Attached is the birthday gift! The ugliest fish I've even seen. Please enjoy~ Happy birthday~~~~~~~~~~ to Jaivir~ haha
September 30, 2009
Happy birthday~
Attached is the birthday gift! The ugliest fish I've even seen. Please enjoy~ Happy birthday~~~~~~~~~~ to Jaivir~ haha
Origin of Chinese National Day
It's been 60 years. So much has happened in the past decades in China. It would be concluded by a certainly magnificent military parade in 3 hours' time.
But does anyone know why the communist party established the new regime on this day?
You may say, there is no reason why. Because they felt they were ready on that day. Yeah, you are right. But communist troops had occupied Beijing since Jan 31 without fighting. Why didn't they pronounce their success earlier?
You may also say, because they didn't announce until they finisht the war. But on Oct 1, 1949, 50% of Chinese territory is still either under KMT control (southern and southwestern), or controlled by local government (Tibet, Xinjiang). We could well say that the war was far from over (which was verified by the division along Taiwan strait later).
I believe, as the tradition of communism, symbolism is always important. The first communist country, Soviet Union was established during October Revolution (though it's November 7 on Gregorian calender because Russian Orthodoxy used a different calender). As a continuation of great communist campaign, being established on October is a important.
Also, there was a negotiation with Soviets underway. Stalin wanted to continue controling Mongolia, Xinjiang and Manchuria. As a nationalist, Mao wouldn't allow this kind of humiliation for the new regime. The negotiation was so fierce that Soviet embassy even moved with KMT government to Guangzhou (the very south of the country) while the American ambassador refused to move and wanted to talk to new regime. The bargaining finally resulted in independence of Mongolia for the return of Xinjiang and Manchuria but a lease continued in Dalian. Without ensuring the Soviet support, any proclamation would be premature (Soviet established diplomatic relations with China on Oct 2, before any other country).
Any delay after October 1 would be risky because a cold snowy winter day wouldn't be a good one for a communist regime to showcase its power in a military parade (which was a problem for Soviet leader to stand in bleeding cold Red Square for several hours, which was a touch job for elderly Soviet politburo members).
But does anyone know why the communist party established the new regime on this day?
You may say, there is no reason why. Because they felt they were ready on that day. Yeah, you are right. But communist troops had occupied Beijing since Jan 31 without fighting. Why didn't they pronounce their success earlier?
You may also say, because they didn't announce until they finisht the war. But on Oct 1, 1949, 50% of Chinese territory is still either under KMT control (southern and southwestern), or controlled by local government (Tibet, Xinjiang). We could well say that the war was far from over (which was verified by the division along Taiwan strait later).
I believe, as the tradition of communism, symbolism is always important. The first communist country, Soviet Union was established during October Revolution (though it's November 7 on Gregorian calender because Russian Orthodoxy used a different calender). As a continuation of great communist campaign, being established on October is a important.
Also, there was a negotiation with Soviets underway. Stalin wanted to continue controling Mongolia, Xinjiang and Manchuria. As a nationalist, Mao wouldn't allow this kind of humiliation for the new regime. The negotiation was so fierce that Soviet embassy even moved with KMT government to Guangzhou (the very south of the country) while the American ambassador refused to move and wanted to talk to new regime. The bargaining finally resulted in independence of Mongolia for the return of Xinjiang and Manchuria but a lease continued in Dalian. Without ensuring the Soviet support, any proclamation would be premature (Soviet established diplomatic relations with China on Oct 2, before any other country).
Any delay after October 1 would be risky because a cold snowy winter day wouldn't be a good one for a communist regime to showcase its power in a military parade (which was a problem for Soviet leader to stand in bleeding cold Red Square for several hours, which was a touch job for elderly Soviet politburo members).
September 29, 2009
Hola? Hola? Hey, greeting to the United Nations
This year's UN General Debate finally ended. This year's conference attracted the most important leaders in the world. Obama did a good job as he spoke in this chamber for the first time. Gordon Brown tried to make himself closer to President Obama. Sarkozy demanded a permanent Security Council seat for African Union. Hu promised to cut CO2. Medvedev suggested Russia could support a fresh sanction against Iran. The only one missing is Chancellor Merkel, who is busy with the election celebration.
