英语交流 今日: 0|主题: 2699|排名: 50 

最后发表： galloping
回复内容：
如标题

最后发表： 麦琪
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这个正确，呵呵，是我上初中时的英语竞赛的题目。

最后发表： lisa2008
回复内容：
eg = for example
you may choose any two days of the week to come to work (e.g., Monday and Wednesday)
ie = in another words
you should work 5 days a week (i.e., from Monday to Friday)

最后发表： babyinair
回复内容：
我们口语老师说，口语就是shopping language，观点对不对无所谓，可着劲往上垒词儿就行。

最后发表： lull
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I attended this course in June 2009. I am PR with concession card and the fee is $96, no furthur concession discount.
To 475 Visa holder is over $2000, I think it is very expensive for such one-month course.

最后发表： xblues
回复内容：
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/1 ... ner=rss&emc=rss



Shiho Fukada for The New York Times
Mick Zomnir, 20, a rising junior at M.I.T., landed a summer internship at JFP in Beijing.

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By HANNAH SELIGSON
Published: August 10, 2009
    BEIJING — Shanghai and Beijing are becoming newlands of opportunity for recent American college graduates who faceunemployment nearing double digits at home.
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Shiho Fukada for The New York Times
Joshua Arjuna Stephens, a 2007 graduate of Wesleyan University, works in Beijing for XPD Media, which makes online games.

   

