Blogs » Society » Above Dico’s In Henan, 20 Minutes Of Free Porn For All

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• Above Dico’s In Henan, 20 Minutes Of Free Porn For All
• You’ll Not See Finer Pencil Drawings Than These From Paul Lung
• Finally final: Drogba confirms he's coming to Shanghai
• People Continue To Rescue Toddlers Stuck In High Places
• Watch: Pregnant panda undergoes ultrasound scan
• The Utopia Within: Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
• Prince Charles caught in the act of hurting the feelings of the Chinese people
• Natural Disaster Dislocation In China In 2011
• Video Of The Near-Riot In Guangzhou After Foreigner Died In Police Custody
• 20 years of China’s public voice
• Veritable NBA All-Stars Plus Yi Jianlian To Appear In A Chinese Movie
• 3-year-old falls out the window, gets head caught in rail before being rescued
• Aung San Suu Kyi caught in the act of hurting the feelings of the Chinese people
• Mid-Week Links: Protesting Africans update, Chinese superhero The Annihilator, lots of baijiu, and “5,000 Years”
• At Rio, a new contract for science?
• Watch: Police rescue suicidal man on window ledge in Ningbo
• Attention Mums and Dads: Shanghai Family Launches Their New Website
• Chinese State Media Gushes Over Piece Of Adhesive Hu Jintao Removes From His Shoe
• Africans protest in Guangzhou after Nigerian beaten to death
• Procrastinate Break: Hunger Games | Battle Royale | Django Unchained

Above Dico’s In Henan, 20 Minutes Of Free Porn For All Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:48 PM PDT Here's a fun way to troll an entire city. In a country that forbids pornography, why not hook your laptop to an outdoor big screen and stream porn during evening rush hour? That's exactly what one man did in Pingdingshan, Henan province on Tuesday, in what might be the greatest public prank China will see all year. Although… there is six months left. You've been called out, people. Try to top this. Do note, however, that there are consequences. As announced on Pingdingshan police's Weibo, the man who pulled this stunt received 15 days of detention. Totally worth it. Youku video for those in China after the jump, plus lightly censored photos and a one-minute Chinese news report on the incident. The newscast: At one point in this video, a woman tells the man who is filming, "Let's stop watching." He merely chuckles: (H/T Alicia)

You’ll Not See Finer Pencil Drawings Than These From Paul Lung Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:10 PM PDT Paul Lung from Hong Kong is a self-described business design consultant, but judging by these pictures he drew — yes, drew, as in with a .5mm pencil — his talents are being misemployed. I don't know, maybe he's a freakin' spectacular business design consultant. I do know, however, that he's an absurdly awesome pencil artist, judging by the work on several of his websites (which you can access through his personal website). A few more pictures are after the jump; if you have Sina Weibo, you can follow him here. These are from Buzzfeed: Real-life models for the above picture: (H/T Alicia)

Finally final: Drogba confirms he's coming to Shanghai Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:21 PM PDT After months (and months) of speculation, Didier Drogba finally confirmed on his website yesterday that he'll be playing for Shenhua. He'll be joining former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka here in Shanghai early next month. [ more › ]

People Continue To Rescue Toddlers Stuck In High Places Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:50 PM PDT Adults continue to be unable to resist doing noble things for young children in need. Danwei noted yesterday a story that made the front page of Today Morning News: on Monday evening, a man surnamed Liu heard the cries of a young boy outside. He then… …saw the boy dangling from a third-floor window of the apartment building opposite his, about to fall. He bolted down 6 flights of stairs and scaled the other building to where the boy was stuck. Clinging to the outside of the building, with one foot on the second-floor anti-theft grate, he managed to support the boy's body with one hand for 20 minutes until firefighters arrived to cut the iron railing and free the boy. The child was saved, and Xiao Liu became a local hero overnight. One line in particular that he told journalists — "When you see other people in trouble, it's normal to help them" — has netizens swooning. What a concept! We'll mark this one down as favorable outcome. The last incident involving a baby and a balcony, unfortunately, did not end so well.  Also see: June 3, Guangdong province: 4-year-old stuck on 4th-story balcony June 8, Guangxi autonomous region: 4-year-old stuck between 4th-story guard railings June 11, Guangdong province: 2-year-old stuck between 7th-story guard railings

