Another love-hate relationship with Bill Gates.
China is planning to launch a manned space mission next week and to say that I am not surprised will be an utter lie.
Almost everybody received a slap in the face once China announced it. The shock came not as jealousy but as pure unexpected development. Of course, China and a few other countries such as Japan have declared their intention of joining the elite space-faring group in the past few years. However, most people would have placed a bet on Japan as the next nation to experience zero gravity; few had anticipated China.
Though I am delighted to hear China’s intention, I feel China is taking too fast a step at a time.
The announcement came barely two weeks before the actual planned launch date. Furthermore, according to the Chinese press, the candidate for the taikonout (or taikonouts but essentially, an equivalence of cosmonaut and the astronaut) was (or were) chosen a few months (it might be just weeks) ago. Usually in the US, it takes the pilot and the crew months of training before undertaking such mission. Although the public is given the impression that China is prepared, I doubt the pilot, or the crew is. Worse, China has conducted only four unmanned space missions with its Shenzhou IV craft.
Thus, I come to a conclusion that though this is a great development to reignite the space race, it is merely propaganda at work. If you don’t believe me, consider this one fact – the launch will somewhat coincide with the Communist Party assembly of which opened yesterday. At the same time, the assembly is being held in closed door in secret. No significant news has leaked yet. Perhaps the announcement came in as a distraction, to sway the public away from the current political development.
In any case, I wish China the best of luck. I wish China’s space program doesn’t suffer the same setbacks as the American, the Russian, the European and the Brazilian had suffered in the past.
p/s – Congratulations to the Badgers for screwing up the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes deserve the loss. And to the Golden Gophers, maybe next year. LOLROTF.
35 – 38! Keep on dreaming, babeh! Dream very hard!
I’m still on hiatus but Californians, rebuff Schwarzenegger!
The Republican is certainly going to bow to the grey lobbyists’ pressure and overturns all the years of hard work done making California a green friendly state.
Imagine what Bush’s silly Healthy Forest Initiative will do to Yosemite!
Imagine a treeless national park!
Imagine Terminator’s future in California!
Imagine a Terminator on top!
Please, keep California golden and green. Don’t make it rusted and grey!
With a broken elbow, I find typing is a tiring task. Therefore, I will be on hiatus for about a month. Hopefully less.
In the mean time, I will try to find a few guest writers to keep this site running. Interested individual should leave a note here or e-mail me at mnoorsha[at]umich[dot]edu.
Until then, ciao.
p/s – Interestingly, even the Canadian and the French use ‘ciao’. I thought the expression was exclusively an Asian phenomena.
AFC Ajax Amsterdam 2 – 0 Club Brugge KV.
A job well done Ajax, a job well done. Hail to Sonck for scoring both goals. Kudos to Ibrahimovic for being the architect of the attacks. This resulted in Ajax securing the second spot, just below AC Milan who was held to a scoreless draw to Celta Vigo.
And, ehem…
Stuttgart 2 – 1 Manchester United. Two German goals in two minutes!
Other results:
Chelsea 0 – 2 Besiktas
FC Porto 1 – 3 Real Madrid
Lazio 2 – 2 Sparta Prague
Marseille 3 – 0 Partizan Belgrade
Panathinaikos 1 – 1 Rangers
Ajax striker Sonck’s double sinks Bruges
AMSTERDAM, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Wesley Sonck struck once in each half against his compatriots Club Bruges to give Ajax a 2-0 win in their Champions League Group H match on Wednesday.
The Belgium striker opened the scoring after 11 minutes when he received the ball just onside from Tomas Galasek and left Bruges goalkeeper Tomislav Butina with no chance.
Sonck doubled the lead nine minutes after the break when he picked up a defence-splitting cross from Wesley Sneijder in what looked like an offside position and again left Butina with no chance of making a save.
Ajax are second in the group with three points, one less than AC Milan, who drew 0-0 away to Celta Vigo in Spain.
Bruges almost equalised four minutes after the opening goal when Bengt Saeternes intercepted a sloppy pass from Petri Pasanen, but after he got past keeper Bogdan Lobont, French defender Julien Escude cleared his attempt off the line.
The Belgian Champions were missing two suspended and several injured players and were seldom able to threaten last season’s quarter-finalists seriously.
Ajax clean up with 2-0 win over Bruges
October 1, 2003
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AFP) – Ajax made up for their disappointing start to their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over close neighbours FC Bruges, both goals coming courtesy of Belgian Wesley Sonck.
In what was billed as a Champions League derby, Sonck claimed his first goal of the match in the 11th minute, and on the back of a spell of Ajax domination which almost saw them ahead as early as the fourth minute.
Shots by both Sonck and teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the sixth minute gave keeper Tomislav Butina some early work – and an indication of what was to follow.
Ajax coninued to dominate and Ibrahimovic was again involved ahead of Sonck’s opener, the Swede picking up a solid pass from Czech midfielder Tomas Galasek before backheeling it through the Belgian defence to find Sonck, who rolled the ball past Butina.
Bruges reacted quickly however and were unlucky not to level after Bengt Saeternes found himself in alone on Ajax keeper Bogdan Lobont. Saeternes’ shot was goalbound until it was cleared off the line by Julien Escude.
That was one of the rare Bruges occasions in the first half however as Ronald Koeman’s side reasserted control and kept the pressure on Butina with shots from Tom Soetaers in the 26th minute and Hatem Trabelsi shortly before the interval.
Bruges came out fired up for the second half and midfielder Ivan Gvozdenovic could only watch as his shot, following a corner that was glanced on by an Ajax boot, was collected by Lobont.
The visitors’ bid to claim at least a point from the Amsterdam ArenA however was brought to an end moments later when Sonck claimed his second of the match.
Ajax midfielder Wesley Sneijder found Sonck in plenty of space behind the Bruges defence, with the Belgian given time to advance and send a left-footed shot past Butina.
Having gone down 1-0 to AC Milan last week, Koeman will be happier with a result that leaves his former Dutch masters second in group H, with Milan aclaiming just a point from their scoreless draw at Celta Vigo.