Blogs » Society » Apocalypse Now: Check Out MAYA's Doomsday Artwork, Before it's too Late

---

• Apocalypse Now: Check Out MAYA's Doomsday Artwork, Before it's too Late
• China's Top 25 Hotels: The Langham Yangtze Hotel
• A Big Test For Little Hu
• Chinese millionaires leaving the country in droves
• WIN RMB500 in Frozen Food from glo London
• Man Casually Pees Off Beijing Subway Platform On A Monday Afternoon
• Trust in anti-corruption fight at 5 year low, survey says
• Shanghai taxis without seat belts (basically every taxi) to be fined
• Second Bite Review: Pane e Vino at Sinan Mansions
• Laowai Comics: CWIDSOOS
• Chinese Basketball May Be In The Midst Of A Point-Shaving Scandal
• The China Legal Representative. Its Risks And Responsibilities.
• Gilbert Arenas Scores 5 Points In First Game Back Since Groin Injury, Team Loses
• Apple sells 2 million iPhones in China in three days, but Android is still dominating the market
• New York lawyers arrested for helping Chinese immigrants
• Watch: Steven Ho Beats Up Conan O’Brien
• New Japanese PM Shinzo Abe bullish over Diaoyu claims
• Presented By:
• Wang Lijun employed a team of more than 20 officers nicknamed the “Smurfs”
• McDonalds, KFC speak out after CCTV report on drugged-up chickens

Apocalypse Now: Check Out MAYA's Doomsday Artwork, Before it's too Late Posted: 19 Dec 2012 08:51 PM PST Date: Dec 15th 2012 4:53p.m. Contributed by: katvelayo

China's Top 25 Hotels: The Langham Yangtze Hotel Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:44 PM PST Date: Dec 15th 2012 4:41p.m. Contributed by: leemack

A Big Test For Little Hu Posted: 19 Dec 2012 08:22 PM PST Hu Chunhua (right) has already been pencilled in by China long-term watchers as a likely successor to President Xi Jinping in 2022. So Hu's appointment as Party boss in Guangdong is particularly noteworthy. It not only takes him from one end of the country to the other–his most recent post was as Party chief in [...]

Chinese millionaires leaving the country in droves Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:00 PM PST One third of China's wealthiest have emigrated, while half are considering or planning to move abroad, according to a survey released this week by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). [ more › ]

WIN RMB500 in Frozen Food from glo London Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:48 PM PST Date: Dec 20th 2012 10:49a.m.

Man Casually Pees Off Beijing Subway Platform On A Monday Afternoon Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:50 PM PST Here's the thing I really like about Beijing's subway: there are bathrooms at the end of most platforms. (Contrast to, say, New York, where everyone has peed onto subway tracks at least once.) This guy here, however, does not care — because why walk to the end when you can just relieve yourself in the middle? We'd like to give him a pass here, but the video description tells us that this happened on Monday at 4 pm. So he can't possibly be drunk, right? Does anyone know if Yuquanlu Station on Line 1 has a bathroom? I like the sly camera work, by the way, especially when the urinator turns around. Oh, am I secretly filming you peeing? NOPE. By the way, this proves once again that when a person has to go, usually they just do.

Trust in anti-corruption fight at 5 year low, survey says Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:00 PM PST Confidence in anti-corruption measures are at a five-year low among urban Chinese, according to a new survey. The survey, released Tuesday by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, found similarly low levels of trust in efforts to narrow the country's widening wealth gap. [ more › ]

Shanghai taxis without seat belts (basically every taxi) to be fined Posted: 19 Dec 2012 05:00 PM PST Authorities from the Shanghai Traffic Law Enforcement Team have been coordinating with taxi companies to boost seatbelt use in the city's cabs. Of the 50,000 taxis on the road in Shanghai, about 10% lack working seat belts entirely. Of the other 90%, most are hidden behind seat covers or otherwise unused, and cab drivers very seldom remind passengers to buckle up. Shanghai authorities plan on fining taxi companies between 200 and 2,000 yuan for broken seat belt violations, starting next year. [ more › ]