Watch: Pregnant panda undergoes ultrasound scan Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:45 PM PDT [ more › ]

The Utopia Within: Happy Dragon Boat Festival! Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT

Prince Charles caught in the act of hurting the feelings of the Chinese people Posted: 20 Jun 2012 02:36 PM PDT Via TelegraphTV: "The Prince of Wales and the Dalai Lama greeted each other like old friends when the two men met for the first time in four years, although the Tibetan spiritual leader did insist on holding hands." [ more › ]

Natural Disaster Dislocation In China In 2011 Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:34 AM PDT China last year was spared the large-scale population dislocations caused by natural disasters that it experienced in 2010. That year monsoon flooding, earthquakes and the like uprooted 15.2 million people from their homes. Yet the figure for 2011 was still … Continue reading →

Video Of The Near-Riot In Guangzhou After Foreigner Died In Police Custody Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:15 AM PDT Celestine Elebechi is the Nigerian who died in police custody on Monday, sparking a big protest the next day involving more than 100 Africans. BJC contributor Alicia found this video recently (more are beginning to appear on Youku). I'm particularly surprised by how brazen the protestors are, appearing to throw objects at the approaching police brigade. By all indications, the protest/mini-riot ended after only a few hours without many injuries, which is a blessing. Because judging by this snippet here, it could have been worse. Youku video for those in China after the jump.

