In China, if you want to be a leader, you have to start from the grassroots level to accumulate rich government work experiences after ascending nine levels of posts (section chief, deputy division chief, division chief, deputy director of general office, director of general office, vice-minister, minister, deputy-state leader, state leader). With such experiences, you may have the opportunity to become one of the candidates for leadership.

Step 1: Become a member of the Communist Party of China

There are 85 million CPC members in China.

If you want to run for election of the leadership, first of all, you must become a CPC member. In China, the majority of new Party members are fostered in universities. And the minimum standards of becoming a Party member are: excellent academic scores, outstanding daily performance, and certain class management experience are preferred. Of course, if you are in other occupations, as long as your performance is excellent, and you are dedicated, there are opportunities to become a Party member.

Step 2: Become a civil servant

After becoming a Party member, you need to become China's public officials, that is, civil servants.

Nearly two million applicants participate in the annual civil servant’s exam to compete for around 10,000 positions. Congratulations, you are now a civil servant if you stand out in fierce competition of one out of 200. But, don’t get too optimistic. You are just at the starting line, since there are over 7 million civil servants nationwide.

The smartest two-million of China's eleven-million university graduates will take Guokao (Chinese Civil Service Examination, traditionally called Keju) this summer. The written examinations are much harder than the stiff high school gaokao, the orals are exhausting, and the competition ten times stronger - because geniuses are ten times more common. Chinese youngsters need an IQ of 140 - enough for a PhD in theoretical physics - to get a job interview with the country's most prestigious institution. The smartest two-million kids take the exam, but just 27,000 (or 0.35%) will be invited to join the 'priesthood, whose vows of selfless service are stricter than the Jesuits.

Step 3: Start from grassroots level, get promoted step-by-step in nine post levels

When in the civil service, you start from the grassroots level, equivalent to community work in Europe and United States, then you climb the ladder of nine levels from county to city, then to provincial level, and then head for the central level. When you finally make your way into the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, congratulations again! You now have a chance to be the next state leader of China.

In the case of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, he completed nine levels after assuming 16 major positions with government work experiences in two provinces and one municipality (Fujian, Zhejiang and Shanghai) with a total population amounted to 150 million. It was a 40 + years’ journey: From a Party Secretary of a production brigade, to No. 1 leader of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai, and then to Vice-president of China, to CPC General Secretary, President of China, and finally top leader of China.

Then here comes the question: What are the criteria for getting promoted?

To evaluate the candidate for a higher level, a combination of methods including ‘polls and votes’ and ‘recommendations and inspections by organization’ are used. Morality stands of fundamental importance, so the key point here is to appraise one’s ethical character and work competence.

The economic growth rate is not the only benchmark to evaluate competence, the improvement of livelihoods, income index of residents, spirit of pragmatic work are all taken into consideration. Officials who crave lucrative positions or solicit votes will be removed from the list of potential candidates for promotion.

What are the standards to become a Chinese leader?

Let's again take the example of Xi. While working in Ningde, Fujian as local Party secretary, his footprints covered nine counties. After getting transferred to Zhejiang, he spent about 50 percent of his work time to research local people's living conditions. He usually got up at six to seven in the morning and worked late until midnight. He traveled around 90 cities and towns of the province in less than two years. While in Shanghai, he also toured all 19 districts and counties.

His fast pace and vigorous efforts were rewarded with fruitful achievements. Taking Ningde as an example, during his term of one and a half years, the rate of poverty alleviation had reached a record high - 96%. While he was in Zhejiang, the GDP (gross domestic product) of the province witnessed a drastic increase from 767 billion yuan in 2002 to one trillion and 863.84 billion yuan in 2007.

Facts have proven China’s rapid development, 66 million Chinese escaped from poverty; contributing more than 30% to world economic growth, which ranks No. 1 worldwide, in the past five years under Xi’s leadership can be attributed to his solid government work experience at various levels.

In China, only through tests and practices at various levels can one become a state leader of the nation with a population of almost 1.4 billion.

So over the years, all aspects of China's policy could maintain basic stability, economic growth has been on a steady rise, while the Chinese are enjoying better lives. The strict selection mechanism ensures excellency of the CPC, which is one of the secrets of the country's sustainable and growing economy.

