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I am deeply saddened by the loss of many lives and many more who have been injured in the catastrophic earthquake that struck Sichuan province of China.  I would like to extend my deep sympathy and heartfelt condolences to those families who have been directly affected by the strong earthquake on 12 May 2008.  I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and those injured in the quake.    The Dalai Lama

Some of you are starting to get in touch with us to send us your list of missing loved ones or friends. We were going to publish this list later, but decided we couldn't wait when we heard this bit of good news: John Bergen of Sichuan Tech and Business College in Dujiangyan has been found, and we've since contacted his friend Peter to let him know.

如此一来，四川电信的做法更加罪大恶极。首先，它以谋取私利为目的进行劫持，严重阻碍了用户正常使用搜索引擎。其次，它的做法扰乱了搜索引擎的市场秩序，以流氓手段抢夺了 Google.cn 之外的搜索引擎用户。最后，如果谷歌中国放任不管，Google 不作恶的信条就成了空话，谷歌中国在我心目中的地位也不会比百度高尚到哪儿去。

With that in mind, what Taihu’s Algae was to environmentalism, and the 5.12 earthquake was to philanthropy, this latest scandal will be the next turning point in China’s civil society.

Chinese parents hold little else more important than their child’s health, and as we saw in Sichuan after the loss of thousands of school children, parents are not afraid to be vocal and active.  Where this will be an opportunity to take civil society, and public participation, to the next level is that the public at large (children or not) will relate to those who have been affected.

In fact, this debate on the premier’s crying should not be a trivial matter. Its poignancy and enormous political implications have been closely related to Wen’s former mentor, Zhao Ziyang, the CCP general secretary who famously cried in Tiananmen Square, begging the protesters to leave the place that would soon become an intended killing field. If Zhao were not indecisive or did not cry in Tiananmen Square in 1989, or if he instead stood on top of a tank sympathetic to the pro-democracy forces—bravely commanding the tremendous force of the millions yearning for freedom, human rights, and for a change of the corrupt system, like Boris Yeltsin in the waning days of the Soviet Union—China may have already had a bold and visionary political leader and a brand new political reality. But in the final crucial moments that decided history, Moscow did not believe in tears, and Beijing did. A great historic opportunity was lost by Zhao for the complete lack of a strong and resolute visionary leader from within the power elite who alone could command the enormous political and military resources to change history. And now, as Zhao’s erstwhile protégé, Wen continues that legacy [7].

They have money for prostitutes and second wives but they don't have money for our children. This is not a natural disaster - this is done by humans.

是“天灾预兆”？ 林业专家现场释疑　　“这种现象是不是啥子天灾的预兆哟？”许多村民表示了担忧。消息不胫而走，引起人们不安和忧虑。　　绵竹市林业局接到报告后，很快赶到了事发当地。专家在现场看见，密密麻麻的蟾蜍布满了村道，蟾蜍聚集面积大约有二十亩，分布在制药厂周围农民的菜园、空地里；而某制药厂后面的那条排水沟流出的水，水温略高于其他水沟，这里的蟾蜍也最多。　　据绵竹市林业局局长舒实说，这里处于农田的低洼地段，很适合蟾蜍生存，现在正是蟾蜍繁殖季节，连续两天的降雨加上排水沟水温略高，非常适合蟾蜍产卵和孵化，在孵化时间集中、孵化率高的情况下就会爆发大量幼蟾集体上岸迁移，这种情况是正常现象，与老百姓所说的天灾毫无关系；蟾蜍也不会影响到人们的生活，它们的到来还会为当地减少蚊虫，村民不用为此担忧。

This slideshow was modified from a post provides a guide to how you can donate toward China earthquake relief efforts. The original post was written by Elliott Ng of CN Reviews.(http://cnreviews.com)

Oliver, this is incredible!! Thanks for getting this info out to people in such an easy to browse way. Thanks for all your awareness building about the Sichuan Earthquake to the English speaking world.

总理指着北川县城唯一未倒塌的希望工程小学照片，大声说：“我代表人民感谢这位建筑商！”

总理谈到捐款：“有的企业认为捐款是负担，还建议员工捐款以10元为限。我正告这位冷血的企业家，法律不能强迫你捐款，但你记着，只要你在中国的土地上经营，你就千万不要漏税，否则所以的罚款都会用到灾区！还有，你不是在成都有没卖掉的房子吗？紧急状况下国家随时可以征集用作灾民安置！”

总理谈到责任问题：“绝不回避也不包庇，地震当天国家地震总局的主要领导正在欧洲访问，我们一定会要求他对全国人民做出真实的述职报告！”

Much of the volunteer effort has involved individuals or small groups. China is still wary of large NGOs and has none that is truly independent of the government specialising in disaster relief. But in recent years the party has begun to acknowledge more openly that there may a role for them. Official press coverage of the earthquake, although careful to highlight the party's contributions, has also paid rare tribute to the unofficial volunteers. The government has been encouraging firms to give more generously to worthy causes. From this year it has increased tax incentives for corporate donations to charities. But this applies to only a small number of government-approved organisations. For the sake of earthquake relief the authorities are letting down their guard. But the government gives little encouragement to new NGOs and often treats the small existing ones as potential germs of political opposition. The response to this disaster might ease its fears.

Close to 7,000 schools were destroyed in southwestern Sichuan province by Monday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake, which struck in the afternoon when many students were in class or taking their daily naps.