Saturday, 15 June 2013
Local News, teeth extractions, blood, persian carpets, and good bicycles
Saturday Today Dear wife and I rode bicycles 5km to the shops near where we will be living, sat and had breakfast at café and drew up our plans for moving house, who to contact, what to do etc. Lots of fun!!!! then went and looked at Cyrus Persian Carpets for some rug for lounge room...something traditional, Persian, yet very Roman, and yet very Chinese... made with hand stitched polypropylene in yellow, red and gold...and found it.
Friday, Yesterday, was quite a day. I was supposed to go to Orientation for a job I've now got as 'mental health counsellor' but had to go to dentist instead with abscess to 2 teeth, looking like The Elephant Man and drooling and weeping etc...not such a good day...this intense Physical Pain is a real bastard of a thing. Injecting the anaesthetic straight into the nerve, as I agreed to have done with the young Iranian dentist, was hellish at the time, but quite effective to do the extractions quickly on the spot, even though, 24 hours later, the left side of my face still doesn't actually work...I'm sure it will work one day...and I am 2 large teeth lighter in weight...which is good for exercise/dieting etc.
Thursday, day before yesterday, we rode the bicycles for about 25kms and had a wonderful exhausting day looking around. Perfect Cairns tropical winter weather. Clean air. Something Dear wife hasn't breathed for quite some time. The Bangkok air is fundamentally toxic now with dry chemical dust and faeces and carbon drifting and a stagnant 38 degrees the norm for 6 months.
Our bicycles: a black Messina Cross hybrid, and a Giant Basic Roam bike...just excellent machines...not expensive, fast as you want to be, and comfortable....riding along, stopping every now and then to spit out some blood and to take the antibiotic, the analgesia, and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, swigged down with some bottled spring water... Life is Good even when it hurts like hell. To be with the one you love, well, nothing can come close to that in joy.
Friday, 14 June 2013
China/Space Missions
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| English.news.cn 2013-06-14 09:26:29 |     
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BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhuanet) -- The three Shenzhou X astronauts moved into the Tiangong-1 space module on Thursday following a successful automatic docking.
The spacecraft completed the docking procedure at 1:18 pm, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
It is the fifth docking between a Shenzhou spacecraft and the unmanned space module conducted by China.
The control center said Shenzhou X, launched on Tuesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province, began to approach the Tiangong-1 automatically at 10:48 am, making contact with it at 1:11 pm.
The astronauts, sitting in the spacecraft's re-entry capsule, monitored and reported the docking operation to the control center.
After the two spacecraft were locked together and the space module was checked, astronaut Nie Haisheng opened the doors leading to Tiangong-1 with help from fellow astronaut Zhang Xiaoguang.
The three astronauts, clad in blue spacesuits, then floated into the module one by one. They later waved to a camera in the module.
In coming days they will live in the space module, carrying out scientific and technical experiments and giving a lecture to students on Earth, Wu Ping, spokeswoman for the program, said.
There will also be a manual docking between Shenzhou X and the module, although Wu did not give a date for this.
The mission is expected to help scientists verify and improve space rendezvous and docking technology, crucial for assembling an orbiting space station.
Space rendezvous and docking is a technically difficult procedure, with both vessels moving at 28,000 kilometers per hour during the docking, making the maneuver highly risky.
Jiao Weixin,a space scientist at Peking University, said space rendezvous and docking is hard to master. "It is like asking two racing cars to keep a distance of 1 meter between them."
Two automatic dockings between the unmanned Shenzhou VIII and Tiangong-1 were conducted in 2011, and an automatic and manual docking took place between the manned Shenzhou IX and the space module in 2012.
The successful missions saw China become the third country to master the technology, following the United States and Russia.
After the Shenzhou X mission, China will enter the space lab stage, the final stage before it builds a space station around the year 2020.
Qi Faren, former chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft, said China needs to master four vital technologies in order to launch the space station.
