Everyone looks at the events from different angle and poise. The top-level of journalism is objective and unbiased, but we can still read the reporter's stand and emotion between the lines, journalists are humans, after all. The full coverage of the earthquake in Sichuan helped me feel the people and their press behind the scene. Wall Street Journal analyzed, the 2nd day after the quake, that earthquake reflected the sharp difference in the previledged and the underprevilieged. While the mega cities like Chengdu annd Shanghai execute the high construction code of 7 to prevent quake damage (Beijing is even higher, 8), the strike-hit area all suffered by poor materials, botched contruction quality and lax inspection practice. The most heart-wrenching loss and the most likely ignored part, the schools. New York Times had the similar insight and ran a report specifically on the damaged schools. They showed their stats, consulted the experts of the debris photos of school buildings, seeking for answers on where the casualties are beyond nature disaster, but due to human fallacy. ABC news and NBC news were more as-a-matter-of-fact, their on-assignment reporters finally reached the site and obtained the information from the local officials and survivors. Obviously the news producer favors female reporters with Asian or Chinese origin, Stephanie Sy of ABC and Adrianne Mong of NBC did pretty good job repoting in front of the rubble or at the relief center. They are not alone, there are names like Marlek Bi and Patty Fang of Reuters and even Cathrine Chen of Al Jazeera, the arabic world's English outlet.
Speaking of female correspondents, Melissa Stark of National Broadcast Radio (NPR) News touched many listeners' hearts when she followed the couple in Dujiangyan, desperately seeking help for their trapped daughter. As the process went on, Melissa's voice cracked when the mother's hope dwindled and the wailing voice couldn't be ignored in the background. Melissa is a mom, too, she couldn't keep her cool on such a devastating scene. Then there comes Mei Fong, WSJ's Beijing correspondent. She wrote a story on Journal's weekend edition following a migrant worker couple's trip back to Gansu Province, looking for their daughter at home. The trip, starting from Beijing the second day after the earthquake, took more than 3 days, put them on train ride, followed by bus, boat and finally, foot. Mei Fong was plainly describing the parents' angst and temporal relief on the road as villagers called in, in the end, the couple found their daughter's name on victims' list. They were having extra distance to go to find the makeshift tomb. These may not be the hard journalism from the renowed news services, but these are truly amazing stories.
The silver lining of the earthquake, as some tout, was the unpresendented open and transparent coverage of Chinese media. They were obviously at a better position dishing out the details than the biggest news feeders like Reuters and Associated Press, even they are fully goverment sponored and subject to the 'propaganda' regulations. There were some online video clips that were wildly popular on the rescue efforts. As usual, Chinese news reports couldn't get rid of the emotional covering tendency, sometimes they made news like drama. For the text reporting, the words are getting articulated and balanced, which is definitely off the track from the usual state media format. And there is internet, local news service and blogs. It is still in sort of disordered state since truth and rumor run fast side by side, it is the best place to read the outcry for the bereaved and the satire for the local officals' dereliction or gibberish media speech. It sinks my heart. I have no reason not to appreciate the freedom of speech during the saddened time.
Life is fragile---Equipped with knowledge, technology and wealth, we believe human beings can do anything to be the dominance of the world, to be the conquerer of the universe. We people build huge dams, ignite A-bombs, wage wars, send humans into space, maybe alter the weather pattern by controlling CO2 emission. We are invincible. Beneath us in the shell, the tectonic plates slide unnoticeably, maybe 20 millimeters per year. Till enough accumulation, it strikes, takes tens of thousands of human lives along with properties in seconds, leaves us nothing but tremenduous awe and horror.
Life is tenacious---It sounds truly miracle the rescuers found survivors after 56 hours. Then they found someone alive after 74 hours. Till today, there were survivors after 104 hours! This reminds me of Bill Bryson's narration about grass seeds found in the cliff cleavage of the most hostile glacier area like Newfoundland, it sits there for over 80 years, waiting for the right weather to come. It would sprout and turn green. The meaning of life, we all wonder, is essentially for the purpose of living. Maybe more than that, but no less in extreme conditions.