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   Eventhose with limited or no knowledge of Chinese are heeding the call.They are lured by China’s surging economy, the lower cost of living anda chance to bypass some of the dues-paying that is common to first jobsin the United States.
“I’ve seen a surge of young people comingto work in China over the last few years,” said Jack Perkowski, founderof Asimco Technologies, one of the largest automotive parts companiesin China.
“When I came over to China in 1994, that was thefirst wave of Americans coming to China,” he said. “These young peopleare part of this big second wave.”
One of those in the latest wave is  Joshua Arjuna Stephens, who graduated from Wesleyan Universityin 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in American studies. Two years ago, hedecided to take a temporary summer position in Shanghai with ChinaPrep, an educational travel company.
“I didn’t know anythingabout China,” said Mr. Stephens, who worked on market research andprogram development. “People thought I was nuts to go not speaking thelanguage, but I wanted to do something off the beaten track.”
Twoyears later, after stints in the nonprofit sector and at a large publicrelations firm in Beijing, he is highly proficient in Mandarin andworks as a manager for XPD Media, a social media company based inBeijing that makes online games.
Jonathan Woetzel, a partnerwith McKinsey & Company in Shanghai who has lived in China sincethe mid-1980s, says that compared with just a few years ago, he wasseeing more young Americans arriving in China to be part of anentrepreneurial boom. “There’s a lot of experimentation going on inChina right now, particularly in the energy sphere, and when people areyoung they are willing to come and try something new,” he said.
Andthe Chinese economy is more hospitable for both entrepreneurs and jobseekers, with a gross domestic product that rose 7.9 percent in themost recent quarter compared with the period a year earlier.Unemployment in urban areas is 4.3 percent, according to governmentdata.
Grace Hsieh, president of the Yale Club in Beijing and a2007 graduate, says she has seen a rise in the number of Yale graduateswho have come to work in Beijing since she arrived in China two yearsago. She is working as an account executive in Beijing for Hill &Knowlton, the public relations company.
Sarabeth Berman, a 2006 graduate of Barnard Collegewith a major in urban studies, initially arrived in Beijing at the ageof 23 to take a job that would have been difficult for a person her ageto land in the United States: program director at BeijingDance/LDTX,the first modern dance company in China to be founded independently ofthe government.
Ms. Berman said she was hired for herfamiliarity with Western modern dance rather than a knowledge of China.“Despite my lack of language skills and the fact that I had noexperience working in China, I was given the opportunity to manage thetouring, international projects, and produce and program our annualBeijing Dance Festival.”
After two years of living and workingin China, Ms. Berman is proficient in Mandarin. She travels throughoutChina, Europe and the United States with the dance company.
WillyTsao, the artistic director of BeijingDance/LDTX, said he had hired Ms.Berman because of her ability to make connections beyond China. “Ineeded someone who was capable of communicating with the Western world.”
Anotherdynamic in the hiring process, Mr. Tsao says, is that Westerners canoften bring skills that are harder to find among the Chinese.
“Sarabethis always taking initiative and thinking what we can do,” he said,“while I think the more standard Chinese approach is to take orders.”He says the difference is rooted in the educational system. “In Chineseschools students are encouraged to be quiet and less outspoken; itfosters a culture of listening more than initiating.”
Mr.Perkowski, who spent almost 20 years on Wall Street before heading toChina, says many Chinese companies are looking to hire native Englishspeakers to help them navigate the American market.
“I’mworking with a company right now that wants me to help them find youngAmerican professionals who can be their liaisons to the U.S.,” he said.“They want people who understand the social and cultural nuances of theWest.”
Mr. Perkowski’s latest venture, JFP Holdings, a merchantbank based in Beijing, has not posted any job openings, but hasreceived more than 60 résumés; a third are from young people in theUnited States who want to come work in China, he said.
Mick Zomnir, 20, a soon-to-be junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,is working as a summer intern for JFP. “As things have gotten moredifficult in the U.S., I started to think about opportunitieselsewhere,” he said. He does not speak Chinese but says he will beginstudying Mandarin when he returns to M.I.T. in the fall.
A bigdraw of working in China, many young people say, is that they feel itallows them to skip a rung or two on the career ladder.
Ms.Berman said: “There is no doubt that China is an awesome place tojump-start your career. Back in the U.S., I would be intern No. 3 atsome company or selling tickets at Lincoln Center.”
Forothers, like Jason Misium, 23, China has solved the cash flow problemof starting a business. After graduating with a degree in biology from Harvardin 2008, Mr. Misium came to China to study the language. Then hestarted Sophos Academic Group, an academic consulting firm that workswith Chinese students who want to study in the United States.
“It’s China’s fault that I’m still here,” he said. “It’s just so cheapto start a business.” It cost him the equivalent of $12,000, which hehad in savings, he said.
Among many young Americans, the Chinaexit strategy is a common topic of conversation. Mr. Stephens, Ms.Berman and Mr. Misium all said they were planning to return to theUnited States eventually.
Mr. Woetzel of McKinsey said workexperience in China was not an automatic ticket to a great job backhome. He said it was not a marker in the same way an Ivy League education:  “The mere fact of just showing up and working in China and speaking Chinese is not enough.”
That said, Mr. Woetzel added, someone who has been able to make a  mark in China is a valuable hire.
“AtMcKinsey, we are looking for people who have demonstrated leadership,”he said, “and working in a context like China builds character,requires you to be a lot more entrepreneurial and forces you toinnovate.”

最后发表： lisa2008
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Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometers south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay. Two runways of Sydney Airport extend into the bay.
On 29 April 1770, Botany Bay was the site of James Cook's first landing of HMS Endeavour on the continent of Australia, after his extensive navigation of New Zealand. Later the British planned Botany Bay as the site for a penal colony. Out of these plans came the first European habitation of Australia at Sydney Cove.




[ 本帖最后由 lisa2008 于 11-8-2009 20:37 编辑 ]

最后发表： Holisong
回复内容：
correction--THIS MAKES THE ECONOMY GROWTH SLOWS DOWN) should be "THIS MAKES THE ECONOMY GROWTH SLOW (NOT SLOWS DOWN)

最后发表： diydiy
回复内容：
不明白LSd 意思

最后发表： diydiy
回复内容：
谢谢LZ 也为自己加油

最后发表： 毛桩桩
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最后发表： sunyi_yx06
回复内容：
drug killer rape  sex bottom dick rectal

[ 本帖最后由 sunyi_yx06 于 7-8-2009 15:31 编辑 ]

