Hi all,
Nice to be here. Here is my African journal. Hope you like it.
To many people, Africa equals poverty. When I was advised that I would be sent to South Africa, that was what I thought as well. In order to have a better understanding of what South Africa really is, I decided to go to the library and borrow some books on South Africa. After going through several books, some on history and some on its tourism, the image of South Africa becomes much clearer to me. It seems that the country has been going through a history which is similar to those of the New World, countries that were “explored”, occupied, “developed” and finally went independent. My trip to South Africa turned out to be truly an eye-opening tour.
Altogether, I stayed 10 days in Africa Continent: 9 days in South Africa, thee largest country in Africa, and 1 day in Swaziland. As some of you might have known, I was sent by my employer, Goway Travel, to go there on a “Feminization Trip”. Since there is no direct flight from any of the cities in Canada, I flew from Vancouver to New York, on 13 May, 2003. And then, my journey continued on South African Airlines from New York to Johannesburg, the capital city of South Africa. It took almost 24 hours before I landed in Johannesburg.
Cape Town, known for having Cape of Good Hope, wine and cheese, as well as the Table Mountain, is our first stop. Two full days sightseeing kept us busy. With excellent road, nice and clean street, Cape Town seems to be an ideal place for first-time visitors to start their trip in South Africa. In Cape Town, the most interesting sightseeing spot is the “Afrikaans Language Monument”. Afrikaans language was made of languages of Holland, local natives, German and English. The monument witnesses part of the history of Africa, with the involvement of many major European countries. What impressed me most was seeing people stood up, created their own language and meanwhile lived peacefully with those who spoke different languages and had cultural backgrounds. My tour in Cape Town included wine and cheese tasting, which was again my favorite! Unique geographic location, together with European “technology” makes the area one of the most suitable places to produce wine and cheese.
While in Cape Town, we also visit Table Mountain and Cape of Good Hope. Standing in Good Hope, seeing the two Oceans joining each other made me marvel the wonder that our nature offers. It reminds me the phrase that Tourism South Africa uses in promoting South Africa: “One World, one country”, meaning that people can come and see what the world looks like in South Africa. In addition to the Cape of Good Hope, we also took a cruise to a Seal Island. This is my first time, seeing seals, grouping with unbelievable numbers, staying live in icy Atlantic. I now come to see why ancient Chinese suggested: “Readings should be accompanied by traveling.” Isn’t that true that we should all travel to experience and understand other parts of the world so as to live and study more wisely?
After two days tour in Cape Town, we took bus to Knysna, a small but eloquent coast city. The bus trip to Knysna seems like a journey through a picture, the sceneries along the way seemed just unreal. One hour, we were in a barren land, and the next, we came across jade-green forests, beaches dotted with flowers and birds. Locals name the trip “the Garden Route”, which I fully agree.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Olympics
In a sign that the Olympics feelgood factor has already begun to evaporate, protesters took to the streets of Beijing yesterday in an escalating campaign against the city's biggest dump site, which they claimed was polluting the air with a foul stench and dangerous dioxins.
Wearing surgical masks and carrying umbrellas, the mostly young, middle-class campaigners blocked roads, chanted anti-pollution slogans and refused to allow rubbish trucks to pass as dozens of police filmed them and appealed for calm.
Residents of the affluent Changying district of east Beijing have complained for more than three years about the nearby Gaoantun landfill and waste incineration facility.
Every day, 3,700 tonnes of household refuse are buried in the 40-hectare landfill. In addition, the plant burns 40 tonnes of medical waste from hospitals, raising fears among locals that the air is being polluted by odourless carcinogenic dioxins. This is denied by the plant's owners.
Residents have petitioned the authorities and filed a lawsuit in the courts. Dissatisfied with the lack of progress, they are using the internet, text messages and demonstrations to be heard.
Zhen Qianling, a chemist among the crowd, said the stink from the plant on hot days made him feel sick and sent his heart racing. 'We want to block the traffic so the government will hear our voice. If we just sit back and do nothing, the government will also do nothing.' Like many, this was the first protest he had joined. The demonstrators were young urban professionals - designers, internet workers and translators. Other protestors were from the 'New Sky Universe' and 'Berlin Symphony' tower blocks. Property costs about 14,000 yuan (£1,100) a square metre, well above the Beijing average. The residents thought they were buying into one of the city's most salubrious neighbourhoods, but on hot summer days, when the wind is in the wrong direction, their homes are filled with the stench from the dump.
