Pictures: 貂 (Marten)

Stone marten






A marten in snow

Pictures - Cottonwood poplars, etc.

Cottonwood poplars






Poplars

Pictures: Cottonwood poplars; etc.

Cottonwood poplars






Poplars

Pictures: Autumn bracken; etc.

Autumn bracken






Bracken in the woods

News stories: Attack of the iPhone killers; etc.

TELECOM

Cellphones

Attack of the iPhone killers

Last Updated: Monday, June 23, 2008 | 11:17 AM ET Comments0Recommend3

By Brian Caulfield Forbes

The BlackBerry Bold from Research In Motion is the first BlackBerry smartphone to support high-speed networks and comes with integrated GPS, Wi-Fi and a rich set of multimedia features. (Research in Motion)It's like a scene from a bad horror movie. Samsung and Research in Motion are among the companies trundling down the steps into the basement. And down there, waiting for them, is Apple chief executive Steve Jobs and his chainsaw collection. Dudes, don't go down there.

...

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/20/f-forbes-iphone.html
















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Google phones face delays: report

Last Updated: Monday, June 23, 2008 | 12:48 PM ET Comments0Recommend0

CBC News

Google wants to dominate the search and advertising businesses on mobile phones.

Google Inc.'s entry into the wireless market is facing delays, with cellphones based on its operating system unlikely to be released until the end of the year, a media report says.

The company was originally scheduled to have phones based on its open-source Android software for sale during the third quarter, but that has now slipped to the fourth quarter, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

Google has become bogged down with launching Android phones through T-Mobile USA, pushing back launches with Sprint Nextel in the United States and China Mobile, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/23/tech-android.html


















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BlackBerry outage scheduled for Sunday

Last Updated: Friday, June 20, 2008 | 6:32 PM ET Comments4Recommend18

CBC News

Unplanned BlackBerry outages, such as the one in February, often provoke outrage among users.

BlackBerry users will be out of luck early Sunday morning as a planned outage will leave them without service for about four hours.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/20/tech-blackberry.html?ref=rss


















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Spectrum auction inches closer to $4 billion

Last Updated: Friday, June 20, 2008 | 6:39 PM ET Comments13Recommend18

By Peter Nowak, CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/20/tech-spectrum.html?ref=rss






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McCain proposes $300M prize for breakthrough auto battery

Last Updated: Monday, June 23, 2008 | 9:08 AM ET Comments22Recommend16

The Associated Press

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/06/23/mccain-battery.html












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Internet monitoring a necessity: Sandvine

Last Updated: Thursday, June 19, 2008 | 12:14 PM ET Comments24Recommend45

By Peter Nowak CBC News

Sandvine CEO Dave Caputo loves bandwidth hogs, which he calls "consumption kings," because they are good for his business.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/19/tech-sandvine.html













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Bell ordered to publicly prove internet congestion

Last Updated: Friday, June 20, 2008 | 5:21 AM ET Comments71Recommend138

By Peter Nowak CBC News

Bell Canada's internet throttling practices have become a rallying point for net neutrality advocates. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/19/tech-bell.html?ref=rss













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Top court says BCE deal can go ahead

Last Updated: Friday, June 20, 2008 | 10:08 PM ET Comments26Recommend78

CBC News

Three-month trading in BCE stock on the TSX

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/06/20/bce-court.html?ref=rss












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Space agency continues astronaut search

Last Updated: Friday, June 20, 2008 | 3:59 PM ET Comments4Recommend5

By Paul Jay CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/20/science-space.html?ref=rss












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Passengers virtually stripped naked by 3-D airport scanner

Last Updated: Friday, June 20, 2008 | 1:48 PM ET Comments237Recommend187

CBC News

A passenger raises her hands above her head as she is scanned by the machine. (CBC)

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/20/bc-virtually-naked-airport-scanner.html?ref=rss













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Worldwide number of PCs tops 1 billion

Last Updated: Monday, June 23, 2008 | 10:07 AM ET Comments10Recommend6

CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/23/pcs-billion.html?ref=rss

Short videos: Tap Water Rules; etc.

Short videos:

Clean Water Revolution
Innovations from Lifestraw and PlayPumps are saving lives and attracting investors.

