阅读资料4

US oil giant tried to cover up spill: China paper

AFP – 33 mins ago

One of China's most influential newspapers on Monday accused the US oil giant behind a huge spill off the country's east coast of trying to cover up the disaster.

The strongly-worded article in the People's Daily -- the mouthpiece of the Communist Party -- said ConocoPhillips had displayed \"indifference\" to the damage to the environment and issued misleading statements over the spill.

On Friday, the marine watchdog ordered the company to halt operations at its Penglai 19-3 oilfield, China's biggest and the source of the leak into Bohai Bay that has caused public anger.

ConocoPhillips, which says the equivalent of 3,200 barrels have leaked into the sea, said Sunday it was working to halt its operations at the field in a \"safe and timely manner and in a way that preserves the field's operating integrity.\"

A statement on ConocoPhillips China's website said it was working to complete the shutdown by Monday, but a company spokesman contacted by telephone early Monday was not immediately able to confirm whether this had been done.

The People's Daily said the company had put efforts to protect public image above safeguarding the environment in the months since the spill was made public in early June.

\"There is a sharp contrast between the company's sensitivity regarding its image and its indifference to the pollution of the marine environment,\" said the column, by People's Daily commentator Jiang Hongbing.

\"After repeated delays (一再延迟） and a series of cover ups and deceptions, the production at the Penglai 19-3 oil field of ConocoPhilips has finally been ordered to stop.\"

A spokesman for ConocoPhillips said the company, which co-owns the Penglai 19-3 oilfield with the state-owned oil company China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), said: \"We reported the incident to the relevant authorities immediately and as fully as we could.\"

\"We're the operator and we accept full responsibility for what happened in the field,\" John Roper told AFP by telephone.

Shares of CNOOC fell 8.6 percent in early Hong Kong trade on Monday as traders assessed the

affect of the production closure on oil supplies（在石油供应生产关闭）to feed China's increasing demand for petroleum for energy.

On Sunday, CNOOC said the suspension of production 暂停生产 at the oilfield would reduce its output by about 40,000 barrels a day.

Operations of two platforms at the oilfield have already been halted since July 13 on government orders, resulting in a cut of 22,000 barrels a day, CNOOC said

HK's new rail link a money machine（香港的新铁路一个赚钱机器） By George Ng (HK Edition)

High-speed railway to fuel biz, pare HK$87b in time costs in 50 yrs

HONG KONG: With the Legislative Council's approval of the HK$67 billion funding for the proposed express-rail link project over the weekend, Hong Kong has taken a significant step in strengthening its ties with economic development of the mainland.

Despite the huge amount of public money involved in the project, many

experts believe the tangible and intangible economic benefits有形和无形的经济效益 from the link will more than compensate for that cost.

For the quantifiable economic benefits, the government said there would be HK$87 billion over 50 years in terms of time savings to passengers.

However, it is the indirect benefits - albeit less quantifiable - that will take Hong Kong to a higher level.

\"It is hard to quantify all the benefits. However, we can expect to see a tremendous increase in economic activities with the commission of high-speed rail link,\" said Daniel Chan, a senior strategist at DBS Bank.

After linking up the national high-speed network in 2015, it will take only 14 minutes to travel from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, 48 minutes to Guangzhou, five hours to Wuhan and 10 hours to Beijing.

With the distance between Hong Kong and major mainland cities being shortened, the city will act more like a national business hub, adding to its current status as an international financial center.

\"Hong Kong will benefit from the link in the same way London benefits from the trans-continental express rail in Europe,\" said Chan.

He noted that the status of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya as national business hubs has also been strengthened by the bullet trains that run between all major Japanese cities.

\"Like the airport, it is not only for Hong Kong residents. The main role of the airport is for international connection and that for the high-speed terminal is for connecting to the domestic market of the mainland. Our residents may benefit from it, but it is our economy that benefits most,\" said professor

Anthony Yeh, head and chair professor at the Department of Urban Planning and Design of the University of Hong Kong.

Yeh argued that the shortened distances mean a significantly larger hinterland（后方基地） for Hong Kong's economic development.

