btw, somehow I forgot to mention... Yao Ming has pledged a donation of ￥500,000(around $70,000, IIRC) towards the cause. I'm not quite sure about the exact time order, but he should be among the first ones to react to the tragedy. Couldn't be more proud to have him as a rocket.
wow, i was reading a lot comments on youtube and slashdot. a lot of racists came out of their closet. there are some sick people out there. more pictures of the rescue. http://space.wenxuecity.com/gallery/others/20080513/Img256834203.jpg http://i32.tinypic.com/9ia8ur.jpg http://i29.tinypic.com/2ywh4eo.jpg http://i27.tinypic.com/2wrjdsk.jpg
Predictably, you can count on BBC, as well as several other major British news outlets for that matter, including Reuters, Guardian, and Times of London, to be among the least trusted sources when it comes to reporting China. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aJOvDvOP1fTU&refer=home
The terrain is very complicated with narrow air clearance, further in the region it's been raining heavily.
That is my point, it doesn't matter if it the US or Chinese airforce, they face the same problem. Maybe the US pilots and speical force are better trained than their Chiense counterpart, but I think it is still a very dangerous situation.
only $70k U.S.? if i had a multimillion dollar contract like him, i would at least donate 500k! (3.5 million yuan)
The bit about foreign assistance wasn't from BBC. IIRC, an AP or AFP story quoted a Chinese official saying what I reported. I'm not going to dig it up now because I don't have the time to search whatever stories I was reading this morning. The only bit I got from BBC was about the building codes. They also had some pretty good radio coverage this afternoon with reporting from people on the ground in the affected areas. You shouldn't make assumptions. And if you look at the context of that quote, it is clear that it is being said with regards to material donations. This doesn't conflict with what I have said. I see nothing that indicates that China would welcome US soldiers on her soil. If you hear of something in that regard, I would be interested to see it. I don't think China even really needs foreign manpower assistance. The PLA seems to be doing a good job without it, from everything I've read.
I was listening to NPR today on the way home and they mentioned that Bush had offered $500,000 in US disaster relief. This has to be a mistake right? If not - is he going to pay pal it over to the Chinese government?
i never know how these things work. thinking it's probably going through some sort of US aid organizations. probably arrives later to buy supplies.
No, this is not joke. Chinese people appreciate any kind of foreign donations. OTOH, I looked up Chinese govt donations after Katrina---- $5 million along with emergency supplies, including 1,000 tents, 600 generators.
yao pledged his help very early, when the details of the disaster was unknown. almost ALL of my friends were expecting the death toll to be around 1,000 or lower at that time. Most people online while was dazzled by the magnitude of the quake, felt that China dodged a bullet as it hit a relatively remote area. it is only after the death toll of BeiChuan city come out that people starts to really realize the seriousness of this earth quake. before that fact is known, $70,000 is actually pretty fair. I, personally, was talking to my friends in MSN during the early hours, saying that I would be shelling out my wallets right now if the quake hit Chengdu instead of the montainous region. but since it mostly hit a no-man's land, I'll probably not donate this time. after the BeiChuan city news come out? My gf and I are donating out everything we can afford this month saving the very basic food and rents.
To be fair to Bush and the US government this is immediate aid and likely only the first part of a bigger payment.
every bit helps, let's not make it a contest about who donated the most! so on behalf of my fellow Chinese countrymen, thanks!
