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Blogs » Society » Xenophobic CCTV anchor has ‘Terminator DNA’ |
- Xenophobic CCTV anchor has ‘Terminator DNA’
- News Of The Weekend: Chen Guangcheng In New York
- Children Of China’s Elite Attending Top Western Schools: Hypocrisy Or Good Fortune?
- Goldilocks Wen
- BJC Bar and Club Awards: The Winners
- The Situation Is Excellent: The Week That Was At Beijing Cream
- Today's Links: Ma Ying-jeou portraits egged, miraculous coal mine rescues, Chinese art collectors and more
- Presented By:
- Listen: Chen Guangcheng's first words in the US
- A List Of Chinese Manufacturers To Avoid And Why I Would (Sorta) Avoid The List
- Last Night At The Beijing Cream Bar And Club Awards
- PPAR Cat of the Month: Agaric
- Off the Beaten Palate: Century eggs
| Xenophobic CCTV anchor has ‘Terminator DNA’ Posted: 20 May 2012 08:31 PM PDT BEIJING (China Daily Show) – A top TV anchor has been discovered to be a cybernetic organism sent from the future. |
| News Of The Weekend: Chen Guangcheng In New York Posted: 20 May 2012 07:18 PM PDT Chen Guangcheng arrived in New York on Saturday. The bow-tied man in the above screen capture from this video is Jerome Cohen, Chinese law expert at New York University, who shepherded Chen through all manners of obstruction and has secured him a fellowship to study at NYU. After the jump, links to the latest CGC stories, with China experts weighing in. Evan Osnos: "By the standards of official Chinese conduct in many other areas, its handling of Chen's departure was restrained and calm. And that is one of the modestly encouraging facts to emerge from the final accounting of this whole complicated business: presented with diplomatic dynamite, neither China nor the United States succumbed to its worst instincts. The American handling of the affair was far better than the fevered early indictments suggested, and the Chinese have, so far, kept their promises to Chen and the United States. Those involved should take confidence from that." [New Yorker] Orville Schell: "At the same time, another quite counter-intuitive revelation seemed to dawn on Chinese leaders. Just as they were becoming more resistant to pressure, they also seemed to conclude that in certain instances, it was probably better to just exile dissidents and "get them off the lot," so to speak, so that they would not continue to be an endless source of damaging international criticism and bad publicity. They seemed to pragmatically conclude that the cost/benefit ratio of yielding to outside pressure and removing the source of the irritation and contention was actually pretty favorable to them." [Asia Society] Perry Link: "But the problems of human rights in China are not problems of one or two people whose cases have to 'be resolved.' It's a very deep, underlying long-term problem and we should view it that way." [NPR] A reminder that Chen's supporters are still at risk, and will continue to be if Americans continue making dumb statements like this: "But the Democrat former House speaker Nancy Pelosi described Chen's flight to the US as 'a milestone in the cause for human rights in China.'" [The Guardian] Interesting? "Chen, whose passage to the U.S. was brokered in part by officials from New York University, is now housed in NYU's major faculty residential complex, Washington Square Village — a set of 17-storey slabs comprising nearly 1,300 units. Of all the places for the wantaway dissident to end up in New York's tony Greenwich Village, Chen's new home is Lower Manhattan's closest approximation of a Soviet-style (or, indeed, Beijing) housing estate." [Global Spin, Time] Screenwriters, you around? "Chen Guangfu [Chen Guangcheng's brother] couldn't believe that a blind man could manage to escape under such close monitoring. 'My first thought was that they had intentionally let him escape, so that they would create a car accident while my brother [CGC] was at it, kill my brother, and end the whole thing.'" [iSun Affairs, via Tea Leaf Nation] A reminder that Internet commenters on popular websites like CNN and Yahoo are probably legitimately scum of the Earth. "Nevertheless, a situation like this once again rings an alert to me and maybe many other China bloggers and reporters who, in many cases, are trying to make sense of China through its active online population. Comments from a few hundreds of netizens may make good stories or provide different perspectives, but in no means do netizens' reactions, however unified, represent the whole picture, especially considering that China has a population of 1.3 billion and only a little more than 30% of that number are internet users." [Offbeat China] |
| Children Of China’s Elite Attending Top Western Schools: Hypocrisy Or Good Fortune? Posted: 20 May 2012 07:16 PM PDT