With Guangzhou serving as the southern hub of the national high-speed network in the future, the high-speed rail link will also shorten the distance between Hong Kong and the natural resources-rich western regions of the country. With the link, the city's hinterland will expand to include the whole country, Yeh said.

Hong Kong businessmen can then extend their manufacturing bases to the central and western regions, where labor costs are lower, he said.

Meanwhile, products and services provided by Hong Kong businessmen will more easily get into these markets of great potential, he added.

The link will also unlock the huge market potential that the large population in the central and western regions poses for Hong Kong's tourism and related sector.

The availability of a comfortable, yet economical means of travel will

encourage more residents in the central regions to visit Hong Kong, many of

whom have shunned the city, said Michael Wu, Chairman of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong.

Mainland visitors to the city last year totaled 17.7 million, accounting for 60 percent of the total visitor arrivals of 29.6 million during the period, according to data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Currently, the majority of mainland visitors come from the Pearl River Delta region. The high-speed rail will help expand the source market for Hong Kong's tourism sector, said Michael Li, executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners.

While no estimate of the potential increase in mainland visitors is available now, commuter data collected from the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail link provide a reference.

The Beijing-Tianjin link, which shortens the trip between the two cities from two hours to 25 minutes, has helped increase traffic between the two cities, with 20 million commuters having ridden on the link in its first year of operation, the Ministry of Railways said.

Visitors to Tianjin last year increased by 20 percent, while revenue generated by the local service sector rose 15 percent over the first three quarters, the ministry said.

The high-speed rail will prove to be competitive against air travel, Dr Chan Yan-chong, an economic and management expert at the City University of Hong Kong told China Daily.

\"The advantage of air travel over high-speed rail in terms of time savings will be compromised if you include the time needed to go to the airport and the time needed for the airplane to take off and land,\" he said.

The lower cost of travel by high-speed rail will prove to be a good tradeoff for the longer time needed for a trip, he predicted.

Japanese government must listen to voices of reason

BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Japanese novelist Oe Kenzaburo（大江健三郎）, a Nobel laureate, has called on the Japanese government to reflect on its view of history and stop creating a\"vicious cycle\" on the Diaoyu Islands issue.

A civic group's statement, endorsed by about 1,300 Japanese people, including Oe, said on Friday that the root cause of the souring Japan-China ties on its 40th anniversary is Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara's announcement of \"buying\" the islands, and the subsequent \"nationalization\" of the islands by the Japanese government.

\"The most important thing for Japan is to recognize and reflect on its historical issues,\" the statement stressed, referring to Japan's invasion of its neighboring countries during World War II, and to \"honestly express that both to itself and to other countries.\"

Such are the voices of reason from the people. The statement has given a remarkably objective analysis of the crux of the Diaoyu Islands issue that has plunged the China-Japan relations to a historical low.

The Diaoyu Islands have been a silent witness to the Japanese aggression and colonization. The Japanese government has not yet, even to this day, given up its colonialist attitude to Asia, attempting to \"legitimize\" the land it stole from China and continue its colonization.

Such a move is an open denial of the outcomes of the victory of the world anti-fascist war, and a grave challenge to the post-war world order. Moreover, it severely hurts the feelings of the people in the countries that it had invaded only decades ago.

On the Diaoyu Islands issue, the Japanese government has attempted to turn back the wheel of history, which seriously undermined the political foundation of the China-Japan ties and set the bilateral ties, even the entire region, in a dangerous direction.

As a matter of fact, Japan's provocation has not only led to worsening tension over the Diaoyu Islands, but also will ultimately boomerang on itself.

China's Assistant Foreign Minister Le Yucheng has recently warned that Japan should abandon the illusion that it can occupy the Diaoyu Islands and that sending a few envoys to China to explain the issue will be the end of it.

It is clear that China will by no means tolerate a two-faced partner, which talks of friendly ties and cooperation on the one hand but intentionally creates damage on the other.

To maintain a healthy China-Japan relationship, efforts on both sides are needed and the onus does not only fall on China.

Now it is crucial for the Japanese government to make some real efforts to rein in domestic rightist sentiments and to prevent the ugly scenario of a militarism resurrection.