最后发表： 毛桩桩
回复内容：
英文不熟，中文总是可以总结的吧？

最后发表： bigfootcow
回复内容：
有rather这个词，应该翻译成：“我宁可（或愿意）把问题看简单化点。”

最后发表： naughtybaby
回复内容：
idiot@#@#!
最受不了英文张嘴都讲不清还跳出来说自己介于牛A和牛C之间的人

欧盟口译，naati etc，都是地区性个口译考试罢了，我认识许多考过的也不见谁像这人一样拿去吹嘘

最后发表： stophen
回复内容：
如果想学地道英音，牛津高级英英更好，可以从Verycd下第7版。

最后发表： mite
回复内容：
好书 要读原版

最后发表： bindy
回复内容：
我也遇到跟lz一样的困惑，我还没毕业，六级擦边刚刚过，现在自学中，我想最后报个考前班突击下就好了吧，听说机经预测总是很准~~ 希望以后多交流啊~~

最后发表： jonasonw
回复内容：
下面两本书是用来配合学习新概念英语1册的。
用过这两本书的同学，给点介绍和对比。它们哪本要好一些，或者是各自的针对性是什么？
谢谢。

朗文外研社版新概念英语同步测试卷1
http://product.dangdang.com/product.aspx?product_id=9104560

朗文外研社版新概念英语(1)练习册
http://product.dangdang.com/product.aspx?product_id=67086

最后发表： sssddw
回复内容：

最后发表： wstsoil
回复内容：
听朋友说乐知英语还不错，容易激发孩子学习热情，推荐去看看，免费试听地址是http://www.hiknow.com/sessionhall.html

最后发表： yu_haihong
回复内容：
试听了一下，乐知，我觉得还不错，但从口语课来说，个人还是比较喜欢EF的english town

最后发表： laysman
回复内容：
听老外说是最好的学习Speaking Grammar的书，我摘录了其中的核心部分，学习效果不错
推荐给大家。

最后发表： tina-go
回复内容：
CHICKY?

最后发表： chubbycat
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Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio


To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the lessons below that life taught
me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone..
8. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
9. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

10. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
11. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
12. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. Treasure this moment!
13. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
14. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
15. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
16. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
17. Today is special. Today is the moment!
18. Over prepare, and then go with the flow.
19. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
20. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
21. Forgive everyone everything.
22. What other people think of you is none of your business.
23. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
24. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
25. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
26. Believe in miracles.
27. Your children get only one childhood.
28. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
29. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
30. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
31. The best is yet to come.
32. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
33. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

最后发表： beny
回复内容：
非常好呀

最后发表： zgkjyang
回复内容：
《中国科教创新导刊》杂志征稿


   中国核心期刊（遴选）数据库收录期刊　　　中国学术期刊中国（光盘版）收录期刊

统一刊号：CN11-5599/N        ISSN 1673-9795
（国际标准大16开本，全彩铜版印刷）

  《中国科教创新导刊》是由中华人民共和国科技部主管、中国科学技术信息研究所、科学技术文献出版社主办的面向广大教育、科技工作者的国家级学术刊物。旨在推广科教新理论、新经验，为广大教育、科研工作者提供学术交流平台，推动科教事业发展。国内统一刊号：CN11-5599/N，ISSN 1673-9795；邮发代号：80-616

本刊已被《中国核心期刊（遴选）数据库》、《中国学术期刊（光盘版）》、《万方数据数字化期刊群》等网络媒体收录。

【办刊宗旨】
本刊坚持国家科技创新，教育创新方针，深入研究、预测报道科教创新发展的现状以及改革热点、焦点；广泛探讨、交流科教工作中的优点；多方位、多层次介绍科教创新的前沿性内容。

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最后发表： adrian1
回复内容：
楼上说的乐知英语口碑不错，我儿子现在就在那里学的，推荐去看看

最后发表： mysoul
回复内容：
希望大家能回忆回忆自己的工作场景，留下你认为比较有用的句子和大家分享。。

最后发表： binbenban
回复内容：
谢谢lz！不过这个好像不是“澳洲”英文哦

最后发表： franksy
回复内容：
楼上说地乐知英语可以免费试听的，昨天晚上去听过了，很不错。http://www.hiknow.com/sessionhall.html

最后发表： nizi
回复内容：

最后发表： 超级小懒
回复内容：
Thanx

最后发表： rosanna
回复内容：

哈哈哈哈哈哈 矜持

最后发表： MillerYang
回复内容：
经常在电影里听说D-day，原来是六六大顺阿。。。

最后发表： MillerYang
回复内容：
Thank you very much!

