China to re-measure lowest land point 
    & nbsp;   &n bsp;Chinese scientists will re-measure the lowest land point, Aydingkol Lake, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

    The re-measurement project is expected to be approved by the superior authority and launched next year, said Liu Geqing, a senior official with Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Land Surveying and Mapping Department.

    Located in Turpan Basin in eastern Xinjiang, the freshwater lake is the lowest place in China and the second lowest place in the world. The lake is also dubbed China's Dead Sea, since its altitude is merely a little higher than the Dead Sea in western Asia.

    The re-measurement could help the world find out the exact altitude of the lake, Liu said.

    The lake was found to be 155 meters below sea level in 1978, though many books have been citing different figures in recent years.

    Aydingkol Lake was produced in the formation of the Himalayas about 200 million years ago, Liu said.

    After the first measurement in 1978, new features might have appeared due to geological changes, but they might not be great, Liu said.
 

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Selenium poisoning? No! Marco Polo's travelogue misinterpreted 

    Mineral selenium did NOT kill or sicken the donkeys in Marco Polo's travelogue, Chinese scientists have found.

    "Generations of scientists thought Marco Polo was the first to write about selenium poisoning. They were wrong," said Shao Shuxun,a geochemist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

    The Italian explorer came to China in 1271 via the ancient Silk Road. In his travelogue in 1295, he said a toxic wild plant in today's Gansu Province killed many cattle.

    Many donkeys, oxen and horses, which were an important means of transportation in China in those days, suffered hair loss and festers on their hooves and some of them even died, he wrote.

    In the early 1900s, some cattle on a U.S. farm had the same symptoms after eating clovers, whins or vetches. A U.S. scientist found after lab analysis that toxic levels of the mineral selenium were the killer.

    Worldwide scientists then associated these poisoning cases with the donkeys in Marco Polo's book, and held "Marco Polo's Travels" was the world's earliest record of selenium poisoning.

    Shao and his research team meticulously read through Marco Polo's original work and historical documents about China's geography before they were able to locate the places of the poisoning. They then followed the Italian traveler's route and collected samples of water, rock, soil and herbs.

    "We found through lab work that the selenium levels in these samples were perfectly safe," said Shao. "Actually, the selenium level in the entire region is so low that high-selenium plants are unlikely to grow in such an environment."

    The selenium levels in local plants are far lower than the safety standards set by the World Health Organization, says Zheng Baoshan, a researcher with a CAS laboratory for environment and geochemistry and a member of the research team. "We're certain what Marco Polo described was not selenium poisoning."

    A substance known as "swainsonine", which abounds in many plants on pastures of Gansu Province, was more likely the killer, the research team suggested.

    Tianzhu and Sunan counties, which are located at the heart of Marco Polo's route in western China, have 130,000 hectares of these toxic plants. "Each year, these plants poison about 20,000 heads of cattle, killing 22 percent of them and causing miscarriages in another 29 percent," said Shao.

    The research finding will hopefully correct scientists' misinterpretation of Marco Polo's work, said Olle Selinus, a Swedish scientist and president of an international medical geology society.

    Selenium is not typically harmful to humans, but can be poisonous if combined with other compounds or consumed at high levels.

    Marco Polo came to China when he was 17 and his travelogue is known as the first book about China by a Westerner.
 

  BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- As China slaughtered millions of birds and banned livestock sales in big cities to prevent a human outbreak of bird flu, the World Health Organization China office urged the world's most populous country to intensify protection against possible human infection and the sharing of information and virus samples with other countries.

    Roy Wadia, a WHO spokesman in Beijing, said it is difficult and even impossible to find out how many people might get infected in many Asian countries as a lot of farmers live side by side with their livestock.

    He said the fact that no human infection cases have been reported doesn't mean there are no such cases.

    Praising China for the huge resources it has put into its anti-bird flu campaign, he said it is "just a start", calling on China to stay vigilant against human infection.