'If I had known, I would never have bought a home here,' says Helen Liu, a translator who moved into her 500,000 yuan house in April.
In the run-up to the Olympics, police detained several prominent dissidents and put others under close surveillance. Three 'protest parks' were established, but of the 77 people who applied to use them, none have yet succeeded. According to human rights groups, several applicants were sent back to their home provinces or put in 're-education through labour' camps. Foreigners who staged Free Tibet demonstrations have been deported.
The residents of Chanying said they did not fear a police backlash because China was becoming more open and the authorities' concerns about losing face during the Games have diminished.
During the demonstration and after police warned the protesters they were breaking the law, they became almost comically well-mannered. They walked slowly back and forth for more than an hour across a pedestrian crossing - but only on the green man - chanting, 'We don't want stinking air.'
Managers at the site said emissions met environment bureau standards, but officials acknowledged the smell was a problem. 'We pay a lot of attention to the residents' concerns,' said Guo Tuanhui. 'On hot days, the buried rubbish gives off a bad odour. But we are doing what we can.'
The rally appeared to be part of a growing trend in China, as well-educated, middle-class citizens complain about environmental hazards.
In May 2007, thousands took to the streets of Xiamen in Fujian province, forcing the local government to halt plans for a chemical factory.
Last year, the head of China's environmental agency, Zhou Shengxian, blamed the rising number of riots, demonstrations and petitions across the country on public anger at pollution.
The public have good reason to be concerned. According to the World Bank, up to 400,000 people in China die each year from outdoor air pollution, 30,000 from indoor air pollution, and 60,000 from water pollution.
Wearing surgical masks and carrying umbrellas, the mostly young, middle-class campaigners blocked roads, chanted anti-pollution slogans and refused to allow rubbish trucks to pass as dozens of police filmed them and appealed for calm.
Residents of the affluent Changying district of east Beijing have complained for more than three years about the nearby Gaoantun landfill and waste incineration facility.
Every day, 3,700 tonnes of household refuse are buried in the 40-hectare landfill. In addition, the plant burns 40 tonnes of medical waste from hospitals, raising fears among locals that the air is being polluted by odourless carcinogenic dioxins. This is denied by the plant's owners.
Residents have petitioned the authorities and filed a lawsuit in the courts. Dissatisfied with the lack of progress, they are using the internet, text messages and demonstrations to be heard.
Zhen Qianling, a chemist among the crowd, said the stink from the plant on hot days made him feel sick and sent his heart racing. 'We want to block the traffic so the government will hear our voice. If we just sit back and do nothing, the government will also do nothing.' Like many, this was the first protest he had joined. The demonstrators were young urban professionals - designers, internet workers and translators. Other protestors were from the 'New Sky Universe' and 'Berlin Symphony' tower blocks. Property costs about 14,000 yuan (£1,100) a square metre, well above the Beijing average. The residents thought they were buying into one of the city's most salubrious neighbourhoods, but on hot summer days, when the wind is in the wrong direction, their homes are filled with the stench from the dump.
'If I had known, I would never have bought a home here,' says Helen Liu, a translator who moved into her 500,000 yuan house in April.
In the run-up to the Olympics, police detained several prominent dissidents and put others under close surveillance. Three 'protest parks' were established, but of the 77 people who applied to use them, none have yet succeeded. According to human rights groups, several applicants were sent back to their home provinces or put in 're-education through labour' camps. Foreigners who staged Free Tibet demonstrations have been deported.
The residents of Chanying said they did not fear a police backlash because China was becoming more open and the authorities' concerns about losing face during the Games have diminished.
During the demonstration and after police warned the protesters they were breaking the law, they became almost comically well-mannered. They walked slowly back and forth for more than an hour across a pedestrian crossing - but only on the green man - chanting, 'We don't want stinking air.'
Managers at the site said emissions met environment bureau standards, but officials acknowledged the smell was a problem. 'We pay a lot of attention to the residents' concerns,' said Guo Tuanhui. 'On hot days, the buried rubbish gives off a bad odour. But we are doing what we can.'
The rally appeared to be part of a growing trend in China, as well-educated, middle-class citizens complain about environmental hazards.