Many controversies made this year's conference interesting. Murmarr Qaddafi and Hugo Chavez's long speeches were real fun. Ahmadinejad continued his reputation built last year. Robert Mugabe even made an appeal to lift sanction against his extremely corrupt government. But most important, this year is not a good one for coup leaders.
Madagascar's coup leader arrived in the chamber, but was blocked to speak by African countries in a rare confusion of rule and chaos when the President of General Assembly wasn't sure what to do. The Southern African country bloc succeeded by getting 23 positive votes out of 192 members because the majority of them didn't understand what they are going to vote on and they are yet to receive instruction from the government. This shows African countries' determination to tackle the longstanding history of military coup, but how this could help Madagascar back to normal is anybody's guess.
On Monday, Honduran Foreign Minister used cell phone to let deposed President Zaleya make a speech in front of the world from Brazillian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where he sneaked in unnoticed. He definitely is not a popular leader in the world, but he received the support because nobody could accept the way he was forced out of office -- fleeding in pyjamas. What he is doing now actually is worsening the situation, but the international community is in a dilemma of whether to support him. The puzzle of Honduras seems to have just started.
Many controversies made this year's conference interesting. Murmarr Qaddafi and Hugo Chavez's long speeches were real fun. Ahmadinejad continued his reputation built last year. Robert Mugabe even made an appeal to lift sanction against his extremely corrupt government. But most important, this year is not a good one for coup leaders.
Madagascar's coup leader arrived in the chamber, but was blocked to speak by African countries in a rare confusion of rule and chaos when the President of General Assembly wasn't sure what to do. The Southern African country bloc succeeded by getting 23 positive votes out of 192 members because the majority of them didn't understand what they are going to vote on and they are yet to receive instruction from the government. This shows African countries' determination to tackle the longstanding history of military coup, but how this could help Madagascar back to normal is anybody's guess.
On Monday, Honduran Foreign Minister used cell phone to let deposed President Zaleya make a speech in front of the world from Brazillian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where he sneaked in unnoticed. He definitely is not a popular leader in the world, but he received the support because nobody could accept the way he was forced out of office -- fleeding in pyjamas. What he is doing now actually is worsening the situation, but the international community is in a dilemma of whether to support him. The puzzle of Honduras seems to have just started.
September 28, 2009
No divorce on Oct 1!
China is going to celebrate the 60th anniversary of people's republic on October 1. According to the Chongqing municipal government, they divorce appointment could be made for that day, while the wedding registration will still be working.
Of course, divorce is in contrast with the harmonious society. At this sensitive moment, the government would try to prevent any potential threat to the harmony, either Tibetan separatist movement or domestic conflicts, from disrupting the rosy atmosphere in this country to celebrate the huge achievements and forget the negligible disasters in the past six decades under communist rule.
On the other hand, this day is so proud for the nation that so many people want to make it their happiest day in their lives by setting the wedding day on Oct 1. This would possibly overwhelm the capacity of the government, simply rendering it incapable of accommodating people who want to divorce. Having lived under the same roof together for several years, one day is not that hard to wait, isn't it? Probably seeing the country is so strong and prosperous, some couples would change their minds, and the society would be one step closer to "harmony".
Election watch:
Ther result of German federal parliament election has come out. Christian Democrats (CDU) led by Chancellor Angela Merkel won by a larger margin than last time, thus ending the uncomfortable "Grand Coalition" with center-left rival Social Democratic Party (SDP). Actually, out of the five main parties, only social democrats lost seats, and all the other gained significant number of seats. The biggest winner is the third party, natural ally of Merkel's party, Freedom Democratic Party (FDP), surging from 61 to 93 seats. Together with the CDU and its partner in Bavaria CSU, they won over 50% of the seats, sufficient to form a coalition government without the leftist parties.
This is certainly a good result for German people because Merkel government has performed well in the past four years. The country is moving out of the recession, faster than most of the other developed countries. Plus, a grand coalition turns out to be quite inefficient and slows down the necessary reforms in this country. A period of opposition status can also help the SPD reform itself to compete with CDU in the future.
