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Thoughts after One Week of Earthquake We had a similar experience here in the US, after 9/11. For at least a week after the tragedy, there were no entertainment shows on TV, no late night talk shows, etc. The whole country just watched TV news and prayed every night. There were great moments of unity, everyone lit a candle at the same time, moments of silence, people putting flags on their car, etc. Everyone became very patriotic, (we even had a boycott of French products, because many people were angry that they did not support us in the war afterward). There was one unfortunate downside of that time of unity in the US. Everyone felt so patriotic, there was widespread support to go to war against Iraq, because the government said and people believed that Iraq was involved in 9/11. Now many in US regret that decision. |
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Earthquake and Flee from 18th Floor Glad to hear that everything is safe in your area. It is a sign of a good boss that you put concern for employee safety ahead of concern over productivity. Also, I hope they are able to rescue the 900 students that are trapped. Maybe we can lay this torch controversy aside as the world joins in to help aid the people of Sichuan. |
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Photos of Shanghai in May, 2008 Shanghai-ren, you seem to have a lot of stored up anger and strong opinions. Have you ever thought about writing your own blog? Then we can find out what you are in favor of, and your proposals of solutions for the world. |
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Mixing, Muddling, and Confusing In English, we sometimes say “I didn’t imply, you inferred”. The word ‘imply’ means to convey an idea by indirect, subtle means, or to give a hint. As though you are deliberately trying to convey a message without saying so directly. While the word “infer” means to draw a conclusion based on inconclusive evidence or insufficient information. This is when you listen to some information, and you draw a conclusion from that information which is not directly stated. Here is what the Columbia Guide to Standard American English has to say about imply vs. infer: “You imply—that is, “hint at or suggest (usually indirectly)”—and your readers or listeners must then infer from your hints what it is they understand your words to mean (which may not always be what you intend to say): If he implies that the mayor is dishonest, you may infer from what he says that he thinks the mayor’s a crook. He later said he had meant to imply nothing of the sort, but from his remarks some of us had inferred that the mayor was a crook. “ You can see, this situation is common enough that it is mentioned in the dictionary. So, Wang Jian Shuo, when you say that CCTV is doing somthing wrong, some people “infer” that you think CNN is right. But you did not “imply” that., they “inferred” it. By the way, Wang Jian Shuo, I love this blog. Thank you for keeping such a thoughtful, intelligent, and respectful dialog going. |
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Shanghai Snows Again Wow! Have been reading the news about all the problems with the snow. But looking at the pictures, I'm 'underwhelmed'. Looks like less than 1" of snow. The roads are well plowed, with no large mounds on the sidewalk. For us here in Boston, they wouldn't even close the schools for that amount. I guess it comes down to what you are used to. If you are not used to any snow, even a little bit can cause major problems. |