The conference slogan this year is “Micro power and a boarder world”, the organizing committee explained:

今年年会的口号是“微动力，广天地”，旨在展望越来越微观的信息分享手段和管道，促进社会进步与协作，并带来直接效应的生活方式。一段媒母，一张照片，或者一枚明信片，都可能带来积极的社会改变，更不用说有千千万万的可能性正在孕育中，带给我们一篇广阔的思想天地。

Hu Yong, the keynote speaker of this year's conference, further elaborated the idea of “micro power” in his talk:

每个人承担责任，不是别的，就是微动力。微，就是每一个普通的中国公民，我在上面称之为“大人物”的人。动力，指的不是别的，而是说，不论言语有前条万条，改变世界的其实还是行动。

微， 也可以指日常化的微观政治。政治可以分为宏观政治和微观政治，宏观政治是结构性的，微观政治是日常化的。匈牙利作家康诺德1982年写过一本书叫做《反政 治》，其中包含了许多被后来的人们追踪的议题。哈维尔经常用的概念有“反政治的政治”和“无权者的权力”、“公民的首创精神”等。既然极权的权力是无所不 在、无所不能的，它全面扑灭来自生活的任何自发性和自主性，是对于广大丰富的生活领域的全面攻击和扼杀，那么，从生活的任何一个面向、起点、领域开始，都 可能造成对于极权制度的抵制和反抗。哈维尔的翻译者崔卫平老师认为，“反政治的政治”不去追逐政治权力，不制定一种纲领反对另外一种纲领，不试图以政治手 段（更替领导人乃至改朝换代）解决问题。相反，“反政治”提倡在日常生活的领域中随时随地展开工作。其实，这也说的就是如何从身边的治理做起。所以，在以 上我说到的互联网激发的中国民众的公共精神之中，我们必须大力强调“公民的首创精神”，即任何人可以从任何地方开始。这就是我所理解的微动力。

微 动力为什么重要？在过去，少数几个动力十足的人和几乎没有动力的大众一起行动，通常导致令人沮丧的结果。那些激情四射的人不明白为什么大众没有更多的关 心，大众则不明白这些痴迷者为什么不能闭嘴。而今天，有高度积极性的那些人应致力于降低行动的门槛，让那些只介意一点的人能参与一点，而所有的努力汇总起 来则将十分有力。比如，一封小小的明信片，也能汇成强大的呐喊。

Blogger Guangyao, reflected upon Hu Yong's talk and pointed out that the precondition to the practice of micro power is the ability to think independently:

然而微动力之前必需是独立思考，因为在这个社会哺育了畸形的价值观。在这个国家对成功的普遍定义是你是否成为一个能比别人赚更多钱的财主，这个社会不断容 忍对于社会良知和道德的底线，当然最畸形的是太多人对于独立思考的不自知。这个国家无疑比60年前有更大物质自由又更高的学历，然而这个国家在60年前后 一样没有独立思考精神。50年或者100年的未来赋予了今天重要的社会及历史的责任，作为每个具体的个体，应当以微动力之势前行。用艾未未的一句话，“每 个人承担责任，可能是这个社会将来变化的一个最基本的可能。如果没有这种可能，这个社会不会发生变化。”

Media studies student from Let's blog together interviewed Isaac Mao during the Asia blogfest and associated the concept of micro power with “cloud intelligence”:

“微动力，广天地”体现的思想，与毛向辉的“Cloud Intelligence”理论一脉相承。
在网络时代，人们有更多的机会随时随地分享。当人们在不断分享自己、分享自己认同的别人的观点时，慢慢地形成了一种现象，毛向辉称之为“Cloud Intelligence”。

一个人分享了一个观点，其他人看到之后又分享了这个观点，更多人看到之后继续分享给其他人。通过这样不断地分享，就可以实现一群人做决定。这跟水滴 聚集形成云的过程相似——毛向辉把个体比作水滴，而当个体因为认同某个观点而不断分享时，他们就聚集起来，形成一股力量，一股甚至可以改变国家政策、社会 秩序的力量。

今年6月，厦门网友郭宝锋因传播严晓玲案被福州警方扣留，网友发动一人一张明信片的行动，给狱中的郭宝锋寄明信片，写着：“妈妈喊你回家吃饭。”从全国各地蜂拥而至的明信片，最后真的促进了郭的释放。

小小的明信片能把人从看守所解救出来，体现了“微动力”所创造的“天地”，这就是“Cloud Intelligence”的力量。

Blogger Kissfree spelled out explicitly that “micro power” is to call upon citizen's awareness:

促进社会改变不一定要刀枪，微动力的力量不可忽视，我觉得微动力的本质就是呼唤公民意识，让人们多了一份责任，不再茫然然过日子。微动力通过汇集众人力量 来促进社会进步，虽然公民社会在天朝起步不易，但人心所向，不是一两个人物或是某个集团能阻止的，相反“他们”应当顺应潮流甚至加入我们，微动力–人民的 力量！

Zheng Shouren, Chief Engineer of the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee, said those blaming the drought in Hunan and Jiangxi solely on the Three Gorges project got a partial picture. “The drought in Hunan and Jiangxi was mainly caused by the lack of rainfall in the regions amid continuous high temperature since September,” said Zheng, who is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

On the same day, the discharge rate was increased to ease the drought downstream. On 28 October, CCTV reported that the discharge rate was further increased. The authority admitted that the target reservoir level of 175 metres would not be achieved this year, but insisted that the drought was not related to the Three Gorges project.