    China has experienced bird flu outbreaks in Anhui, Hunan, and Liaoning provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in recent weeks that have killed thousands of birds, but only reported three suspected human cases in central Hunan Province, currently diagnosed as "pneumonia of an unknown cause".

    The possibility of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza has not been ruled out as all three ill persons had close contact withdead poultry. A 12-year-old girl, one of the three, died on Oct. 17.

    Vietnam has suffered over 40 of the at least 62 bird flu human deaths in Asia since 2003.

    South-east and East-Asia have large populations whose livestock stay in backyard farms or homes.

    Facing with the WHO's warning of a possible human pandemic, China has toughened its measures to fight the highly pathogenic virus. The State Council--central government-- has launched a national command center for the prevention and control of bird fluand earmarked 250 million dollars to fund the battle.

    Beijing also has announced to shut down all live poultry markets and Shanghai banned sales of live ducks, quail and other birds.

    Health experts fear the bird flu could mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans, unleashing a pandemic that could kill millions.

    A meeting of hundreds of international experts opened Monday in Geneva warned that a global human flu pandemic could cost the global economy at least 800 billion dollars.

    To win the combat, Wadia said the WTO thinks it is vital for the countries with outbreaks to share information and samples of the most current virus strains to create effective vaccines.

    "It's collaborative efforts and depend on every country's cooperation. If countries don't share, vaccines may not be complete. It will be impossible to protect humans without all virus strain combinations."

    He urged China, as it did last year, to share virus samples of recent outbreaks with the international community .

    A groups of WHO experts is expected to come to China at the invitation of the Chinese government to investigate the Hunan cases this week. A dialogue is underway between China and the WHO to determine what the assistance should be.

    The WHO official suggested China's agricultural ministry should improve its bird-flu policy.
 

Naval fleet visits three Asian nations 
    ZHANJIANG, Guangdong, Nov. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- A fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy left here Tuesday for a visit to Pakistan, India and Thailand.

    The naval fleet, composed of a Shenzhen missile destroyer and a Weishanhu depot ship, is expected to hold joint military drills, the first ever by the Chinese navy in alien sea areas, with navies of the three nations.

    Sources with the fleet said the drills will focus on items in non-traditional areas, such as joint search-and-rescue exercises.

    Passing four straits, the fleet is expected to enter the Arabian Sea via northern the part of the Indian Ocean. The whole voyage is almost 10,000 sea miles and the sail will last more than 40 days.

    Destroyer Shenzhen, China's self-developed missile destroyer, has visited 11 nations in four previous trips. Weishanhu paid its maiden tour to foreign lands, sources said.
 

source:xinhuanet

　2004年5月，首届� �国网络传播学年会 在南京举行。

　　今天，我们再� ��聚会南京。

　　首先衷心感谢� ��京大学新闻传播� �院和南京大学网络 传播研究中心为此� ��行的策划和筹备� �

　　每年，国内有� ��互联网的研讨会� �论坛很多，反映了 中国互联网的发展� ��其作用、影响始� �是一个社会普遍关 注的热点问题。有� ��领导部门、主管� �门指导的研讨会、 论坛，从引导、规� ��业界的角度办会� �因此大多以网络媒 体的社会责任、净� ��网络环境、网络� �体与和谐社会等作 为主题。业界举办� ��研讨会、论坛，� �要从新的技术市场 、新的业务市场的� ��度办会，试图不� �找到新的增长点和 赢利点。而从去年� ��场的网络传播学� �会，则是从学术的 角度办会，以更客� ��更理性的态度分� �和评价互联网发展 中的新情况、新现� ��、新问题。与此� �质相同的年会还有 清华大学新闻与传� ��学院和华中科技� �学新闻与信息传播 学院合办的“新新� ��指新媒体、新思� �）论坛”。我想， 这就是以学界为主� ��学术年会独特的� �值和意义。

