Lost in Translation: Recommendation Letter Edition

An enraged Chinese professor posted a recommendation letter from a UIUC faculty five years ago. Professor Liu of Hunan University was encouraged on kind words on the letter, and offered a job applicant the position. However, the guy failed miserably as both an instructor and a researcher.

While regretted of making the decision five years ago, Professor Liu fiercely blamed the applicant's adviser who provided a recommendation letter upon request from Hunan University. Professor Liu posted a scan copy of the original letter, and underlined words that allegedly had misled him.

However, this may be a case of 'lost in translation' (between eastern and western cultures). Had Professor spent more time on English 099 (pre-college level), he would be able to smell the clues. It's so stale that he did not even need to sniff. Actually the simple fact that the adviser did not voluntarily provide a letter was an obvious sign that was hard to miss. Not to say the wordings were so obvious that one should kick himself for failed to read the meaning/mood of the letter.

Red lines were marked by Professor Liu to illustrate how the letter was misleading, but on the contrary, they were crystal clear and unumbiguous in the tone:
1) '..has a perfect academic record (straight A)..
No other letter for a doctoral recipient would emphasize on GPA, not from a research lab for sure.
2) '..contribution to the understanding ... led to three publications'. Three publications were not impressive at all for a physics major, not to say the adviser seemed to be reluctant to mention the title and journal of them.
3) '..is of importance..' This is probably the weakest way of praising the work might be of any significance.
4) The letter is simply too short.

In the conclusion paragraph of the letter, the adviser was straight forward as he could.
1) '.. is an intelligent and hard-working researcher.' This is an alert by itself since it was as far as the adviser was willing to go. Plus, it's the nice puddings to balance what he was going to say next:
2) '.. strong personality..'. Did you read this?
3) '..skill that will.., once he devote to it'. In other words, nothing had been observed, yet.
4) 'I 'think' he will be..' He was so unsure...

Professor Liu discussed in length on the returnee's job performance at Hunan University. Then Professor Liu went beyond his way to make comments on the returnee's relationship with students, females, and, his own father. It goes into details such as the guy forgot to zip after going to bathroom. It also cited tension between Professor Liu and the returnee throughout five years. Professor Liu credited himself on how he had helped the guy to get the job, bypassing all normal hiring procedures (no interview was conducted), then the associate professorship promotion, and finally transferring to another college. If the returnee was as terrible as Professor Liu described in the blog, to crash and burn in the classroom as early as his first semester, who did Professor Liu got him promoted to Associate Professor? If he was such as horrible person, why would Professor Liu helped him transfer to another college, after Hunan University wouldn't renew the contract? Now, why would Professor Liu disclose the ordeal in detail after it seems the guy would have nothing to do with him?

Why?

There is much left begging for an answer. Perhaps those again lost in the translation. Only this time, it was lost in the translation of Professor Liu's own mind.

学者刘全慧 发表于2009-11-21 22:01:19

拾穗记
一封UIUC教授对他学生在国内求职的推荐信

我这辈子最大的一个失败，是向学校推荐了一位不成器的海归。尽管过去了很多年，想起来还有点心有余悸。这位老兄在美国多年，博士毕业后在美国已经有了正式工作，不过拿的还是中国护照。由于“911”的缘故，一时回不到美国去了。后来我们才知道，他在申请湖南大学职位之前，已经在中国科学院两个研究所和另外一所大学工作过。

这位海归拥有一般人根本无法比拟的显赫出生和学术背景。简历中从中学、大学、研究生经历中一系列令人眩晕的记录，连我这位老江湖也无法自持。例如，他拿的是UIUC凝聚态物理博士学位。凝聚态物理是物理学中规模最大、影响最广的二级学科，而UIUC的凝聚态物理专业一直雄居全美第一，当然是国际上物理学研究的重镇。看到他的求职材料，我当时急切和兴奋的心情，只有“跣足而出”可以形容。如果不能及时引进，简直天诛地灭。仅仅靠数个电话，我就决定向学校全力推荐。要求学校所有的正常手续都从简，连正常的见面、试讲等必要的程序也免了。我和他的一位大学同学交流过，他告诉我，他的同学中有一群天才；不过若说谁可能会获得诺贝尔物理学奖的话，则非这位老兄莫属。他的导师对他的推荐，也算是上好了。如果和他讨论物理，很容易发现他的基础非常扎实，对物理学研究价值的把握也很有水平。