A lot of humanity---For the millions of the lucky people outside the epicenter of the earthquake, the quake strike is a live drama, the nature of human beings all showed up. 'My legs were shaking hard, I don't know if it is out of my fear or due to the after-shock when I went back to the building for my documents,' my friend in Chengdu told me on the phone, 'My wife and son were all crying even I told 'em we were fine.' Another friend said people stayed in temporary shelter that very night, kids were excited since there's no school, adults took the rare group-chat opportunity watching the TV broadcast and commented and gossiped. The more sorrowful one, whose parents were buried in the rubble, talked about the situation almost inaudible, 'they were gone...I asked them to visit Chengdu a few days ago, they said it's too hot here, they'd rather stay (at home in Beichuan) for a few more days...' A buddy in the rescue tent was very happy hearing my call, 'Nah, we are fine, just a little waiting time for the drinking water...It's also a life experience to see all the mess, don't worry about us, we are good...We are not the worst, some schools were hit hard, some teachers were killed because they were letting the students run first...' I also had some regular chitchat with my housemate Heather over the dinner time the day the news spread, 'My hometown had a huge earthquake, the whole town was evacuated.' I declared. 'Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,' Heather went on to hold her cat, 'Sunshine, you were lonely the whole day, weren't you?' She turned to the animal, 'Mommy takes to the balcony, let me find the necklace for ya, you little wimpy chubby baby. Why can't you get along with Cricket, huh, tell me tell tell me...chewchewchew...' Then suddenly she realized something, 'Oh, sorry, is your family Okay?' I can't blame Heather too much, I am insensitive to Myanmar's cyclone disaster, which is prior to the earthquake in Sichuan, and had a death toll of over 120,000.
Beyond the good, the bad, there were the uglies. There was a caught-on-tape donating 'ritual' in a southern China school, officials in turn put money in a box for the video-taping and then took out. There were looters in the quake scene and rescue sites, rumor has it the authorities required the troops that once a looter is caught, execute it right away! After years of human rights doctrine's immersion and my stand against the nasty practice of Chinese goverment, oddly I found myself bystandering the order.
It may not be well-known that George Bush had run several marathons. He was the first US president to do so. One thing he couldn't do without is 'running', he told Oprah in 2000. His best performance was 3:44:52 at the age of 46 in 1993. His parents were along the street to cheer on, or shout at, him, particularly his mother Barbara Bush, because 'some elderly women were ahead of him."
Hu Jingtao is a good pingpong player, which makes sense since pingpong is China's national sport. It was reported that he beat Japan's national team player and world champion Wang Nan when he paid a visit to Japan, his athletism is said to let Japanese Prime Minister chicken out of his turn of trial. Well, it is not quite a serious game if you watch the clip, it is nonetheless quite a nice gesture to show a jocular side from a normally stiff and drab political face.
Vladimir Putin is a jodu black belt, 6th dan. By analogy, if an average guy's fight skill is high school graduate level, Putin has a master degree.
Barak Obama (let's count him in, as an aspiring leader) plays basketball, how good he is at is another thing. His bowling score was an eye-popping 37, but hey, bowling is no sport. His amazing toughness lies in what he told David Letterman on one of the top 10 lists: "I have not slept since October."
You must have heard of ‘butterfly effect’, or let’s assume you do, that a butterfly flips the tiny weenie wings in Amazon jungle, stirs the air variation that is magnified into large scale, transported and transformed into a huge thunderstorm in northern Europe (not quite, but you get my point). This unproven claim always leads people into a thrill to find some miraculous precursors in a series of events, that there is an uncanny consequence for an early-stage trivial happening, it later alters the whole picture, a nerve-wracking scene at retrospect. Stefan Zweig’s book, Decisive Moments in History, accompanied me through quite some childhood nights. He talked about how a dumb general couldn’t save Napoleon from a critical battle in Waterloo; how a nameless young French guy came into fame overnight, became the songwriter of France’s national anthem. The book left me wonder if there was any fate in human’s ongoing history, or it was just Zweig’s storytelling trick, narrating an otherwise mundane thing from different point of view. Interestingly enough, some current events remind me of Zweig, and his surgical way of looking at the world.
