Plug in now for party music

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By Chong Zi
Updated: 2008-09-02 07:42

Rub your eyes. Did we see a Democratic National Convention (DNC) brimming with flag-waving patriotism and the call of electoral unity? Why, yes, I believe we did. There was a vast array of banners on display out there. The convention goers thrusted their signs skywards ("Change", "Hillary", two-sided "No McCain/Obama for President"). All deployed at the proper time for the proper speech in between camera shots. The hard-hitting political speeches were not the only thing generating the DNC. The political elite were sharing the spotlight with another big hit: the music. The live performance given by Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and Will.I.Am turned the convention into an extended rock concert. Wow. Wonder what the Republicans are going to do this week.

Nielsen Media Research said Barack Obama's audience for his acceptance speech likely topped 40 million Americans - four playoff football games, including the Super Bowl between the Giants and Patriots, were seen by more than 40 million people. And the DNC was a situation not just for the US.

For the first time, the International Department of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC) sent two officials to the US to observe the Democratic and Republic conventions. They learned that China is not on the top of the agenda for the American voters. They care more about their economy, employment, medicare and their country's influence on the world. To be sure, the CPC is taking the initiative to exchange ideas with political parties outside China.

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Han Shiying, the head of Henan province's sports department, apologized for Henan athletes' goose egg in the Olympic golds. His goal for them before the Olympics: one gold was not embarrassing; two exciting; and three miraculous. But they let him down. Han claimed to "bear full responsibility for the failure". Phew. Sorry for what? In a gold medal-addicted country, his athletes' poor performance will deprive him of the chance to get promoted. Roselyne Bachelot, the French Minister of Health, Youth Affairs & Sports, looked weird at a cabinet meeting on August 27, wearing a formal dress with a pair of pink crocs shoes. She said she would do this way if the French delegation would collect 40 medals from the Beijing Olympics. Her way to cheer the French athletes up worked - they won exactly the number Bachelot gave. She walked her talk. Well, we don't have Bachelot's sense of humor in our blood, but we might as well take it easy. The Games was not just for medals. I know it is probably a forlorn hope. Macao's Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah presented the country's gold medalists a HK$10.6 million check on Sunday.

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Children are back to schools for a new semester. What should be the first lesson for them? The CCTV invited 24 middle school students who survived the earthquake in Sichuan province to show how to evacuate in case of an emergency. In one minute and 36 seconds more than 2,300 kids in Sangzao Middle School in Anxian county, Sichuan ran safely to the playground when the strong quake happened. Since 2005 the school has asked its students to practice evacuation once a week. Primary and middle schools will offer a course on emergency measures. A good start. The Sichuan earthquake was a heavy lesson that the whole country has learned with a heavy heart. We won't repeat mistakes if we try.

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Also back are more vehicles in Beijing. The restrictions on vehicles based on their even/odd license plate expired outside the fifth ring road last week. Get ready for more traffic - and more people coming back - in town after the Paralympics Games. The days when half of the city's cars were off the roads were spectacular.

(China Daily 09/02/2008 page8)