Asian Corruption Index

1. Singapore 0.92
   
2. Hong Kong 1.74
   
3. Japan 2.63
   
4. Macao 3.75
   
5. South Korea 4.97
   
6. Taiwan 5.85
   
7. India 6.5
   
8. Thailand 6.76
   
9. Malaysia 7.0
   
10. China (Mainland) 7.3
    
11. Vietnam 7.4
    
12. Philippine 7.68
    
13. Indonesia 7.69
    
14. Cambodia 8.1
    

From: 澳门日报：《政經風險評估》發表貪污趨勢年報, base on a survey of more than 1,700 expatriate business executives by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC).

Army Recruiters vs Roofing Workers

The suicide under stressful work environment of four Army recruiters in Houston Recruiting Battalion finally reached the attention of national media. In a sense, the Houston Battalion must have suffered higher fatality rate among all combat battalions in Iraq or Afghanistan. However, an Army investigation lead by Brigadier General Frank Turner concluded that all four cases were evidently result of failed or failing relationship. In at least tow cases, the recruiter killed himself right after having a fight with their wife or girlfriend.

Most army recruiters, to be precise 78% of them, are veterans returning from either Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. They must recruit two persons per month. As questioned by one of the recruiters' father, 'How could you be over there and see some of the things he saw and dealt with, and try to hire people to go over there and do that?'.

A man's life is hanging on two chains with heavy burden: his career and his family. The conclusion that should be drawn from General Turner's report is: the recruiters died when the only remaining chain was cut. It's worthless to argue which party is more guilty on the recruiters' deaths. Whether it's the army who cut the first chain in the first place, or the domestic partners who cut the remaining one.

With the economic meltdown, the news were filled with cases of suicide after kill. On the contrary, the four recruiters in Houston did not do any harm to other people. After returning from real battlefield seeing life and death, they were more likely to pull the trigger, without excessive mulling. It's probably the process of mulling that leads to harm to other people.

Survey said roofing workers are the most depressed career in the US. No wonder, they have seen too much out there.

Applications from China Grow

According to a report of the Council of Graduate Schools, Chinese applications jump 16% over last year, despite a slowing down global economy. The overall applications number grows a mere 3%. However, the applications from India and South Korea declined by 9% and 7%, respectively. China, India and South Korea sent most graduate students to the US.

More applications are going to universities with higher concentration of existing international students populations. The top ten universities of international students see an increase of 7%, while those below 100th in this ranking see a drop of 4%.

A Changing Landscape in Taiwan Residents' Self Identity

According to a recent survey conducted in Taiwan, comparing to 12 years ago, more people in Taiwan consider themselves Taiwanese, rather than Chinese.

The items in the chart are, from top to bottom:

You consider yourself a Taiwanese;

You consider yourself a Taiwanese and a Chinese;

You consider yourself a Chinese;

A Taiwanese is a Chinese

The orange bar represents numbers in 1997 while the blue bars represents numbers in 2009. Taiwan calendar starts in 1911, when the Republic of China (ROC) was founded in Nanjing. It is noted that 'Chinese' as quoted is not the same as citizen of the People's Republic of China.

The rapid changing self identity landscape can be read as a result of political wrangling between two parties. The KMD who historically rely on people originally from the mainland, while the PPD who make itself known by pushing towards an independent country detached from the mainland. Taiwan is one of few places in the world that in very recent years to create an ethic group purely by residency. Both parties count on votes of people who do not agree on the other party's ethnic policy. During the ruling of PPD from 2000 to 2008, more Taiwan people are steered by the politics towards labeling themselves mainstream, Taiwanese.

On the other hand, for many years since the overturn of ROC in 1949 in mainland, people in Taiwan has been fed of the idea that people in the mainland are suffering from the communist ruling, and that people in Taiwan had the moral obligation to rescue folks in mainland. Taiwan had been actively pursuing military assault of mainland until it's obviously that the mainland gained upper hand. Subsequently Taiwan has been worried about being invaded by the mainland, and increasingly sees the mainland a threat. Declaring independence leaves the mainland with one less reason to pursue the unification by force.

