Hunt's love of Bush

Comments on Greg Hunt “George Bush key to green future”, 31/12/2009, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/george-bush-key-to-green-future/story-e6frg6zo-1225814832888

Hunt's line of argument may or may not even be attractive to Australians. But it certainly misses the point totally.

The main causes of failure at Copenhagen were not because:
there were too many players or moving parts;
the target were too big; or
China was playing what Hunt describes as "classic 19th century power politics".

The fundamental causes of failure were:
developed countries wanted a deal that is unfair and will disadvantage developing countries and possibly will suffocate their economies, while rich countries can continue their much higher emissions;
the unrealistic expectations by main developed countries that developing countries must accept that unfair deal; and
the continued push by some developed countries for some developing countries to have even higher reduction targets.

If you have got the fact wrong, it is impossible to get the solution right.

A deal on climate change must be based on fairness if it involves all countries that have drastic differences in living standard, in income levels and in per capita emissions.

The only long term solution to climate change is to use the "emitters pay" principle, based on per capita emission levels.

Hunt should stop trying to be smarter politicians of developed countries and fool-playing developing countries.

Blair conviction not credible

Comments on Tony Blair “Conviction politics trumps short-term populism”, 31/12/2009, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/conviction-politics-trumps-short-term-populism/story-e6frg6zo-1225814832818

While Tony Blair was for a long time a reputable British politician and former prime minister, he has lost his considerable political capital and persuasion after the revelations of his behaviour in the leading up to the invasion of Iraq.

Was he really convinced that was the right cause to take? Only he himself would believe his defence.

He has lost his credibility to the public once the secrets have been out in the open for everyone to see!

希望能对被判死刑等待执行的英国籍人给以赦免

这是关于一名英国籍人在中国贩运毒品被判死刑等待执行的新闻。见：ABC news "Family makes final appeal for death-row Briton", 29/12/2009, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/29/2781823.htm?section=justin

几次看到关于这件事的报道，心情和思想都很矛盾。
中国根据本国的法律量刑，本无厚非。
但西方有许多国家都废除了死刑，所以这件事很轰动，很引人注目。许多人认为死刑不人道，也可理解。
希望中国领导人考虑国际间刑法法律的区别与不同，从人道主义出发，能够给与赦免，赦为无期，或为死缓。
然后将其移交英国监管执行。

Use of mile by Chinese scholar

Comments on Cai Fang “A tale of two cities: Chinese labor market performance in 2009 and reform priority in 2010”, 25/12/2009, http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/12/25/a-tale-of-two-cities-chinese-labor-market-performance-in-2009-and-reform-priority-in-2010/

This is an interesting paper, although it is falling far too short in detail about how the hukou system was in play to have so drastically and categorically different effects on in the two cities mentioned.

Why did the same system, in the same country, faced with the same externally generated crisis faired so differently?

Was that because of the hukou system, or was that because of other reasons, like different stages of development, different structure of the economy?

A minor point: why was the author using "mile" as the unit of distance in China?

Was it because China has learned so much from either the America or British that it has abandoned what was once labelled as the international, scientific unit of measurement?

Or was it because that occurred in the economically more advanced southern region?

Or was it because the Academy of Social Science leading the country in making another revolution?

The huge American influence it seems to have on some Chinese people!

Or maybe it is a result of globalisation, although ironically this is in the wake of such a crisis in many decades!

Strange Chinese!

Christmas gifts and praises presented to Rudd government

Comments on Ian Buchanan “Australia avoids the crisis, by luck and good management”, 23/12/2009, http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/12/23/australia-avoids-the-crisis-by-luck-and-good-management/

"Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his government deserve credit for their decisive actions in dealing with the onset of the crisis."

So decisive and deserving credits that for the Australian situation, they poured tens of billions cash handouts, as if there were no costs with government cash handouts!

So decisive and deserving credits that they have got a $43 billion NBN with no business case study and cost benefit analysis!

So decisive and deserving credits that they have cash handouts to schools for JG Memorial Halls, even for those to be closed soon and some schools with perhaps one student!

That was decisive, indeed, by its very definition in terms of its speed and hastiness!

No question about it, good management!

So decisive and deserving credits that these should be a classical and compulsory learning material for the ANU Crawford School - and government school!

A higher education institution, with such a governance height in mind, indeed!

Congratulations!