2008-06-19

http://www.forbes.com/video/?video=fvn/water08/hj_water06

















Click
"Tap Water Rules"
"Capturing Underwater Memories"
"Fearless Ecko"
"Small Business Health Care Woes"
"Gurus Go For Health Care"
at:
http://www.forbes.com/video/?video=fvn/water08/hj_water06

上图讲座近期安排: 城市交通的日新月异

演讲者： 李俊豪

纪念改革开放三十周年系列 城市交通的日新月异 主讲嘉宾：李俊豪 上海市城市规划管理局副总工程师 讲座时间：2008年6月29日（星期日）下午2:00 讲座地点：本馆正门四楼多功能厅 讲座代码：080604 背景简介： 过去的三十年里，上海城市交通发生了很大的变化，经历了重重困难，取得了令人瞩目的成果。 本次讲座，上海市城市规划管理局副总工程师李俊豪将以上海历次交通调查数据为基础，结合其长期从事交通规划工作的经验和感受，为大家展现上海城市交通发展 历程及其中的各种努力；同时还将分析目前城市交通进一步变化的趋势，存在的问题，以及应对思考，与大家共同探讨交通持续发展之路。 嘉宾简介： 李俊豪，上海市 城市规划管理局副总工程师。自1984年以来主要从事上海城市交通规划、研究工作，对上海的交通问题有比较深入的了解和见解。参与过上海高架道路、上海轨 道交通网络等重要基础设施规划编制，完成《上海中心城主次干道功能与建设方案深化研究》、《上海道路交通中长期发展研究》等项目，组织参与了《上海城市交 通白皮书》修编等交通政策和战略研究以及三次全市性综合交通调查。 听讲方式： 1. 馆内领票 自2008年6月19日起，本馆正门一楼总咨询台领票，领完为止。 2. 手机预订 移动、联通、小灵通手机用户发送“JZ□讲座代码□机主姓名”到“1062222255”（□表示空格或加号，请务必输入空格或加号）。 3. 网上预订 请注册并登陆上图讲座网，在“上图讲座近期安排”栏目进行预订。预订成功者请在讲座开讲前半小时到会场门口登记入场。 上图讲座网址：http://www.jiangzuo.org 或http://www.library.sh.cn/jiang

http://www.library.sh.cn/jiang/list/list.aspx?id=1963

胡锦涛 - The 2008 TIME 100

For your information: The author: Henry A. Kissinger = 基辛格

The 2008 TIME 100

Leaders & Revolutionaries

Kin Cheung / AFP / Getty

Hu Jintao

By Henry A. Kissinger


at
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733757_1735560,00.html

Article: The Five Mistakes (Hilary and Bill) Clinton Made

The Five Mistakes Clinton Made

Thursday, May. 08, 2008 By KAREN TUMULTY

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia, May 8, 2008.

Joe Raedle / Getty

-->

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1738331,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

News story - Mozilla Firefox 3 下载日顺利结束 当日下载破八百万

Mozilla Firefox 3下载日顺利结束 当日下载破八百万
2008.06.19 来自：TechChunch　 共有评论(63)条


Firefox 3下载日活动顺利完成，Mozilla预计下载量为五百万左右，然而24小时内实际下载量达到了惊人的八百三十万次，尽管以前没有下载量的世界纪录，但 Firefox这次的成功无疑给以后的记录冲击者设下了非常高的标杆。来自200多个国家的网友参加了这次活动，下载量排名前10的国家分别为：美国，德国，日本，西班牙，英国，法国，伊朗，意大利，加拿大及波兰。


看来在中国这个拥有最多网民的国家，Firefox还要加强宣传才行。

http://news.csdn.net/n/20080619/116791.html

Magnanti on MIT's 'Learning by Doing' Imperative

Magnanti on MIT's 'Learning by Doing' Imperative

John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief -- 3/5/2008 11:36:00 AM

Visit our Engineering Education Coverage Page for more stories, photos, podcasts and in-depth statistics! Thomas L. Magnanti, Ph.D, was dean of MIT’s engineering school for eight and half years until midnight July 22. The day before, he tossed out the ceremonial first pitch at a Red Sox game because he wanted to do it as engineering dean. Currently, he is one of 14 Institute Professors at MIT, the school's most prestigious, and has been on the faculty since 1971. He is an expert in applied and theoretical aspects of large-scale optimization. Among many accolades, he is credited with starting several new majors and programs. He is a big fan of “learning by doing.” DN Editor-in-Chief John Dodge caught up with him recently in his office, four floors above MIT’s main and fabled thoroughfare, the “Infinite Corridor.” ... Q: Is there a crisis in engineering education today? Magnanti: There’s a national crisis in conveying the fact that engineering is inspiring and exciting to attract people [into it]. We also have large drop-out rates. Last I recall, 50 percent of all engineering students leave that program before they complete it. It’s really hard stuff. We have not made it exciting enough. Q: What do you think the answer is? Maganti: [The answer is] putting what we are teaching in context and providing programs like UPOP and more hands-on learning – project-based courses, internships and learning by doing. Over time, that will remedy the crisis. The National Academies issued a report, The Gathering Storm and found the right incentives, courses, curriculum and government policies [will] improve the system. ... http://www.designnews.com/article/CA6538130.html

News stories: Auction of radio airwaves will influence Canada's prosperity; etc.