Qian Gang (钱钢), a well-known Chinese journalist, has joined the debate. In a post to 1bao (壹报) on 2 November, he said:

旱灾通常由气候变化引致。今年夏秋，包括广东在内的诸多省份少雨干旱。但长江流域广大地区今次大旱情，却与三峡有关。据报道，三峡水库水位由9月15日的近148米上升到10月24日的170米，截留之水形成前所未有的巨大人工湖。

Drought is usually caused by climate change. A few provinces, including Guangdong, experienced drought during this summer and autumn. But the large area of drought around the Yangtze River is related to the Three Gorges project. According to reports, the Three Gorges reservoir level has increased from 148m on 15 September to 170m on 24 October. This has created an unprecedented, massive artificial lake.

而与此同时，湖南各条长江支流水位迅速下降，洞庭湖水位降至60年来同期最低值。渔民无鱼可捕，枯水影响航运，长沙等城市食水供应告急。江西境内的4条大河逼近或低于历史同期最低水位。鄱阳湖比正常年份提前40天进入枯水期。

At the same time, water level of a few tributaries in Hunan province has decreased rapidly. Dongting Lake has dropped to the lowest level in 60 years. Fishermen and river transport are severely affected. Cities like Changsha are facing water shortages. Water level of the four major rivers in Jiangxi province have dropped near historic lows.  Poyang Lake has entered dry season 40 days earlier than normal.

He went on to criticize the authority:

长江水利委员会的专家把华中干旱的原因归咎于天气，称三峡蓄水是为了抗旱，蓄至高水位，才能在来年苦水季给下游补水。

The Yangtze River Water Resources Committee puts the blame on weather. The committee says that the Three Gorges project serves anti-drought purposes in the coming year. Only by storing large amount of water can the aim of providing water in next year’s dry season be achieved.

这是对公众极不负责的态度，好比一个人先劫掠，再施舍，然后以扶困救难的善士自居。请不要再欺骗老百姓，请解释：明知夏秋之际中国中部、南部少雨干旱，为什么还启动风险如此巨大的三峡蓄水计划？

This is an irresponsible behaviour. This is like robbing a person first, then helping him to show your charitable cause. Please don’t lie to the citizens anymore. Please explain: knowing that the summer-autumn period would be a dry season for central China, why still proceed with the high-risk plan?

为什么在今秋急急上马175米高程蓄水？有关部门宣称“将兼顾上、下游需求，正确处理防洪、发电、航运和供水之间的关系”，但一个月来长江中下游航运淤滞、供水告急的事实，证明这完全是一句假话。能源部门这个央企巨无霸，真正追求的东西只有一个——钱。

Why the hast decision to implement the 175m water storage scheme? The authority claimed it will “manage the relationship between flood protection, electricity generation, river traffic and water supply. But the traffic congestion and drought of the past month has disproved this claim. The related energy department, a giant state-owned firm, is only pursuing one thing: money.

This seems to echo with a commentary on Hong Kong’s Apple Daily:

區內雨量大幅減少確實是洞庭、鄱陽兩湖乾涸的主要原因。但兩湖水位急降，跟三峽工程也有關係。三峽水庫九月中啟動一百七十五米蓄水計劃後，長江中下游開始水位急降，本來儲存長江來水的洞庭及鄱陽，倒過來向長江輸水。

The reduction in rain is indeed an important cause for the dramatic drop in water level of the lakes of Dongting and Poyang. But it is also related to the Three Gorges project. Since the start of the water storage scheme in September, the water level of downstream Yangtze has dropped rapidly. Dongting and Poyang, originally acting as storage of incoming water, become a water supply for Yangtze.

巨大的三峽水庫本可調節長江水量：雨季時截住洪水…枯水時增加排水量…可惜，這幅理想圖像與現實的利益存在衝突，很難實現，因為三峽工程已成為利益集團的禁臠和生財工具。

The gigantic Three Gorges project could be used to regulate water flow: stopping water during wet season and supplying water at times of drought… Unfortunately, this ideal picture cannot be realized, because the project has become a paraphernalia for interested parties.

[Picture taken from www.1bao.org]