Second Bite Review: Pane e Vino at Sinan Mansions Posted: 19 Dec 2012 04:54 PM PST Date: Dec 15th 2012 12:51p.m. Contributed by: electronicdrew

Laowai Comics: CWIDSOOS Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:00 PM PST Laowai Comics is a biweekly webcomic. Beijing Cream is proud to debut its Thursday comic every week. Full archives here. Click to enlarge (Monday's comic)

Chinese Basketball May Be In The Midst Of A Point-Shaving Scandal Posted: 19 Dec 2012 11:15 AM PST Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall brings us this story via Tuesday's edition of Yangtze Evening Post: The Chinese Basketball Association is currently dealing with the threat of in-game point shaving, according to a report published yesterday in the Yangtze Evening Paper, which includes both foreign players and Chinese referees, the latter of whom can reportedly be bought out for CNY 50,000. Specifics are given: There is no direct evidence of referees affecting scorelines, but it is already an open secret in the league that foreign players are involved in gambling-related behavior. (In Round 8), a home team was up eight points with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Common sense would indicate that the game's result was already in hand. But their main foreigner had several puzzling turnovers, specifically one where he didn't gather the ball when it was right in front of his eyes. His opponent scooped up the loose ball and scored an easy basket in transition. After these series of aberrations, the away team came back to force overtime. Even though the home team ended up winning, these odd occurrences at the hands of its foreign player was extremely unsettling to both the coaching staff and the Chinese players. There was another game recently where the same foreign player displayed more odd behavior. In the game's final moments he had a turnover and a travelling violation which ended up costing his team a victory. Pastuszek points out that the two overtime games that round were Beijing at Shanxi and Jilin at Jiangsu. In Jiangsu, the home team was indeed up by eight with a little more than two minutes remaining. The other info from the article, however, doesn't fit, as Jiangsu's star foreigner — Mike Harris — didn't give up an easy transition basket after he "didn't gather the ball when it was right in front of his eyes." (You can see it at the 1:46:10 mark of this video.) Instead, he was whistled for a foul (phantom, I thought). Note: this is the incident I think the paper might have been alluding to; nothing else that happened seemed overly suspicious. Pastuszek, now: The NiuBBall take on all this: Truly, I have no idea if any of this is true or not. I do find it odd, however, that the author chooses to write that "there is no direct evidence of referees affecting scorelines," which is true, yet refrains from writing the same about foreigners fixing games, which is equally true. I also find it interesting that besides a little write-up reviewing the series of inexplainable turnovers at the end of a game, there's absolutely zero good evidence put forward that would make me believe this stuff is really going on such as: What the point spread was for the games in question, what the final score was, the percentage of home teams that have covered this season, etc. etc. etc. Quotes from an anonymous insider complaining over tough to manage foreigners, which by the way isn't the first or last time you'll hear that in the media, don't exactly do it for me either. And about referees: Again, I just don't know. What I do know, though, is that foreign refs have been brought into officiate the CBA Finals since 2005, and there involvement both in the Finals and in earlier rounds have increased every single year since then. And I also know that its an open secret within the league that teams have attempted to bribe officials. Actually, its a public secret as well; Guangdong was fined RMB 30,000 in 2011 for trying to bribe officials during a regular season match against Bayi. We'll keep an eye on this for you. Most likely it'll be swept under the rug, but I suppose one never knows. (Does the CBA have a point shaving scandal on its hands?)