In May 2007, thousands took to the streets of Xiamen in Fujian province, forcing the local government to halt plans for a chemical factory.
Last year, the head of China's environmental agency, Zhou Shengxian, blamed the rising number of riots, demonstrations and petitions across the country on public anger at pollution.
The public have good reason to be concerned. According to the World Bank, up to 400,000 people in China die each year from outdoor air pollution, 30,000 from indoor air pollution, and 60,000 from water pollution.
Fool's Truth
I am a fool indeed
But i can't be otherwise
Cause i love to be human not a machine & a human being is fallible
My greatest quest is for a love true & pure & that grows deep with time
A love that grows deep & silent
A love thats certain as ur heart beats
Everything else is just an excuse
I am here to love & to be loved
Yes thats the truth
Truth of a fool
But i can't be otherwise
Cause i love to be human not a machine & a human being is fallible
My greatest quest is for a love true & pure & that grows deep with time
A love that grows deep & silent
A love thats certain as ur heart beats
Everything else is just an excuse
I am here to love & to be loved
Yes thats the truth
Truth of a fool
Art and Humor
Millions of people struggle out Of bed each morning, fumble into some clothes, and make their way to a cup of coffee and the morning newspaper.They need something cheerful to remind them that the rest of the day will be less difficult than getting up. This need may be the reason that many of them turn their half-opened eyes to the comics section of the newspaper as they sip their first cups of coffee of the day.
Cartoons reflect the times and the troubles and worries of people. They give people an opportunity to laugh at themselves and at familiar situations. For example, a cartoon might say that the government of a country is responsible for the bad economy and also show the government leaders as a group of ridiculous people. Being able to use the leaders as scapegoats and to laugh at the leaders somehow makes people feel better about their situation.
Cartoons also make people laugh at their own personal worries. Young people who are not always sure of how to act can smile at their awkwardness. Old people whose grown children pay little attention to them can chuckle at their neglect and loneliness. Students who have studied too little before an examination can laugh at their anxiety. Everyone’s problems are made bigger-than-life in the comics. Perhaps the problems seem funny because there is humor in something that is real being made unreal.
A cartoon combines art and humor. When it is skillfully done, a simple line drawing and a few words can make people laugh. Their troubles seem less important, and they enjoy life more fully.
Cartoons reflect the times and the troubles and worries of people. They give people an opportunity to laugh at themselves and at familiar situations. For example, a cartoon might say that the government of a country is responsible for the bad economy and also show the government leaders as a group of ridiculous people. Being able to use the leaders as scapegoats and to laugh at the leaders somehow makes people feel better about their situation.
Cartoons also make people laugh at their own personal worries. Young people who are not always sure of how to act can smile at their awkwardness. Old people whose grown children pay little attention to them can chuckle at their neglect and loneliness. Students who have studied too little before an examination can laugh at their anxiety. Everyone’s problems are made bigger-than-life in the comics. Perhaps the problems seem funny because there is humor in something that is real being made unreal.
A cartoon combines art and humor. When it is skillfully done, a simple line drawing and a few words can make people laugh. Their troubles seem less important, and they enjoy life more fully.
Marketing Specialist
1) Responsible for international marketing planning of the power product, including of developing and integrating the relevant marketing strategies, and establish and enhance the brand image of the power products;
2) Responsible for a series of brand activities, such as the planning of the integrated power solutions, highlights extraction and dissemination; advertising organization, uniform external propaganda caliber, etc;
3) Maintaining the good communication between R&D and market, ensuring that the product highlights, caliber, the latest developments and other information, which is delivered to the external customers and internal customers accurate and timely;
4) Organizing and participating in the some market activities related to the power product, such as, exhibitions, forums, conferences, sample test site, operators exchanges and other professional marketing activities;
2) Responsible for a series of brand activities, such as the planning of the integrated power solutions, highlights extraction and dissemination; advertising organization, uniform external propaganda caliber, etc;
3) Maintaining the good communication between R&D and market, ensuring that the product highlights, caliber, the latest developments and other information, which is delivered to the external customers and internal customers accurate and timely;
4) Organizing and participating in the some market activities related to the power product, such as, exhibitions, forums, conferences, sample test site, operators exchanges and other professional marketing activities;
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