Wireless spectrum: FAQs

Auction of radio airwaves will influence Canada's prosperity

Last Updated: Monday, May 26, 2008 | 3:13 PM ET Comments11Recommend29

By Peter Nowak CBC News

New cellphone carriers are expected as a result of Industry Canada's spectrum auction. (Fabian Bimmer/Associated Press)
The federal government's auction of wireless airwaves — which will usher in new cellphone providers — kicked off on March 10, when bid applications were due. While wireless spectrum is a highly technical issue that makes most people's eyes glaze over, it is extremely important to Canada's future prosperity.
With only about 60 per cent of Canadians subscribing to a cellphone service, Canada is well behind the rest of the industrialized world in adopting mobile communications. That means we are missing out on numerous business, educational, entertainment and cultural advances that are happening elsewhere.
In other countries, more workers are experiencing the benefits of being freed from their desks. People are saving time by shopping or banking on their cellphones while taking public transit to and from work. Some are catching up on their television shows by watching episodes on their phones. Lives are also being saved through medical information transmitted over wireless networks.
The government has blamed this lag on the lack of competition in Canada's cellphone market. The upcoming spectrum auction, beginning on May 27, is its effort to correct the problem.

What is spectrum?

Spectrum is a catch-all term for the radio airwaves that many wireless gizmos use to communicate information. Radios use spectrum, as do the rabbit-ear antennas on older television sets. The CBC, for example, is broadcast free to many parts of Canada using a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Cellphones, of course, also use it.
Spectrum is divided into different frequencies and measured in units called hertz.

...

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/05/26/tech-spectrum.html

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Short video:

Ocean Tracking Network: An Introduction

Duration: 02:18, Format: Quicktime
Broadband connection recommended.

(Well, we can tell that intelligence has been elevated to a new level, thanks to the sensor technology, thanks to computers, and thanks to civilization. --Alex Wang)

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Interactive: Canda's median housing cost

http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/cp-census-housing/

BMW Sauber sweeps surprising Canadian Grand Prix

Early race accident caused by Lewis Hamilton takes him and Raikkonen out

Last Updated: Sunday, June 8, 2008

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2008/06/08/can-gp.html?ref=rss

Bootleg booze overwhelms Nunavik communities: leaders

Last Updated: Monday, June 9, 2008 | 10:36 AM ET

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/06/09/qc-nunavikbootlegging0609.html

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David Colman: Don't use that tone with me

Monday, June 9, 2008 | 08:02 AM ET

Money Talks is a collection of daily columns from The Business Network, which airs weekday mornings on CBC Radio One at 5:45 a.m. ET (6:15 a.m. ET in N.L.).
By David Colman, a partner with TriOpus Group in Regina
(Listen to the original audio)

Normally when I book hotels, I use the internet. The bad news about using the internet is it is not the 'personal touch' experience that we often crave. The good news is that it's not the 'personal touch' that we often receive!
Recently, I had to book a hotel in Florida directly over the phone, rather than the more reliable, but perhaps less personal, internet approach. The hotel I called in Tampa is part of a major international chain. I was hoping for, and expecting, a warm and courteous reception when I called. What was I thinking?
But the agent's tone and attitude told me that:

• She hated her job (at least at that moment)
• I'd interrupted her daily ritual of watching Oprah
• She was discussing last night's date with a friend or
• I was the least important person in the world to her

Instead of an impersonal experience with the internet, I had to put up with an uninterested employee with attitude.

...

http://www.cbc.ca/money/moneytalks/2008/06/david_colman_dont_use_that_ton.html

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Lively spectrum auction turns regional

The government's sale of public airwaves, which is likely to result in new cellphone carriers, closed out its second week with more than $3.1 billion raised so far in what is turning out to be a hotly contested auction.

Motorists feeling the pinch after oil prices surge

Last Updated: Saturday, June 7, 2008 | 11:18 AM ET Comments255Recommend123

CBC News

Canadian gas prices rose Saturday morning after oil finished the week at a record high, closing at $138.54 US a barrel.

Gasoline prices

City	Cents per litre
Vancouver	141.6
Calgary	132.9
Winnipeg	132.9
Toronto	134.9
Montreal	140.2
Halifax	135.6

...

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/06/07/gas-prices.html?ref=rss

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JumpTV, NeuLion to merge

Last Updated: Monday, June 9, 2008 | 4:16 PM ET Comments0Recommend0

CBC News

Canadian internet television broadcaster JumpTV Inc. will merge with NeuLion Inc., a U.S. company controlled by Charles Wang, the firms said Monday.
Privately-held NeuLion, which is based in Plainview, N.Y., offers television programming over the internet, along with video streaming technology and other web services.
Toronto-based JumpTV will issue more than 49.5 million common shares, 1.8 million contingent shares, plus five million warrants to the shareholders of NeuLion as part of the merger.

...