20 years of China’s public voice Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:36 PM PDT Since the last Rio summit, China's way of doing things has changed: citizens have become players in environmental governance. Chang Cheng reflects on a civil-society journey. In 1992, the United Nations Earth Summit in Brazil produced the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Its 10th principle opens with these words: "Environmental issues are best handled with participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level." Internationally, this is known as the Access Principle, or the Public Participation Principle, and it sets out a framework for citizen engagement in environmental management. On the declaration's 20th anniversary, as world leaders once again assemble in Rio de Janeiro, it's worth taking a moment to look back at the past two decades of public participation in China. After the first line, the Access Principle continues like this: "At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes. States shall facilitate and encourage public awareness and participation by making information widely available. Effective access to judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy, shall be provided." In the 20 years since this principle was formulated, China has seen the advent and growth of public participation in the sustainable development field, at both national and local level. The past few years have been as significant as any: new technologies have taken citizen engagement to new heights online, while government action has brought public participation into mainstream political thought. More specifically, the stronger public voice in China has been propelled by three main forces. First among these has been the formation and development of independent NGOs, from early national pioneers like my organisation Friends of Nature (the first officially recognised NGO) to specialist outfits including the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs – led by open information campaigner Ma Jun – to local bodies such as Green Anhui, based in eastern China. Influential cases in which NGOs have been involved include efforts to protect the Tibetan antelope, the campaign to save the Nu River and a public hearing on a controversial project to lay an impermeable membrane on the bed of the Old Summer Palace lake in Beijing. High-profile campaigns in the late 1990s to protect the Tibetan antelope and the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey shared a pattern: though idealistic government or Party workers were crucial at the start, these campaigns were later powered by widespread public support – and taken more seriously as a result. But still, most environmental campaigns during this period were based around heroic individuals; environmental groups were not yet bringing their influence to bear. The second driving force has been government innovation. Governance by rule of law is written into China's constitution and, in 2004, guidelines on administration by rule of law were released which protected and affirmed the value of open information and public participation. This in turn triggered regulations on public participation in environmental impact assessments and legislation enshrining the right of the public to access environmental data, along with trial environmental courts in many places. Thirdly, China has seen a growth in action and campaigning by members of the public outside of formal organisations. This is a more recent development than the growth of NGOs or government reforms. It emerged gradually after the country reached certain educational and economic levels, and has been propelled forward by the advent of modern information technology. People directly affected by pollution or construction projects or a host of other local concerns have acted to protect their interests and, in so doing, worked to protect the interests of the wider public too. The "walking" protest against a PX chemical plant in Xiamen, south China, in 2007 is perhaps the most famous example. Tens of thousands of residents marched through the city's streets to make their views heard, and eventually a decision was taken to relocate the planned factory at the centre of the controversy. This was not a protest led by environmental campaign groups. Instead, the public organised themselves via internet forums and mobile phones. If we take the day in 1994 when Friends of Nature officially opened its doors as the moment China's intellectuals started to wake up to environmental dangers, then "Xiamen PX" marked the dawning of a new savvy among the wider public; the realisation it must act to counter those same risks. In western nations, organised environmental groups have been the leaders and mobilisers of public environmental action. But in China, these groups are often absent when the public is influencing policy decisions. China's grassroots NGOs are held back by a complicated registration process and the sensitivity of their work, as well as limits on the way they can raise funds and mobilise the public. The groups are often unable – or do not dare – to launch public campaigns, and as such are disconnected from the very communities they should be working closely with. But a new element is helping to mobilise those communities. The rise of social media in the last decade has given China's citizens the tools with which to organise. Public participation in environmental protection is expanding, from a small number of intellectuals recognising and acting on the problem, to society as a whole acting together. The air pollution controversies of the last year offer a particularly vivid example. Continuous smog in Beijing in late October 2011 sparked a national debate about air quality on China's microblogs, with a focus on levels of PM2.5 – a particularly dangerous air pollutant. From property tycoon Pan Shiyi to former head of Google China Kai-fu Lee, to children's author Zheng Yuanjie, it seemed like everyone was microblogging about the capital's air quality. Employees and volunteers from the NGO Green Beagle went onto the streets with monitoring equipment to gather their own PM2.5 figures, data which they then published online. By the end of the year, other local groups including Green Hunan and Friends of Nature's Wuhan branch had followed suit. Action by campaign groups and calls from opinion-leaders, compounded by the very many voices of the public and constant references to international experience, affected the government stance.  