Be strong, Japan

The images are shocking. Entire villages are destroyed, totally annihilated from the map. Cars float on water, as if they are toys. The saddest of all are those of the people affected. They have lost everything, maybe some of their loved ones. Their current and future are uncertain.

BUT it is Japan we are talking about here. They are the 3rd largest economy in the world, their buildings are designed to withstand strong Earthquakes, and their people are civilized and prepared for such disasters. If I were to name a country that can recover the quickest from a such a natural catastrophe, it would be Japan without a doubt. The problem is, it is not one, but 3 disasters, that struck almost immediately after the other. The earthquake was strong, but happened offshore, and most buildings were intact. Then there is the tsunami. I don't think any man-made structure can withstand a wave of 10m. And worst of all, all these are followed by the possible nuclear fallout from the power station. The nuclear part of the problem is still a ongoing battle. I wish all the best to the team behind it and you guys are heroes.

There might be some media hype about the radiation level. Rumors are rife that Japanese products are no longer safe, and there have been comparison of this with other nuclear accident. Certainly we cannot dismiss anything to do with a nuclear reaction as a "small thing", but we need to remain in perspective. Risk communication is vital during such crisis to prevent any unnecessary stress and irrational behaviour.

It is a test of unity and resolve. I sincerely hope that everything will be under control soon, and effort to be focused on rebuilding the affected areas, and offer support to the victims. The world is behind you Japan.

It is also very unfortunate that the Pembroke international programme is at this time of the year. The university part of it was cancelled, but the high school one will still go on. It can be a very delicate task to approach them at these time. But I hope they are not too affected by the events back home, and can enjoy their time in Cambridge.

Isn't this what you want?

This has been a hot topic in China for many years. Given its population, total economic power, and rich history, shouldn't at least one Chinese have won the Nobel Prize. Technically there are. Quite a number of ethnic Chinese have won the award, especially in the sciences, but none of them were citizens of the People's Republic of China at the time of award. If we use proportions, 1/5 of the prize should have gone to Chinese. This is clearly not the case as well.
It can be quite an embarrassment to certain people, and some are puzzled. Go to any bookstores in China and you're bound to find books explaining the current situation. Titles such as "we will win the Nobel Prize in a certain number of years sells pretty too. The entire country seems quite obsessed with this. To them, winning Olympic (Olympiad) medals and Nobel prizes are signs of a stronger nation. To me, this is just silly. A country or people's achievement can't be measured using such parameters, not evenly remotely.

Now the irony comes. Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel peace prize! He is a proper Han Chinese (unlike the 14th Dalai Lama) whose citizenship is not disputed. The country should have been immersed in jubilant celebrations marking this historic moment. However, such a heroic achievement to the Chinese people was absent from all news channel in China. People don't hear a thing about this (as was the case with Dalai Lama). This just shows the level of censorship in Mainland. I feel sad for the nation and sad for the people. Clearly the communist party is set to continue its policy on human rights and rule of law. Any attempts to induce changes were met with "you're meddling with my internal affair". The crackdown on such reform-minded people can only increase as it feels more threatened than ever. The change will come someday, one way or another, yet the struggle ahead for Liu and his friends will be long and hard.

Google stops censorship in China

While Spring is something to cheer for, as it battles on with coldness and Winter, there is something else going on worth more of our attention.

By now most should know the ongoing saga between Google and the Chinese government. While Google is the champion of freedom with its “Don’t be evil” slogan, it has attracted criticism for complying with the censorship when entering the China market. Things seem to have turn 180 degrees a few weeks ago when Google threatens to pull out of China. It cited a few cyber attacks on the Gmail account of a few Chinese activities (and such attacks in general) as the reason. It also wants to stop complying with the strict censorship the Chinese government imposes.

Now it has just done that! After talks broke down between the two parties, Google seems to have gone for it. www.google.cn would now be directed to www.google.com.hk where there is uncensored search results. Sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen Massacre and Fa Lung Gong are now available as search results. While I’m not sure if people in China are able to access it like I do, this is what I get

The homepage says “欢迎您来到谷歌搜索在中国的新家” or “Welcome to the new home of Google in China”.