(Facts given by Shou'en Li who lives in China)

"The Birth of the Modern World, 1780-1914" বইয়ের লেখক Christopher Bayly বলতেছেন বোরকা-হিজাব আধুনিক("Modern") পোশাক, কারণ এই পোশাক মেয়েদের ঘরের ভেতরের জগৎ থেকে বাইরে বের করে আনে এবং একটি নির্দিষ্ট মাত্রায় পাবলিক ও ব্যবসায়িক বিভিন্ন কাজে অংশগ্রহণের সুযোগ তৈরি করে দেয়।

মডার্নিটি এই পোশাকটিকে জনপ্রিয় করেছে।

প্রিমিটিভ সমাজে যেহেতু সোশ্যাল ফেব্রিক শক্তিশালী ছিল এবং জেন্ডার রোল কার্যকরী ছিল, তাই মেয়েরা তাদের ঘরের দায়িত্ব নিয়েই সন্তুষ্ট ছিলো। বাইরে বের হওয়ার তেমন কোনো প্রয়োজন না থাকায় বোরকা-হিজাবের মতো পোশাকগুলোরও প্রচলন কম ছিল। কিন্তু মডার্নিটি যখন মেয়েদেরকে বাইরে বের করে আনে, আরবানাইজেশন, ইন্ডাস্ট্রিয়ালাইজেশন, ক্যাপিটালিজম যখন মেয়েদের জন্য বাইরে কাজ করার, পড়ালেখা করার জরুরত তৈরি করে, তখন মুসলিমিস্তানের মেয়েরা তাদের হায়া রক্ষার্থে বোরকা-হিজাব এডপ্ট করে নেয়। বাঙ্গালার কনটেক্সটেও বোরকা-হিজাব তুলনামূলক আধুনিক পরিধেয়। শাড়ি বা এধরনের পোশাকগুলো প্রিমিটিভই বলা চলে।

This painting of a young woman breastfeeding an old man in a prison cell was sold for Euros 30 million. The painting may look perverse but the story behind is from historical records.

The poor man was sentenced to "death by starvation" for stealing a loaf of bread during the reign of Louis XIV in France. The woman was his only daughter and the only visitor to his cell. She was allowed to visit him daily but was frisked thoroughly such that no food was taken in.

When after 4 months the man still survived with no weight loss, the authorities were perplexed and started spying on her in the cell and to their utter astonishment found her to breastfeed her father to the fullest sharing her baby's milk. The judges then realizing the compassion and love of the woman for her father, pardoned the father and set him free.

This piece of history brings into focus how deep is a woman's compassion in our daily lives that men often tend to overlook.
COLLECTED FROM FACEBOOK A/C Vibes

রাজস্থানীরা মোঘলদের পায়ে থাকতে রাজি হয়।

কেন?

রাজস্থান সমুদ্রতটহীন ও কৃষিহীন মরুভূমি। তাই রাজস্থানের বাইরের অঞ্চল দখল করে সেখানকার কৃষি ও বৈদেশিক ব্যবসা থেকে খাজনা তোলার লক্ষ্য তাদের তাকবেই। তাদের সাধ্যে কুলোয়নি কখণো গোটা দক্ষিণ এশিয়া দখল নেওয়ার। তারা উত্তর প্রদেশ অব্ধি এগিয়েছে কিন্তু বারবার দক্ষীনে মারাঠি ও পূর্বে বাঙালি ও পশ্চীমে আরব (সিন্ধু) পাঞ্জাবী কাশ্মিরীদের সাথে পেরে ওঠেনি। যেমন প্রতিহারেরা পাল ও রাষত্রকূট ও আরবদের সঙ্গে সম্পূর্ণ ভাবে কখনো জয়ী পারেনি।

কিন্তু উজবেক মোঘলরা বাংলা থেকে ডেক্কান সমস্ত সালতানাতকেই পরাজিত করার ক্ষমতা ধরত। তাই রাজস্থানীরা বুঝল মোঘলদের সঙ্গ দিলে উতর প্রদেশ বাংলা ডেক্কান সমস্ত এলাকার খাজনার বখরার ভাগ পাওয়া যাবে। রাজস্থানীরা যা একা পারতনা মোঘলদের সঙ্গী হলে তা পারা যাবে।

তাই রাজস্থানীরা সঙ্গ দেয় মোঘলদের। নিজের ঘরের মা বোন স্ত্রীদের মোঘলদের হারেমে দিয়ে নিজেদের আনুগত্য প্রকাশ করে মোঘলদের বিশ্বাস অর্জন করে মোঘলদের লিটের বখরা পেয়েছে।

(বঙ্কিম চন্দ্র "দুর্গেশ নন্দিনী" উপন্যাসে আবার মোঘল রাজপুত লটকে বৈধতা দিয়ে গেছেন আর বাঙালি রাজকুমারীকে রাজস্থানি রাজকুমাওরের কাছে সঁপে দিয়েছেন। গল্পে হোলেও বাঙ্গালির হিন্দি চাটা মনন-এর শুরু ওখানেই।)

বাঙ্গালির কি মোঘলদের থেকে বা রাজস্থানীদের থেকে কিছু পাওয়ার ছিল?

সেই সময় কোনও বাঙালি কি মোঘলদের সঙ্গী হয়নি?