On December 26 last year, environment minister Zhou Shengxian announced that "PM2.5 and ozone monitoring will start in key locations, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hubei and the Pearl and Yangtze River deltas." The proposal was finally approved by the State Council, China's highest administrative organ, on March 1. Official monitoring of PM2.5 is expected to start in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou – where levels of public concern are highest – before the year is out. International experience and the support of microblogging platforms played an important role here. And government openness to public opinion and prompt response to citizen demands made this case of public participation a success for all parties. Over the past 20 years, the positive forces of NGO activity, guidance by an open-minded government and public actions have pushed forward public participation on behalf of society as a whole. But, while these three forces have on occasion found synergies, more often than not they have worked in isolation from each other. How to get these progressive forces to work better together as they promote broad participation in environmental protection is an important question for both society and government to answer over the next 20 years. Another event of the past decade worth noting is the formation of the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology and the Green Choice Alliance. These two associations connect the worlds of business and environmental protection and mark the emergence of more mainstream recognition of the benefits of civil-society approaches to the environment. Enlightened businesspeople are using their financial resources to help restructure civil-society environmental protection; while specialised consultants work to educate consumers about pollution and the activities of particular brands, in a bid to put influence corporate behaviour through market pressures. The market economy's rise in China has led to destruction wrought by profit motives, but also to businesses seeking to fulfill their social responsibilities and respect consumer opinions, creating new possibilities for public participation in environmental protection. China's public faces environmental crises and challenges on a daily basis, while civil society is acquiring experience as it grows and develops. In every case of public participation, the government learns more and adjusts its role. For sustainable development to succeed, it must include all interested parties. Public opinion must be heard and valued, and decisions must be transparent and trusted. This is the kind of sustainable development China needs. Chang Cheng is deputy director of Friends of Nature. Homepage image by Track01 A chronology of public participation in China's sustainable development *  January 18, 1994: Gisang Sonam Dorje, first secretary of the Western Committee of Zhiduo in Qinghai – set up to protect the Tibetan antelope – is shot and killed while transporting captured poachers. Inspired by his martyrdom, in April the next year Zhaba Dorje re-establishes the committee. Their armed anti-poaching team is known as the Wild Yak Brigade. *  March 31, 1994: Friends of Nature, a nationwide membership organisation, is officially launched by Liang Congjie, Yang Dongping, Liang Xiaoyan and Wang Lixiong. *  1995: Xi Zhinong exposes the destruction of natural forests in Deqin, Yunnan province, which is endangering the survival of the snub-nosed monkey. The story is picked up by a number of media outlets, as well as Friends of Nature. Eventually commercial felling in Deqin is halted. *  2003: Green Earth Volunteers and other environmental NGOs launch a public campaign against hydropower development on the Nu River. In 2004, premier Wen Jiabao announces the shelving of development plans. *  September 1, 2003: the Environmental Impact Assessment Law comes into effect; the first time public participation is a required part of environmental assessment reports. *  April 2004: the State Council issues guidelines on administration in accordance with the law, stressing government by rule of law and putting forward "the promotion of openness of government information" and "administrative policy-decision mechanisms combining public participation, expert testimony and government decisions." *  June 5, 2004, the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology is formed, funded by around 100 well-known Chinese business figures. *  March 2005: the media reveals that managers of the Old Summer Palace have drained the lake and are planning to lay an impermeable membrane without carrying out an environmental impact assessment, stirring public anger. The State Environmental Protection Agency (predecessor to the Ministry of Environmental Protection) holds China's first public environmental hearing and ultimately orders changes to the project. *  March 18, 2006: the former State Environmental Protection Bureau publishes rules on public participation in the environmental impact assessment process, and says the public are entitled to obtain abridged versions of the reports. *  May 2006: the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) is founded in Beijing, with former journalist and environmental consultant Ma Jun as director and core founder. The organisation launches a pioneering map of water pollution. *  June 1, 2007: thousands of Xiamen residents take to the streets for a "mass stroll" in protest at plans to build a PX chemical plant in the city. On December 16, the provincial and city governments give in to public opinion and relocate the project to Zhangzhou. *  May 1, 2008: regulations on openness of government information and environmental data unveiled in April 2007 come into effect. The rules say openness should be the normal state of affairs, and secrecy the exception. *  July 7, 2009: the All-China Environment Federation case against Jiangyin Container Company is accepted at Wuxi Environmental Court, the first time an NGO has brought an environmental case in the public interest. *  August 2009: China's largest internet portal Sina launches its microblogging service, and with it an era of public participation via microblogs and other social media. By the end of 2011 China has 250 million microblog users. *  October 24, 2011: a draft revision of the Civil Procedure Law is submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for first consideration. The draft includes articles allowing for social groups not directly affected by a case to bring public interest environmental lawsuits.  *  March 2012: the State Council approves a revised standard for air quality, including PM2.5 measurements, to be implemented in stages. In response to public demands, it is announced PM2.5 data from certain areas will be published four years ahead of the earlier timetable.