In China, my friend started a business advisory service that relied mostly on expertise but certainly didn't discount strong government ties. But the government ties part was more akin to Washington lobbying. Nothing unusual and certainly nothing corrupt. My friend has done well but, by the standards of our classmates, not extraordinarily well. And, my friend has contributed greatly in time and money to important charitable causes in China. A life well-spent. Better perhaps because of U.S. education So, I read with particular interest 'Chinese communist leaders denounce U.S. values but send children to U.S. colleges' in the Washington Post. In a tabloid, such a headline would not be surprising or disappointing, nor would the conjoining of disparate and unrelated facts into some sort of charge of hypocrisy. An example: But the kin of senior party officials are a special case: They rarely attend state schools but congregate instead at top-tier — and very expensive — private colleges, a stark rejection of the egalitarian ideals that brought the Communist Party to power in 1949. Of the nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the supreme decision-making body of a Communist Party steeped in anti-American rhetoric, at least five have children or grandchildren who have studied or are studying in the United States. Consider first, '[T]hey rarely attend state schools but congregate instead at top-tier — and very expensive — private colleges,…' If the author can show that their acceptance was due to their parents' or grandparents' status or influence, then this is an issue. But, if top-tier private colleges accept them on their merits, shouldn't they go? Second, '…a stark rejection of the egalitarian ideals that brought the Communist Party to power in 1949.' As far as I know the egalitarian ideals ship sailed soon after Deng Xiaoping took over. Is the fact that because of position, they receive a better education, any different from the wealthy in America who can afford to send their children to top high schools and boarding schools and thus improve their chances of acceptance to a top school? Not entirely fair, to be sure, but hard to distinguish. Finally, 'Of the nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the supreme decision-making body of a Communist Party steeped in anti-American rhetoric, at least five have children or grandchildren who have studied or are studying in the United States.' How many of U.S. elites, often equally anti-Chinese Communist Party, have sent their children to China to learn the language and culture in preparation for a world possibly shared by the two leading economies? Is this hypocrisy or just the desire to best prepare their children? The most troubling issue, however, is also discussed: Helping to foster growing perceptions that the party is corrupt is a big, unanswered question raised by the foreign studies of its leaders' children: Who pays their bills? Harvard, which costs hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition and living expenses over four years, refuses to discuss the funding or admission of individual students. But is the issue of how bills are paid, however dishonest the sources, relevant to the issue of the Chinese elite children being educated in the West? As far as I can see, in the long run, having these children understand well the U.S. and the West is of the greatest benefit to both the U.S./West and China. And, of all U.S. school best suited for this task, is perhaps Harvard. The Post singles out Harvard in a related graphic titled, 'China's Harvard connection' and the intro: China's Communist Party is steeped in anti-American rhetoric, but many of its leaders have children or grandchildren who have studied in the United States. Harvard is a particular favorite. Here's the chart. For my part, may Harvard welcome many, many more. And other top schools too. |
| Posted: 20 May 2012 06:43 PM PDT It was the pro-growth comments that Prime Minister Wen Jiabao made during his weekend visit to Wuhan that caught the headlines. As national reassurer-in-chief at times of adversity, Wen could be expected to raise spirits in the face of a … Continue reading →  |
