Note: If you are new here, read this then this, first.
Guess what happened yet again? It involves vital organs, China and Apple products.
Ding! Thats right, some sap sold his kidney for 220,000 yuan (US$35,000) (a much better deal than the last guy) so he could buy an iPad. And now he suffers from renal deficiency. Good job Wang!
This really should bring some attention the issue of the underground organ trade in the PRC.
Still can't find a download, but once the game is released in China it's only a matter of time before it ends up on the internet. An English version is unlikely so you may need to learn a little Chinese before you can play it right.
You know that the economy has really gotten bad when American's are actually fleeing the country to find work. With unemployment at 9%, some American's are going where the jobs are. China. The article describes one woman who moved with her husband to Xian. They didn't know anything about China or the language, but they went because they were desperate for work. In hindsight they say don't regret their decision. They felt safer, there were many familiar American establishments such as McDonalds and Wal-Mart, and their new neighbors were very nice and accepting.
This should really be a wake up call to the growing issue of income inequity in America. She commented that in America people don't treat the poor very well (and neither does the government) but in China, people are nice to you regardless of your financial status. What does that say about America?
Have you ever wished you could go back in time? Well if your in China its not going to happen. The Chinese government has recently put a ban on time travel. At least on screen. State censors have released new guidelines discouraging shows and movies who's plot revolves around time travel. The law was made to protect the integrity of China's history. I guess Dr Who won't be coming to China anytime soon.
I'm knackered from CNY rubbish and busy season at work which was the busiest I have ever experienced. Therefore I am taking a bit of time off sort of. I'm actually going on a recon trip for something else. But it's more play than work though.
In preparation for my absence I've posted some scheduled posts for the week ahead such that you won't even notice my absence. KaiWen often posts some excellent articles along with my own ranting and raving. To keep everybody entertained. Lest I can find some WIFI out there.
Chinese President Hu Jintao will be making a special visit to the White House later this week, and they will be rolling out the red carpet for him. With two state dinners, a state lunch with Biden, and a meeting with American CEO's over entering China's markets.
It will be Obama's first state visit by the Chinese President and it will be interesting to see what kind of dialogue will be exchanged. Obama was hammered for not being more assertive towards China during his visit there in 2009 and during the G8 summit. Diplomatically, America has been China's bitch lately. The US government has so far failed to get China to budge on its undervalued currency or lack of transparency. They also pretty much stuck a big middle finger in our faces by unveiling a new stealth fighter while Robert Gates was there to get them be more open about their military operations (even though many of the J-20's parts are American).
Most of Obama's administration officials have said to the press that they tend to be more assertive this time around although this may just lead to more finger pointing as Hu said in an interview with American newspapers that he wants the US to end the "cold war mentality" of the relationship. It will be interesting to see how this visit goes and what kind of (if any) progress is made. No matter how it goes, I sense that a new Cold War is going to start soon.
In the meantime, China's State Council Information Office will be broadcasting ads on American TV to boost China's image as a soft power. It will feature various Chinese celebrities such as Jackie Chan, Yao Ming and Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei. I will definitely post it here as soon as I can.
China trying to boost its image in America? Where have I seen that before?
Gee, I wonder if Hu will be staying in the White House China Room?
There seems to be a lot of buzz lately over a Wall Street Journal article by Amy Chua, "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior". She argues that the Chinese (Asian really) parenting technique of "tough love" makes children much more successful than the "just try your best" attitude of most western parents. She explains that Chinese mothers want their children to be the best because academic success reflects good parenting, and if your child wasn't perfect in school, it meant that you were imperfect parents thus causing you to lose face. It also has to do with the Confucian value of filial piety, that children should always respect their elders. She explains that Chinese children owe everything to their mothers for raising them, providing them with food, shelter etc. In return, their children must be the best children possible or they would bring disrespect to their elders.
Many western parents believe that pushing your child to be perfect is bad, and that scolding them for getting a B+ even though they tried their best (as Asian parents would do) is bad for their self esteem. Chinese parents don't take their child's feelings into account. They do whatever possible to make sure their children dont just try their best, but be the best, even if it means yelling at them for their flaws.
While Asian parenting may seem harsh, the numbers don't lie. Asian children rank consistently high in academics and test scores. Statistically speaking, Chinese parenting is superior, however pushing a child so hard can have other consequences. Asian countries have some of the worlds highest suicide rates. Many of them are committed by young adults because they don't feel like they are good enough due to their damaged self esteem or they simply snap under the pressure.
The western way of raising children won't make them score as high as the asian kids, but it will give them more confidence to want to try things they wouldn't normally do, were as asian kids won't want to venture too far from being a doctor or engineer, because that is the typical path their parents want them to pursue.
I wouldn't raise my children the asian way, but I dont want to give them a free ride either. You should push your child, but not so hard that they fall over the edge.
Well, stories don't get much worse than this. A 14-year-old boy in China was killed when his chair exploded, sending chunks of metal into his rectum. The bleeding this caused killed him.
The alleged explosion came from the gas cylinder that was in the base of the chair, the part that allowed the user to adjust the seat up and down. The canister gets compressed when you sit on it, but can it actually create enough energy to make the seat cushion explode like that and kill a man? I doubt it, but this is what people are reporting.
In other news, I am working from a beanbag from now on. Sweet merciful crap.
Apparently the air piston in some Chinese teenager's chair exploded and sent him to a brutal, bloody death. The piston shot out through the chair straight up his rectum. He ended up bleeding to death.
If you brought your computer chair for less then $50, Id buy a new one. Especially if it was made in China.
