Monthly Archives: May 2008

Dr. Lin Yutang on Fenqing and their Patriotism

I wrote my own definition and analysis of Fenqing in this post — What is a Fenqing.

The quote below is from the preface of My Country and My People by Lin Yutang. I quote Lin Yutang because I am disgusted by the so-called patriotism of the self-righteous Fenqing (literally means ‘angry youth’, who are brain-washed and know nothing about such concepts as citizenship, the role of a party, and the legitimacy of the government). Stupid but fervent, they are pitiful as well. They never realized they are just being used and the very thing they proclaim to worship and die for is enslaving them. What’s more sad about them is that they are easily manipulated and highly disposable after finishing the “jobs”.

Fortunately, most of the Fenqing I know are very young, mostly below their twenties. I was once like them, but only to a much lesser degree in terms of ignorance and fervency, simply because I was an English major.

They will change, I believe, after they left the school and started to face the real life. Broader social contact, the competitive job market and the hardship of life will gradually show them the reality and teach them the value of real citizenship.

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Freeware that happily reside on my hard drive

1. Q10

Full screen editor

2. TaskCoach

To-do-list and planner

3. Filebox eXtender

enhances windows and folders

4. Chaos Manager

A reminder and calendar

5. Tucan

Backup and synchronize files.

6. CCleaner

Cleans the system garbage and fix registry

7. Daemon Tools

CD/DVD image emulator

8. Pidgin

All-in-one instant messenger with MSN/Hotmail, Gtalk and QQ users at the same time.

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The Rise of the Civil Society in the Wake of the Sichuan Earthquake

It has been more than a week since the deadly earthquake struck Sichuan Province. Among the debris, the enormous suffering and the heavy loss of lives, there rises the hope of an emerging civil society.

Strong government and a weak society was a prominent feature in Chinese history. China was an agricultural society, and every household in the rural area, as an individual economic unit, formed the fundation of the society. The connections among these economic units were loose and almost nonexistent. On top of this base, there was a hierarchical bureaucracy directly controlled by the throne. The bureaucratic system, to perform the tasks of taxing, drafting as well as to sustain its own survival, must exert tight and efficient control of the base population. Coupled with the scarce connections among the economic units at the base, a strong government and a weak society became an inevitable phenomenon throughout Chinese history.

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Firefox plugins that I use

  • All in one sidebar
  • Colorful Tabs (optional)
  • Dictionary Tips (looks up words on thefreedictionary.com)
  • Diigo (highlighting and bookmarks)
  • Download Statusbar
  • Forecastfox
  • IE Tab
  • PDF Download
  • ScrapBook
  • ScribeFire
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tab Mix Plus
  • Text Marker (optional)
  • Unhide Passwords
  • Unplug
  • Zotero (research and reference tool)

Successful Earthquake Predictions in China

Can Earthquake Be Predicted?

Can. Period.

“Earthquake prediction, though challenging, is not impossible, at least for some earthquakes” — American Geological Institute (AGI)

What is a valid prediction of an earthquake?

According to Wikipedia, a meaningful earthquake prediction must have all the following elements: Specific area; Specific magnitude or magnitude range; Specific time window; Estimate of probability compared to random chance; A physical basis.

The Perfect Prediction

China successfully predicted the magnitude 7.3 Haicheng Earthquake in 1975. It is the first successful prediction of the earthquake in human history.

This prediction is not just an isolated instance.

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