Veritable NBA All-Stars Plus Yi Jianlian To Appear In A Chinese Movie Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT I'm ashamed to admit that I missed this Shanghai Daily article from Saturday announcing a partnership between the NBA and Shanghai Film Group to produce Amazing. It "tells the story of a fictional world known as 'The Sixth Sense.' It uses basketball imagery to combine the visual elements of a video game with a movie, akin to the 2010 American science fiction film 'Tron: Legacy.'" That does sound amazing, actually. And then you watch the trailer… Go ahead, I'll wait. It's above and below (on Youku for those in China after the jump). There's something else you should see. These are GIFs from Buzzfeed of the trailer. Are you able to handle this amazingness? Dwight Howard doing inexplicable things: Carmelo Anthony making what I am sure is the only face he makes the entire movie: Scottie Pippen. I guess… something. Li Anlan's Shanghai Daily story has been linked to on Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie blog and Grantland, so, well done, Anlan, your bosses should give you a bonus. Slated for release this summer, Amazing also stars American actor Eric Mabius and Chinese actors Huang Xiaoming, Huang Yi, Charles Chen and Amber Kuo. It looks utterly unwatchable to all people whose blood alcohol content does not exceed 0.25.

3-year-old falls out the window, gets head caught in rail before being rescued Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:45 AM PDT by Allison Carroll Goldman on June 20, 2012 The front page of today's Today Morning News shows pictures of a man rescuing a 3-year-old boy who had fallen out the window of his Ningbo apartment and got his head stuck in the anti-theft grate outside, so that he was dangling by his neck. The headline: "Ningbo has its own 'big brother'". The incident happened two days ago. Xiao Liu, an agile air-conditioner installation worker from Sichuan province, sitting in his own apartment playing computer games when he heard the screams of a child and saw the boy dangling from a third-floor window of the apartment building opposite his, about to fall. He bolted down 6 flights of stairs and scaled the other building to where the boy was stuck. Clinging to the outside of the building, with one foot on the second-floor anti-theft grate, he managed to support the boy's body with one hand for 20 minutes until firefighters arrived to cut the iron railing and free the boy. The child was saved, and Xiao Liu became a local hero overnight. When the reporter interviewed him for the story, Xiao Liu simply said, "When you see other people in trouble, its normal to help them." Strangely, this is not the first time a story like this has come up. Already this month, similar cases of kids falling out windows and getting their heads stuck until a kind-hearted and nimble bystander climbs up to rescue them have occurred twice: once in Guangdong province and once in Guangxi. For more details about these other stories, and video clips of the incidents themselves, follow the Beijing Cream link below. Links and Sources  Today Morning News: 宁波也出了个"托举哥"  Beijing Cream: Another young child gets head caught between railings before getting rescued

Aung San Suu Kyi caught in the act of hurting the feelings of the Chinese people Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:35 AM PDT A meeting of two Nobel Peace Prize winners: Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi with the Dalai Lama in a private meeting in London, England yesterday. [via] [ more › ]

Mid-Week Links: Protesting Africans update, Chinese superhero The Annihilator, lots of baijiu, and “5,000 Years” Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:48 AM PDT A rainbow in Xinjiang (CFP via Chinanews.com) Today has proven that you guys do love your sex mushrooms. Carry on, then. Pretend these links aren't even here. The Nanfang updates the story from earlier today about protesting Africans in Guangzhou: "According to Matouvu, a 26-year old Nigerian who lives in the Sanyuanli area, the initial altercation between the moped driver and Nigerian man was in the wee hours of yesterday (June 19) morning. She said when she arrived at her office around 8 o'clock yesterday morning, police cars remained around the area where the altercation had taken place. 'I called to find out what was going on, and they said one man had died from a beating,' she said." [The Nanfang] About that postgame soccer "near-riot" on Saturday: "Beijing has no problem attracting fans and families are seen all over Worker's Stadium on a matchday. With Father's Day having just past, it was an awesome sight to see all the young children inside Gongti Saturday night. What happened outside the venue was an isolated incident, over 40,000 people showed up for the match proving that Guoan is attracting plenty of well-behaved fans and that the league is nowhere near 'spiraling into a weekend pasttime for thugs' and saying as much is an insult to Beijing's great fans." [Wild East Football] And one more reaction to that forced abortion case. "The gradual relaxation of the one-child policy over many years (as we're seeing now) is probably the best anyone can hope for. Ending it outright all at once could cause a baby boom with demographic consequences down the road just as bad as those that resulted from the policy in the first place. // So for most intents and purposes, the forced abortion problem is probably better than it was 10 or 20 years ago and improving slowly but surely. The takeaway from this latest incident though is that, as far as public opinion is concerned, none of that matters." [Eric Fish, Sinostand] Travel to Tibet open again to foreigners — unless you're from Norway, the UK, Austria or Korea (and other restrictions). "The Tibet Tourism Bureau had a meeting today (June 18) and will begin processing permits for foreigners again starting on June 20th. There are still a lot of restrictions. Only groups of 5 people from the same country will have their permits processed." [Land of Snows] Self-censorship at the South China Morning Post? "A decision by the South China Morning Post's new editor in chief, Wang Xiangwei, to reduce a major breaking story on the suspicious death of Tiananmen dissident Li Wangyang in a Hunan hospital to a brief has kicked off a new controversy at the paper. // Alex Price, a senior sub editor at the paper, sent Wang an email saying 'A lot of people are wondering why we nibbed the Li Wangyang story last night. It does seem rather odd. Any chance you can shed some light on the matter?' // Wang answered curtly: 'I made that decision.' When Price asked in a subsequent email: 'Any chance you say why? It's just that to the outside world it looks an awful lot like self-censorship,' it generated an explosion from Wang." [Asia Sentinel] Get ready. "The Annihilator" really is happening. "'Spider-Man' creator Stan Lee's first Chinese superhero, 'The Annihilator,' topped the inaugural slate of feature film co-productions announced Monday by state-run National Film Capital." [LA Times] Chinese drinking culture. "The pressure to drink, and drink a lot, is so great that even Mormon Jon Huntsman admitted he tippled while serving as U.S. Ambassador to China. // In 2009, a Guangdong police officer who passed away after drinking to excess at an official event was said to have 'died in the line of duty.' He received the official designation of "martyr," which greatly increased the compensation his family received. The officer's death came just after another official, ironically with Wuhan's water resources bureau, also succumbed to too much drink. // While not the official cause of death, the Guangdong cop and the Wuhan cadre died of inadequate jiuliang (酒量), which literally means 'booze capacity,' or in common usage, 'ability to hold one's drink.' In modern China, showing off one's jiuliang, often on numerous nights (or afternoons) a week, is part of doing business or being important. Like the eighth rule of Fight Club, if it's your first time, you have to drink." [The Awl] Beijing is getting more expensive. "Mercer's annual expatriate cost-of-living survey has come out. Judging from the results, either Beijing is getting pricier or lots of other places are getting cheaper. Beijing now ranks #17 on the international list, up three spots from its perch last year, but still down one from its high at 16 in 2010." [the Beijinger] Featuring a screen-grab of BJC… "But what all Chinese everywhere of whatever political persuasion agree upon is the figure used to mark the extent of their lineage: '5,000 years of civilization' and '5,000 years of history' are the most repeated phrases you'll hear the Chinese use to describe their country. Indeed it is not so much something agreed upon as simply taken for granted." [Isham Cook] Feet calligraphy interlude: Finally… Patrick Devillers, who had business ties with Gu Kailai, arrested in Cambodia. [NY Times] Jonathan Watts bids farewell to China. [Guardian] Danwei's "Model Workers 2012" (chinaSMACK and Bill Bishop are the big winners). [Danwei] Gonna put this here without comment: Jim Boyce headline: "Beer-ty queens: Gao Xiaodan is Miss Kriek 2012 for China." [Beijing Boyce] Finally, finally… "SLEEP," by Beijing-based artist Zhao Na, via NeochaEDGE