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/06/09/jumptvneulion.html

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Wine uncorks challenge to beer as alcohol drink of choice: StatsCan

Last Updated: Monday, June 9, 2008 | 4:01 PM ET

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/06/09/alcohol-statscan.html?ref=rss

Sports: Matt Stairs - Hockey Coach

Sports

Matt Stairs - Hockey Coach

February 8, 2008 (Runs 6:44)

Turns out baseball is Matt Stairs' second love. First comes hockey, so the Toronto Blue Jay spends his winters coaching a high school team in Bangor, Maine. Tom Harrington reports

play video

http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/sports/matt_stairs_hockey_coach.html

铁臂阿童木 (Tetsuwan Atom)

All photos are ©2004 Tezuka Production Co., Ltd. Tokyo, Japan

REFERENCE LINKS :
astro-boy.net
astroboy-online.com
tezuka.co.jp

ASTRO BOY now has fans all over the world, and continues to appear in movies, television and video games.

ASTRO BOY's original name was Tetsuwan Atom.

http://www.robothalloffame.org/04inductees/astro_boy.html

Blocking trick: How do I make a link to another webpage?

How do I make a link to another webpage?

1. Highlight the text you'd like to turn into a link. If you do not select any text before using the link button, your link will be created but without anything to click on.
2. Click the Link button (or hit control+shift+a on your keyboard):
   
3. A pop-up window will appear prompting you for a URL you'd like to link to. Type the URL in the text box. Remember the http://!
   

If this link button doesn't appear in your browser, or isn't working for some reason, you can type in the link by hand:

TEXT

Here's an example scenario:

Let's say you want to tell people about some cool website you found, let's call it, www.somecoolwebsite.com. Here's an example of what you might type into your blog:

Hey all. Check out this! It's a really cool website I found.

In this example, the word "this" would be the link to www.somecoolwebsite.com. That is, it would show up as a blue underlined word on your blog. The key things to note are:

1. The "a href" stuff must be enclosed in these kind of brackets <>. That lets the computer know you're entering HTML and not just typing stuff to be displayed.
2. The website you want to link to must be in quotes, and must always start with http://. If you don't have the http://, the link probably won't work.
3. Any text you type after the > that closes out the bit where you write the website address will be the actual link that shows up on your blog. The tag lets the computer know that any text after is just normal text and should not be part of the link. Note: You have to put the in, otherwise the rest of your blog post will be treated as a link, and it will probably cause other weird things to happen that you don't want.

Notes:

• The hyperlink button is only present in Internet Explorer 5.5/Windows and newer, as well as browsers based on Mozilla 1.3 or later(Camino/Firebird/etc.).
• If you are using a Windows browser, there is a keyboard shortcut to do the same thing. Select the text you want to link and then hit ctrl+shift+a.
• For more information on what you can do with links, please see How can I do more with links?

http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=41379

News story: Air Canada to cut 2,000 jobs

20 June, 2008 - Published 13:20 GMT

Air Canada to cut 2,000 jobs

Air Canada has announced it is cutting 2,000 jobs - eight per cent of its workforce - by the end of this year. Canada's flagship airline blamed the sharp cut in capacity on rising fuel costs. The carrier has also cut some of its routes. This report from Lee Carter:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2008/06/080620_air_canada.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continentalism

Continentalism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Continentalism refers to the agreements or policies that favor the regionalization and/or cooperation between nations within a continent. The term is used more often in the European and North American contexts, but the concept has been applied to other continents.

Contents [hide] 1 Continentalism in North America 1.1 United States 1.2 Canada 2 Further reading 3 See also

[edit] Continentalism in North America

[edit] United States

Historically, the United States of America saw itself as a blossoming continental nation-state. Accordingly, the first governing body for the North American colonists was called the Continental Congress, which sought to receive delegates from across the populated continent, including the future Canadian provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Continentalism later became largely associated with the ideology of Manifest Destiny, which included Spanish territories (now Latin America), western U.S. as well as Canada. Due to this, this continentalism grew so much in the United States of America that it transformed into nationalism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanticism

Atlanticism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

For the belief in the legendary island civilization, see: Atlantis.

Atlanticism is a philosophy of cooperation among Western EuropeanNorth American nations (specifically the United States and Canada) regarding political, economic, and defense issues, with the purpose to maintain the security of the participating countries, and to protect the values that unite them: "democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law."^[1][2] One who shares the idea of Atlanticism is known as an Atlantist or an Atlanticist; the name derives from the Atlantic Ocean that separates the two continents — and or, as sea-faring nations will say, the ocean that connects the two continents. Atlanticism is alien to continentalism.

The North Atlantic Council is the premier, governmental forum for discussion and decision-making in an Atlantic context. Well-known Atlanticists include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, current British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Javier Solana. NATO is an Atlanticist organization, and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is an Atlanticist project. Leaders of Eastern European countries such as Poland and Romania profess a strong Atlanticist view - one does not have to live in Western Europe (or North America) to be an Atlanticist.^[3]

Atlanticism has undergone significant changes in the 21st century in light of terrorism and the Iraq war, the net effect being a renewed questioning of the idea itself and a new insight that the security of the respective countries may require alliance action outside the North Atlantic territory.