不过这位老兄在湖南大学的学术记录实在不光彩。

在进入湖南大学之后的第一个学期，他开设了《电磁学》一课。上课时经常将“我们美国、你们中国”等挂在嘴边，正经的课程内容讲授不多，有些个人习惯(例如上下拉裤子的拉链)也很不雅，......，学生非常反感，坚决要求更换。由于他是我极力引进的“红人”，系里也不敢轻易决定。我引进他之后就出国云游去了，系领导、学生等打电话发电邮追着我要我表态。经过核实后，我的震惊和失望无法形容。在接下来的五年内，我和他的交往更是一场噩梦。除了要我负担他的一些正常办公开支外，他不断问我借钱甚至直接要钱。理由很简单，是我引进他的，而他的工资不够花。要评职称，又不填表，一定要我帮他填好。我拼全力给他争取来的副教授职称后，他还根本不看在眼里。更要命的是，他没有做过认真的研究，唯一的论文就是把在博士论文的一些已经发表在国外的结果写得详细一点，然后发表在《物理学报》上。事实证明，我向学校举荐的是一位既不会上课，又不会做研究的“杰出人才”，经受的压力可想而知。最不可思议的是他目无尊长，在他口中，就连他老父亲都是“那小子”、“某某(他兄弟的名字)的父亲”，“我没有责任赡养他”等。

五年任期将满之际，学校决定不续聘。尽管学校保留了追讨所付出的住房补贴、安家费、科研启动费的权利，估计也会没有下文。尽管对他极度失望，我还是积极帮他找出路。我建议他去一所民办学校高就，并调离成功。民办高校当然不会研究物理，他也无意在物理行当中混下去，顺便彻底改行。听说新东家给的待遇不错。衷心希望他能从此洗心革面，从新做人，真正成为一位对社会和家庭有价值的人。

他博士论文导师给他湖南大学的推荐信如下。这封推荐信不是这位老兄求他老板所写，是湖南大学官方直接向UIUC了解情况时他导师的回复。

本文引用地址： http://www.sciencenet.cn/m/user_content.aspx?id=272838

Based on the information in the blog (the returnee republished his dissertation on the ACTA Physica AINICA), the seagull was able to identify the alleged 'unqualified' returnee to be Dr. Liang-Xin Li. Li was an associate professor in the Department of Applied Physics of Hunan University.

Li, Liang-Xin and Hu, Yong-Hua, 2004. Intersubband and intraband transitions of self-assembled quantum wires for the infrared detectors. ACTA Physica Sinica, p848-856, 54, 2.

Based on above information, the author of the recommendation letter is likely Dr. Yia-Chung Chang, a distinguished research fellow and director of the Research Center for Applied Sciences at Academia Sinica, Taiwan. Dr. Chang was professor of Physics at UICU from 1991-2008.

"The Terminal" as in Reality Show at Narita International Airport of Tokyo Japan

As in the 2004 movie, Feng Zhenghu was stuck in the terminal. Even worse, there's no McDonard to pick break crumbles. To be precise, Mr. Feng was stuck at the gate of the immigration pathway, only that Mr. Feng has a reversed problem: he did not want to enter Japan, despite a deal made by the Chinese and Japanese government.

Mr. Feng is not anti-government. He is a scholar who uses his writing to shed light on the life of poor people in China. Despite a strong economy as a whole, the per capital personal income of an average Chinese people falls blow all of its Asian neighbors such as Vietnam and Thai, and blow majority of the African countries. Mr. Feng annoyed the communist government simply because he reached his hands to poor people in the city he lives, Shanghai. To play down the possible political tone of his suffering, he cautiously not ask for coming back to China, but asking going back to Shanghai.

A Chinese citizen, Mr. Feng went to Japan for a short visit, but was denied entrance at Shanghai International Airport. Air Japan kidnapped Mr. Feng, by force at witness of hundreds of passengers on Nov 4, 2009, back to Japan under pressure from their business partnership in China.

Mr. Feng refused to enter Japan. He has since made eight attempted to return to China, but was denied and 'deported' each and every time.

An active human rights advocate, Mr. Feng had been persecuted by the communist government ever since the Tian'anmen Square Massacre in 1989. Even a three years jail time couldn't shut him silence. Mr. Feng had been a voice for poor people's welfare. The communist government adopted an innovative approach, to get a foreign company (Air Japan) to kidnap a Chinese citizen from Shanghai to Japan. The government had hoped Feng would stay in Japan in fear.

