http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6961865.stm
Response to Child star wins university place
In the article, a nine year old boy, who is extremely brilliant at math, got his place at Hong kong’s Baptist University. He said, we can play games together but academically, we can't communicate. It is a striking that the boy was so brilliant. However, other than math, what is the state of his other parts, such as Language, social functions, character and etc. Is he ready to get out of primary school and go into the university?
Primary school is nearly the first place where a child can get to know other peers. It is a small society for children to learn social skills, to build up there mindset of the world, to let them learn basic rules and taboos in their lives. It is the first place to show there skills or maybe leadership, the first place to make life long friends. If he get into university so early, he will skip middles school and high school as well, which is an essential part for our life experience.
When I read this piece of news, It reminded me of another children in Beijing, who got in university at the age of about 12 or 13. He was thrown into university life when he was only a teenager. His fellow university students were all around 19 years old. In the university, he could only study and study and study again. When others in school want to go out for activity, they won’t think of him because he was too young, when others were having fun on the field, he could only study because he was too little to play with them. When others are falling in love, he was too young to find a girlfriend. Making friends became the hardest part in his life. He felt like he was an outsider. Because of this loneliness, his grades didn’t follow his effort in studies but fell sharply. His life is nearly ruined in the university. I reckon that if he was able to go through the normal school life with his peers, his life maybe more colorful and successful even if he went into university a few years late.
Back to the 9 year old genius, he was given a special course in the university to fit him but will it be really fit for him? I don’t think so. He said it would just be like going to school but the fact is that the fellow university students won’t treat him like a grown up boy. His life won’t be the same as his same-year-old friends.
As a conclusion, boys going to university too early are not that good to the students. Whether university life would gave him a brighter future or a terrible time, he himself won’t determine the fact.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Wikipedia. Is it too free to use?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6947532.stm
Response to Wikipedia 'shows CIA page edits'
Wikipedia Scanner may prevent an organisation or individuals from editing articles that they're really not supposed to. Is this really true? Recently, an online tool named Wikipedia Scanner had been made to track the editors of wikipedia articles. It has recently pointed out that computers in some organizations like the CIA had vandalized some articles.
The changes are made by various users. Some of the changes are meant to correct the spelling errors or factual inaccuracies. However, there are some changes, which erased some of the potentially damaging materials while some others just add wrong features onto the articles. The Wikipedia Scanner can track the organization but cannot give out the information of the individual who changed it. According to the article, an implication can be obtained. If a hacker, who accessed the network of the organization illegally, he can change the article and leave the company all the responsibility to the organization itself.
For organizations like CIA, maybe the network is not that easy to break in, but what about other associations like the network of the Democratic Party in the US. This may cause the organization a trouble. Let think about another situation, a student in RI changed some of the important articles using the school computer. The scanner will only track to the school. The scanner cannot really ban the whole school to change the articles. They still have to clean the damage by themselves after every damaging change.
There are other kinds of deletion which Wikipedia cannot control. For example, CIA wants to change some articles on sensitive topics, it can just delete the parts that they don’t want people to see and say it is to fulfill their responsibility to keep America safe. Or they may modify the information so the article is “on their side”. Sometimes, the changes are made on the links following the articles which may not damage the article much but would prevent the readers from reading relative articles. Then people cannot really get satisfying information.
In school, we some times use wikipedia to obtain information because it is rather faster than scanning the library or “google” for the information. Thought our teachers may sometimes say wikipedia is a lousy place, many of us are still using it. Sometimes, when we want to search for some old but sensitive articles, wikipedia gives the article covered the most areas, but we cannot believe in it because it may be modified by some other people.
In a sense, even though the Scanner is invented, we still cannot prevent individuals or organizations from damaging the information. It only tells you the fact, which many don’t believe, that there are people who are vandalizing the articles. The scanner may tell you who modified it, what did he modified, but it is only for a small amount of people. Ordinary users cannot always track back the record to find out the original article. All in all, we can still say that the free encyclopedia is too FREE to get accurate information.
Response to Wikipedia 'shows CIA page edits'
Wikipedia Scanner may prevent an organisation or individuals from editing articles that they're really not supposed to. Is this really true? Recently, an online tool named Wikipedia Scanner had been made to track the editors of wikipedia articles. It has recently pointed out that computers in some organizations like the CIA had vandalized some articles.
The changes are made by various users. Some of the changes are meant to correct the spelling errors or factual inaccuracies. However, there are some changes, which erased some of the potentially damaging materials while some others just add wrong features onto the articles. The Wikipedia Scanner can track the organization but cannot give out the information of the individual who changed it. According to the article, an implication can be obtained. If a hacker, who accessed the network of the organization illegally, he can change the article and leave the company all the responsibility to the organization itself.
For organizations like CIA, maybe the network is not that easy to break in, but what about other associations like the network of the Democratic Party in the US. This may cause the organization a trouble. Let think about another situation, a student in RI changed some of the important articles using the school computer. The scanner will only track to the school. The scanner cannot really ban the whole school to change the articles. They still have to clean the damage by themselves after every damaging change.