In pictures: An earthquake in China

In pictures: An earthquake in China
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1739342,00.html
(
房屋质量，房屋质量！自然灾害预警！
--Alex Wang
)

Article via web - “厚报焦虑”与“薄报”的市场机会

2005年·第2期 [本刊专稿]

“厚报焦虑”与“薄报”的市场机会

刘鹏

厚度：日均４开７７．８版
中国报业进入“厚报时代”已成为不争的事实，标志性的现象主要有以下三方面。
第 一，从２０世纪９０年代初开始，从中央到地方、从综合到专业，各级各类报纸不断扩版，“扩版热”一“热”再“热”。中国人民大学喻国明教授预测１９９６年 中国报业发展的若干趋势和特点时就提出：新的一轮“扩版潮”正伺机待动。他在２０００年的预测中，再次提出“有实力报纸的多版化趋势会在近两年内急剧升 温”。①现在，事实已经证明了喻教授的判断。
第二，单个报纸版面量屡攀新高，屡破纪录。２００１年《南方都市报》日出七十余版，号称“中国最厚的 报纸”；２００３年《北京青年报》打出“‘厚报’有‘厚报’”的宣传口号，日出对开六十余版，引起北京报业市场的震动。２００４年３月３１日，《南方都市 报》推出“成熟２００４”特刊，总计１４叠３０４个版，创造了国内厚报的“吉尼斯记录”。今年初天津《每日新报》创刊５周年，出版５００版纪念特刊，不到 一年就打破了《南方都市报》的纪录。
第三，管理部门对报纸扩版放松了管制。过去，由于报纸扩版涉及到增加用纸、增加拨款等问题，管理部门出台一系 列严格的扩版审批制度。１９９７年广州一家日报未经审批出版９７版香港回归特刊，还被处以重罚。但是近年来，管理部门逐渐放松了对报纸扩版的管制，并对扩 版普遍持支持态度。１９９５年出台的《关于暂停审批报刊增期、扩版、增刊的通知》在２００３年废止执行，２００４年下半年四川省也放开了版面限制规定。
进入“厚报时代”的报纸有多厚？近年来发展速度最快、覆盖面最广、读者量最大的都市类报纸是比较有代表性的。下表是对全国２０家主要城市都市类报纸２００４年１２月版面量的统计。
（数据来源：慧聪媒体研究中心，带者为对开大报或对开“瘦报”）
在 上面２０家报纸的版面统计中，有８种报纸是对开大报或“瘦报”，如果将对开大报或“瘦报”按照１：２的比例折算成４开版面的话，这２０种都市类报纸的日平 均版面量为７７．８版。十几年前，提起欧美国家的一份报纸能打死一只老鼠，宛若“神话”，而今天我们的报纸厚度已经毫不逊色。
“新闻盛筵”还是“广告盛筵”？
报 纸加厚当然不是为了打老鼠，“厚报”能够带给读者和报社诸多好处。比如读者可以低廉的价格得到更丰富的信息，获得心理上的满足感等。而报社可以扩大广告版 面，增加广告收入，从而维持低廉的报价以争取足够多的读者等。可以说，目前凡是比较厚的报纸，都是社会效益和经济效益双丰收的报纸。但与此同时，我们也不 断听到对报纸加厚不满和反对的声音，而且，报纸愈厚，不满之声愈强。
“厚报”走的是信息规模的路子，号称是给读者提供的“新闻盛筵”，可以满足不同读者的“胃口”。《南方都市报》的宣言具有代表性：“我们包罗万象……我们‘叠叠不休’……别人有的，我们都有。别人没有的，我们也有”。②
但果真是“新闻盛筵”吗？或者毋宁说是“广告盛筵”！
仍 以上述２０家报纸为例，对其广告版面在总版面中所占比例进行统计发现：所有报纸的广告版面比例都在３０％以上，其中６家报纸的广告版面量占总版面的一半以 上（见下表）。这样的报纸到底是“新闻纸”还是“广告纸”！据说，在日本报界，要想加入新闻协会的一个基本条件就是报纸广告版面数量不得超过新闻版面，广 告收入不得高于销售收入，这是衡量一张新闻纸必要品质的底线。③
考察“厚报”的扩张过程，新闻版面也扮演了广告版面“搭头”的角色。
对２０种报纸２００４年１２月的版面量与１１月的版面量进行比较可以看出，只有３种报纸的广告版面增长率低于总版数的增长率（见下表）。可见，报纸临时性增张主要是增加广告版面。
将 ２００４年１２月的报纸版面与２００３年１２月进行比较，以平均版面量７７．８版计算，同比总版面增长率超过５％，就意味着平均每天增加４个以上整版，可 以视为有计划的扩版。这类报纸共１３种，其中有９种报纸的广告版面同比增长率高于总版面增长率（见下表）。可见，大部分报纸有计划地扩版也是为了增加广告 版面。
进一步考察不足七成的新闻类版面，还可以发现其中大量属于“信息泡沫”。
首先，专刊版至少占了新闻类版面１／４的篇幅。以上海版面 量比较多的《新闻晨报》为例，从周一到周日每天都有一个以上的专刊版面，包括旅游、房地产、教育、人才、汽车、健康、球市等。这些专刊诉诸读者的特殊兴 趣，对于缺乏这方面信息需求的读者来说无异于废纸。专刊的主要功能是为了拉动相关行业广告，其中除了部分实用信息，还有大量的“软文”广告。另外，１６个 版的“财经证券”新闻也单独成叠，其中财经新闻大约４个版，其余是证券、期货行情和相关广告，对于不炒股的读者来说，这些版面毫无价值。