| BJC Bar and Club Awards: The Winners Posted: 20 May 2012 06:04 PM PDT We held our Bar and Club Awards party on Saturday. Thank you to the 80 of you who voted. We now know which place to go watch English teachers make fools of themselves, and which place do you go if you're seeking blue balls, and which place do you go if you hate conversation and want to experience the unique sensation of bleeding eardrums. If you're the owner or manager of any of the following winners and would like your award, which will be in the form of a paper plate or plastic fork or knife, please let me know. Some highlights: - With one win: d lounge, Great Leap Brewing, Q Bar, Spark, Smugglers, Punk/Mesh, Kokomo, Chocolate, Tim's Texas BBQ, The Swan with Two Necks, Red Club, Pure Girl, What Club, Maggie's, The Den, and Migas. Propaganda/Sensation, The Bookworm and Mix/Vics each won two. Winning three: 1F. - Speaking to the predictability of these popularity contests, you guys predicted Migas would win the Beijinger's Bar and Club Award for Best Bar. It did. - Spark, which won the Beijinger's Best Club, was our readers' choice for Most Likely to Make You Feel You Got Fleeced, Raped and Left for Dead. - Propaganda/Sensation took more than half the votes in the Club with Lighting Most Conducive to Concealing Physical Defects category, making it the biggest runaway winner of any category. - The Way Too Far For You to Care category yielded interesting results: The first and third choices got 11 votes, the second and fourth choices got 10 votes, and the last choice got 12. Two people wrote in "All of the above." And now… THE WINNERS OF THE BEIJING CREAM BAR AND CLUB AWARDS DROSS Best Place to Watch English Teachers Try to Pick Up Local Girls
Best Place for Asian Men to Hit On White Girls
Safest Place for a Girl to Avoid Being Leered At
Best Place to Slip Someone a Date Rape Drug and Wander Off
REPUGNANCE Most Likely to Accidentally Find Yourself Trapped in a Conversation with Someone You Immediately Realize You Despise
Place in Which You're Most Likely to Hear the Phrase "You've Probably Never Heard of Them"
Most Likely to Make You Feel Like You Got Fleeced
Most Likely to Make You Feel You Got Fleeced, Raped and Left for Dead
ALCOHOLISM Most Reliable Place to Get Shitfaced, Followed by Overwhelming Regret For Two Days
Safest Place to Get Alcohol Poisoning, Because the Bathrooms are Nice
Worst Place to Go if You're Feeling Mildly Suicidal
Most Likely to Physically Injure Oneself
META Why Even Call it Happy Hour if You're Only Going to Lower Prices on Tsingtaos by 5 Kuai (i.e. The Tim's Texas BBQ Award)
Way Too Far For You to Care
Absolutely, Positively Worst Music
Least Likely to be Featured in Any Kind of Bar/Club Award
Bar You Have Not Been to But is Actually Not Bad
SEX Club with Lighting Most Conducive to Concealing Physical Defects
Most Likely to Leave You with Blue Balls (or the Female Equivalent)
Where a Lay is Most Likely Followed by Postcoital Triste, Probably Because You Paid for a Hooker
Best Place to Go If You're the Type of Shameless Asshole to Take Advantage of Another's Drunkenness
Best Place to Find a Lay that Turns into Something More, For Better or For Worse
THE BEIJINGER Your Prediction for Bar that Will Win the Beijinger's Bar of the Year
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| The Situation Is Excellent: The Week That Was At Beijing Cream Posted: 20 May 2012 08:59 AM PDT May 14 – May 20 The evangelical Christian Bob Fu really should stop using Chen Guangcheng and Foreign Policy to convert Chinese people to Christianity. For a different take on CGC, check out Lola B's declaration of love for the man's good looks. Meanwhile, MSNBC decided to be stupid by writing about English teachers in China in the most unenlightening way possible. The New York Times's Lede blog linked to RFH's update on the foreigner who got beat up on the street. That incident may or may not have prompted the Public Security Bureau to announce tightened security restrictions. Stephon Marbury's passport will never be checked though; he has his own statue. Kevin Reitz and Piper Fisco came over to advertise our Bar and Club Awards. As of this writing, Yang Rui is still probably upset at foreigners; no word on whether that includes Asian Americans like Rice Boy Liu. Sofa car man is now a GIF. Anus woe. This Apple is sucking Android, while Beijing Craigslist never ceases to amuse. Thank you for your continued support. |
| Posted: 20 May 2012 02:25 PM PDT  A few links to start off your day: Ma Ying-jeou portraits egged, miraculous coal mine rescues, Chinese art collectors, Jackie Chan, Zhou Yongkang, and more. [ more › ]        |
| Posted: 20 May 2012 02:25 PM PDT  |
| Listen: Chen Guangcheng's first words in the US Posted: 20 May 2012 10:19 AM PDT After leaving Beijing's Capital Airport Saturday evening with his wife and two children, blind dissident and self-taught lawyer Chen Guangcheng has touched down at Newark-Liberty International Airport and headed straight for New York University. [ more › ]  |
| A List Of Chinese Manufacturers To Avoid And Why I Would (Sorta) Avoid The List Posted: 20 May 2012 08:38 AM PDT So I got an email from a client the other day, sending me a link to a blogpost, which in turn linked over to a "blacklist" (a word I hate and never use) of Chinese manufacturers. The client wanted to know what I thought of "such things." Never one to miss a blogging opportunity, I told him I'd get back to him via the blog, so here goes. The blog post is by the Enter The Panda Blog (ETP), it is entitled "The Blacklist" and it touts its "blacklist" as follows:
