China Publicly Burns Pirated DVD’s- Were They About teh Glory of Japan?

I saw somethign about China burning 5 million fake DVD’s to show how they are trying to enforce copyright laws in China. Hm… I think between my peer group in china, they have that figure of pirated DVD’s with no end in sight. At any given day you can access a slew of Chinese websites that allow the free playing of songs, movies and tv shows, all illegal, and all out in the open in china. you dont need passwords, nor use emule, they are sites like baidu etc. Upon arriving at work I say the usual Chinese entrepreneurs fighting with those who were peeing on the sidewalks for floor space in which to sell their illegal goods and no cops even attempted to stop them. So, when I hear things about china burning pirate DVD’s I think….
1- someone forgot to pay a bribe
2-someone forgot to pay a bribe
3- the bribe was too small
4-the DVD’s were probably scratched anyway
5-the DVD’s were probably pro-Japan and were useless to china anyway
6-where do i need to go to buy some Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

China’s New Auto Purchases Reaches 18 Million in ’10

According to China, their new car purchases reached 18.07 million in 2010. What this means that it is now much easier for the typical China man to purchase stellar local products like the qq which retails for about 3000U$ and has the structural integrity of a shoe box. Far be it from me to rain on their parade, however, as I think if China needs anything, its more chinese on the roads clogging the cities arteries and heaving massive amounts of toxic chemicals into the environment….

Long Lines in China

Over 94% of Chinese don’t own a car, so they must take the train. The Chinese new year is coming so tons of Chinese take the train home for the holidays, the following photos show what it looks like when so many people buy tickets. from the chinadaily People wait in line to buy train tickets at a temporary ticket office in Ningbo, East China’s Zhejiang province, Jan 9, 2011. Ningbo Railway Station started to sell tickets for the 2011 Spring Festival travel season on Sunday. The travel peak will start on Jan 19. During the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, from Jan 19 to Feb 27, about 230 million trips are expected on Chinese railways. Spring Festival, which starts on Feb 3 this year, is China’s biggest holiday, during which people return home to be with family. [Photo/Xinhua] Passengers wait in line to buy train tickets at Fuzhou Railway Station in Fuzhou, East China’s Fujian province, Jan 9, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

Beijing Auto Sales, Almost One million

In 2010 891,000 new cars were sold in Beijing. Its funny to think that 30 years ago the country had less than 30,000. The other funny thing is how people who are in thier 30’s are for the firt time in their lives, learning to drive and getting a drivers lisence. In China in ’09, fewer than 5% of the people here owned a car.

Off Topic Post

This is off topic but interesting. I am watching national geographic and in hyena clans, the women are larger and run the pack. Oh yeah, Beijing still has no snow.

Chinese Hilton Loses 5-Star Rating for Brothel

This is shocking, a Hilton hotel in China lost its 5-star rating after a brothel was found to be operating therein. The odd thing is that this type of, ie brothels/massage parlors are a fixture in all hotle, or so my good friends tell me. So, for Hilton to be punished for this means someone forgot to pay a hong bao/bribe…. Tell Hilton Hotels to Prevent Child Prostitution in Their Hotels A Hilton Hotel in southwest China lost its five star rating this week after an underground brothel was found to be operating out of the hotel last month. While law enforcement hasn’t released the ages of the persons identified in the illegal brothel, similar brothels have contained children and human trafficking victims. Companies like Hilton have the power to help prevent the the forced prostitution of children on their watch. Send a letter to Hilton Hotels asking them to prevent child prostitution here. This recent bust isn’t even the first time an underground brothel has been operating at a Hilton Hotel. In 2008, a brothel was being run out of a Hilton in Ireland. And Consumerist named the Hilton in Washington D.C. the third most prostitution-friendly hotel in the city, based on the phone records of the notorious DC Madame. With so many brothels being operated out of their hotels, you would think Hilton would take pains to ensure that none of them involve children. In fact, Hilton Hotels can help prevent child prostitution in their hotels with one simple action: signing the ECPAT Code of Conduct (www.thecode.org). More than 900 companies around the world (very few of them from the U.S.) have been willing to take this simple, effective action. Beginning in 2004, the child protection-focused nonprofit ECPAT-USA has asked major U.S.-based hotel chains to sign the Code of Conduct. Carlson Companies — owners of Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, and others — proudly declared their commitment to protecting children. A few others, including Choice Hotels in response to a Change.org petition, have made some positive steps but ultimately failed to embrace the full range of actions they can and should take. Hilton Hotels, however, has not returned correspondence regarding the steps they intend to take to prevent children from being exploited on their properties. By refusing to commit to eradicating child sex trafficking, American-owned hotels like Hilton are signaling their indifference to the plight of children.Why won’t Hilton Hotels prevent child prostitution? You can take action to prevent child prostitution at Hilton Hotels by sending a letter to Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta telling him to sign the ECPAT Code of Conduct and commit to preventing child sex tourism in Choice Hotel hotels. source: http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view

The Party in China

A friend of mine said that they had turned down a governmental job in a small city in China. While most people see joining the party as a good way to scam cash, this person told me that it would cost them too much money. I inquired as to what they meant and they said that to get a decent job within the party within the government you have to pass a test and then have a contact within the party, and then you usually must give a gift or hong bao/bribe, for the best positions. I was then told that the work is light as they really do nothing.

Graft in China’s Legal System

“China’s lawyers and judges are not immune from the hundred-billion dollar corruption problem that involves so many in China, at all levels, and threatens its economic future (Pei, 2007). Witness for example the scandal in which Wen Qiang, the 55 year old head of Chongqing’s justice department and deputy police chief, along with several high ranking judges were arrested on graft charges with allegations of corruption reaching all the way to the top echelons of China’s legal system (The Wall Street Journal, 2010). These bribes, in turn, were often made by Chinese lawyers in exchange for favorable court decisions. Not surprisingly, lack of professionalism In addition, winning a case is often more likely to depend on having the right connections, i.e., guanxi, than knowledge of black letter law (CECC, 2010).”

Beijing Unveils New Subways??

I just red an article about Beijing opening something like 5 new subway lines lately, so as to aid relieving traffic congestion. Hmmm realyl? 5 new lines? As far as I can tell there may be a few more subway stops out at places like Li Yuan or Baobaoshan, but as far as places where people really need to go, they have done nothing. Lines 1 and 2 can be hell on earth where they intersect at Jianguomen, but I have seen no relief there….

Ancient Chinese Government Service

This was written in about 1890, does it ring true today? from: The Civilization of China (Herbert Allen Giles) Overwork, in the feverish desire to get into the Government service, is certainly responsible for the mental break-down of a large proportion of the comparatively few lunatics found in China. There being no lunatic asylums in the empire, it is difficult to form anything like an exact estimate of their number; it can only be said, what is equally true of cripples or deformed persons, that it is very rare to meet them in the streets or even to hear of their existence. ==========