The China Legal Representative. Its Risks And Responsibilities. Posted: 19 Dec 2012 09:38 AM PST Many months ago, co-blogger Steve Dickinson was interviewed regarding the Legal Representative's role in Chinese companies.  I was cc'ed on one of the emails regarding that interview and I am running that now because much of what was discused is helpful to foreign companies doing business in China. Question:  What are the biggest myths regarding the China legal representative? Answer:  The legal representative is a concept that comes from China's company law. The only meaning is that this person has the power to bind the company in contracts and this person also represents the company in submitting reports to regulators. It has no meaning regarding management of the company. The company is managed by the board of directors, the general manager and the senior management. Thus, liability does not accrue to the legal representative simply from his or her status as the legal representative.  Though many beleive that the legal representative is responsible for all the liabilities of the company, this is simply not true. Directors and management are also not liable for the liabilities of the company unless they directly participated in the improper acts. Take the first big melamine milk scandal as an example. In that case, directors and officers were held criminally liable because they directly participated in the adulteration of milk program. In that case, the crimes/torts  were their own acts and they were therefore held liable. None of this liability was incurred because they were were the legal representative. The liabilities were incurred because they were involved in actively managing the company and the illegal acts were directed by them personally.   Question:  What are the legal responsibilities of a legal rep? Answer:  See the above.   Question:  What are the legal responsibilities of shareholders? Answer:  See the above. No liability or responsibility as shareholder. However, everyone is responsible for his/her own affirmative acts.   Question:  What's your advice to foreign company representatives regarding exit strategies from China? Answer:  This confuses the concepts of director, general manager, and legal representative and so I really cannot answer the question. Basically, however, do not allow the company to commit a crime if you are in a management position. This sounds simple but it is not. It is notuncommon for your Chinese staff to recommend that you commit a crime. They will tell you that "everyone does this" in China and they will make you out to be naive if you are not willing to do the same. Don't' do it. If you have issues along these lines, seek outside advice. Fast.  And if your staff insists, terminate them. Ask yourself whether what you are doing is worth spending time in a Chinese jail.   Question:  Is there a checklist worth following? Answer:  See above. The other point is: if that if you are accused of a crime, without regard to whether the accusation has merit or not, leave China immediately, if possible. Do not wait for your family. Just leave. It is better for your family to follow behind in a week or two than to have your wife/husband visit you in a Chinese criminal detention facility.

Gilbert Arenas Scores 5 Points In First Game Back Since Groin Injury, Team Loses Posted: 19 Dec 2012 09:34 AM PST On Tuesday, Gilbert Arenas played his first game since November 24 — when he pulled up lame after just six minutes in Beijing – and it was apparent he wasn't completely healthy. He limped to the bench in the first half, fueling the same questions that reporters asked last month: is he physically fit to compete? Arenas would come back in the second half, but his skills, sadly, remained conspicuously absent, as he recorded just five points and seven assists in a 103-96 loss at Guangdong. Yi Jianlian, playing for the Southern Tigers, scored 15 points and grabbed nine boards. To be fair to Arenas and the Shanghai Sharks — currently sitting in second-to-last place, while Guangdong is at the top — they were never supposed to win this game, and staying within single digits on the road is probably an accomplishment in itself. We have to ask again though: what's up with Agent Zero? Like Tracy McGrady, another aging former NBA Dream Teamer in China, Arenas is proving to be a dud. Only McGrady's Qingdao Double Star Eagles, in fact, is worse than Arenas's Shanghai. Meanwhile, Stephon Marbury's Beijing Ducks are tied for first place with Guangdong. The two teams meet next week Tuesday in Dongguan, Guangdong province — the Chinese Basketball Association's version of a Christmas Day headliner.

Apple sells 2 million iPhones in China in three days, but Android is still dominating the market Posted: 19 Dec 2012 09:15 AM PST Despite the iPhone 5′s seemingly chilly reception at its December 14 launch — it was a non-event at the Beijing Apple Store, where fights occurred at the last product unveiling — sales have nonetheless been brisk. Over 2 million units were sold in three days, according to Apple's press release. "Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "China is a very important market for us and customers there cannot wait to get their hands on Apple products." And yet, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt probably isn't taking back his words from a Bloomberg interview last week: "This is a huge platform change; this is of the scale of 20 years ago — Microsoft versus Apple," he said. "We're winning that war pretty clearly now." That reason: China. It sure helps, anyway. In second- and third-tier cities here, Apple devices are overwhelmingly outnumbered by smartphones running android. Reports Android Central: We saw the 33-percent of all Android devices sold in 2012 we in China, but — and this is a big but — only 59-percent of those were using an "authentic" build of Android and use Google's services. That means that a full 41-percent of the zillions of Android phones sold in China aren't getting counted in activation numbers or that monthly OS chart we see from Google. They are phones running customized version, from the likes of Baidu or Alibaba. Let's get out our wizard hats and do a little math. There are approximately 1.5 million Android devices activated every single day. A full third of that would be 500,000 phones and tablets. 59-percent of that total would be 295,000. We're guessing Apple isn't crying over lost profit. It has a very successful line of other products, notably the tablet, and, well, it is the most valuable company in the world by some metrics. Still — Android has reason to be feeling pretty good.