其次，为 “新闻炒作”提供了空间。比如，厚起来的都市类报纸大多将体育新闻、娱乐新闻单独分叠，大标题、大照片，明星们举手投足都可以作为重要新闻突出报道。再 如，《北京青年报》首创的“绝对隐私”被广泛学习，许多都市类报纸将这类“情感故事”作为保留节目，每天一个整版的奇情怪恋，真真假假，赚人“眼球”。
再次，“鸡毛蒜皮”的新闻被放大。“厚报”的稿件吞吐量大，新闻选择的标准也随之降低，一些新闻价值不大的内容也上了版面，一些本可以更精练的新闻抻成了“拉面”，伤害了新闻品质。
其 实，“厚报”是报纸杂志化的一种表现形态，在纯新闻数量基本没有变化的条件下，只能增加生活服务、情感娱乐类信息以及专刊版面。如果滤去“泡沫”，挤干水 分——大量的广告版面、为了拉动广告的专刊、华而不实的炒作和娱乐成分、记者显示技巧的铺张、程式化的会议消息等等，只留下读者应知欲知的纯新闻，真正的 新闻量不会多于８个４开版面。
患上了“厚报焦虑症”
“厚报”的设计思路是让读者形成选择性阅读习惯，有用的就看，没用的就扔掉。但目前显然大多数读者还不能如此“潇洒”。从大量广告和垃圾信息的“盛筵”中挑出自己需要的信息，对读者的耐心和信心形成了极大的挑战。
调 查显示：读者并不满意报纸版面无限扩张。中国人民大学舆论研究所在上海的一项调查显示，读者希望以０．５元买到的一份４开报纸的最佳版面量为３２版，而同 期上海都市类报纸的日均版面量普遍在４０版以上。④调查还表明，认为报纸版面越多越好的读者人数和认为报纸最佳版面量应该是１６版的一样多；越是文化程度 高、收入水平高的读者，越希望报纸“薄”一些。
调查显示：读者对广告版面越来越多深为不满。央视索福瑞调查公司２００３年针对上海某晚报的一份调查报告显示，５０％以上的读者认为该报广告版面太多。⑤类似的意见，在其他城市读者中普遍存在。
调 查显示：报纸版面越来越多，但是读者每天读报时间却没有增加。中国人民大学舆论研究所对上海报业市场的调查显示，２００１年人均读报时间为６３分钟， ２００３年为６２．５分钟。⑥即便排除抽样误差因素，起码可以得出近两年上海人读报时间没有明显增长的结论，而近两年上海都市类报纸的“厚度”却突飞猛 进，这正如诺贝尔经济学奖获得者赫伯特·西蒙所说：“信息的丰富造成了注意力的贫乏”，报纸越厚，在读者手中停留的时间越短。
天天“新闻盛筵”反而让读者“消化不良”：因为没有时间和精力从头到尾看完一份“厚报”，觉得对不起自己订报的花费；如果跳过某叠完全不看，又怕漏掉自己需要的信息。这种心理状态让不少读者患上“厚报焦虑症”。
“厚 报”是世界报业发展趋势，但“厚报焦虑症”在报业发达国家同样存在。美国埃森哲战略变革研究院主任达文波特教授在《注意力管理》一书中介绍说：《纽约时 报》周日刊所包含的实际信息比１５世纪一个读者所能读到的全部书面材料还要多。在一项描绘２００条信息的通讯环境的未来机构调查中，７１％的白领称他们感 受到每日所接收的信息量的压力，６０％的人感到自己被压垮了。⑦中国人民大学出版社最近出版的《美国报纸产业》一书也提到，美国不少读者不订报并不是文化 水平不够，也不是购买能力不足，而是觉得报纸版面太多，根本看不过来。⑧国际报纸发行协会执行总监威尔金斯提醒说：“报业所面临的一个挑战是商业模式，该 模式认为越多越好。如果卖出广告越多，报纸张数就越多。这不正是读者想要的吗？但是，大量证据显示，读者要的是能一口气读完的东西，或者自认为能读完的东 西。”
对于办报人来说，“厚报焦虑症”以另一种表现形式存在。
每天必须保证足够的新闻量以防止“稿荒”；必须严格稿件流程以防止重稿；必须防备纸价大幅度上涨以控制成本……
“薄报”的市场机会
虽然对“厚报”有诸多不满，但必须承认，只要广告收入仍是报业经济支柱，报纸越来越厚、广告版面越来越多就是大势所趋，无可阻挡。
与 报业发达国家报纸厚度相比，我们仍处于“厚报时代”的初级阶段。辜晓进《走进美国大报》一书列举了美国６家日报平日版与星期日版的页数，其平日版日均版面 量为对开９７．３版，星期日平均版面量为３４１对开版。⑨鉴于我国报业繁荣发展的态势，今天继续作出报纸将越来越厚的预测应该是正确的。
广告版面 越来越多也是报业经济发展的要求。根据报业经营的经验，新闻版面和广告版面的比例达到４：６时，才能实现利润最大化，虽然报纸不仅仅具有商品属性，但是进 入市场后的报纸逐利性是无须讳言的。另一方面，我国报业经济仍然处于一个快速上升的通道，按照世界发达国家的平均水平，广告额占ＧＤＰ的比重大约在２％左 右，而我们国家２００３年的数字却只有０．９％左右，广告版面量和广告份额都存在较大的发展空间。
对“厚报”的批评具有反思的意义，但不能停留在简单的指责上，更不可能退回到一份报纸４个版的信息短缺时代。那么，这种批评的意义有二：
其 一，“厚报”有责任加强引导，改进编排，以方便读者阅读。比如通过媒介素养教育的方式帮助读者养成选择性阅读的习惯；帮助读者学会利用广告搜集对自己有用 的信息；告诉读者只有广告收入高才能保证报纸价格低廉、才有能力对抗商业势力或权力的侵蚀等等。同时在编排上也应该更加明细，让读者能够更方便地找到自己 需要的信息，毫不犹豫地丢弃无用的版面。("养成选择性阅读的习惯"! --double_take)
