So, what's in the news here is that the aftershocks have created a very dangerous dam. If they can't move this displaced earth, a million people will be in jeopardy. It's being refered to on CNN as "Quake Lake," because, evidently, descriptions such as mine, above, aren't good enough. I'm expecting CNN, at any moment now, to come up with a great overall handle for what has happened. Something classy like "Sichuan Shakeup" (though they would misspell it "Szechuan," like the General Tsao's Chicken they get on 44th and Lexington). Or maybe "Rumble in the Jungle," playing on the handle of the great Ali prize fight of 30-ish years ago, though, clearly, Sichuan province isn't a jungle (but many CNN viewers couldn't find China, let alone Sichuan, on a map). Keep in mind that this is the same network that, tonight, called the story of the astronauts fixing their toilets "All Systems Go." I'm SO not lying - just saw it.
Later, at about 2am, I saw a CNN story that focused on foreign doctors coming to help in China. Now, before you start flipping out in my direction, let me state for the record that I completely adore Medecins Sans Frontieres. Amazing group. But that wasn't the focus of this story. It was on a few US doctors walking around makeshift mobile hospitals waving at little kids hooked up to IVs. No mention at all of the THOUSANDS of Chinese doctors who've temporarily given up their sources of revenue (and Chinese doctors may make one-onehundreth of an established US doctor) to help in Sichuan.
Remarkably frustrating. Listen, it's great when any doctor makes the trip to help anywhere in the world. Good on ya. But, really, I'm watching CNN in Beijing and, at the same time, hundreds of millions of others are watching the same news story. How many of them are equipped with filters strong enough to realize that just because it's on TV (especially CNN, "the world's most respected news source") doesn't mean that it's the definitive version of the truth. Or reality.
And then, as the night progresses and I return to Chinese TV, I began to see an intelligent pattern emerge in the work. It was very proactive - not at all haphazard. The rescue and cleanup effort here has been remarkable as, I'm sure, the rebuilding effort will be. This has been the anti-Katrina, with regional and central planning setting a clear path for the effort from day one.
It's as if those in charge reviewed their notes on Sun Tzu before they acted: "With careful and detailed planning, one can win; with careless and less detailed planning, one cannot win. How much more certain is defeat if one does not plan at all! From the way planning is done beforehand, we can predict victory or defeat." Sun Tzu, The Art of War
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