The population composition is changing too. Many people originally from mainland before 1949 are dying. In general people from mainland have better education as well as means and ways. Their offspring are more likely to have left Taiwan to US or Japan.

Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny

Contrary to text book education in China, people have been enjoying a great deal of freedom in terms of political and democratic movement in 'old China'. However, it went downhill when the then ruling Nationalist Party kMD was losing the military competitions to the CCP. Desperate KMD tried to dictate what people could say by using terror. It was highlighted when outspoken professor were publicly assaulted and beaten by mobs hired by the KMD. Professor Li Gongpu was assassinated by KMD security forces on July 11, 1946. Professor Wen Yiduo condemned the killing in a public memorial on July 15, 1946. KMD responded by assassinated Professor Wen on the same day. However, as ancient Chinese said, what use does it make to threaten people with death when they are not afraid of death? Soon KMD lost the mainland to CCP.

Professor Sun Wenguang of Shangdong University was assaulted and beaten by mobs hired by communism police in public, with uniformed police standing by. If the communism party expects this can deter the people, they should re-read history.

April 5th is a traditional Chinese holiday (Qingming) to pay tribune to dead people. Professor had planned to went to a cemetery to remember former Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang, who lost power in the political struggle on the backdrop of the Tian'anmen Square Massacre in 1989. The leader of Shangdong University and local police warned Professor Sun not to leave home on the day. Professor Sun went ahead anyway, with four uniformed police officer following. When they arrived at the cemetery, a group of mobs emerged and beat Professor in front of the police. Professor Sun had three bones broken. The mob orderly dispersed into crowds after committing the violence in daytime, in a heavy pedestrian traffic park. Because of the presence of the uniformed police, no ordinary citizen were able to help as they did not understand what was happening.

Silicun (Mile Four Village) Police Station told a reporter of Voice of America that the incident was under police investigation. The officer denied any political motivation behind the violence.

Seventy five years old Professor Sun is a physicist of Shangdong University.

Vietnamese Killer Laid Off from IBM

The killer of the Binghamton New York immigration center was identified as a Vietnamese ethics Jiverly Voong (Wong) who had been laid off by IBM. IBM announced a 5,000 job cut, and offered to relocate laid off employees to oversea positions.

It is speculated that Voong, a US citizen hated to see jobs taken away by new citizens. He walked in a citizen language preparation center, and shot 14 people dead, dozens more injured. The center helps foreigners to prepare for the citizenship test. Most of President Obama's Stimulus Package dollars have clauses to make sure the money would be going to US citizens, rather than foreigners (including those hold legal working visa). New citizens become the new competitors in the job market.

Update: the man worked for IBM until one year ago, but had been working in a local manufacture plant before he was laid off last month.

As to the name, he was quoted saying he changed his name from Voong to Wong because "Americans can't pronounce" it.

Update 2: The killer is believed to be a Chinese (Wang Linfa), from Vietnam. His father is a reputed community leader. Among died, four are Chinese citizens. One other Chinese was wounded but is expected to recover.

Beauty and Beasts

The 'girl' in the central with khata is Tian Wen, a Beijing native who came to Lhasa after graduated from Renmin University in Beijing and committed her life there. The oil painting "Cheers Lhasa!" was a work of Yu Xiaodong of his artists friends in Lhasa.

Between early 80s to early 90s, many college graduates artists went to Lhasa, the last clean world to find their dream. Most of them had left by now, and some of them died there, including the girl Tian Wen. They were mostly forgotten, except beautiful Tian, who died in 1987 at age of 29.

According to Yu Xiaodong, every details and specifics are meaningful. Yu is entitled to be the only male among many to stand by our beauty, with the only exception of an intruding arm of Li Yuan from the back row. Li Yuan's book was seen covering a closed up Tian Wen's work in missionary position. There's a middle finger from a chopped off left hand pointing to the beauty.