Nobody should be so foolish as to interpret China's commitment to peaceful development as being weak and easily bullied or to even take advantage of that to grab the Chinese territory.

Any idea that China would sit idle to see its rightful land stolen by a foreign country will always remain a mere illusion.

The recent moves by the Japanese side concerning the Diaoyu Islands have played havoc on the China-Japan relationship, which has entered its 40th year since far-sighted leaders on both sides overcame great challenges and normalized the bilateral ties.

At such a critical juncture, the wise choice for the Japanese government is to listen to voices of reason from both its own people and the international community, give due respect to history and reality, and forgo the illusion that it could grab the Diaoyu Islands from China if it tries hard enough.

It is indeed desirable for all that the China-Japan relations return to the right track as soon as possible.

Pecking order

What does this sentence – It seems their whole pecking order in the pub revolves around how soon I acknowledge them and how long I talk to them – mean? Specifically what is \"pecking order\"?

That sentence means that if, upon walking into the pub you nod to someone ahead of others in the group you make them feel important. Likewise, if you talk to, say, Tom for 10 minutes but only 6 seconds to Jerry, you make Tom look good and you make Jerry feel miserable.

Pecking order is the order in which birds take their turns to peck (eat). As Oxford Dictionary points out, pecking order is a \"social hierarchy, as originally observed among hens\".

As leaders of the pack, head hens (I like this, head hens) get to eat, drink and mate ahead of others. Among wolves and other beasts, it's the alpha male who gets to do the same things first. Among

humans, leaders of a nation, heads of a company, school, family, etc, get to enjoy similar privileges, such as being able to walk in the front, or sit in the center, or speak first and for hours, or pick the best meat from the table.

In short, pecking order denotes the rankings observable in all types of societies, human or inhuman – I mean human or otherwise.

Here is an example to further illustrate the point.

The Final Word: Second-born kids face realities of the pecking order. I was hardly surprised last week when I read about new research on 21,000 people that finds firstborn children get more parental attention — 3,000 hours more — than their siblings. Not only that, but more quality time is spent with firstborns even as they get older.

I could have saved those researchers at Brigham Young University a lot of time and money. All they needed to do was call. I'm a second child. My brother, Gary, is three years older.

Gary had 36 months of undivided attention before I arrived on the scene（was born）. And now it's proven he got undivided attention after I arrived, too. Not that I didn't already know.

I'm not saying I was abused, ignored or left on the hillside to fend off the wolves. I'm just asking where my baby album is.

I remember cleaning out the attic with my mom a few years ago, and we came upon Gary's. There was page after page of photographs of a fat farm baby. Gary arriving home from the hospital. Gary on a blanket. Gary with his teddy bear.

I then asked where my baby album was. Mom just mumbled. She finally confessed she wasn't sure there was one.

It was then I realized what we second children have long known: To the victor go the spoils, the victor being he who arrives at the finish line first. The firstborn.

Labor laws protect against layoffs

It’s a situation nobody likes to face. But there is always the possibility for any company employee to be confronted with the harsh reality of being fired.

If it happens, don’t panic. Your legal or economic rights are protected through labor laws

surrounding employment, even in the event of mass layoffs.

“If you have been fired, are expecting to be fired, or were forced to quit because of an unbearable situation at work, there are legal ways to get your job back or claim compensation,” said Zhang Liang, a lawyer at Jinpeng Law Firm in Guangzhou.

“You should keep documents such as employment contracts or employee handbooks, and negotiate with your employer in a calm and reasonable way.”

Earlier this month, electronics firm Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc caused uproar in China with a wave of layoffs.

Employees in Beijing and Nanjing protested against the decision by owner Google Inc to reduce its global workforce by 20 percent, resulting in about 4,000 staff being laid off.

According to previous media reports, about 700 out of 1,600 research and development employees in Beijing will be dismissed, and the offices in Nanjing and Shanghai will be closed. Hundreds of discontented employees around the country are still seeking legal support to protect their rights.

Is it legal for a company to lay off employees? And what kind of compensation package should fired employees expect?