বাঙ্গালির কৃষিজমি আর সমুদ্রতট দুইই আছে। তাই বাঙ্গালির থেকে বাইরে থেকে লোক ছিনিয়ে নিতে আসবে খাজনা সেটাই স্বাভাবিক। মোঘলরা ও তাদের অনুচর রাজস্থানীরা বাংলায় আসে বাংলার সুলতানের থেকে খাজনার ভাগ নিতে। সুলতান ও তার সঙ্গী রাজারা স্বাভাবিকভাবেই মোঘল বিরোধী অবস্থান নেয়। আবার দক্ষিণ বাংলার অনেক রাজাই যেমন পঞ্চানন গাঙ্গুলী (সাবর্ণ রায় চৌধুরী) মোঘলদের সঙ্গী হয়।

মোঘলরা জিতলে সাবর্ণরা কি পেতে পারে?

বড় জোড় সুলতানকে যে খাজনা দিতে হবে তার চেয়ে মোঘলদের কম দিতে হবে? মানে বাংলার সামস্তদের আসলে লাভের জায়গা ছিলনা সেরকম মোঘলদের সমর্থন করে। কারণ তাকে খাজনা দিতেই হবে আর সে লুটের বখরা সেভাবে পাবেনা কারণ তার কাছে সমুদ্র ব্যবসা ও কৃষিজমি আছে। রাজস্থানীদের ভারত লুটের ইচ্ছে বেশি। কারণ রাজস্থানে খাজনা নেই। যার খাজনার উৎস নেই তার মধ্যে বাইরের এলাকা দখল করার বাসনা বেশী। মোঘল আর রাজস্থানিদের লক্ষ্য ছিল এক। যাদের কৃষি আছে বা সমুদ্র কৃষি দুইই আছে তাদের মনে হবে মোঘলরা তাদের খাজনা নিচ্ছে। রাজস্থানীদের মনে হবে মোঘলরা তাদের খাজনার ভাগ দিচ্ছে। এটাই তফাত।

The sophistication of EUV relates mainly to a wavelength measuring just 13.5 nanometers, considerably less than the 193 nanometers of deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography, an older technology previously shipped to China in large volumes. The difference, an ASML spokesperson once told Light Reading, is like that between a thick marker and a fine ballpoint.

This analogy suggested that using DUV machines to produce complex 7-nanometer chips would be like drawing an intricate portrait with a fat pen. But SMIC is believed to have done it via a technique called multiple patterning. As the name implies, this essentially means repeating the lithographic process with DUV equipment to achieve the desired results. Double- and quadruple-patterning are among the specific options available.

The main uncertainty is at what cost, and some evidence of multiple patterning's economic disadvantages may have emerged in SMIC's results. In the latest, published a few days ago, SMIC reported a 20% year-over-year increase in first-quarter sales, to about $1.75 billion, and yet profits tumbled 73%, to $63.5 million. Executives at the company laid most of the blame on high depreciation charges, incurred as new equipment was powered up for the first time.

But an examination of SMIC's results also reveals a 31% rise in cost of sales, to more than $1.5 billion. SMIC's gross margin accordingly sank from about 21% a year ago to less than 14%. Richard Windsor, an analyst with Radio Free Mobile, thinks the workaround of using DUV and multiple patterning to make those 7-nanometer chips has proven expensive.

Experts say the big drawback of multiple patterning is that it tends to result in lower "yields," a percentage measure of the functional chips derived from a silicon wafer. Intel is thought to have experimented with it for 10-nanometer production before it eventually gave up and bought EUV machines instead. TSMC had a similar experience, according to Windsor. In a blog, he writes that yields were so low as to be uneconomical.

"However, we are expected to believe that SMIC has got this to work well enough so that its yields are economic and that it is making money," he said. "I think that the reverse is true and that a part of the weakness we have seen in gross margins over the last several quarters is due to increasing revenues coming from chips made using multi-patterning techniques."

There was certainly no acknowledgement of this in SMIC's first-quarter report or commentary prepared by executives for their earnings call with analysts. But Windsor is not the only expert questioning those cost-of-sales numbers. Earl Lum, the founder of EJL Wireless Research, who previously worked in the chip industry, agrees that a 31% increase may be a sign of "a potential yield hit."

US hawks will celebrate anything that points to problems for Chinese technology companies, especially those involved in chips. If Windsor and others are right, then growing shipments of Huawei's newest phones may chew further into SMIC's profits and potentially hurt its competitiveness. The alternative could be higher prices for end users, making rivals based outside China seem a much better bet.

SMIC's options, though, are limited. Japan's Canon and Nikon are the only other big makers of lithography machines. Regardless of Japan's appetite for upholding sanctions against China, neither company has an EUV range of products. Developing that expertise took many years, cost billions and necessitated partnerships with chip companies and component makers worldwide, ASML insists. China is reportedly aiming for self-sufficiency in EUV, among other things, and it is not shy of long-term commitments. But a homegrown Chinese rival could be a long time in the making.