There are other kinds of deletion which Wikipedia cannot control. For example, CIA wants to change some articles on sensitive topics, it can just delete the parts that they don’t want people to see and say it is to fulfill their responsibility to keep America safe. Or they may modify the information so the article is “on their side”. Sometimes, the changes are made on the links following the articles which may not damage the article much but would prevent the readers from reading relative articles. Then people cannot really get satisfying information.
In school, we some times use wikipedia to obtain information because it is rather faster than scanning the library or “google” for the information. Thought our teachers may sometimes say wikipedia is a lousy place, many of us are still using it. Sometimes, when we want to search for some old but sensitive articles, wikipedia gives the article covered the most areas, but we cannot believe in it because it may be modified by some other people.
In a sense, even though the Scanner is invented, we still cannot prevent individuals or organizations from damaging the information. It only tells you the fact, which many don’t believe, that there are people who are vandalizing the articles. The scanner may tell you who modified it, what did he modified, but it is only for a small amount of people. Ordinary users cannot always track back the record to find out the original article. All in all, we can still say that the free encyclopedia is too FREE to get accurate information.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Today I read something about the chaos situation in Iraq. The article says that the war has torn Iraq and it is nearly collapse. For full passage http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6663935.stm
The Iraq war has never been concluded a beneficial campaign for either the iraq people or the united states and its allies. During the war was happening, I always heard that the news said how the Shia Islam would welcome the united army when they turn over the government of Saddam Hussein’s. After that, a democracy government will be built up and new election will be held to elect the new leader of Iraq.
Time has passed away with endless deaths of people both in the united army and the Iraq rebels. Who is happy and who is sad about the death? I think all the families and friends of the death are the saddest ones. What’s next, the war, or in other words, the occupation state still continues. In the country there are still fights between government army, rebel force and the occupation army.
The new government of Iraq hasn’t got to control all the parts of Iraq, a large ratio of the people still follows the command of either rebel groups, religion leaders and other organizations from the outside. The rebel part make the region of Iraq become a country with a government, but more likely, without a government. The politicians have been trying to make the country go onto the right track but the country become worth with the rebel force.
In this specific time, Iran and the US is holding a meeting between diplomats and they start to talk the security fact in Iraq, and the statement “Iraq is going to collapse”. Meanwhile, politicians are saying that Iran has been trying to send its force into the country of Iraq by supporting the rebel army.
They have always been telling others’ fault but they never want to ask them self weather they have bring democracy and prosperity, or they brought chaos, collapse and suffer to the country. Is it better for the country to be under the control of Saddam’s government or under this “democracy”, which is supported by the occupying army? This war happens is a fact we cannot change but how can the politicians change the facts in Iraq and make the residents live better. War is cruel, but we cannot let war become the tool of politicians to fight against each other.
The Iraq war has never been concluded a beneficial campaign for either the iraq people or the united states and its allies. During the war was happening, I always heard that the news said how the Shia Islam would welcome the united army when they turn over the government of Saddam Hussein’s. After that, a democracy government will be built up and new election will be held to elect the new leader of Iraq.
Time has passed away with endless deaths of people both in the united army and the Iraq rebels. Who is happy and who is sad about the death? I think all the families and friends of the death are the saddest ones. What’s next, the war, or in other words, the occupation state still continues. In the country there are still fights between government army, rebel force and the occupation army.
The new government of Iraq hasn’t got to control all the parts of Iraq, a large ratio of the people still follows the command of either rebel groups, religion leaders and other organizations from the outside. The rebel part make the region of Iraq become a country with a government, but more likely, without a government. The politicians have been trying to make the country go onto the right track but the country become worth with the rebel force.
In this specific time, Iran and the US is holding a meeting between diplomats and they start to talk the security fact in Iraq, and the statement “Iraq is going to collapse”. Meanwhile, politicians are saying that Iran has been trying to send its force into the country of Iraq by supporting the rebel army.
They have always been telling others’ fault but they never want to ask them self weather they have bring democracy and prosperity, or they brought chaos, collapse and suffer to the country. Is it better for the country to be under the control of Saddam’s government or under this “democracy”, which is supported by the occupying army? This war happens is a fact we cannot change but how can the politicians change the facts in Iraq and make the residents live better. War is cruel, but we cannot let war become the tool of politicians to fight against each other.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Another inconvenient truth
Response to China 'to punish' two-child rich
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6409519.stm
China is facing a serious problem which may lead to the chaos of the society. At present, the ratio between new born boys and girls are about 119.25 to 100. The meaning of the data is that, after a few decades, a large part of the boys will not have wives. In the article, it is called wifeless future for men.
The one child policy in China only allows 1 child for each couple, but the couples, who can afford the fine, will have 2 or more children. They are the elite of the society but they are the pioneers of breaking the law. This reminds me of an experience, during the activity organized by OSA, we were going along the road and the guidance was explaining the no parking area on the road and we could see many cars parking on the area. The guidance told us that the fine rules are only effective when people cannot afford the pay. For the car owners, they just pay for the fine and continue to park on the road. The familiar things are ironic.