First a sport story. NBA playoffs, game 1 of Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs. Suns were eliminated for the last 2 seasons by Spurs. Last year it was even more heartbreaking, first there was a hard foul on Suns’ star Steve Nash, then there was controversial punishment on Suns’ players who came to the scene. Phoenix planned big to ‘revenge’ this time. They acquired the big man Shaq O’Neil to confront Spur’s centerpiece Tim Duncan. Their highly entertaining run-and-go style also changed into defense-oriented, the team became more balanced on offense and defense. People were expecting the series was a close and tough one. It was. Game 1 started with exciting fighting, players of two teams showed their best in the grabbing and positioning, two coaches did their best to adjust the play. The audiences were all holding the breath when the game entered the final minute. Suns led 97:94, 17 seconds left, Spurs’ ball at the front court. As players were running and chasing and screening, the ball was served to Spurs’ Mike Finley. He hesitated no second to shoot the ball behind the 3-point arc, the ball was in! Game entered into overtime. Suns planed well and executed well in the first overtime, they led the game 114:111. This time there was only 4.3 seconds left on the clock. The ball was in Manu Ginobili’s hand. He dribbled into the basket, Suns players flanked him and stood in his driving lane, he jumped up and returned the ball to Tim Duncan, who ‘s wide open standing behind the arc. Duncan focused on the basket for almost a second before he let out the ball, which narrowly escaped the flying defense hand of Suns’ Raja Bell. The ball was in again, game tied. This score totally changed the momentum of both teams, Spurs played with more confidence and experience for the second overtime and went on to win game one. Mentally, this close loss is such a blow to Suns. They couldn't find a way to finish the game and lost the whole series 1:4. Tim Duncan, the star of Spurs, was never a good long-distance shooter. He went 1 for 4 for 3 pointer in regular season. That 3 was his first one in playoff games. But this 1 out of 4 probability not only ousted Suns this year, it delivered a fatal attack to Phoenix Suns’ endeavor for a championship. Suns coach Mike D’Antoni was put on hot seat. His fast-tempo basketball philosophy drew more criticism due to the loss. He might have to let go. Suns star players, Steve Nash and Shaq O’Neil, were all past prime. No change in Suns makes it harder to maintain competitive, any change adds only ambivalence for Suns’ future. Tim Duncan’s ¼ success could mostly mark an ending of era for entertaining basketball.
Second a political story. Had Obama not had the tongue slip of the word ‘bitter’ to Pennsylvanian voters, he might have won the state and Hillary’s game was over; Had Obama’s pastor, Rev. Wright, been advised not to be so outspoken, Obama might have cruised more victories throughout the states and won the Nominee. These small lapses add up. Well, Obama might still win, but in politics (economy as well, I’ve only got an onlooker’s sight on these), it is more likely to see the tipping point. Those seemingly not so important accidents turned out so big. Does anyone carefully study the recounts of general elections in Florida and Ohio in 2001? There might be a last straw that prevented Al Gore from becoming president of the US. I wonder if the historical switch went to other direction, if there would be Afghanistan bombing and Iraq invasion. Then the 631billion, and counting, money could've been used more wisely, maybe there would not have been the current recession the US (Okay, the logic is too simple and naïve. But in the winner-takes-it-all game, like win a championship, win a president, some minor error, or ignorance, is dramatically changing the course.)
People are obsessed with these phenomena, some call it fate. I don’t know if there is fate that controls our destiny, I’m just intrigued by numerous examples again and again. There might be some science behind it to explain this, there is probably more psychological interpretation since humans don’t act rationally at all, people are herding, superstitious, and eomtional on decision making. There is also a possibility of religion. But fate is not what God can give us, for atheists like me. The reason behind the events might be sophisciated and flabberergasted, the scene on surface is plain interesting.
not the technie digest, but many of the inspirational moments and stressful worries and joyful exursions. But I'm busy, lazy, didn't direct my effort into writing.
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