At Rio, a new contract for science? Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:46 PM PDT As global leaders try to chart a course for the planet, scientists are seeking to influence policymakers far more than they have proved able to in recent years. Joydeep Gupta reports from Brazil. Ensuring a sustainable future in the face of inter-connected, human-induced challenges to the Earth system demands a new relationship between science and society. This was the message from leading scientists gathered in Rio de Janeiro last week for the Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development, a five-day session held ahead of the main event, the UN-led sustainability conference known as Rio+20, which begins today. "Our way of development is undermining the resilience of our planet," said Yuan Tseh Lee, president of the International Council for Science (ICSU). "Scientific evidence now shows this convincingly. We must find a different path towards a safe and prosperous future. With all the knowledge and creativity we have, it is absolutely possible. But we are running out of time. We need real leadership, practical solutions and concrete action to set our world on a sustainable path." Around 500 scientists from 75 countries came together in the Brazilian city last week to urge that their findings be taken far more seriously when policymakers meet to indicate, if not determine, the development path the world should take. Expert after expert underlined and presented empirical evidence to prove that we are living in a time of unprecedented global environmental, social, financial, geo-political and technological crisis. Many of them said in private they were frustrated by the way this evidence was being ignored by policymakers negotiating a resolution for the Rio+20 summit at the same time. They wanted to exert renewed pressure for science to be more relevant and effective at informing both policy and implementation. In short, scientists are seeking a new contract between science and society. They want a relationship that can better inform policy related to sustainable development and help build societal resilience to environmental risks. Many of those who gathered for the Rio forum were also critical of the scientific community itself, agreeing that scientists continue to live in their ivory towers. Instead, they need to engage directly with society to ensure shared understanding of the new realities shaping our world, and help translate knowledge into action for sustainable development. The forum was organised by ICSU in partnership with UNESCO, the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, the International Social Science Council, the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. And the scientists were there to look at the greatest challenges facing the earth: how to secure food and water supplies for a fast-rising global population, how to provide energy while minimising use of coal and petroleum, how to adapt to a world at greater risk from climate change and disaster and how to do all this in more equitable ways. One outcome of the forum was the launch of a 10-year global sustainability research initiative called Future Earth, a platform to coordinate interdisciplinary studies. Describing its significance, Lee said: "New knowledge from science must play a critical role in finding solutions through integrated research, holistic systems-oriented thinking, and a stronger commitment on behalf of science to communication, education and engagement." The question now is to what extent the recommendations from last week's forum can impact the political resolution being negotiated for this week's United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), popularly called Rio+20 for coming 20 years after the seminal Earth Summit in this same coastal city. The 2012 conference is being held in an atmosphere of gloom, partly due to the global economic recession and partly because so little of what was promised in 1992 has materialised. The annual Global Environment Outlook, published by the UN Environment Programme on June 6, makes that abundantly clear. A concern repeatedly expressed at the forum was that scientists too often have a "silo mentality", and that this is a barrier to science playing a bigger role in development policymaking. Aware of this, UNCSD chief Sha Zukang has just called for all experts to suggest "practical solutions" for policymakers to act on. By linking up different disciplines, the Future Earth programme is expected to help, especially when it comes to understanding the unintended consequences that one scientific development may have in other areas. An example discussed at the forum was biofuel development, which impacts farmland used to grow food crops as well as water availability. One way of getting over such problems is for physical scientists and social scientists to interact far more closely than they have done so far, as has been repeatedly pointed out at recent scientific gatherings. Many participants at the Rio forum went a step further and said social scientists should be put in charge of research programmes, rather than just invited as collaborators. Leaders from the world of social science used the forum to launch a campaign to make their work more "visible", arguing that their research into global environmental change too often goes ignored. "Social scientists are often called upon to sell solutions found by natural scientists," said Heide Hackmann, executive director of the International Social Science Council. Instead, she said, they should be involved in research projects from the outset. "A lot of social scientists doing this work have remained invisible. Our role is to make them visible." Hackmann presented an ISSC report outlining six social science questions — or "cornerstones" — which would apply to research regardless of subject. For example, applying the "interpretation and subjective sense-making" cornerstone to climate-change research would address the question: "why, in the face of decades of scientific knowledge, do we have climate change indifference and denial?" The organisation is developing good-practice guidelines to encourage social scientists to take up global change research. "We must mobilise social scientists to take the lead in reaching out to natural scientists: it's a two-way process," said Hackmann. Olive Shisana, president of South Africa's Human Sciences Research Council pointed out that important challenges to full integration remain. Defining integrated science, measuring quality, agreeing on shared methodology and acceptable evidence – which can differ in the natural and social sciences – are among these. But that should not mute the ambition, she said: "Social sciences should be at the centre of all sustainable development work, for the simple reason that we are dealing with human behaviour." Joydeep Gupta is south Asia director of thethirdpole.net. Homepage image by NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre

Watch: Police rescue suicidal man on window ledge in Ningbo Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:16 AM PDT This is one hell of a rescue operation by police in Ningbo of a man threatening to commit suicide because of family problems. Footage from this eye-witness video shows a policeman suspended by ropes and jumping from one side of the building towards him to grab him while other rescuers behind the man quickly tied ropes to his feet to secure him. [ more › ]

Attention Mums and Dads: Shanghai Family Launches Their New Website Posted: 20 Jun 2012 01:49 AM PDT Date: Jun 20th 2012 11:47a.m. Contributed by: clairebared Our friends over at Shanghai Family have just launched an awesome new website and if you're a mum or dad, you need to check it out. If you're a fan of the magazine, you'll love the new makeover. They've spruced things up and added a bunch of great new features to the home page including: • An easy-to-use search bar which will help you find articles, venue listings, event listings, classifieds and forum topics • The article slider which displays four of the latest and greatest blogs and features • Meet Our Writers which will help you follow your favorite Shanghai Family writers • The Age Guides which will help you find more specific information related to you kids We're especially loving the new additions of Today's Recipe which displays a new easy-to-follow recipe every day on the website. And those fans of Instagram will love the Share Your Photos section which will allow you to upload and share snaps of your daily life in Shanghai. You don't even need to sign up for a new Shanghai Family account; your City Weekend user name is fully functional on the site! As well as all these nifty new features, mums and dads will love the forums . It's a great way for parents to connect with fellow families around town. But don't just take our word for it, jump onto the Shanghai Family website and check it out for yourself.