The incumbent Socialist Party won the parliamentary election in Portugal, but its leading margin is reduced and it needs to form a coalition with other parties to get a majority in the parliament. A grand coalition with center-right PSD is likely to happen, though allying with two smaller leftist parties is also possible. But forming a coalition government is not insurmountable and José Sócrates is set to remain in the office.
The presidential election in Somaliland has been delayed again due to the "current political, economic and technical conditions."
Of course, divorce is in contrast with the harmonious society. At this sensitive moment, the government would try to prevent any potential threat to the harmony, either Tibetan separatist movement or domestic conflicts, from disrupting the rosy atmosphere in this country to celebrate the huge achievements and forget the negligible disasters in the past six decades under communist rule.
On the other hand, this day is so proud for the nation that so many people want to make it their happiest day in their lives by setting the wedding day on Oct 1. This would possibly overwhelm the capacity of the government, simply rendering it incapable of accommodating people who want to divorce. Having lived under the same roof together for several years, one day is not that hard to wait, isn't it? Probably seeing the country is so strong and prosperous, some couples would change their minds, and the society would be one step closer to "harmony".
Election watch:
Ther result of German federal parliament election has come out. Christian Democrats (CDU) led by Chancellor Angela Merkel won by a larger margin than last time, thus ending the uncomfortable "Grand Coalition" with center-left rival Social Democratic Party (SDP). Actually, out of the five main parties, only social democrats lost seats, and all the other gained significant number of seats. The biggest winner is the third party, natural ally of Merkel's party, Freedom Democratic Party (FDP), surging from 61 to 93 seats. Together with the CDU and its partner in Bavaria CSU, they won over 50% of the seats, sufficient to form a coalition government without the leftist parties.
This is certainly a good result for German people because Merkel government has performed well in the past four years. The country is moving out of the recession, faster than most of the other developed countries. Plus, a grand coalition turns out to be quite inefficient and slows down the necessary reforms in this country. A period of opposition status can also help the SPD reform itself to compete with CDU in the future.
The incumbent Socialist Party won the parliamentary election in Portugal, but its leading margin is reduced and it needs to form a coalition with other parties to get a majority in the parliament. A grand coalition with center-right PSD is likely to happen, though allying with two smaller leftist parties is also possible. But forming a coalition government is not insurmountable and José Sócrates is set to remain in the office.
| Party | Votes | % | Change | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
The presidential election in Somaliland has been delayed again due to the "current political, economic and technical conditions."
September 27, 2009
Trip to Switzerland? Trapped in Switzerland!
The world-renowned director, Roman Polanski, has been arrested by the Swiss authority when he tried to enter Switzerland to receive the Lifetime Achievement Awards at Zurich Film Festival. He will be extradited to the United States where he was charged of unlawful sexual intercourse with an underage girl.
Oh dear. He could've made a movie about himself which could easily win Oscar Best Picture. Though the sex law in the United States is extremely harsh, Polanski did commit a serious crime in 1977 (more serious than it sounds because its current charge is part of a plea deal). Actually raping a 13-year-old girl is more accurate. But the way of arresting him is very interesting.
Knowing he could be extradited back by any country who has the treaty with US, he has been cautious for the past thirty years, restricting his traveling in very few countries. He canceled several trips for fear of being arrested. But this time, facing an option of getting a lifetime honor, he wasn't so careful. Probably he thinks the US government is forgetful or forgiving. It turns out to be neither.
Clearly the arrest has been planned for a very long time. A provisional warrant has been issued to the Swiss authorities beforehand. The determination to implement laws is certainly applaudable, but trapping an extremely famous celebrity by sneaking would not be that popular after all.
Oh dear. He could've made a movie about himself which could easily win Oscar Best Picture. Though the sex law in the United States is extremely harsh, Polanski did commit a serious crime in 1977 (more serious than it sounds because its current charge is part of a plea deal). Actually raping a 13-year-old girl is more accurate. But the way of arresting him is very interesting.
Knowing he could be extradited back by any country who has the treaty with US, he has been cautious for the past thirty years, restricting his traveling in very few countries. He canceled several trips for fear of being arrested. But this time, facing an option of getting a lifetime honor, he wasn't so careful. Probably he thinks the US government is forgetful or forgiving. It turns out to be neither.
