Dear Jaime

Are you new in China ??

Of course, the MOR cannot grant you such interview as they had to admit the disastrous security level of the raiways (and many other
services). The main problem in spring was not only a Railway issue,
but the supply of electricity, due to High Voltage Power lines with
low quality insulators, which provoke short circuits in the lines under
heavy rain or snow. Corrupt manufacturers and suppliers delivered such to yhe also corrupt tElectricty utilities !!

And the "farmer" who made such phantastic break trroughs ??

You (or CNN) were lucky that you refused to pay, as this would have
been the last what you would have heard of this.

If you wish some other info regarding Chinese procedures, please
ciontact me !!

TOM

good questions, keep trying.

thanks

The MOR would not want to re-visit the past, unless they can show progress. They have a certain way of marketing themselves. With regards to the robot story, many in China, and Taiwan for that matter, are very capable, but they have know idea how to market their product. That may be where your story lies, not with farmer Wu and his parasitic family members, but with they idea of "marketing" in greater China.

Wu's wife is an excellent example of the real comtemperory chinese. Wu might make himself a celebrity in the village by building robots, but he as everyother farmer in China still needs to feed his family. In a society flooded with materialism, the need for innovation will be quenched by the need for better housing or even bread if there is no return.

This is a really sad reality in china, everyone is so busy making as much money as he can. And for those people like Wu, who devote their time other than making money but making value and dream, there is simply no appreciation coming from the government or society.

Thank you for your story on a typical day in China. I am very suprised from reading your second story about the interview with Wu Yulu. I actually heard about him while I was in China. The Beijing Local Channel (BTV2) did an interview on him not too long ago. I am just suprised that how money driven they were to you, but they didn't not rebuff the BTV. I guess the communist government still is what the people fears for.

I am sure that you must be very dissappointed about not able to get them done, but I hope you learnt about China from a hard way. This is China, no morality, no humility, no sense of appreciation or an idel of sharing. The only force that drives the people in their daily lives including the poors, the riches, and the government officials, is the money from the devil.

What you experienced is not uncommon at all. In point of fact, it's the norm there, sad to say.

To Tom,

Are you sure you really know the real reason of the problem in Spring 08.

You only got right on the first point. Yes, it is mainly a electricity problem rather than the railway issues. but it is not due to High Voltage Power lines with low quality insulators. It is basically because of the unprecedented cold weather in the southern part of China, which cause the Power lines frozen with heavy ice and eventually crashed the Power Towers causing power disruption in large area. As the power supply down, the railway transport was down.

huge country always has some problems especially in China, largest population on the planet, transportation always encounter problems, but I hope and believe there are improving everyday.

To Sam

then there should be nothing to scare of when talking to the press, after all, doesn't china want to tell the whole world that it is making progress everyday, scientifically and ethically, and a country that the whole world can count on??

Wu's robots?? yeah right, tell us more about it.

I think the reason why your interview request is rejected is because MOR and the farmer's family don't like to be interviewed by CNN. Not just because they are busy. Everyone has the right to refuse such an interview, they are just refusing in their own way.

Chinese people have their own way of life.. why do cnn try to
judge them with cnn norms.. or see them through their glasses.
If one wants to intervew or write a story there, then first must send
someone who can understand them and understand the way they
do things.
China, people and goverment, are no different from other nations,
but the way they live and think is different, just like thier language.

guys!
Think out of the box.

China, land of opaqueness. Even here in Hong Kong, which nominally has an "open" government, the number of brick walls you can encounter with anything government related is frightening.

When I was in Beijing, I could easily book a train ticket from New York to Boston half a month ahead via the US Amtrak online booking system sitting in the comfort of my sofa, but have to wait in long queue outside the Beijing train station in freezing winter, keeping my fingers crossed that there would be one ticket left for me. While I always had bad experience purchasing train ticket in China, I tried to understand in a way that this phenomenon is simply due to the huge demand for tickets especially in holiday seasons and the limited transportation capacity, a basic economics problem of supply in short of demand. Given the large population and the Chinese tradition of going back home to unite with the family in new year and spring festival, the problem will recur every year if the total transportation capacity could not enlarge to meet the demand.

this story is priceless! so many "technical difficulties" - even on the smallest things ....

perhaps you need to codify these into a "30 years of covering china" book!

Maybe the MOR was really busy. Maybe they did not trust that CNN could give them an objective and fair coverage. Or maybe they were not good at PR.

As to Mrs. Wu, she is a farmer's wife and probably did not know who CNN was and did not know how to take advance of the free marketing. She has a lot to learn from Dalai Lama.

What?! Oh, no! Jamie FlorCruz, did they make your life miserable?

I remember, about ten years ago, Donald Sutherland, the actor of the biographic movie, Bethune complained about the hardship in China playing the hero. Sr. Sutherland complained he had no proper toilet to defecate. How about yours? Tell us about the toilet story next time.

Sutherland is a movie star, so he complained. Is CNN going to give you a promotion if you complain like this? This is the time of economic crisis and recession, not everybody has work. So be careful with your complaints. Is this a good time to ask for more?

Get out there quickly. When natural disasters happen (like the earth quake), you want to survive, don't you? You ain't a star anyway, so why don't you come back to ride the sub?

AnonymousMan,

Have you ever thought about how many Bernard Madoff are out there? In a land of transparent, you can only find one or two once awhile. Your grandpas' saving were stolen by these transparent guys. Go and count your account and see how much has been stolen! Or they are transparent, you are blind (or no brain).

You are not transparent yourself as the AnonymousMan, aren't you? And blind (lost your grandpa's saving to Bernard Madoff). Or you are trying to duck as Bernard Madoff?

Alan, I agree. They probably all would refuse because they have really got to know CNN. These people had it – unbiased prejudential reporting by now!

If they all refuse, Jamie FlorCruz can change his job. How about try something on Wall Street and reporting the stolen 50 billion dollars by Bernard Madoff. It is his Papas' and Mamas' retirement funds were stolen after all. These are poor elderly people's life savings. These old people can never make it back because not much time left. Jamie FlorCurz, the younger man, should go and save his Papa and Mama's savings! Or he may protect his own not be stolen in the future at least. Anyho, complaints about Wu does not help, doesn't it?

Vivian, lets face it – both Bernard Madoff and you are chasing the money (dollars) printed by the Fed, so is Wu. How do you found out that you have morality and he does not?

It's well known that China is a primitive society and the people cannot hide their greed, a newly learned desire. Those who are civilized like Bernard Madoff, Vivian, et al. always are morally superior, even after stealing estimated 50 billions dollars. For these people, the greed is not learned but just an instinct, right, Vivian? So your greed is not a moral issue. I like that!

But do you realized what Bernard Madoff stole also includes your Papa and Mama's life saving? Are you feeling alright, Vivian? Your family's money is missing. What the heck! It's all from the devil anyho, right, Vivian? China makes it, and you and Madoff steal it. Heh, heh, the devil feels alright.

Things become transparent when the money is all gone. Vivian, what's your make of this one?

According to CNN:

She used to lunch at the Four Seasons. Now the best-selling author jokes that she's inviting friends to Taco Bell. Call it gallows humor, but Alexandra Penney has just lost her life's savings. She invested every penny with accused Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff.

Fox News:

"HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — The sister of a girl who was allegedly molested and impregnated four times by their father says she wanted to end her pain.

"My dad was doing all this crazy stuff," the 18-year-old told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday. "I got fed up with it until I finally ran my mouth. ... I couldn't see my sister suffer anymore. That's why I wanted ..."

Vivian, humans sometimes do things that animals don't. And animals don't talk nonsense.