Mr. Feng believed he had committed no crime. He refused to enter Japan, and had been staying in the busy international arrival terminal at the Tokyo Narita International Airport for two weeks. The only way to move in the terminal is forward, to the immigration passage. The Japanese government at the request of the Chinese government has banned residents in Japan to provide food to Mr. Feng, counting Mr. Feng will move forward into Japan.

Each day, thousands of international travelers pass Mr. Feng's sitting place to enter Japan. If you are going to Japan, please bring Mr. Feng some food, toothpaste, etc. Thank you.

Mr. Feng's twitter account. Vidly video showing surroundings of the terminal. A detailed account of the ordeal.

Mr. Feng is a Chinese citizen. If Mr. Feng had committed any crime, the Chinese government should take him in and charge him accordingly. If Mr. Feng did not break any law, as a Chinese citizen, he is entitled to return to his home country. The incident had drawn attention from Japanese media as well as other media around the world.

When contacted by media, Japanese immigration official confirmed Mr. Feng was carried to Narita by Air Japan, but did not comment on the accusation of forceable kidnapping committed by Air Japan employees.

Dear Party, stop embarrassing yourself.

Air Japan, in a statement, criticized Mr. Feng for making a scene when he was kidnapped by force by Air Japan's employees to the flight back Japan. Air Japan was subsequently humiliated by the attending media in the press conference, and retracted the statement.

Japanese government played an unethical collaborator role in the incident. We can't ask much from Japanese government. However, stop making yourself a fool, like the communist Chinese government already did, in front of the world (in the least, in front of thousands of confusing international traveler passing Mr. Feng's spot).

How can you help?

• You can contact the Japanese government, or your nearby Japanese consulate and asked for Mr. Feng's case. Ask them why a civilized government will collaborate with the communist rugime. Ask them how come Air Japan get away from kidnapping a citizen by force from another country and carry him back even without a ticket? Although the Japanese government played a lesser role than the communist China, they probably are under higher level of scrutiny from their own citizens and the international society. They are also a capable party in the ordeal since Mr. Feng is now staying on Japanese soil.
  
• You can contact Chinese government or your nearby Chinese consulate. In additional, you should raise the case whenever there's an event of public relationship significance. For example, a TV show featuring a Chinese expert or a radio interview of a Chinese diplomat. Tell them feel free to shot Mr. Feng after he returns to China if they find him of violating any Chinese/Communist law. However, show the international community that China does have a legal system by following it.
  
• You can join twitter and follow Mr. Feng's feeds. Somewhere the communist government must be following the case, and make them fear when counting the number of people who are following the story.
  
• You can bring some food, cloth, books and batteries to Mr. Feng is you enter Japan through Tokyo International Airport. You can ask a friend to do it for you if you have a friend going there. Mr. Feng is stuck there in the international arrival terminal right before the immigration checkpoint, and it's hard to miss him.
  
• You can vote with your money by boycotting Air Japan. There are plenty alternatives to use on any international routes operated by Air Japan.
  
• Post the story on every venues you have access: Facebook, Youtube, to name a few. Ask your Chinese friends what do they think. Because of the effective media block and brainwash in the Chinese media world, an excellent job done by the propaganda branch of the communist government, less Chinese are aware of the incident than western readers.
  
• You can show off your art talent by making a song, video about the real world 'The Terminal' ordeal and upload it to popular video sharing site, such as YouTube. If you happened to live next door to Tom Hanks, you may asked them to re-do his popular movie, only this time based it on a true story. Although there is not much you can if you do not live in China or Japan, you can certainly make every communist diplomat's public life miserable. They will report through their chain of command, especially when it's not their personal fault.
  

Made-in-China Paint on Tian'anmen

Barely one month after the 60th anniversary of the Communist Regime, paint on the Tian'anmen is starting peeling off badly. The historic and political significant building was re-painted for the ceremony.

Xinhua News reported the renovation project was completed on September 10. Due to the sensitivity of the time and location, all labors must pass three layers of political examination and security clearance.