　　今年中国互联� ��的一个新情况是� �客的超常发展。

　　其标志有以下� ��点：

　　1、博客网站规 模迅速扩大，以“� ��客中国”为例，� �方位提供多种博客 服务，并在7月7日� �改版推出“博客网 ”为标志，形成博� ��门户网站。

　　2、门户网站纷 纷进入博客领域，� ��展开多种推广活� �，有些以新思路新 手法扩大影响，如� ��浪网有针对性地� �织并陆续推出各界 名人博客。

　　3、国外风险资 金看好博客造就的� ��国互联网新的市� �，据不完全统计， 2005年内投入中国博 客网站的款项至少� ��2000多万美元，而2 004年这一数目仅为3 00万美元。

　　10月27日，一则 报道中有这样一句� ��：“2005年或许可� ��被看成是中国的� �客元年。”一位国 内知名的博客这样� ��。”

　　我想在这里要� ��正这一表述。元� �就是起始之年。中 国博客“元年”是2 002年。其标志就是� ��博客中国”网站� �建立。这是方兴东 、王俊秀、孙坚华� ��人在引进Blog概念� ��，所进行实践的� �内第一个博客平台 。

　　如果为了反映2 005年中国博客的发� ��达到一个新阶段� �非要用“××年”� �表述的话，则可以 称为“中国博客勃� ��年”等诸如此类� �表述，但绝不是“ 元年”。

　　我们可以发现� ��社会中的一些事� �发生时间还不长， 往往就会变得面目� ��非。人们可以对� �件有自己不同的评 价，但决不能因自� ��的解读或出于某� �需要便改变事实。 这一点对学者的研� ��、记者的报道来� �格外重要。

　　由于我没有为� ��次年会提交论文� �故只能在这里就中 国博客的发展谈四� ��断（段）想（两� �旧段子，两条新段 子）。

　　2003年8月，我� �《中国博客的自白 》那篇短文中，主� ��表达了以下两点� �法：

　　1、中国博客是 全球博客中的一支� ��它是在美国博客� �直接影响下出现的 ，它的发展也必然� ��断受到全球博客� �术及思维方式行为 方式的影响。

　　2、中国博客毕 竟是在中国大传播� ��境中生存的，有� �独自的特点，国外 博客能做的，中国� ��客未必能做，也� �必处处模仿。重要 的是，中国博客今� ��所做的是要对中� �社会的进步产生影 响这里要说明一下� ��当时写“中国博� �所做所为应对中国 社会的进步产生影� ��”这句话，是因� �2003年夏，“博客� �国”独自发起了一 场反网络色情风暴� ��请大家注意这样� �个事实：事隔一年 之后，2004年夏政府 十多个部委才联手� ��重拳打击网络色� �淫秽活动。

　　两年过去了，� ��着博客的发展，� �识也必须与时俱进 ，所以又增加了以� ��两条新段子：

　　1、WEB2.0是WEB1.0基础上的发展。WEB 1.0时代亦有规模可观 的互联网个人信息� ��点，如个人主页� �WEB2.0时代，尽管博客以 更活跃的方式产生� ��量和影响，但也� �法否定门户网站在 互联网中的“大众� ��播”作用，而这� �作用仍然是个人信 息节点无法企及的� ��再如，不论是WEB1.0时代，还是WEB2.0时代，BBS都是公共 话题讨论、民意表� ��、舆论形成最主� �的场所。因此不要 将WEB2.0和WEB1.0割裂和对立起来。 门户网站和博客网� ��大可不必在话语� �表述上和一些事情 的运作上显得意气� ��事。中国互联网10 多年风风雨雨的发� ��，应该足以让各� �网站的掌门人和高 管们成熟和大气。

　　2、博客给个人 信息在互联网上的� ��播带来更大的自� �和便利，从内容上 说，五花八门，无� ��不有，风花雪月� �不必说，甚至不免 有声色犬马，但博� ��个体必须认识到� �律是必不可少的。 对于提供博客服务� ��其是已经或正在� �成的博客门户网站 来说，更应该把握� ��容传播的主流，� �要对中国社会进步 、民主建设、知识� ��承、优秀文化传� �起到正面的作用， 避免在发展的进程� ��完全受商业利益� �使而迷失自我。