. Being single allows you to be your own person and really just do as you please.

You probably hear people complaining that they never have enough time, all while scribbling their plans for the next three months into their Palm Pilot. These people probably aren’t single. When you’re single, you may have more time for yourself and things that you like to do. You can set your own schedule. Being single may give you more time for hobbies, relaxation, being with friends and family, and so on.

In addition to time, relationships also require money, and a lot of it. Being single gives you full financial freedom. Guys, think of the money you’ll save by not having to pay for overpriced dinners and movies, and buying presents for birthdays or Valentine's Day.

Moreover, being single can give you a deeper awareness of who you really are - not someone as defined by a relationship. During the initial stages of a relationship, you try to make yourself look as good as possible to impress the other person, and often find yourself saying and doing things you normally wouldn’t. Being single allows you to be yourself and develop who you really are.

These are merely some of the advantages to being single. As you progress into becoming a successful single, you will find more and more advantages. Once you move past the “grass is greener on the other side” way of thinking, you will then be ready to make the most of being single.