Tian'anmen is often seen as the symbol of ruling, or in ancient Chinese saying, the piece of land the emperor stood on. In west they say, the writing is on the wall, and now everyone saw it.

source

China Top 100

1

Tianhe-1, 563100, 24576, Changsha Institute of Technology, National Supercomputing Center Tianjin

25

BladeCenter HS21, 18146, 4048, IBM, GRI

35

Shenwei 4000A, 14180, 1344, National Parallel Computing Institute, CMA

46

SPPower4+, 10310, 3200, IBM, CMA

48

3000 BL460c, 10148, 2048, HP, GRI

49

3000 BL460c, 10117, 2048, HP, GRI

50

Shenteng 1800, 10114, 1984, Lenovo, GRI

51

Shenteng 1800, 10077, 1984, Lenovo, GRI

81

Cluster, 8216, 2560, Dawn, GRI

100

Cluster, 6809, 1024, Dawn, National Oceanic Bureau

Published Nov 1, 2009, by Mathematics and Software Chapter or the Chinese Software Industrial Association.

The format for above list is: Rank, Model, Rmax in GFlops, # of cores, Manufacture, Installation. The Seagull had the privilege of working with both GRI and CMA. The Tianhe-1 ranked No. 5 on the world Top500 list. Altogether 21 installations in China made it to the Top500 list.

The Insider's Note on Jingzhou Drowning Accident

[一声叹息]那段水域的死亡率有多高
xilei 发表于 2009-11-4 9:06:00


　　我生活在3个大学生死亡地方的江堤下的荆堤小区，直线距离100米内，在那块水域，有15年以上的游泳经验。每年夏天的暑假期基本上无一天例外的在那游泳。下雨也去，包括98年那年发洪水的时候也无例外的在那游。
　　
　　我只是看见现在网络上的大量抨击沙市人的素质低，什么见死不救的观点，忍无可忍的发表这篇文章，以我15年的亲身经验给大家分析过程。我没亲眼所见，不过我见过起码数百起宝塔河区域这样的事情，或者说是类似的。绝无夸张。
　　
　　长江水流方向是自西向东，宝塔河因为万寿宝塔的存在，所以在当年的长江改道，也没有完全的改去。现在这个地方就是类似一个独立的内河，而且因为长江的中心水流自西向东，碰见万寿宝塔的拦截就成了自东向西的流向，不懂的同学在草稿纸上画个图就能理解，图画完了认真点看不难发现，长江的主航线是自西向东，水文站（就是落水的那地方）岸边的水是自东向西，于是宝塔河的这块水域就是一个直径300米左右的大漩涡。而且事实确实如此，我下岸的时候以背对岸来说是从左到右的水流，一出宝塔河区域，水流就成了从右到左。所以这样的特殊水域，纵然是一个游泳高手，自己游可能不会发现那有多么困难，只要后来拉一个人起来，救人难度是很大的，而且以我个人20岁以前的经验，一旦被水冲到万寿宝塔下方，那就在那回不来了。必须听那些高手的指点，顺水出到长江航线，再往回游，不然，我就只能这么说上帝创造了你，他也准备收回你了。本人技术也许不够，所以20多年来，没一次能不顺水出去而直接回来（因为水太急）
　　
　　这是水流的区域，告诉大家，在这地方救人的危险性。

　　其次，说一下人为的因素，住在长江边上（主要是指宝塔河那里）的人都会在孩子小的时候这么教育“看见有人掉下去了千万别去救，不然你自己也要死”。看了这句话是不是觉得人性很残忍？不是的，这是事实，宝塔河边上每年死多少人大家知道吗？ 报纸，电视上？还是百度一下？去查下？ 20多对吗？告诉你们，我一个暑假平均每天都看见有人拉尸体上来，多的时候一天就看见拉出4，5具尸体.（一个救孩子的父亲，还有一个老奶奶带着2个孙子的尸体，以及一个从上游冲下来的，这是我看见的最多的一次）。所以，对那几个死亡20多的数据，看了笑一下也就算了。别当真。这一段是告诉大家，那段水域的死亡率有多高。
　　
　　说了半天还没说重点，这么时候说重点来了。差不多在8年前。在这段水域来了一票现在大家口中所谓的“渔夫”。他们开始来的时候专门打鱼，后来发展成了打捞死人，没记错的话在00年左右的时候一个死人的价格大约在2500-3000左右，便宜的时候好象有过 2000的样子。我能确定，他们不是沙市人。很简单口音不对，我和他们聊过。最开始只是单纯的拉死上来。只有2个小船。到后来，我在一次偶然的时候和冬泳队的那群职业帮子去救一个人，快速游出去的时候，那船也动了，我以为他们是准备等别人死了又来打捞的（那时候他们已经发展成了一个口号，“只捞死人，不救活人”），我们也没准备和他们说什么，毕竟社会没要求每个人都是雷锋，最多我个人看不下去而已。但是郁闷的是，我游出去的路线，与他们的船开的路线，居然很巧合的会在某一点重合。于是我不得不绕一圈，先顺水后逆水的绕过去。等我游到那溺水人的身边时候我的体力基本消耗2/3，剩下的体力要连自己带那个人一起拉回去，我一游到那边上就把游泳圈丢过去（我去长江无论什么时候都有一个用摩托车轮胎内胎做的游泳圈，且用麻木绳系在身上，不离身），那个溺水的人估计是看见我了，伸手就抓我，瞎抓了2下，马上一手扣死我的颈部，直把我搞得呛一口水几乎见上帝。最后靠着游泳圈，我还是活着回来，不然今年就是我的2周年祭日。可能大家会更早的听说我这个名字，也成了“英雄”。
　　
　　事后总结2条，第一，那票“渔民”的数学和流体力学真他妈学的好，真可谓一挡一个准。怎么没进中国科学院，真他妈的可惜。第二，以后再不搞这样的蠢事，算是上帝可怜我，没把我拉去陪他老人家。我实在没把握下次我出水救人还能活着见到第2天太阳，因为我救的人才14岁都有这么大的力气对我实施那“毁灭”性的一抓，真有后怕。