其二，报业市场有责任提供改良的产品或新的产品，满足那些既想完整系统地了解每日资讯，但又缺少阅读时间的读者的需求。
新 闻有软硬之分，所谓硬新闻指那些关系国计民生以及人们切身利益的新闻，软新闻则与人们切身利益并无关系，主要是向读者提供娱乐，开阔眼界，增长见识，陶冶 情操，或供人们茶余饭后作谈资。虽然不同的读者对新闻有不同的需求，但是总体上说，硬新闻才是人体必须的维生素，只有基本需求获得满足后才会需要软新闻。 ⑩
在报纸竞争越来越激烈，报纸趋同现象越来越严重的“厚报博弈”中，从读者对“厚报”越来越强烈的排斥与抵触心理出发，从满足部分读者以最少的时 间获得应知欲知的新闻需求出发，眼光一转，可以发现“厚报”时代“薄报”同样存在市场机会。　　第一，专业化报纸。这类报纸只需要信息的含金量，不需要面 面俱到。２００４年底创刊的《每日经济新闻》在发刊辞中解释了办“薄报”的思路：“以精选资讯立身：因为地球是个村，信息是个港，良莠并存；以独到见解立 言：因为社会多元化，瓦釜黄钟齐鸣；以创造价值立德：因为时间是金钱，效率是生命……”，如果能够做到，也就具有了不可替代性，不需要加入“厚报”战团就 可成功。
第二，总结性报刊。周报或周刊，对一周要闻进行总结性陈述，并对重要新闻事件作深度挖掘，同样可以满足读者的信息需求。美国《时代》周刊就是这个思路，它的广告语就是：“《时代》帮你节约时间，控制超载的信息”。(Ah, the Time magazine. --double_take)
第三，以刊登硬新闻为主的“薄报”。
《立报》的启示
办一张主要刊登硬新闻的“薄报”，有多大市场机会？显然，当下国内报业市场还缺乏这方面的探索，但是回顾中国报业历史，却可以获得一点启发——那就是旧中国红遍上海滩的《立报》。
１９３５ 年《立报》创刊时，上海报业市场主要是《申报》和《新闻报》的天下，这两张算得上“厚报”先祖，例如同期《申报》就是外埠４大张，本埠增刊２大张还附送画 刊。《立报》的特色就是反其道而行之，日出４开４版。但是麻雀虽小，五脏俱全，国内外要闻、本市新闻、言论、副刊一应俱全，文章短小精悍，号称“新闻 精”，“五分钟能知天下事”。巴金也称赞说：“在一张小小的报纸里面，我们已经得到了这一天里我们所应该知道的一切，没有多余的巨大篇幅来耗费我们的时间 和精力。”
显然，“厚报”存在的主要理由就是“一报在手，样样都有”，通过“一站式购齐”的内容架构满足读者全方位的阅读需求。而“厚报时代”的“薄报”，同样不能违反这个游戏规则，既要解决读者信息超载的焦虑，又不能引起读者信息缺失的焦虑，从而必须走新闻精华、全面覆盖的道路，每一个版面、每一篇文章都让读者感到物有所值，才可能以小搏大，以少胜多。
《立 报》能够打开市场的优势还在于价格低廉。据复旦大学丁淦林教授的研究，当时《申报》每份售大洋四分五厘，而《立报》仅为铜元四枚。以大洋每分合铜元三枚计 算，买一份大报的钱，可以买三份小报还有余。紒紜矠“厚报”的竞争优势之一就是从量上让读者产生物有所值的感觉，而“薄报”打开市场，也只能以价格优势抵 消“厚报”的数量优势。
出于竞争的考虑，不少报纸希望通过加厚来提高报业市场的门槛，为后来者设置资金障碍。《立报》选择“薄报”模式，也是为了 减少资金压力。据说，成舍我准备创办《立报》之前，就有人给他出主意：“上海能不能办小型报？如办大报，在申（报）、新（闻报）两大报的高压下，没有百万 以上资本，恐怕是不容易和他们斗争的。以我们这种职业报人的经济力量，在上海，只有办小型报，或能打开一条成功的途径。”紒紝矠于是，成舍我等人集资１０ 万元就办起了《立报》。　　创刊时间不长，《立报》就声名鹊起，不到两年发行量突破２０万大关，成为当时中国发行量最大的报纸，让当时的报业老大《申报》 《新闻报》暗暗着慌，悄悄筹备办一份类似的小报来和《立报》竞争。当然，《立报》的成功，主要归功于该报内容质量高，且常有独家报道和尖锐的言论。但是也 说明，在“厚报”垄断的市场中，“薄报”同样有成功机会。
可能的赢利模式
《立报》号称“报人办报”，也就是说本意不在谋利，还宣称“发行不达１０万份之前绝不登广告”、“永远不增价，年终不休刊”。直到创刊一年以后，才出现少量广告，并增出８开一张的附刊，报价不变。但是非常可惜的是，１９３７年１１月日军占领上海，《立报》被迫停刊。
虽然《立报》的成功不容质疑，但很难说它找到了一条“扩版—增广告”之外的赢利模式。那么，在２１世纪的“厚报时代”，能否复制《立报》的成功模式？
一种可能是：以“薄报”概念敲开市场大门，读者群稳定后适度增加少量的广告版面。
再一种可能是：目前的“厚报”同时出版精华版，浓缩每日新闻精要，满足那些患“厚报焦虑症”的读者需求。成本增加不多，发行、广告可以略有微利，同时能够扩大读者规模、减少读者流失。
另一种可能是：在目前“厚报”内容按叠分类的基础上，实行板块式订阅，读者可以只订新闻版或选择自己感兴趣的专刊订阅。
（作者系复旦大学新闻学院博士研究生）


