Links » Cream » Photo: A metal band plays at Chaoyang Shopping Mall in Beijing, by Jordan Pouille

---

• Photo: A metal band plays at Chaoyang Shopping Mall in Beijing, by Jordan Pouille
• Communist Elders Take Backroom Intrigue Beachside
• The U.S. Should Import Gun Control from China

Photo: A metal band plays at Chaoyang Shopping Mall in Beijing, by Jordan Pouille Posted: 21 Jul 2012 06:53 PM PDT A metal band plays at Chaoyang Shopping Mall in Beijing © Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Communist Elders Take Backroom Intrigue Beachside Posted: 21 Jul 2012 06:48 PM PDT The New York Times' Edward Wong and Jonathan Ansfield report from Beidaihe, a seaside resort outside Beijing, where Communist leaders have traditionally vacationed and held important behind-the-scenes meetings. This year the meetings are expected to be especially important as they will likely settle decisions about who will be promoted to the powerful Politburo Standing Committee at the 18th Party Congress, to be held this coming fall. The decision this year has been complicated by the political scandal involving disgraced Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai, who was expected to take over a Standing Committee seat: It is palace intrigue by the sea. In their guarded villas, current and past leaders will negotiate to try to place allies in the 25-member Politburo and its elite Standing Committee, at the top of the party hierarchy. The selections will be announced at the 18th Party Congress this fall in Beijing, heralding what is expected to be only the second orderly leadership transition in more than 60 years of Communist rule. "This is where the factional struggles are settled and the decisions are made," said one resident, surnamed Li, who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of Chinese politics. "At the meetings in the fall, everyone just raises their hands." Beidaihe is a Chinese combination of the Jersey Shore and Martha's Vineyard, with a pinch of red fervor: the hilly streets and public beaches are packed with shirtless Russians and Chinese families, while the party elites remain hidden in their villas and on their private patches of sand. A clock tower near Kiessling chimes "The East is Red," a classic Mao anthem. The security presence has surged in recent weeks. Police officers in light blue uniforms patrol on Suzuki motorcycles and stand on street corners watching for jaywalkers. They have set up a checkpoint on the main road leading into town. Read more about the 18th Party Congress and about Bo Xilai via CDT. © Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: 18th party congress, Bo Xilai, Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, leadership, Politburo, Politburo Standing Committee, power struggle Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

The U.S. Should Import Gun Control from China Posted: 21 Jul 2012 03:38 AM PDT I woke today to a sky that looks like cottage cheese that was left for hours on a hot sidewalk, the air being so disgusting and clingy that I had to immediately jump in the shower and do my best reinactment of Gattaca to rid myself of the scum crust. In other words, I started the day a bit cranky already. Then I got to the news and read that a crazed gunman had stormed into a movie theater in Colorado and blasted a bunch of people who were guilty of nothing more than trying to enjoy the new Batman flick. A good portion of the news coverage that ensued either argued why it was inappropriate to talk about gun control and/or explained why the U.S. government was too cowed by the National Rifle Association to change the law following this tragedy. I felt simultaneously sickened by my home country's congenital brain fart when it comes to firearms policy, but also slightly happier about where I live now. Sure, the atmosphere is barely sustainable for carbon-based life forms, but hey, at least the government doesn't deny global warming. That at least holds out the possibility of fixing the problem sometime in the future. Moreover, China isn't run by religious freaks or politicians who believe in voodoo economics like it was a proven science. And yes, if that wasn't enough to make me feel at least a little better about that nagging, chronic cough I developed over the winter, the shooting pains in my lungs, and that suspicious purple discharge that seeps out of my belly button every time the barometric pressure falls below 993 millibars, I can be happy knowing that the vast majority of sickos in the city I live in do not have access to guns. The historical/juvenile fixation that Americans have with guns is downright embarrassing. The worldwide image of the gun-toting violent American is sad but true. And this isn't just about people dying in the U.S. American gun manufacturers, whose lobbying organization is arguably the most powerful special interest in the country, exports death all over the world. USA! USA! USA! For every 100 people in the U.S., there are 90 guns. Let me stop a second while you digest that. It's a per capita figure from 2007. And if that includes every person who lives in the U.S., including infants, people in comas, paraplegics and people smart enough to realize that having a gun in their home is dangerous, then we're talking about at least one gun for every adult in the country. Are you freaking kidding me? The number in China in 2007? Three. Three guns for every 100 people. There is no reasonable argument for why Americans need guns. None pass the giggle test. Hunting? Please. Even if I gave a shit about the rights of hunters (I don't), I'm still a bit confused as to what sort of wildlife someone would bag with a Glock. If someone loses the right to shoot a duck in order to save lives, well, call me crazy but that sounds like an acceptable trade-off. How about protection against a despotic government? Um, you mean one that has tanks and nuclear bombs? Sure, I can see that happening. Look what the cops were able to do in the U.S. last year with just a few canisters of pepper spray, and you'll understand how idiotic this fantasy of armed insurrection is. In the face of this ridiculous, illogical lunacy, the government continues to go along with the fiction that the U.S. Constitution guarantees that citizens can have guns. I suppose that if folks believe that there's an invisible man in the sky who rewards them when they die, they'll believe in anything. But the Constitution doesn't say what they think it does. Not really. All it says is that because society needs "militias" (armed military units — there was no national army 250 years ago), the government should not take away their firearms. The U.S. has a standing army now, it has police, it has the freaking FBI and NSA. It DOES NOT have militias any more, nor does it need them. What a joke. Having a gun is psychologically rewarding, particularly if you're scared and/or paranoid, and shooting one is fun. The things give off a loud noise. Everyone loves that shit. And because of that lizard brain motivation, tens of thousands of people are injured or killed in the U.S. every single year. It absolutely boggles the mind that the U.S. government continues to let this happen, particularly since the most important job of any government is to protect its citizens from physical harm. I'm not too happy that the air where I live is actively trying to kill me, but at least I can go out at night without worrying about someone popping a cap in my ass. Gun control, what a concept! Now I'm even more cranky. Worked myself into a lather. Excuse me while I jump back into the shower and scrape some more of the Beijing off of me. © Stan for China Hearsay, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: gun control

You are subscribed to email updates from Update » Links » China 优文 Cream To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610