最后发表： MillerYang
回复内容：
androcentrism
i got it from Lingoes, but don't know how to pronounce it...

最后发表： st62461
回复内容：
你在哪呀？

最后发表： franksy
回复内容：
乐知英语有去试听过几次，感觉模式不错。http://www.hiknow.com/sessionhall.html

最后发表： mite
回复内容：
Ethnic Clashes in China: Uighurs vs. Han Chinese
Government to Seek Death Penalty for Perpetrators of Violence
  
Uighur women grieve for their men who they claim were taken away by Chinese authorities after Sunday's protest in Urumqi, China, Tuesday, July 7 , 2009. Urumqi was tense Tuesday, with protests happening in several parts of the city and both Han Chinese and Uighur groups facing off with armed police. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) (Ng Han Guan - AP)

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Sean Roberts
Director, International Development Studies Program and Cultural Anthropologist, George Washington University
Wednesday, July 8, 2009; 1:00 PM

The Chinese government blanketed Urumqi, the capital of China's far western Xinjiang region, with 20,000 new security troops on Wednesday, as thousands of residents began to flee following the deadly ethnic clashes that erupted over the weekend.

This Story
Security Troops Blanket Chinese City
The Mother of the Uighur Movement
In Wake of Turmoil In China, Minorities Face Painful Options
: Ethnic Clashes in China: Uighurs vs. Han Chinese
A Guide to China's Ethnic Groups
Uighur Protesters March in Washington
Ethnic Clashes in China Lead to Riots
Uighur Protesters March in Washington
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The unrest has become a major challenge for this country's Communist leaders. In a sign of their growing concern about the situation, President Hu Jintao canceled plans to attend the Group of Eight summit in Italy and rushed home early Wednesday.

Sean Roberts, director of the International Development Studies Program at George Washington University, who has been studying the Uighurs for about 20 years and who has authored numerous articles about the Uighur communities of Kazakhstan and China, was online Wednesday, July 8, at 1 p.m. ET to talk about the conflict.

In an e-mail interview with washingtonpost.com, Roberts said, "The current unrest in Xinjiang is another chapter in a long history of tensions between Han Chinese and Uighurs, but it is mostly the result of the frustrations experienced by Uighurs over the last decade as the rapid pace of Chinese development in the region has brought scores of Han Chinese migrants to Xinjiang and has displaced Uyghurs from their traditional livelihoods and communities. While the violence that has emerged on both sides of the conflict is shocking, the most surprising aspect of the events may be that the tensions had not boiled over into direct confrontations until now."

____________________

Sean Roberts: Hello, my name is Sean Roberts, and I have been studying Uyghurs for about 20 years.

While many people are shocked at the violence transpiring in Xinjiang presently, I may be more surprised that the tension between Han Chinese and Uyghurs has not boiled over into such mass violence until now.

In general, I see this violence as an outgrowth of processes which have been ongoing in Xinjiang for the last decade. During that time, China has invested more in the development of this region than anytime previously. In doing so, however, they have largely excluded the Uyghurs from the decision-making process. Furthermore, this development has brought many Han Chinese to the region seeking their fortunes, which has served to displace many Uyghurs from their traditional communities and livelihoods.

Finally, political repression that became more pronounced during the later 1990s in Xinjiang intensified following September 11, 2001. With the advent of the Global War on Terror, the Chinese state has increasingly justified more brutal crackdowns on Uyghur political dissent as part of its contribution to the Global War on Terror. At the same time, Han Chinese coming to the region to seek their fortunes in China's continued development boom do not understand the Uyghurs' dissatisfaction or the violent response this dissatisfaction has elicited.