So far, it has learned how to carry out extravehicular activity, and acquired the space rendezvous and docking technology thanks to the previous missions.
Solving a supply problem and recycling air and water in the space lab for astronauts on long-duration missions remain to be tackled.
Zhou Jianping, chief designer of the manned space program, said in March the Tiangong-2 space lab will be launched in two years, followed by the launch of a space freighter.
The freighter will conduct a fueling experiment with the space lab, which is expected to solve the supply problem.
(Source: China Daily)
The spacecraft completed the docking procedure at 1:18 pm, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
It is the fifth docking between a Shenzhou spacecraft and the unmanned space module conducted by China.
The control center said Shenzhou X, launched on Tuesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province, began to approach the Tiangong-1 automatically at 10:48 am, making contact with it at 1:11 pm.
The astronauts, sitting in the spacecraft's re-entry capsule, monitored and reported the docking operation to the control center.
After the two spacecraft were locked together and the space module was checked, astronaut Nie Haisheng opened the doors leading to Tiangong-1 with help from fellow astronaut Zhang Xiaoguang.
The three astronauts, clad in blue spacesuits, then floated into the module one by one. They later waved to a camera in the module.
In coming days they will live in the space module, carrying out scientific and technical experiments and giving a lecture to students on Earth, Wu Ping, spokeswoman for the program, said.
There will also be a manual docking between Shenzhou X and the module, although Wu did not give a date for this.
The mission is expected to help scientists verify and improve space rendezvous and docking technology, crucial for assembling an orbiting space station.
Space rendezvous and docking is a technically difficult procedure, with both vessels moving at 28,000 kilometers per hour during the docking, making the maneuver highly risky.
Jiao Weixin,a space scientist at Peking University, said space rendezvous and docking is hard to master. "It is like asking two racing cars to keep a distance of 1 meter between them."
Two automatic dockings between the unmanned Shenzhou VIII and Tiangong-1 were conducted in 2011, and an automatic and manual docking took place between the manned Shenzhou IX and the space module in 2012.
The successful missions saw China become the third country to master the technology, following the United States and Russia.
After the Shenzhou X mission, China will enter the space lab stage, the final stage before it builds a space station around the year 2020.
Qi Faren, former chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft, said China needs to master four vital technologies in order to launch the space station.
So far, it has learned how to carry out extravehicular activity, and acquired the space rendezvous and docking technology thanks to the previous missions.
Solving a supply problem and recycling air and water in the space lab for astronauts on long-duration missions remain to be tackled.
Zhou Jianping, chief designer of the manned space program, said in March the Tiangong-2 space lab will be launched in two years, followed by the launch of a space freighter.
The freighter will conduct a fueling experiment with the space lab, which is expected to solve the supply problem.
(Source: China Daily)
13,000 young volunteers and cultural ambassadors selected to serveUpdated: 2013-06-14 11:55
13,000 young volunteers and cultural ambassadors selected to serveUpdated: 2013-06-14 11:55
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Young people in Nanjing are set to play an important role as volunteers, cultural ambassadors and designers at August's Asian Youth Games and next year's Youth Olympic Games.
Since the host city launched a call for volunteers for the Asian Youth Games in October, about 100,000 people have applied. Of these, 13,000 have been selected to serve at the main venues such as the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center and the athletes' village.
The village, located at Nanjing University of Technology, will accommodate some 3,500 athletes and officials from about 45 countries and regions in Asia. To assist foreign guests during the games, the university has 2,000 students under training to act as volunteers, including first-aid workers.
Zhang Qiang, 21, a sophomore majoring in engineering management, joined an emergency response team in April.
During weekends, three experienced paramedics from the Red Cross Society of China's Nanjing branch, trained the team's 60 key members on how to treat patients with bone fractures, knife injuries and heatstroke.
"I learned how to use an oxygen mask in case of fire. I can share this practical knowledge with my family to ensure our own safety," Zhang said.