Chinese State Media Gushes Over Piece Of Adhesive Hu Jintao Removes From His Shoe Posted: 20 Jun 2012 01:35 AM PDT Here is the perfect example of a Chinese state mouthpiece spinning cock out of bull. Attention: this piece, "President Hu picks up China's dignity," published on People's Daily at 1:05 pm today. Scene: G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico; as leaders walk off after their photo op, Chinese president Hu Jintao bends over to pick up something… After posing for the family photo, all the leaders walked off the stage stepping on the national flags. Only Chinese President Hu Jintao bent down to pick up the Chinese national flag and carefully conserved it. This little detail was highly praised by netizens, who expressed their respect to the Chinese president. Nothing in People's Daily's write-up is technically false. But what really happened? Why did Hu Jintao alone pick up that flag? Let's go to the video: The flag was stuck to his shoe, and that's why he stopped — just long enough to pick the flag off his shoe, mind you. Wait, I got that wrong. The flag of the motherland flung herself on her beloved leader's noble wingtips and the leader was so moved as to carefully extricate her so that she may more comfortably be transported back to her country of origin, near his bosom. To People's Daily's credit, this story did not originate from some patriotic editor at its office. It came from Weibo — specifically, this post by Huaxin News, which has been forwarded 166,600 times as of this moment. According to Offbeat China, at first, "99% of the 200o comments left to this post are shouts of 'Bravo' or 'Love you. Brother Hu.' Many called it an 'epic moment' that is 'trivia' but has the power to 'move the entire nation.'" But after closer examination, netizens pulled an about-face: "Opposite to the overwhelming 'Bravo' comments to the earlier post, almost every single post with the image now is flooded with comments from cynical netizens who call Hu's action a show and the 'truth' a slap on the face of those 'stupid patriots.'" And here, People's Daily loses whatever credit I just gave it, because despite the truth, it proceeded with the editorial stating that Hu Jintao loves Chinese flags so much, he couldn't bear to leave one behind even after all the other leaders did just that. And because it's People's Daily out on the lead with this, I think it's safe to say we're going to see several similar editorials appear across state media. Sheep follow sheep, you know. But it's not slaughter they're being led to — it's laughter. Beautiful, mocking laughter. (H/T TAR Nation)

Africans protest in Guangzhou after Nigerian beaten to death Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:43 AM PDT African expatriates in Guangzhou hit the streets in protest in Sanyuanli district yesterday after an altercation between a Nigerian man and a moped driver led to a severe beating and the eventual death of the Nigerian while under police custody. [ more › ]

Procrastinate Break: Hunger Games | Battle Royale | Django Unchained Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:01 AM PDT Date: Jun 20th 2012 2:34p.m. Contributed by: andrewchin This week we: get hyped for The Hunger Games, look at its Japanese predecessor, preview the next Quentin Tarantino flick, examine how the violence of the LA Riots has changed some of its most affected neighbourhoods, pay tribute to a local band hanging it up, and jam out to a funky mashup mix. The Hunger Games online Choose Your Own Adventure style game The Hunger Games finally open in Chinese cinemas this week where it will surely add to its already substantial $660 million worldwide gross so far. Based on the Suzanne Collins hit trilogy series of books, the film follows Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss – a teenage participant in the Hunger Games where teens are forced to fight each other in a post-North American world. Unlike recent teen-fueled sensations like Twilight and even Harry Potter, this series is seriously bleak. To get even more hyped up for the movie, play the official online game where players are given "Choose Your Own Adventure" style choices. The first one is particularly hard – I died in five moves, so whatever you do, don't fall asleep by the lake. Battle Royale For Asian cinema fans, The Hunger Games immediately conjures up images of the cult Japanese movie, Battle Royale. The final film by iconic Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku, has the similar premise of having high school aged students battle each other. However, there is no way The Hunger Games could even scratch the surface of pure violence found in this movie. The 2000 film is a heavy handed metaphor for the Japanese exam system of competition and finds one class stranded on an island where they are each given a weapon and are instructed to fight each other to the death. It's an awesome movie and the one where Quentin Tarantino discovered ...

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