____________________

Chestnut Hill, Mass.: How long has the rivalry between Uighurs and Han Chinese existed for and why did it start?

Sean Roberts: The tension between Han Chinese and Uyghurs has a long history reaching back at least 250 years. While Xinjiang's history remains contentious, I generally subscribe to the interpretation that the Qing dynasty first colonized Xinjiang in the 1750s. This resulted in a substantial resistance movement that continued to fight against Qing rule for decades. In the late 19th century, a revolt pushed the Qing out of the region for several years, and in the 1930s and 1940s Uyghur attempts to establish sovereign states in the region resulted in short-term independent states in areas of Xinjiang. In this sense, what is happening today has a very long history.

_______________________

Uighur passerby: What are the characteristics of a Uighur that make them so identifiable to the Han Chinese?

Sean Roberts: The Uyghurs are a Turkic speaking Muslim people who share more culturally and historically with people to the west of Xinjiang, particularly in former Soviet Central Asia, than they do with the Han Chinese. Physically, Uyghurs do not look like Han Chinese. Their physical types are much more diverse given that Central Asia has long been a crossroads of civilizations, and they have many European physical characteristics that would likely distinguish them from the Han.

_______________________

Brooklyn, N.Y.: Why is the unrest in Xinjiang being portrayed as "rioting" by "angry Uighurs" in U.S. media? When a people are as oppressed as Uighurs in China are, I would think the word to use would be "protesting." Furthermore, there is no confirmation that the violence is predominantly one-sided by Uighur protesters, and not reciprocated or exacerbated or even initiated by Han vigilante groups.

Today's Times article about the violence (which has commenting disabled) states in one paragraph that "angry Uighurs attacked Han civilians," while in the very next sentence admitting, "Government officials declined Tuesday to give an ethnic breakdown of the dead." Earlier in the article, they quoted a horribly unreliable source: "one Han family member who reviewed photos of the dead, seeking to identify a relative, said in an interview that the great majority of the photographs were of Han victims."

Why is the U.S. media siding with the oppressive Chinese government and portraying this struggle for freedom and basic human rights in China as mob violence? What is the U.S. really going to gain by refusing to take a hard stance on these violations and not making good on its word to be a leader in this world?

washingtonpost.com: China Official Threatens Death Penalty After Riots (The New York Times, July 8)

Sean Roberts: Well, the problem is likely that we still do not have enough information to know exactly what happened. I, for example, also have a question from somebody asking the opposite - why is the U.S. media so sympathetic to the Uyghurs? I think part of the problem is that the Uyghurs have no ability to organize politically inside Xinjiang - thus, this was likely a spontaneous protest that spiraled out of control. My guess is that the Chinese security forces responded to the protest with force, as they have in the past. As a result, the Uyghur protesters then became violent and allegedly did attack Han bystanders. Essentially, however, I agree that it is not accurate to excuse the Chinese state for its role in creating this violence. Not only did their response to the protest probably trigger the violence, but the policies of the PRC towards Uyghurs for the last 20 years and more has created the frustration that pushed the protesters to become violent. Let us remember that even the Tibetan protests last summer turned violent despite the fact that Tibetans are so often viewed as peaceful and non-violent.

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Washington, D.C.: Seems like the same thing that is happening in Tibet. However, the violence appears to be between the Tibetans and the military, not necessarily the civilian Han Chinese, is this correct?

Sean Roberts: If I remember correctly, last summer in Tibet, Han bystanders were also attacked as well as Chinese owned stores. So, I think there is little difference. The major difference I do see here, however, is that Han Chinese mobs have joined in the violence as well, which did not happen in Tibet.