注释：
①喻国明：《嬗变的轨迹》，中央编译出版社１９９６年版、《媒介的市场定位》，北京广播学院出版社，２０００年版。
② 《南方都市报》２００４年３月３１日
③肖美瑾：《日本为何五十年未诞生一家新报社？》，《新闻记者》，１９９９年第８期。
④⑥喻国明：《变革传媒：解析中国传媒转型问题》，华夏出版社，２００４年版。
⑤央视索福瑞２００３年上海调查数据，在北京的调查中读者也有类似意见。上海读者对报纸广告版面过多深恶痛绝，以至一些新创办的报纸打出的“卖点”之一就是广告少。
⑦托马斯·达文波特、约翰·贝克：《注意力管理》，中信出版社，２００２年版。
⑧ （美）罗伯特·皮卡德等：《美国报纸产业》，中国人民大学出版社，２００４年版。
⑨ 辜晓进：《走进美国大报》，南方出版社２００２年版。这六家日报分别是《纽约时报》、《洛杉矶时报》、《华盛顿邮报》、《芝加哥论坛报》、《波士顿环球 报》、《斯坦顿岛前进报》。辜晓进在另一篇文章中也提到：美国大型日报每日页码普遍接近１００版，星期日版常常在２００至３００版之间。《美国报纸板块及 内容设置》，《新闻记者》２００２年第８期。
⑩李良荣：《新闻学概论》，复旦大学出版社，２００１年版。
紒紜矠紒紝矠丁淦林：《三十年代中国小型报浅议》，《新闻大学》。


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