Archive for March, 2010
Dolphins
Heard on the street
In previous years, it was all about survival. Then (the Chinese government) did well to feed the people just like pigs. But now we might be ready for the next step: having our government treating us like more intelligent animal such as dolphins (did you know a dolphin has the IQ of six year old child?), or maybe monkeys.
Dolphins on the play
Happy Holidays
This well done video by Zhang Ting (张婷, hat tip 王小峰) describes through simple visualisation the various holidays and “public days” on the Chinese calendar, as well as those decidedly off that calendar.
Women’s day, consumer rights day, students day, worker’s day – they are all there. Also found is the 35th of May, known since the the publication of that genius of a book as the day of everything that is absurd and surreal. (The 35th of May is four days after the 31st of May)
Chinese economy in a nutshell
Posted by: Rachel in East Vs. West on March 11th, 2010
Forbes interviews Zhang Xin, CEO of the Soho real-estate group. An interesting enough interview about the housing bubble bubble boom, that I quit reading right after this paragraph:
This is the Chinese economy in a nutshell–sellers selling a product for which there’s no natural demand, buyers buying whether they need it or not.
Got it. The Chinese economy, in a nutshell, is just like any other economy we know, yes?
Not that I don’t appreciate the irony of this sentence appearing on Forbes, of all the papers in the world, because I do. Just not sure the good people at Forbes appriciate it too.
And from one mouthpiece to another, The China Daily on Netizens following the 两会 (The double meeting of the National People’s Congress and the Consultative conference):
As China moves ahead with political transparency, the Internet is offering a platform for common people to judge the country’s lawmakers and political advisors, who are supposed to speak for the interests of the people and make constructive proposals for the country’s sound development and social harmony.
So glad the wrote “Supposed to”.
Great idea for your next vacation
Posted by: Rachel in East Vs. West on March 3rd, 2010
(darkness alert)
Someone I met yesterday at a friend’s place told me she went to visit the village where she was sent as a youth during the Great (and by great I mean awesome) Cultural Revolution. Was a bit surprised that someone would choose to make such a trip so asked her if she had had good memories from the place (somewhere in Shanxi) – she hadn’t. Work was hard, her classmates and the peasants cruel, she injured her knee and was forced to cut her hair short because a pony tail wasn’t revolutionary. Why has she gone back then? apparently, it is somewhat of a trend now. Her trip (together with an old classmate and both their husbands) was organized by a travel agent who specializes in this kind of tours: In some cases it takes a lot of research to even locate the places as some names have been changed or people don’t fully remember their own experience. The woman said it was very emotional and brought back bitter memories that left her crying for hours. Me, I couldn’t help imagining the travel agency’s brochure:
Tired of the bustling city and the demands of your post-80 brats? let us take you back to your age of innocence! a once (twice, for the most) in a lifetime experience in the breath taking but cancer giving countryside of our great nation.
Feel young again breathing fresh coal and working bare foot in the snow! enjoy the hospitality of your former torturers complete with potato peels soup, creative writing workshops for writing self criticism included!
Please check our website for special international offers:
- Enjoy the tranquility of the picturesque Polish town of Auschwitzim, renowned world wide for it’s spas and saunas
- Discover the mysteries and wonders of the human body in the happy fields of Cambodia
- Special women only excursion to Eastern Congo – great ospitality in a local tribesmans’ home.
Book your next trip now at catastrophe tours – because where there is pain, there is something for us to gain!
If I were a sergey
(Ya ba da ba da ba dam)
Remember “Fiddler on the roof” and Tuvia the milkman singing? It is the privilege of losers and nobodys to fantasize how they would do everything better if only they were rich or famous, had power or ran a global Internet brand.
Watching Sergey Brin talks about Google’s China (non) decision at TED, the thought crossed my mind that – if I were to found google – the one thing I’d do is to change the motto from “Don’t be Evil” to “Don’t be stupid”.
Ok, I’d mainly do that because I have no clue how to do any of the other things Brin does, but also because stupidity, after all, is a much more wide-spread problem than actual evil. Stupidity is, for instance, not seeing reality as it is, which can lead one to false assumptions and unrealistic expectation (such as expectations for regime change or radical change of policy where there are going to be none).
“Don’t be stupid” – I kind of like this motto, altough it is not likely to become very popular.