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Brooklyn, N.Y.: Dr. Roberts,

For those of us who are angry and hurt by the crackdown on Uighur religious, civil, and property rights in Xinjiang, and by the state violence against Uighurs that will surely follow these demonstrations, how would you recommend that we do something to make a difference? What organizations have you seen that do outstanding work on this issue and who in the US government would you say to call to share our understanding of the problem? There is no reason that the situation of Uighurs in Xinjiang cannot attain the same level of international awareness of the Tibetans, the Iranian protesters, or the Tiananmen Square marchers, we just need to make it so. But how do we start?

Many thanks.

Sean Roberts: You are quite correct in pointing out that the Uyghurs have fair

Sean Roberts: The Uyghurs do have less of a presence politically on the international stage. That being said, the Uyghur World Congress, which the Chinese are blaming for organizing the disturbances in Xinjiang (I believe unjustifiably), has become more active in recent years under the leadership of Rabiya Kadeer. In the US, the Uyghur American Association also advocates for Uyghur rights in China, and a related organization called the Uyghur Human Rights Project reports on human rights abuses from a non-partisan position. In Congress, Representative Delahunt of MA has recently raised questions about the Uyghurs' problems in China in the context of hearings about the Uyghurs who had been held in Guantanamo Bay. There are also many Uyghur groups now on social networking sites, such as Facebook. Until somebody with a substantial international profile takes up the cause, however, it will likely still not receive the attention that the Tibetans receive.

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Fairfax, Va.: It seems that Ms Kadeer advocate Uighurs "self-determination" in an very large and ethnically mixed area along with demanding more religious and cultural freedom. Of course there is the question of question of who are there first. What should the position of U.S. government on this issue given that her operation is largely funded by Endowment for democracy? Also what are your thoughts on her complaints about the Chinese immigration has taken Uighurs jobs and diluted her culture? Is it justified to complain about these issue in today's global environment?

Sean Roberts: You pose some very interesting questions. There is always the question of the onward march of modernization and the unfortunate casualties of that process. As an anthropologist, I do not believe that any state should have the right to trample over indigenous cultures for the good of modernization. Rather, I believe that sustainable forms of development can be achieved that respect the rights of indigenous groups. The situation of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang could be compared, for example, to that of the native Americans in America's west in the 19th century. Just because that happened at the hands of the United States, however, does not make it right or an excuse for similar processes to take place elsewhere. With regards to the issue of self-determination, it is interesting to note that most self-determination movements in Xinjiang have explicitly chose not to advocate Uyghur sovereignty. Rather, they use the term Eastern Turkestan to refer to Xinjiang in an attempt to advocate for a multi-ethnic Turkic autonomy.

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San Francisco, Calif.: I find it disturbing that the media has been portraying the Chinese security forces as high handed and arbitrary. From what I have read, the Uighurs rioted and killed people. Some Hans retaliated and killed people. Around 80 percent of the casualties have been Han, so around 80 percent of the arrests have been Uighur. How is this high handed/arbitrary? Regardless of what is the ultimate cause, what is the media's expectation of the results? Are security forces not allowed to calm the city down and arrest murderers?

Sean Roberts: Please refer to one of the questions above where I answered somebody accusing the US media of not being sympathetic enough with the Uyghurs. I do question whether the Chinese security forces had a proper response during the initial protests. Reports do suggest that they have been more responsible in making sure that the violence does not escalate into an ongoing bloody riot between Hans and Uyghurs. But, the truth is that we do not have enough information to understand the whole picture. Also, these specific incidents of street violence cannot be viewed in isolation with disregard for the policies of the Chinese state in Xinjiang over the last twenty years.

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Washington, D.C.: How should the international community respond to this particular event and what kind of message should the U.S. government send to the Chinese government as well as Uighurs in Xinjiang?