Feng Xiliang, a labor expert at the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing, said enterprises are allowed to cut staff numbers in the event of business performance issues.

But he adds that they have to inform trade unions and local labor authorities in advance if they cut more than 10 percent of their headcount. “Although trade unions can represent workers, it’s not appropriate for them to sign a deal with the employer without first discussing it with the workforce,” he said.

Furthermore, according to Feng, under current labor contract laws, any compensation proposed by an employer should be agreed through fair negotiation with employees, especially in cases ofmass layoffs.

“The employer should sit down with individual employees to negotiate any employment reduction and compensation arrangements before any agreement is signed,” Feng told China Daily.

The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Employment Contracts stipulates several conditions under which a company cannot terminate a contract, such as pregnancy.

Article 47 of the law also includes clear and detailed regulations on compensation.

It says: “An employee shall be paid a severance pay（ 离职金 遣散费） based on the number of years worked with the employer at the rate of one month’s wage for each full year worked.”

“Any period of no less than six months but less than one year shall be counted as one year. The severance pay payable to an employee for any period of less than six months shall be one-half the monthly wage.”

However, law experts stress that the law only serves as a reference. The exact amount of compensation can still be negotiated between employees and their company.

“Written employment agreements create a legally binding contract. They might state that you can be fired only for specific reasons,” said Cai Wei, a lawyer in Kaiye Law Firm in Shenzhen. “If your employer is in breach of the contract, you can sue them.”

Information in employee handbooks and other written company policies, in some circumstances, is also legally binding.

The Intriguing Health Benefits Of Qigong

The Claim: Qigong, a Chinese health practice based on gentle movements, meditation and breathing, has wide-ranging benefits, including improving balance, lowering blood pressure and even easing depression

The Verdict: Increasingly popular in the U.S., qigong (pronounced chee-gong) has been found in recent studies to improve quality of life in cancer patients and fight depression. Other studies have found improvements in balance and blood pressure. But so far, there aren't enough large, well-designed studies to constitute solid proof of any benefits, scientists say.

Qigong, with its roots in traditional Chinese medicine, is a close cousin to the better-known tai chi. Unlike that practice, qigong isn't based in martial arts. Instead, it uses a variety of gentle movements, says Stanwood Chang, who teaches qigong classes at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Because its motions are simple and repetitive, qigong is more accessible to many people than tai chi, which has long sequences that need to be memorized, Mr. Chang adds.

Traditionally, qigong is described as a practice that cultivates 'qi, ' or life energy. Qi can't be measured objectively, says Shin Lin, a professor of cell biology at the University of

California,Irvine. But his studies of qigong and tai chi practitioners have found a boost in both alpha brain waves, suggesting relaxation, and beta waves, indicating strong focus. 'It has the dual benefit of relaxing you, but also sharpening your mind, ' says Dr. Lin.

Some studies have found improvement in balance from qigong. At least one cites the fact that participants are taught to take a wider, more stable stance when standing.

Earlier this year, a three-month, 14-person study of depressed Chinese-Americans, who were offered one-hour qigong classes twice a week and encouraged to practice at home, found that 60% of those who took at least 15 classes saw a significant improvement in depression based on a standard rating scale. 'One theory is that qigong helps people to relax and combat stress, ' which tends to aggravate depression, says study co-author Albert Yeung, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge.

The study was too small to be conclusive, adds Dr. Yeung, a senior consultant at the Benson-Henry Institute. But he's excited enough about the potential that he already recommends qigong topatients with mild and moderate depression, and in combination with medication to patients with severe depression.

For cancer patients, qigong can be done sitting and lying down if a person has physical constraints or is in pain, says Yang Yang, a kinesiologist（人体运动学家）researcher, who teaches qigong at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

In a study of 96 women getting radiation therapy for breast cancer, published earlier this year, a team of Chinese scientists and researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found reduced depression in women who took five weekly classes of qigong, compared with a control group that didn't take the classes. Among those depressed at the start of the trial, fatigue was lessened and overall quality of life improved.

Many people take qigong group classes, which typically cost $10 to $20 an hour, or practice at home after learning the exercises in a class or from a qigong DVD or online video.