"It is a rewarding process. I acquired some medical skills, and learned the importance of serving others in needs," he said.
Jiang Zimin, a second-year civil engineering student, has been assigned to provide general help. Volunteers in this group assist athletes and their families navigate the city.
Twice a week Jiang and about 100 team members meet to practice English and polish their skills through role-playing exercises.
"My brother was a volunteer during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and has given me useful suggestions," Jiang said.
He said he is glad to join the team because he made friends with like-minded schoolmates from different schools.
In Nanjing, 45 primary and secondary schools have paired up with counterparts in member countries or regions in Asia under a "heart-to-heart" program aiming to promote cultural and educational exchange among youths from the host city and the delegations to the games.
During the games, a "festival of youth", will be put on in the athletes' village and "Asian cultural cottages" will be used to promote the customs of each Asian country or region.
Xingzhi Primary School, in Pukou, west Nanjing, established ties with the Red Swastika Primary School in Singapore in August 2012.
The Nanjing school set up a Singaporean corner on campus, displayed introductions about the country with bright-colored drawings, and recruited six students as cultural ambassadors who will explain their program to visitors .
The students learn to make simple but memorable souvenirs, such as bookmarks in the shape of orchids, Singapore's national flower.
Fifth-grader Hui Huaijing, 11, wears an Indian sari and tells visitors of Singaporeans of Indian origin. Hui can even paint henna tattoos, a body art using paste made from the henna plant.
Xie Hanyan, 29, is an English teacher at the school. She helps the six ambassadors improve their language skills because they will relocate to the Singaporean Corner at the athletes' village during the games.
"Students showed great interest in participating in these activities. The Singaporean Corner will be kept after the games, as the school will have stronger ties with Singapore," she said.
The School of Design at the Nanjing University of Arts has a studio authorized by the Youth Olympic Games' organizing committee in Nanjing. The studio encourages young people to design posters, emblems and slogans for the Youth Olympic Games.
The design school hopes to exhibit students' works during the Youth Olympic Games next year and display their talents to a wider audience, said Wu Lieyan, deputy dean of the design school.
Dong Siyan, 26, came to work at the studio earlier this year. She said she is familiarizing herself with the job, and she saw many students who are ready to contribute ideas for the games.
liyao@chinadaily.com.cn
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 Volunteers of the Asian Youth Games receive training in etiquette in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on May 28. Song Wenwei / China Daily |
Young people in Nanjing are set to play an important role as volunteers, cultural ambassadors and designers at August's Asian Youth Games and next year's Youth Olympic Games.
Since the host city launched a call for volunteers for the Asian Youth Games in October, about 100,000 people have applied. Of these, 13,000 have been selected to serve at the main venues such as the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center and the athletes' village.
The village, located at Nanjing University of Technology, will accommodate some 3,500 athletes and officials from about 45 countries and regions in Asia. To assist foreign guests during the games, the university has 2,000 students under training to act as volunteers, including first-aid workers.
Zhang Qiang, 21, a sophomore majoring in engineering management, joined an emergency response team in April.
During weekends, three experienced paramedics from the Red Cross Society of China's Nanjing branch, trained the team's 60 key members on how to treat patients with bone fractures, knife injuries and heatstroke.
"I learned how to use an oxygen mask in case of fire. I can share this practical knowledge with my family to ensure our own safety," Zhang said.
"It is a rewarding process. I acquired some medical skills, and learned the importance of serving others in needs," he said.
Jiang Zimin, a second-year civil engineering student, has been assigned to provide general help. Volunteers in this group assist athletes and their families navigate the city.
Twice a week Jiang and about 100 team members meet to practice English and polish their skills through role-playing exercises.
"My brother was a volunteer during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and has given me useful suggestions," Jiang said.
He said he is glad to join the team because he made friends with like-minded schoolmates from different schools.