Clearly the arrest has been planned for a very long time. A provisional warrant has been issued to the Swiss authorities beforehand. The determination to implement laws is certainly applaudable, but trapping an extremely famous celebrity by sneaking would not be that popular after all.
September 26, 2009
Hey, I took a picture with President Obama!
There was a news orgy about Obama snubbing British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in both coasts of the Atlantic. It's said Obama refused to meet with Brown while he had meetings with Hu, Medvedev and other leaders. They questioned the spokespeople for White House and Mr Brown himself. Both governments seemed impatient for those questions and reiterated the special relationship between them.
The media suggested this was a result of U.S. anger over Britian's decision to release to supposedly main plotter of Lockerbie. This is very unlikely that U.S. government would try to display its anger by this kind of ignorance. Expressing disatisfaction to the most important ally can only be done by closed-door way in order not to be explosed to the enemies and the media. An open argument or embarassment would only hurt both sides. And what's more, I believe before releasing the Libyan, UK government had consulted the Obama administration and got a green light, but they simply cannot admit that for fear of angering those victims' families.
This incident also shows how desperate Brown's situation is right now. He is very likely to leave the office in the next election before June 2010. The media would very much like to make fun of this lame duck cabinet. Simply seeing the once-proud British PM trying to maintain his relationship with Pres Obama and claiming they had a meeting even if they only had a short chat and exchanged pleasantries is really funny.
But more importantly, this shows those 24-hour news networks really lacks substantial contents to report. Probably next time they will report the homosexual tendency when Obama spends too much time with David Cameron.
The media suggested this was a result of U.S. anger over Britian's decision to release to supposedly main plotter of Lockerbie. This is very unlikely that U.S. government would try to display its anger by this kind of ignorance. Expressing disatisfaction to the most important ally can only be done by closed-door way in order not to be explosed to the enemies and the media. An open argument or embarassment would only hurt both sides. And what's more, I believe before releasing the Libyan, UK government had consulted the Obama administration and got a green light, but they simply cannot admit that for fear of angering those victims' families.
This incident also shows how desperate Brown's situation is right now. He is very likely to leave the office in the next election before June 2010. The media would very much like to make fun of this lame duck cabinet. Simply seeing the once-proud British PM trying to maintain his relationship with Pres Obama and claiming they had a meeting even if they only had a short chat and exchanged pleasantries is really funny.
But more importantly, this shows those 24-hour news networks really lacks substantial contents to report. Probably next time they will report the homosexual tendency when Obama spends too much time with David Cameron.
September 24, 2009
History of long speeches
I still got the readings to do, so haven't got the chance to watch today's UN session. It's said Chavez's performance today was not bad. He even broached the Kennedy assassination, as His Excellency King of Kings Colonel Qaddafi did yesterday. But he ended with singing. That would be pretty cool! I will try to update as soon as I view the clips.
There is a pretty cool article of long political speeches. The historic long speech in General Assembly belongs to Comrade Fidel Castro in 1960 (considering the speed of Spanish language, that would be even longer), but the longest one in UN is Indian's speech in Security Council about Kashmir in 1957 (dunno about Hindi, but its transcript in UN website is 160 pages long).
It also talked about how a guy was arrested because he stopped first after 11 minutes' applause when they are toasting Comrade Stalin. That's a cool example for game theory, isn't it? How to stop together so nobody gets arrested? haha....
Also, Brezhnev was so old that he would read the same page twice but nobody would notice because it was so long even without it.... or even they did, they couldn't say anything without being executed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8272473.stm
There is a pretty cool article of long political speeches. The historic long speech in General Assembly belongs to Comrade Fidel Castro in 1960 (considering the speed of Spanish language, that would be even longer), but the longest one in UN is Indian's speech in Security Council about Kashmir in 1957 (dunno about Hindi, but its transcript in UN website is 160 pages long).
It also talked about how a guy was arrested because he stopped first after 11 minutes' applause when they are toasting Comrade Stalin. That's a cool example for game theory, isn't it? How to stop together so nobody gets arrested? haha....
Also, Brezhnev was so old that he would read the same page twice but nobody would notice because it was so long even without it.... or even they did, they couldn't say anything without being executed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8272473.stm
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