After 20 years, when the boys grow up, they will find that peer girls are difficult to find. The children of the rich are at a better situation for they have more bright background. It is easier for them to compete with the children, of the people who are not so rich and/or successful, unless the children have more successful experience or other good features.
The men who cannot get wives are mostly from the lower part of the society. they don’t have money, good job, enough living space. They may become the potential harm of the society. They may form secret society to fight against the unfair of the society. They may try to insult others, turn over the government and do other things harmful. This might seems incredible but it may come true if the ratio continues to grow bigger.
The reason why the ratio is so big is because people always consider boys are better than girls. This is due to the impact of the traditional thinking that girls are no longer their children if they are married but boys can always be in the family. Another reason is the underreporting of the female birth. Even China have set up the policy that hospital cannot tell the mother the gender of the child, the profit of underreporting encourages the hospitals and clinics to break the law.
If the mind does not change, Chinese people cannot get away from the fact. The Chinese government is going to set up a policy that people can be able to have another child if the first child is a girl, they can have their second child. But this cannot stop the rich to have abortions. As a conclusion, Chinese government has to change the education from “one child is better and giving birth later” to “girls are also precious to the family”.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
response to "China's lost talent overseas "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6374301.stm
This article is about four Chinese scholars who got their education overseas but didn’t return to China. According to the media, two thirds of the Chinese scholars refused to go back to their home country. The four interviewed scholars studied in Canada, UK, Singapore and the US. Their scholars’ reason for why they did not return shows the most common reason among the Chinese scholars after 1980s.
Ming Wang is a scholar who studied in Singapore in the 1980s, he was among the very early batches of Chinese scholars who came to Singapore. He said that he decided to stay in Singapore instead of going back to China was due to the “painful images of tanks marching into the Tiananmen Square”. This reason may cause some of the scholars decided not to go back at that time when they finished their study in foreign countries. However, they have the chance to go back to China after the chaos was put down, but they refused to go back. The reason is various but from the four interviewed scholar I found that the reasons have features in common.
First, after the scholars decided to stay, they found that living in foreign counties can enjoy a more easy life. They slowly got used to their new life style. And when they finally started to think about going back to China, they realized that China was not as comfortable and easy as they are living. For this reason some of the formal scholars who had become lecturers, businessmen decided not to go back.
Some younger scholars feel they cannot get a good job in China and they think they can have a better career in foreign developed countries. Chinese universities are sending more and more graduates into the society which can not give working opportunities to satisfy the graduates. This caused the lost of younger scholars.
The present of China hit the passion of some scholars. After China opened itself to the world, people realized that they have to obtain money to make a better living. Gradually, some people lost themselves in the ocean of wealth. They give up their morality to pursue more money, and some of the scholars don not want to live in a country which has many unfair competitions so they choose to stay. They don’t want to be corrupted, so even some of the successful formal scholars who opened their business in China decided to give up the corrupted Chinese market.
As a conclusion, the lost of Chinese talents is due to both political and social problems. In order to attract more of her sons back, she has to change herself. She must accept international and various ideas and thoughts. We should not lose one of our best resources and leave them outside. Most of them still have the will to serve China, we have to bring them back.
This article is about four Chinese scholars who got their education overseas but didn’t return to China. According to the media, two thirds of the Chinese scholars refused to go back to their home country. The four interviewed scholars studied in Canada, UK, Singapore and the US. Their scholars’ reason for why they did not return shows the most common reason among the Chinese scholars after 1980s.
Ming Wang is a scholar who studied in Singapore in the 1980s, he was among the very early batches of Chinese scholars who came to Singapore. He said that he decided to stay in Singapore instead of going back to China was due to the “painful images of tanks marching into the Tiananmen Square”. This reason may cause some of the scholars decided not to go back at that time when they finished their study in foreign countries. However, they have the chance to go back to China after the chaos was put down, but they refused to go back. The reason is various but from the four interviewed scholar I found that the reasons have features in common.
First, after the scholars decided to stay, they found that living in foreign counties can enjoy a more easy life. They slowly got used to their new life style. And when they finally started to think about going back to China, they realized that China was not as comfortable and easy as they are living. For this reason some of the formal scholars who had become lecturers, businessmen decided not to go back.
Some younger scholars feel they cannot get a good job in China and they think they can have a better career in foreign developed countries. Chinese universities are sending more and more graduates into the society which can not give working opportunities to satisfy the graduates. This caused the lost of younger scholars.
The present of China hit the passion of some scholars. After China opened itself to the world, people realized that they have to obtain money to make a better living. Gradually, some people lost themselves in the ocean of wealth. They give up their morality to pursue more money, and some of the scholars don not want to live in a country which has many unfair competitions so they choose to stay. They don’t want to be corrupted, so even some of the successful formal scholars who opened their business in China decided to give up the corrupted Chinese market.
As a conclusion, the lost of Chinese talents is due to both political and social problems. In order to attract more of her sons back, she has to change herself. She must accept international and various ideas and thoughts. We should not lose one of our best resources and leave them outside. Most of them still have the will to serve China, we have to bring them back.
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