earsier to travel?

Page last updated at 15:52 GMT, Friday, 28 November 2008
BBC

Seeking a passport to a new life
By Jennifer Pak
BBC News, Beijing

Many Chinese people were outraged by Gong Li's decision
One of China's most famous actresses has been accused of being unpatriotic after becoming a Singaporean citizen.
Some say Gong Li, star of the film Memoirs of a Geisha, has turned her back on her Chinese fans.
But the actress is not the only Chinese citizen to seek another country's passport.
They do it for convenience, to improve job prospects and as a safety net.
Despite China's increasing economic and political power, a Chinese passport is still seen as restrictive by many of its citizens.
Gong Li, whose husband is from Singapore, is just one of many film stars who have given up their Chinese passport.
According to news reports, Hong Kong film star Jet Li holds US citizenship.
And Zhang Ziyi, the star of kung fu movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, holds a Hong Kong residency card.
Gong Li's passport switch led to a commentary in the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper.
"We should think about why our laws, our system and cultural society have churned out so many of these so-called 'super citizens', people who live in China but their hearts are set on being a citizen in another country," it said.
'Still Chinese'
Kong Ting, who was born in China but is now a US citizen, is not surprised that Gong Li switched to a Singaporean passport.

I feel safer when I come back to China and I say certain things that the Chinese government doesn't like

Kong Ting
"A lot of times when Chinese do things it's for practical reasons, to make life easier and for more financial gain," she said
Ms Kong, 36, has lived in the US for 15 years, and became an American citizen two years ago to make travelling to other countries easier.
"I don't think getting a US citizenship makes me feel any less Chinese," she said.
With the exception of a few dozen south-east Asian and African countries, Chinese passport holders need to apply for visas in advance to go abroad which are sometimes difficult to get.
Most ordinary Chinese can only go abroad by joining tour groups, sometimes at very high costs.
Some tour companies reportedly charge up to 50,000 yuan ($7,300:£4,880) as a deposit to go to Japan.
This acts as a deterrent for people who are thinking of not returning to China after the trip.
Another reason Ms Kong wanted an American passport was for security reasons.
"Maybe I feel safer when I come back to China and I say certain things that the Chinese government doesn't like," she said. "They can't really hold it against me."
Tax reasons
Wu Hao, from Sichuan Province, has studied and worked in the US, and soon hopes to get his hands on a US passport.

A new passport can bring new freedoms for former Chinese citizens
He said as a student, getting a US passport was the ultimate goal in life.
"For my generation and older, we wanted a foreign passport so bad," said the 36-year-old.
"We grew up in an environment when China was not secure, when things changed so fast in China. Everyone just wanted to get out as soon as we could back in those days," he said.
Mr Wu moved back to China four years ago.
He will be eligible for an American passport in a few years time, but a small part of him hesitates about trading in his Chinese passport.
"I wonder if I really want to abandon my Chinese identity. I don't know," he added.
Mr Wu said many of his friends are much more practical about citizenship.
"I have a friend who recently gave up his American green card status in order not to pay US tax," said Mr Wu.
"A lot of Chinese friends I know who make a decent or relatively high salary in China, they're considering alternatives, trying to evade tax," he said.
Mr Wu said people who were outraged by Gong Li's switch to Singaporean citizenship are blowing it out of proportion.
"If they got the chance [to get a foreign passport] they would immediately jump on it."

Rockerfella center

children play-ground

This is a children playground at one of the shopping center here.
Materials are made of soft material so as not to harm even if fell down.Play ground set limitation to the height not higher than 42 inches.You are not allowed to play if ur kid is higher than that.And shoes are not supposed to wear inside the play ground area.
Security is around .But not always there
But they do listen to the parent or guardian's concern.
Camera is set on the sence.But still some people are taking advantages out of it.So what..
Rights are there for u
But has to enforce or come out to stand for it.
Laws protect if people abuse.
Ofcourse we are human-being and like to take advantage if we easily can.

creating an artificial SUN

It may not a surprise for u but it was for me since i heard artificial SUN was created in China last year,2007.Then i searched in the internet and found this article and hope some of u probably interested in it..I was even told that there could be more than one sun in the universe.
pls read this article..


web site:http://www.gateway2russia.com/st/art_186490.php
http://www.panasianbiz.com/2007/01/scientists-experiment-with-cre/
26 January 2004 02:41
Creating "artificial sun"

Scientists at the Federal Nuclear Centre in Sarov have succeeded in creating the most powerful magnetic field on Earth which allows to preserve energy equal to the Sun`s energy. World physicists are now working hard on the creation of the so-called artificial sun which will satisfy the planet`s demand in energy but only Russia has approached really close to making the discovery.

Area-24 is one of the secret testing grounds of the Federal Nuclear Centre. Something that still seems to be from the field of science fiction is being created far away from populated areas, among snow-covered forests. Under a crude awning is a system that has a magnetic field exceeding the magnetic field of the Earth 50m times. It is created using a powerful explosion. Viktor Selimer, director of scientific research centre of high energy density physics and directed flows of energy emission, All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics tells:
- It is an explosive, an explosive substance comprising the 50:50 ratio of TNT and hexagon. For example, we were selling the system which you can see here to the USA for the price of Mercedes cars of 600 series. So, it is not that simple. [Correspondent] The achievement of the Russian science is being guarded like the gold currency reserve, behind three perimeters of barbed wire. And the secret is made of bronze - only Russian scientists know how to wind correctly 4,800 coils on a reel in order to receive a superpowerful magnetic field. During the explosion, the space inside the reel contracts and its power increases several times over again. The test which lasts a fraction of a second is monitored in automatic mode. All the staff of the laboratory are taking cover in the building protected against the explosive wave by armour and concrete walls. The processes taking place inside the explosion are registered by lasers and powerful X-ray systems. Outside, the powerful magnetic flow knocks out of action any electric equipment, including the video camera which stops filming immediately after the explosion. The physical parameters of the centre of the Earth and neutron stars are being created in these field conditions where gas turns into metal and superconductors stop conducting electric current. This series of experiments is part of the work on a global project - the scientists of the whole world are now trying to switch on the artificial sun in laboratory conditions. It is the superpowerful magnetic field that may become an acid test of a kind for the Earth light. Researchers at the Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics are miles ahead of their competitors in this direction. Selimer: "According to our estimates, the system which will make possible the fusion ignition will cost approximately 100 times less than the nuclear system being built for these purposes in the United States of America but it will be more impressive than what you can see here because the initial current that we will be using at the start will be 1bn A. The power of the system will exceed the power of all electric power stations of Russia put together. But only for a very short time". [Correspondent] In the field of creating superpowerful magnetic fields Russia is 10 times ahead of its nearest competitors. The tests at the unique experimental area are taking place almost every day. After explosions not only these fragments and deep craters are left behind but also the profound knowledge of the matter, something that no textbook of physics has so far described.
[RTR Russia TV]