I think this is a historic movement. It shows that there are still individuals and organizations willing to stand up for what is right. While how much effect this has on the freedom of speech in China is yet to be seen, I would like to thank Google for taking such a big step. It is hard not to succumb to political pressure and economic gains, and whatever the true intention of Google, it has my full respect.

However, this should not be a moment of triumph, but just a glimpse of hope. The next thing to follow is almost certainly the complete ban of Google in China. The road to freedom and democracy is far and long.

UPDATE: People in China are unable to view any uncensored search results due to the firewall. This has turned out to be a mere symbolic gesture. No real benefit for the netizens.

Dolphins

I was reading an article on the Amazon dolphin on the June 2009 edition of National Geographic. It has nothing special to offer. However, there is a paragraph on the other river dolphins in the word. It mentioned the baiji, or Yangtze dolphin.

Suddenly as if a connection has been established and for some reason I felt very sad. I was full of anger when I heard about it's extinction 2 years ago. As of now, I just felt sad, as if a friend has died, although the only link between it and me is that I mentioned about it once on my blog.

A biologist in the article said “losing the baiji is like taking a chain saw to the cetacean tree of life. We've lost 20 million years of independent evolution”. Maybe there is a connection deep down there.

Obama

Obama has become the first African American president, and the first black man to enter the White House. Just as all the polls have indicated, he claimed victory and made history. His achievement would have been unimaginable decades ago, and it is an indication of the strength of the American people, and their eagerness for change.

Change has been the theme of his campaign and it is a wisely chosen one. President George Bush is unpopular to say the least. In his eight years in office, America has gone to two wars, is on the brink (or already in) of the worst financial crisis in a few generations, and has a tremedous deficit. He cannot escape the blame for his party's losses in both the Senate and House of Representatives two years ago. Senator McCain may have some brilliant ideas and proved experiences, but these cannot make people ignore the mistakes committed by the Republican Party.

I am awed by Obama's ability to raise funds to run for the office. Starting from the Democrat primaries, his vast network of cash have enabled him to focus, and is also a convincing testament for his popularity and support. His speech is like, just too powerful and inspiring.

However, the US and the world need much more than charisma from a president. His future policies, whether in line with his campaign promises or not, are essential to steer the world in the right direction. Let's see if he can deliver.

Yangtze river dolphin

Today woke up to the news that the Yangtze river dolphin may be extinct. Although not declared officially, a team of researchers had failed to find any sign this mammal in a survey that span about six weeks around its habitat. Back in the late 1990s a similar survey found thirteen live dolphins. In the 1950s their population numbered in the thousands. The last sighting was five years ago, and conservationists said that after such an intensive effort, they can be quite sure that the baiji may be gone for good.

From the BBC website
"The team, writing in Biology Letters journal, blamed unregulated fishing as the main reason behind their demise.

If confirmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years.

The species (Lipotes vexillifer) was the only remaining member of the Lipotidae, an ancient mammal family that is understood to have separated from other marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and porpoises, about 40-20 million years ago.

The white, freshwater dolphin had a long, narrow beak and low dorsal fin; lived in groups of three or four and fed on fish. "

I had not seen a Yangtze river dolphin before, considering its rarity, and feel no personal remorse or sadness at such a loss. However, what infuriates me is the fact the news is not even reported in China, despite making headline on the BBC. In pursuit of economic success and the jubilant celebration on the one-year countdown to the Beijing Olympics, people had not even realised that something is gone forever from this planet, or the universe, right beside them.

The impact cannot be felt immediately. It's not like losing your entire savings overnight or losing your loved ones. There is no economic, political or social loss. I heard an anology somewhere. The eco-system is like a house, and the specices are the building blocks. If you pull out one block of brick once in a while you would not feel any difference. Until you reach the critical point when the entire building collapses, it would be too late already.