In Nanjing, 45 primary and secondary schools have paired up with counterparts in member countries or regions in Asia under a "heart-to-heart" program aiming to promote cultural and educational exchange among youths from the host city and the delegations to the games.
During the games, a "festival of youth", will be put on in the athletes' village and "Asian cultural cottages" will be used to promote the customs of each Asian country or region.
Xingzhi Primary School, in Pukou, west Nanjing, established ties with the Red Swastika Primary School in Singapore in August 2012.
The Nanjing school set up a Singaporean corner on campus, displayed introductions about the country with bright-colored drawings, and recruited six students as cultural ambassadors who will explain their program to visitors .
The students learn to make simple but memorable souvenirs, such as bookmarks in the shape of orchids, Singapore's national flower.
Fifth-grader Hui Huaijing, 11, wears an Indian sari and tells visitors of Singaporeans of Indian origin. Hui can even paint henna tattoos, a body art using paste made from the henna plant.
Xie Hanyan, 29, is an English teacher at the school. She helps the six ambassadors improve their language skills because they will relocate to the Singaporean Corner at the athletes' village during the games.
"Students showed great interest in participating in these activities. The Singaporean Corner will be kept after the games, as the school will have stronger ties with Singapore," she said.
The School of Design at the Nanjing University of Arts has a studio authorized by the Youth Olympic Games' organizing committee in Nanjing. The studio encourages young people to design posters, emblems and slogans for the Youth Olympic Games.
The design school hopes to exhibit students' works during the Youth Olympic Games next year and display their talents to a wider audience, said Wu Lieyan, deputy dean of the design school.
Dong Siyan, 26, came to work at the studio earlier this year. She said she is familiarizing herself with the job, and she saw many students who are ready to contribute ideas for the games.
liyao@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 06/14/2013 page4)
US should 'explain hacking activity'Updated: 2013-06-14 08:11
US should 'explain hacking activity'Updated: 2013-06-14 08:11
The United States owes China an explanation about its hacking activities and should show more sincerity in the future when engaging in cybersecurity cooperation between the two countries, experts in Beijing said.
Washington is now in an awkward position regarding its cybersecurity dispute with Beijing, following revelations by whistle-blower Edward Snowden that the US has been hacking into computers in China for years, Jia Xiudong, a senior researcher of US studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said on Thursday.
Snowden, 29, a technician transferred by a private contractor to a US National Security Agency base in Hawaii, told a Hong Kong newspaper on Wednesday that the NSA had been hacking into computers in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland since 2009. He has been taking refuge in Hong Kong since May 20.
None of the documents revealed any information about Chinese military systems, he said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
Jia said what Snowden has exposed fully demonstrates that the US has a double standard on cybersecurity, and "its accusation about China is hypocritical and without evidence".
"When it comes to cybersecurity, what the two countries should do is cooperate and resolve their differences and conflicts through dialogue," Jia said.
China and the US have been engaging in a cybersecurity dispute for months, with the US accusing China of cyberattacks.
At a meeting in California last week, US President Barack Obama pushed President Xi Jinping to do more to address online theft of US intellectual and other property coming from China.
Snowden said he believed there had been more than 61,000 NSA hacking operations globally, with hundreds of targets in Hong Kong and on the mainland.
The targets in Hong Kong include Chinese University of Hong Kong, public officials, businesses and students in the city, according to Snowden.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reiterated at a news conference on Thursday that China has been one of the major victims of cyberattacks. "China strongly advocates cybersecurity," she said.
She also stressed China's position that the international community should have constructive cooperation on maintaining peace, security and cooperation in cyberspace.
Snowden leaked information to the media about PRISM, a top-secret program that collects and analyzes data from Internet users around the world. The leak has led to heated debate about privacy and civil liberty in the US.
General Keith Alexander, NSA chief and chief of US Cyber Command, told Congress on Wednesday that information collected by once-secret US surveillance programs has disrupted dozens of terrorist attacks, The Associated Press reported.