　　所以希望那些说沙市人都不见义勇为者自己心里有个底.不是没人去救的。如果真没人救，那里的死亡人数，我个人的保守估计起码翻一翻。
　　
　　最重要的一点就是那些所谓的发的帖子说的“黑幕”的那一些废话，我给你们说下什么叫真正的“黑幕”
　　
　　在人落水之后，“渔民”会马上活动起来，他们的船就开始发动，然后会在他们估计的路线上阻挡你的营救——是不是很像间接的故意杀人？可惜事实就是这样。
　　
　　然后当溺水的人沉下去之后他们马上会靠近那人，用网将那个人钩住（有的时候钩不住的那就没办法了），这个溺水的人就会被拖在船的后面，这时候溺水的人纵然清醒，也会在铁钩和网（那可不是一张小网，很有点重量的）的重量下，无法把头露出水面，即使没有清醒，从医学角度来说，溺水这么点时间也是能救活了。这就构成了谋杀。可惜啊取证太难。无法启动司法程序。等亲属去要求他们打捞尸体的时候，他们就会只专心谈价格，因为尸体的打捞他们不用关心，就在他们身后嘛.可惜你知道吗？不知道。你就必须接受那个价格。等价格谈好了，他们就开船绕一圈..然后回来，告诉你，人捞到了，该给钱了。最后看见的就是一个真正的死人了，无论是真死的，还是活着被“拖”死的。这才是真正的黑幕。这也是为什么这么多人却救不到几个人人，也是为什么一个3分钟就能完成的营救，却经常弄到15分钟之后还不能完成的原因。最后还弄个救的人死了，运气不好，救的人和被救的人都死了的结果。

LAST DAY! $10 donation can make a difference to a Chinese child in Need

Save Chinese Children (OSCCF) is a 501(c) organization aims to help sick kids to obtain medical assistance.

Overseas Chinese Education Foundation (OCEF) is a 501(c) organization aims to provide education opportunity to poverty kids.

Both organization are participating the Facebook/Causes Giving America Challenge. The challenge ends at 15:00 Friday Nov 6, 2009 EST (4:00 am Saturday Nov 7, 2009 Beijing Time). The challenge counts how many people (only once per day is allowed) donate to a charity and will award top 10 winners.

Unlike most other charities, both organizations boasts $0.00 operation cost in history of several years. Both are all volunteers organization and volunteers donates time as well as essential overhead. Donors can be assured that their money are 100% given out by these two organizations.

Click here to donate for OSCCF; click here to donate for OCEF.

It is the last day of the month long challenge. The last day is often the most important and decisive day in the making of history. Help Chinese children by giving $10. Your $10 could be the key to tip off $50,000 award to be used on Chinese kids. You do not need a facebook account to donate.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Notice the body dragged in water with one hand tied to the boat.

That body was one of two first year college students of the Yangtze University who sacrificed their own lives to save to kids fallen to the river. The local 'rescue and recover' company recovered the body, then bound them on the side of the boat waiting for a cash payment.