Color (get the horrible pun?) me skeptical. Very. And here's why. There are obviously good and bad Chinese manufacturers and there are honest and dishonest Chinese manufacturers. But there are also good and bad American/Western buyers and honest and dishonest American/Western buyers. Bad and/or dishonest American/Western buyers might threaten to add and then add legitimately good Chinese manufacturers to a list like this, simply because they are mad at the Chinese manufacturer for not giving them the discount they thought they deserved, or whatever. I see that sort of thing all the time. We must get 100 requests to sue Chinese manufacturers for every one we actually take seriously. Half of the requests we instantly "toss" as being too small to warrant attorney time, but we also toss a large number of them because we quickly come to believe that the super-angry Western (usually American) company is the one at fault. How was the Chinese company supposed to know that you "needed" your product in 20 days when the purchase order made no mention of that? Do you really think your Chinese manufacturer has violated the contract by simply seeking to enforce it against you even though your company is going through tough economic times? Do you really think your Chinese manufacturer is the one who should have know the particular requirements for product X being sold in Kansas? I could go on and on. Just about every time we do a post on China manufacturing problems or scams, someone leaves a comment saying that such and such Chinese manufacturing company did such and such to them. We delete all such posts because we do not think it fair for a company to be besmirched in such a way, without their having been any sort of independent assessment at all. I think the same of the ETP list. How does ETP verify its information? How can it? I am not saying such a list is completely worthless, because it probably isn't. I mean, I definitely look at product reviews on Amazon.com (though I am certain some of them are rigged) and I also oftentimes review tripadvisor.com before choosing a hotel in a strange city. But, those sites typically have so many reviews that the over-gushers and the overly-furious can be discarded. Even then though, I still use the reviews as just one factor in my choice. So I guess I am not saying that one should completely ignore something like the ETP list, but I am saying that it should be just one tiny factor in your decision on who to use for your Chinese manufacturing. In Manufacturing Your Product In China.The Extreme Basics we recommended that you first "do tons of internet research and then narrow it down to 4-5 [factories] and then fly to China and meet with those factories." And if you are not willing to do that, we suggested you hire a sourcing company to do that for you. Incorporating the ETP list as one aspect of your "tons of internet research" would be just fine, but relying on it as the holy grail is probably a good idea. What do you think?         |
| Last Night At The Beijing Cream Bar And Club Awards Posted: 20 May 2012 07:39 AM PDT  What's being depicted here? Drunkenness Between drinking out of a boat — the 500-millitier Dead Guy Rogue draft for 55 yuan (multiple by three because of the buy-two-get-one-free deal) — and schmoozing over flip cup, I took pictures of last night's big awards party at Kro's Nest. Thanks to those who skipped Punk's closing party to drink with us. Hulk Hogan showed up, though dressed in a straw hat and Boracay Dragons jersey. When I left it was pouring outside, but I was too drunk to notice. My camera stayed dry though, and I have the pictures after the jump to prove it. Winners of the BJC Bar and Club Awards will be announced later.
 These are not deposable legs, and that head is not photoshopped.  You were expecting something other than flip cup?  You might judge this man giving the camera the double bird, but you have no idea how drunk he is.  Since you asked, no, I don't know what's going on here.  That dragon that was promised. |
| Posted: 20 May 2012 04:30 AM PDT |
| Off the Beaten Palate: Century eggs Posted: 20 May 2012 12:25 AM PDT  You wouldn't think something as ordinary as an egg would repel so many expat eaters. However, in China, egg options can be far from ordinary with eggs stewed in schoolboy urine, eggs that bounce like squash balls, and of course, century eggs. Though probably the least odd of China's odd egg roster, the century egg gained notoriety last year when a CNNgo reporter dubbed it "the most revolting food he'd ever had," enraging century egg producers and fanatics alike. We hoped to discover whether the century egg was a rightfully-deemed "bad egg" or conversely, a love we just hadn't hatched yet. [ more › ] |
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