Sean Roberts: The lack of clarity in what has been transpiring makes it difficult for the US or the international community to comment. That being said, I think there should be urges for calm accompanied by calls on the Chinese government to allow freedom of expression in Xinjiang and to address the underlying socio-economic and political issues that have caused so much frustration among Uyghurs in the region. It would be useful, for example, to encourage a dialogue between Uyghur diaspora groups and the Chinese government like that has been forged between the Dali Lama and China. That being said, it seems that little has been accomplished along these lines for the Tibetans either. In the end, many of the issues that are at the heart of the problems in Xinjiang and Tibet relate to China's refusal to adopt a more democratic system of governance that would allow for legal and peaceful means for disenfranchised people to voice their desires.

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Washington, D.C.: Is there any chance that these recent tensions, combined with recent greater market freedoms in Chinese cities, will result in an actual challenge to the Chinese Communist Party? Will the emerging Chinese middle class look upon these events and demand more political freedoms? Or will the Uighurs simply be suppressed and the entire conflict will lead to nothing? I am reminded of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, which many international observers predicted would result in a real challenge to the Communist Party, which of course did not actually prove to be the case. But the situation is very different today, since there is a much stronger, more globalized middle class in the cities with greater access to international media, and political reforms usually come from the educated middle classes, not from angry peasants.

Sean Roberts: This is a very interesting question indeed. To date, Chinese democracy advocates have not tended to forge direct solidarity with ethnic minority groups like the Uyghurs and Tibetans. That being said, I do believe that a new generation of Han Chinese who are increasingly exposed to the international arena may begin to understand why they need to empower minorities inside China to have more political and cultural autonomy. These tendencies, however, are also counterbalanced by a growing Han Chinese nationalism in the country as we saw last year when Han students studying in the US reacted so negatively to Tibetan protests during the Olympics. Unfortunately, I think these problems will not be resolved soon, but I also think that - until they are - they will continue to create substantial problems for the Chinese state and the CCP.

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Anonymous: What sect of Islam are the Uighurs, generally? Do the Muslim fanatics in the middle east spend any time or energy on the Uighurs' cause?

Sean Roberts: Uyghurs are mostly Sunni Muslims, but they are also many Sufi sects in Xinjiang. Generally, the Chinese government has been quite diligent in preventing middle eastern countries from fostering fundamentalism, and particularly political Islam, among the Uyghurs. China has established close ties with Pakistan and continually addresses this issue with the Pakistani leadership. Likewise, China has established critical economic relations with the Arab states, especially through oil deals, which helps to discourage any Arab support for Uyghur separatism.

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Farifax, Va.: Dr. Roberts, Why most of the media interview only Han Chinese residents, while there is no single Uighur resident being interviewed or expressing his/her opinion via media? Thank you.

Sean Roberts: I believe this is largely because Uyghurs fear being interviewed, especially for broadcast media. Uyghurs in Xinjiang who speak with journalists or scholars are often subjected to interrogation by local authorities.

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Vienna, Va.: Dear Sean:

The Soviet Union saw an influx of ethnic Uighur refugees during China's cultural revolution. If violence is to continue, is there the possibility of Uighurs fleeing to neighboring Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan? What about the involvement of the Uighur diaspora in those countries? Are they at all able to influence the situation in Xinjiang?

Eric

Sean Roberts: In the early 1990s, the Central Asian states showed more sympathy to the Uyghurs in China than they do now. As a result of a series of agreements with China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and other Central Asian states have increasingly discouraged Uyghurs from taking part in political activities on their territory. In recent years, for example, these countries have extradited Uyghurs who have fled China at the request of the Chinese state. Uzbekistan even extradited a Uyghur Canadian citizen who was visiting relatives in Uzbekistan. Thus, it is difficult to say what would happen if the violence really spiraled that out of control. In the 1960s, however, there is evidence that the Chinese willfully allowed Uyghurs to flee to the Soviet Union. Perhaps the Chinese state would not be opposed to many Uyghurs fleeing now.

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Baltimore, Md.: Do you think that the violence and protests are confined to Urumqi or are there protests occurring all over Xinjiang?

Sean Roberts: It is difficult to say. There have been reports of various disturbances outside Urumqi, but it does not appear to me that there are any international correspondents in these different cities. Thus, there is not much reliable information about the scope of the unrest around the region.

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