Burglars leave their ‘mark’
By · CommentsUpdated: 2012-01-18 08:33
By Wang Hongyi (chinadaily.com.cn)
SHANGHAI – That strange mark outside your door may mean nothing to you, but it could mean a lot to a thief who is thinking of breaking in.
“Thieves often conduct reconnaissance on a target household for a long time before attempting to break in,” said Tong Jianghua, 51, a police officer at Jiangdong branch of Ningbo public security bureau in Zhejiang province.
“And some thieves will leave special marks at the entrances of buildings or houses which they intend to break into.”
Since many of these marks are only understood by thieves, Tong released the list on his micro blog at weibo.com earlier this month.
A pentagram, for instance, signifies a target chosen for break-in, a letter D means the household is dangerous and not worth the attempt, and a circle means the bad guy believes there is a considerable amount of money in a household.
“This is actually a revised version of symbols used by thieves,” Tong told China Daily.
Symbols previously published on the Internet were misunderstood by netizens, so Tang has revised the chart based on his 28 years in criminal investigation.
He noted that these marks are not fixed or unified, as groups of thieves may establish different marks of their own.
“What residents should do is to enhance their alertness and contact police if they see strange marks near their doors,” he said.
Tong said police have been aware of these symbols for years.
“We received reports of these strange symbols by local residents as early as 2008, and such symbols have been prevalent among thieves,” he said.
According to an official from the Shanghai public security bureau who did not want to be identified, the number of reported thefts and burglaries before the Spring Festival usually increases about 20 percent.
In addition to the symbols, Tong also gave some tips on how to avoid losses from thieves.
For example, residents could turn on a light when going out for a short time, creating an impression that someone is home.
“Some people are used to leaving a lot cash at home, which is not safe,” Tong said, noting residents should save valuables in the bank.
“This chart is a very good reminder as we often overlook these ordinary marks on the wall,” said a Shanghai woman surnamed Jin.
“Although thieves may change their symbols, it reminds everyone to raise their vigilance,” she said.
China’s Internet population hits 513 million
By · CommentsUpdated: 2012-01-16 11:06
By Gao Qihui (chinadaily.com.cn)
The number of Internet users in China hit 513 million by the end of December 2011, according to a report released by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) on Monday.
The Internet penetration rate rose to 38.3 percent, up four percentage points from the same period in 2010, increasing by 55.8 million Internet users.
The number of mobile phone Internet users also increased, reaching 356 million by the end of December 2011, up 17.5 percent from the previous year.
The report also shows there were nearly 2.3 million websites in China by the end of 2011, up 20 percent from 2010.
The number of group purchasing users achieved a 244.8 percent rise in 2011 compare to the previous year, reaching 64.65 million, despite a decline in the number of the websites offering the service.
Perseverance and Personal Responsibility
By · Comments
Life is like a game of chess...think, decide, and take action on each move
When we’re pursuing a goal, it’s very easy to get side-tracked without us noticing. Therefore, once we’ve decided on a goal worth pursuing, make up your mind and stick to it. Don’t let yourself fall into the downward spiral on autopilot because you haven’t made up your mind!
I hope you realize by now that all the things that happen to you in your life are very much related to what you have done or even what you haven’t done. You should take ownership and personal responsibility for everything that is happening in your life.
Next time when you know you want a positive change in life, and you know it is important and worthwhile to do, make up your mind about what you want to do and then just do it! Do it until you succeed. I know, this simple method of how to achieve success might seem oversimplified for a lot of people. Some of you are going to ask: How do I know whether my decision is the right one? My answer is: It doesn’t matter! It really doesn’t matter, as long as you decide on a path that rings true to your heart at that time, and take action. Nothing will happen and you won’t achieve goals if you don’t take action, and you can’t really take action if you don’t make up your mind about what you want to act on.
What if you find out later that your decision is wrong? I’m going to let you in on a secret: There is really no absolute right or wrong. It all depends on how you look at it. When your heart tells you to question what you’re doing, then you know it’s time to examine your action and do a check-up of your status or progress towards your goal. This is the time to revisit your goal setting process and make up your mind again! Even when the new decision is totally opposite of your initial decision, be brave enough to make up your mind and do what is right (true to your heart and soul). Remember, different time and different circumstances do call for different actions if necessary, therefore please release all judgment to prove or defend your initial decision. Take ownership, be courageous, and readjust your course towards your goal.
Only when you take action do you allow the possibilities to manifest and realities to be created. Start small and take minor actions first. Just get the ball rolling, and you can readjust as necessary. Don’t try to be perfect and try to get all the details figured out first before you take action. Nothing is perfect, and nothing is absolute. Use your heart as your internal GPS to navigate towards your success.
Try it. Make up your mind. Don’t wait for others to guide you. In your life, only you know what is best for yourself. Trust me, everybody else has enough on their plate already to manage their own life. Even if they have the best of intentions to provide advice for you, they are still not you. You have to take their advice into your inner self, contemplate, meditate, and then make up your own mind. Spend the time to set your mind on your path to success, and you can save yourself a lot of trouble.
Follow your heart, do what is right, learn how to achieve success and live a life without regrets. It is absolutely possible. This is a simple idea, but it is not an easy one to do. Like many things in life, you learn along the way and get better at it while you do it. Believe it and do it, and it will become a reality for you.