New York lawyers arrested for helping Chinese immigrants Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:00 AM PST United States authorities have arrested 26 people, six of whom are lawyers, for aiding allegedly fraudulent Chinese asylum seekers. All face charges of conspiring to commit immigration fraud. [ more › ]

Watch: Steven Ho Beats Up Conan O’Brien Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:24 AM PST Stuntman Steven Ho swung by Conan O'Brien's show recently, as he does every now and then, and beat up the lanky comedian. Video brought to you by Team Coco. Somewhere, Jackie Chan sniffles, whimpers, "I never needed a stuntman." (H/T Angry Asian Man)

New Japanese PM Shinzo Abe bullish over Diaoyu claims Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST Now that Shinzo Abe (aka China's least favourite person) is in Japan's driving seat, he is heading straight for a fight. Although he may have been the lesser of two evils for all concerned, it is not going to be a smooth ride as Japan comes to terms with its continuing decline into China's shadow. [ more › ]

Presented By: Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST

Wang Lijun employed a team of more than 20 officers nicknamed the “Smurfs” Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:23 AM PST How much do you care about Wang Lijun? Enough to read a 40-page Chinese story about him in Southern Metropolis Weekly? Short of that, check out South China Morning Post's summary of the story. Short of that, here are some excerpts. Wang paid great attention to his public image. He employed a personal PR team of more than 20 police officers. All dressed in blue uniforms, they were nicknamed the "Smurfs". The Smurfs were armed publicists and secretaries, basically. Picture it. Wang "invited" underground gun-makers to resume production by supplying them with equipment, funding and a place to work – a big cave in a remote town named Xiushan, bordering Guizhou province. The invitation worked and Wang's entrapment plot proceeded as planned. In September of 2008, Wang led thousands of special force police officers with submachine guns and bazookas to the cave. He flirted with the idea of shooting a bazooka, but another high-ranking official turned down the suggestion. Instead, they used dynamite to blow up the gun operation and destroy the cave. A bazooka. The dude just upgraded the actor who'll eventually portray him from Hung Yan Yan to Andy Lau. Wang required his policemen to display "good taste" by the way they dress. During his term, he ordered that two sets of casual-style police uniforms, costing 8,000 yuan (HK$9,932) in total, be made for each police officer in Chongqing. Good taste is important. Businessmen Gong Gangmo, a convicted mafia boss who was arrested by Wang in 2009, said he was hung by his hands for eight days in a detention centre and beaten by the police. He said the police had covered the camera with a curtain so it could not be recorded. Play with fire, you'll get burned. Wang also claimed to be an expert in arts and architecture. He is the owner of 150 patents and had designed police uniforms, police boots and police raincoats, among other creations. The man is awesome, and sorely missed. When he's out of jail in 15 years, we'll see the Wang Lijun redemption story, I think. In America, he'd make seven digits lending his name out to ghost-written autobiographies and serial thriller novels. In China… to be continued. (The real Wang Lijun revealed in magazine exposé)

McDonalds, KFC speak out after CCTV report on drugged-up chickens Posted: 19 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST Both McDonald's and Yum! Brands (who run KFC and Pizza Hut, amongst others) have pledged to work with Chinese suppliers to ensure food safety, after both were reported to have bought chicken that had been fed "indiscriminate" unapproved antibiotics and growth hormones. [ more › ]

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