Tian's legal husband, Ye Nong, a Beijing musician who also volunteered to go to Tibet was excluded from this group portrait.

The painting assembled an amazing collection of notable artists in Lhasa during the 1980s. At the time, Lhasa was a notable plateau in the movement of Chinese artists embracing western influences. There are glories and stories behind each and everyone who appears, but all that remembered by themselves is this woman.

The world is being made by women. History is known because of beautiful women.

About Tian Wen:

听朋友说，这两口子当时都是文学青年，在北京也算非常前卫，他们相识就是在什么家庭舞会上，很有参与群奸群宿的重大嫌疑，在80年代政府搞“严打”那阵子可能都够判死缓的了。 据说田文曾经跟大家建议一起去游裸泳，我在事后很久才听说这事儿都感觉心往神驰，后悔好事儿都让我给错过了。想象一下，在朦胧月色下，跟一群大哥哥大姐姐一起光溜溜在昆明湖里游泳，爬上岸来立刻就被饿急了大批蚊子叮得浑身满屁股的包。多么引人入胜啊！

--dokknife


其实，在这之前，就注意到这位文学系的女子。 她在北京的人群中算是长得很不错的，尤其在当年的大学生群体中，肯定到任何校园里也算引人注目的（主要是墩子这样的当年嫩孩子们太多）。 印象中，田文有一双北京人少见的大大黑黑的眼睛，留个娃娃头。戴副白边眼镜。身材丰满但不算胖。个子中等而匀称。笑起来，一口白牙。皮肤不是那么白，可绝对不算黑。还有着健康青春的红色，尤其在冬天，看到她，真感觉到青春气息扑面而来。田文穿着也很时髦：冬天脚上登着一双黑高腰半高跟皮鞋。不冷的时候，穿条蓝色牛仔裤。这在当年77-80级的大学生中很少见。偶尔柃着把小提琴在校园里走来走去，随处洒下一路的笑容。

因为好奇，我打听了田文的背景。知道了点我不该知道的东西。再听听她拉小提琴，觉得也不过尔尔。当然，更可能是自觉当年追不上她，对她有种莫名其妙的嫉妒吧，就总想找个机会踩乎她一下。

果然，一次跟几个乐队的同学聚会，在落叶满地的校园里走着。一位弹钢琴的崔兄，我，田文，和一个拉小提琴的同学四人说得热火朝天的。崔兄说，田文啊，你的小提琴跟谁学的？田文回答了一个某乐团的小提琴手。突然，我冲口说书，你拉的音还不准呢。此言一出，田文的脸色就涨红了。我当时不知道吃了什么药，又接着说，我知道你。。。几句话下来，同行者无言，尴尬地沉默着。

--老秃笔


田文去世后，我曾写过一篇文章，其中一句话是（大意）：没想到西藏的文坛竟要用两位女性，两位年轻女性的鲜血来祭奠！（还有一位是龚巧明，在田文之前。）

--老北沙滩儿


前段时间收拾一个什么东西，居然发现了田文的学绩档案和别的一些东西，本来她的遗物我都会给她原来的丈夫，可我还是烧掉了。

--金志国

About her death:

田文1987年在棄車步行穿越被泥石流衝毀的公路時﹐被一塊飛石擊中後腦勺﹐享年29歲。

--徐明旭


80年代中期的一个春节联欢晚会上，前些日子刚过世的电影演员孙道临满怀深情地向全国人民介绍了一个在西藏殉职的北京年轻人，名字叫田文

--dokknife


再后来听到她的消息，就是1988年的春节晚会上，赵忠祥和倪萍眼泪汪汪地讲述了上一年一个汉族姑娘在山体塌方的时候，为了抢救藏族老大娘而英雄牺牲的故事。这个汉族姑娘，就是田文，享年29岁。

--路三歌