The time: Oct 24, 2009

The place: Jingzhou, Hubei Province

The white head: Mr. Chen Bo, CEO of the 'Yangtze Salvage Limited Inc.'

The company: Yangtze Salvage Limited Inc. was founded by a Wuhan businessman Mr. Chenbo in 2004. With help from local communist party, the company enjoys a market monopoly on the segment of Yangtze River along Jingzhou of Hubei Province. The place where the two kids drown took hundreds of lives each year.

It used to be a slow and shallow beach, but a big drop was dug a few years ago, which could not bee seen from the surface because of murky water. The picture was taken from the bank. Further into the river, the water is as high as barely covering one's feet. The two person in swimming trucks helped save six other students.

The rule is simple. Rule No. 1: no one shall rescue a drowning person out of the river in that segment. If a fisherman saves a person, he will be beat on his way home that night, and find his boat burned next morning. Rule No. 2: no one shall recover a body from the river in that segment, except the Company. National media who rushed to the scene reported that while several government agencies were called to the scene, including the Yangtze Maritime Affairs and paramilitary Fire Department, all refused to take action. Local police told the students to negotiate with the Company.

The Company charges a flat fee of 12,000 RMB Yuan ($2,000) per body in daytime and 18,000 RMB Yuan ($3,000) after sunset. 200 RMB Yuan goes to the fishing boat hired to conduct the work, while the rest goes directly to the Company.

Despite a national outrage, local police refused to investigate. The police chief told the reporters the incident showed lack of applicable laws and urge the national congress to make more laws. Two days later, the central government in Beijing ordered all national media to level the area, and prohibited further reporting on the case.

The bodies would stay in the river for another 4 hours after the picture was taken, before the students, professors and college administrators were able to collect the ransom in cash.

一条船上的人
from 韩寒 by 韩寒

今天在网络上看见了一张照片，因为照片是由上自下慢慢显示，所以在很长时间里都看见了一个老头气势滂沱站在船上，指点江山，后面跟着一个人，随从打点。这不就是我们领导考察的架势吗？等显示完整才看见船底下拖拽的尸体。

事情回到了湖北荆州的大学生救人事件。这个事情包括见人不久捞尸要钱的事情想必大家都已经非常了解。从这张照片里，我们可以解读出什么呢？

第一，根据报导，船主陈波垄断了荆州段的尸体打捞业务，其他打捞船过来便会受到威胁。所有的经验告诉我们，在中国，垄断行业只有两个可能，政府行为或者政府参与。当然，政府不会设立捞尸部，所以，陈波之所以能再当地垄断，和当地政府之间很有可能是有关系的。另外，更具照片的分析，陈波的举手投足以及后面随从人员的相貌形态，都颇有政府处级以上领导从业经验的风采。而且陈波一口咬定，捞尸费一定是12000元，少一分钱都不干，而且见钱才给人。如果是正常做生意，假设是你，捞三具尸体，36000元，你至少能够抹去零头吧，这是人之常情，况且遇见这样悲惨的事件，而且还是在英勇救人的情况下，任何人都会动容。我认为，陈波之所以一分不让，可能这12000元中，有相当的一部分是打点给他的后台的，如果你只收了5000元，很可能他还要倒贴。而之所以要看见钱才给人，表示他非常害怕别人不给钱。有三个尸体打捞上来，其中有一个真的不给钱，常人的反应都是继续要钱，实在要不到也没有办法，因为至少赚了 24000。但是陈波宁愿被人当模特狂拍照还不给尸体，除了此人道德品行恶劣以外，还可能是支持他垄断经营的后台知道打捞起的人数，按照人数收取打点费用，所以必须要收到这笔钱。

当然，我只是在猜测，我没有证据。大的大贪，小的小贪，官商公贪，不就这点鸟事吗。

还有一个可能性就是，这其实就是一家政府背景的企业，“荆州市长江水上打捞有限公司”，写的很清楚了，荆州市长。当然，这个也可以向荆州的吴局长了解一下。说不定大家都有股份。只有政府背景的公司才能又垄断又黑。

第二，这张照片中，陈波一伙人很明显犯下虐尸罪，敲诈勒索罪，故意或者过失杀人罪。因为首先，没有人可以证明被捞起来的必然是尸体，因为他尚未开具死亡证明，而且距离事发当时并没有超过一个理论上没有生还可能的时间，也许这个人没有死或者还有抢救的可能。你可以说我狡辩，我不需要证明他还活着，但你必须要有证据证明他已经死了。在对方生死不明的情况下，陈波等人阻止了对溺水者进行抢救的行为，已经形成了杀人罪。