Alexander insisted that the public needs to know more about how the top-secret programs operate amid increasing unease about rampant government snooping and fears that citizens' civil liberties are being trampled.
When asked whether the US had approached China about Snowden's extradition and what Beijing's reaction would be if he applied for asylum in Hong Kong, Hua Chunying said she "has no information to offer".
Snowden said, "I have had many opportunities to flee Hong Kong, but I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong's rule of law."
According to AP, US law enforcement officials are building a case against him but have yet to bring charges.
Huang Feng, an expert on international criminal law with Beijing Normal University, said the US is fully aware that it's not in an advantageous position to ask for Snowden to be sent back under its agreement with Hong Kong.
"What Snowden has done, according to US law, will fall under offences of betraying state secrets or treason. Neither of these is listed as a crime that can be used for turning over a fugitive," Huang said.
The Hong Kong government said on Thursday that it has received no report of data loss due to hacking of computer systems.
Contact the writers at chengguangjin@chinadaily.com.cn and kahon@chinadailyhk.com
Washington is now in an awkward position regarding its cybersecurity dispute with Beijing, following revelations by whistle-blower Edward Snowden that the US has been hacking into computers in China for years, Jia Xiudong, a senior researcher of US studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said on Thursday.
Snowden, 29, a technician transferred by a private contractor to a US National Security Agency base in Hawaii, told a Hong Kong newspaper on Wednesday that the NSA had been hacking into computers in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland since 2009. He has been taking refuge in Hong Kong since May 20.
None of the documents revealed any information about Chinese military systems, he said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
Jia said what Snowden has exposed fully demonstrates that the US has a double standard on cybersecurity, and "its accusation about China is hypocritical and without evidence".
"When it comes to cybersecurity, what the two countries should do is cooperate and resolve their differences and conflicts through dialogue," Jia said.
China and the US have been engaging in a cybersecurity dispute for months, with the US accusing China of cyberattacks.
At a meeting in California last week, US President Barack Obama pushed President Xi Jinping to do more to address online theft of US intellectual and other property coming from China.
The targets in Hong Kong include Chinese University of Hong Kong, public officials, businesses and students in the city, according to Snowden.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reiterated at a news conference on Thursday that China has been one of the major victims of cyberattacks. "China strongly advocates cybersecurity," she said.
She also stressed China's position that the international community should have constructive cooperation on maintaining peace, security and cooperation in cyberspace.
Snowden leaked information to the media about PRISM, a top-secret program that collects and analyzes data from Internet users around the world. The leak has led to heated debate about privacy and civil liberty in the US.
General Keith Alexander, NSA chief and chief of US Cyber Command, told Congress on Wednesday that information collected by once-secret US surveillance programs has disrupted dozens of terrorist attacks, The Associated Press reported.
Alexander insisted that the public needs to know more about how the top-secret programs operate amid increasing unease about rampant government snooping and fears that citizens' civil liberties are being trampled.
When asked whether the US had approached China about Snowden's extradition and what Beijing's reaction would be if he applied for asylum in Hong Kong, Hua Chunying said she "has no information to offer".
Snowden said, "I have had many opportunities to flee Hong Kong, but I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong's rule of law."
According to AP, US law enforcement officials are building a case against him but have yet to bring charges.
Huang Feng, an expert on international criminal law with Beijing Normal University, said the US is fully aware that it's not in an advantageous position to ask for Snowden to be sent back under its agreement with Hong Kong.
"What Snowden has done, according to US law, will fall under offences of betraying state secrets or treason. Neither of these is listed as a crime that can be used for turning over a fugitive," Huang said.
The Hong Kong government said on Thursday that it has received no report of data loss due to hacking of computer systems.
Contact the writers at chengguangjin@chinadaily.com.cn and kahon@chinadailyhk.com
(China Daily 06/14/2013 page1)
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