第三，当地的公安，救护，消防部门完全有理由和能力对陈波进行强制性的行为，让陈波交还溺水者或者进行施救。连城管都能对商户下命令，何况公安呢，而当地的相关部门在事发现场的不作为，证明了他们和陈波之间非比寻常的关系。很有可能他们是一条船上的人，所以他们不能上一条船。

第四，这些都是倒钩案等一系列事件的衍生产品或者周边产品，那就是好人没好报，唯利是图，人情冷漠，这也是中国社会的缩影，有人需要帮助，再不帮一把就活不下去了，有人出手了，结果自己也被拖下水，岸上的好人干着急，磕头下跪都没有用，资源被垄断，没有利益驱动，你连个尸体都没有。

第五，建议中国的公民随身携带两万元，第一是因为最近物价飞涨，多带点钱总没错，第二是万一被倒钩需要交纳一万到两万的罚款。第三是如果有朋友落水或者自己落水，你可以将现金举过头顶，这样才会有半官方捞尸队对你进行打捞，如果你有幸被救，对方又非常有道德，把你和尸体当成了一个收费标准，那么你还有八千元可以在医院或者救护车上对自己进行抢救。

第六，建议从中小学生就开始进行游泳课的训练。会不会游泳应该作为毕业标准。当然，我到现在还没有学会游泳，必须也要去学习。需要取代的是什么课呢？不是将游泳课合并入体育课，体育课是一定要保留的，但是要取消思想政治课。我们上了十年的思想政治课，学习了这么多的鸟毛，除了建起了一个鸟巢以外，我们学到了什么？社会风气依然很差，这说明思想政治课从教育的角度来讲是完全失败的，而且因为内容枯燥，编写乏味，观点虚伪，文笔干涩。而作为洗脑专用课程，它无疑也是相当失败的，因为他需要强加背诵很多完全没有记忆点的内容，反而引起了无数青春期少年的反感，乃是过滤词的巨大失算。既然不能洗脑，那还不如去洗澡，所以，建议教委将所有的思想政治课改为游泳课，强身健体，还学会一项求生技能，这门课程一举从害人变成救人，功德无量。

Lynching upon Yangtze River

Three college students sacrificed their lives to rescue two drowning kids on the Yangtze River. Their bodies were dragged behind a boat of a local mafia with political connections in the water when their boss was negotiating ranson with the university administrators. Despite tearful pleas from 40 some students and professors at the scene, the mafia refused to release the bodies while waiting for the money to be retrieved in four hours.

An investigative report by the Shanghai TV presented the complete story to people outside for the first time.

The scene of the tragic accident was a popular tourist destination and busy fishing resource. When the two kids fell to the water by accident in bright daylight (2pm), however, no local people dare to rescue. A local mafia with political connections enjoys a monopoly in the body recovering business. They pocket 12,000 RMB Yuan ($2,000) to recover a body in daytime, and 18,000 RMB ($3,000) Yuan for a night job. Anyone dares to save drowning people will be attacked, their boats burned. Fishermen were blamed by initial media for leaving the scene after the accident, but actually they said they were fleeing so that not to get into trouble.

The college students who were holding a picnic were not from the local area so they did not know the rule. After getting the two kids out of the river, the human chain broke, and 9 students fell to the water. At this time, there were several boat right at the scene, as close as within 3 yards but they quickly drove away.

Half an hour later, local Maritime Affairs officials and local Paramilitary firemen (firemen in China are active duty armed police under the military, similar to the status of Coast Guard in the US) arrived the scene but all refused to get into the water, citing conflict of interests with the mafia.

40 minutes later, the mafia boats arrived. They soon found two drowned students. They did not remove them from the water to check, but rather tied their hands to the the boat, and dragged them behind in the water while they urged the other students and professors to raise money. The mafia insisted they would have to wait until the $24,000 cleared before they look for the third one. 12,000 RMB Yuan is a big sum of money and they do not have that much. Some students were sent back to the university to collect money. It took them 4 hours to get the money. However, it was about the evening, and the mafia now demand to trade at the 18,000 night rate.

At the end, students got bodies back after clearing the deal at price set by the mafia.

The Jingzhou police refused to charged the mafia even after the media exposure. The local police complained no law regulating this area and urge the government to make laws.