China and Monitoring Your Cell Phones

from here “BEIJING — If anyone wonders whether the Chinese government has tightened its grip on electronic communications since protests began engulfing the Arab world, Shakespeare may prove instructive. A Beijing entrepreneur, discussing restaurant choices with his fiancée over their cellphones last week, quoted Queen Gertrude’s response to Hamlet: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” The second time he said the word “protest,” her phone cut off. He spoke English, but another caller, repeating the same phrase on Monday in Chinese over a different phone, was also cut off in midsentence.”

China and Africa

From The Beijing Consensus- (Stefan Halper) Like the West in another era, China’s African presence most often benefits the elites and oligarchs in these societies, not ordinary citizens.45 If you run an African country with natural resources, you’ve got a friend in the East who will write big checks with no embarrassing questions (which is different from Shell in Nigeria, for example, which is subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act). This is good for leaders, but not necessarily good for their misgoverned people.46 China’s strict refusal to act in ways that would, in its view, violate a country’s sovereignty has meant China has remained apart from such issues as civil liberties, rule of law, human rights, and democratic governance. For precisely this reason, relations have soured between Chinese officials and some African populations, with a widening gap in China’s popularity between popular and official levels in Africa. Large Chinese corporations and state-owned enterprises are often followed by an influx of Chinese trading shops and small retailers providing a full range of services, from clothing emporiums to restaurants to bordellos. These supporting networks frequently undermine the local economy and drive out traditional suppliers with low-cost, low-quality goods. It is far from a level playing field: The Chinese businesses in Africa enjoy numerous advantages, including easy access to finance and supplies in China, and the benefit of diligent workers.

China’s Sophomoric Behavior When You Anger Her

From The Beijing Consensus-(Stefan Halper) Conforming to the new fashion, the South African government denied a visa for the Dalai Lama in 2009 to attend a peace conference of Nobel laureates in South Africa coincident with the 2010 Football World Cup. Officials indicated that they didn’t wish to jeopardize bilateral relations with a major trading partner such as China. The government spokesman told Reuters that the Dalai Lama’s presence “would not be in the best interests of South Africa at this time.” This brought a sudden and stunning unanimous vote of protest by the conference organizers, including former Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who condemned the government’s behavior as “disgraceful,” saying, “we are shamelessly succumbing to Chinese pressure.”22 The Nobel laureates postponed the event indefinitely and departed South Africa.

The Chinese and Africa

From The Beijing Consensus- (Stefan Halper) The implications of China in Africa go beyond the frustration of ordinary Africans about substandard products and the competition from Chinese small businesses. Economic history tells us that societies can only develop into “modern economies” when they begin to turn raw materials into manufactured goods. This requires industry, and it is the industrial nations that in turn become rich and powerful. Chris Alden, a leading expert in China-Africa relations, explains that if African countries wish to develop their economy and raise their populations out of poverty, as China did, they must move beyond merely being resource exporters to the outside world.47 This cannot happen in many parts of Africa, however, so long as the countries remain trapped in their role as a primary source of raw materials and a market for substandard consumer goods from elsewhere. To this extent, the authorities in Beijing have struck a troubling deal with much of the continent. Beijing pours billions of dollars in gifts and low-interest loans into the coffers of corrupt African regimes. Meanwhile, these regimes provide access to resources and a dumping ground for poor-quality products that would be unacceptable in Western markets. ==========

Chinese Haircuts, Beijing Opera, Meth and Iggy

Today was haircut day for your gentle and loving but misunderstood author. Finding myself in possession of a humongous nap of unruly hair I shoved my slothenly body to the local barber shop/hair salon. Greeted by the garlic breathed ‘hair specialist’ I asked for the usual. My Chinese being what it is, this necessitated no less than five minutes of furious Mandarin as the lords of the cut tried to figure out just what the fk I was talking about. As no one in the place spoke English, they finally gave up and the chief hair master took over.  There I sat for the better part of an hour as this guy breathed on me and hacked away at my beautiful locks. In the background the glorious cacophony of your ‘typical Chinese hair salon’ rang in my ears. For those of you have not made it here yet, and you should, a chinese hair salon sounds like the Beijing opera- on meth. And if you’ve never heard the Beijing opera, then let me paint a picture for you. Imagine stuffing half a dozen three year olds with ADHD on your kitchen floor, and then before them you place a myriad of steel pots, pans, egg whips, spoons, forks and maybe a hunk of cement or two. Then imagine that you jack these little tikes up on a healthy does of adrenaline and tell them to make some noise…..ya, it’s not a pretty picture… . Aside from the aural assault, I was hit up with the typical ‘do you speak’ chinese to which i usually reply a stolid nyet and then hoist my kindle before my eyes as if the conversation has run its natural course. I guess today I did learn a few things about China as well as myself. I learned that a hair cut in this place can only be enjoyed after a snifter of brandy and a dose of industrial strength valium or a dilaudid. Aside from this, I guess I shouldn’t bitch, after all, I am contributing to the Chinese economy aren’t I? Oh yeah, I snapped off a photo and I really can’t complain about the cut, although they did leave it a little long in the front. me in China….. g 404 × 505 – Tags: IP uglymales.com

China, The Bookworm and Typical Chinese

I went to the bookworm today and if you’ve never been but like books, then you should give it a shot. The selection is decent and less costly than that foreign language place on Wangfujing. For instance, the Stieg Larsson trilogy is about 30 rmb less than it is in the other area. In addition, the manager will (allegedly) order books that the chicoms prohibit, so its definitely worth a look. The store is on nan Sanlitun by a large parking lot. Anyway, I thought i would share some of my observations about the place and living in China. Here is a stream of consciousness about the Bookworm and what I saw today. Thirty-something Chinese cozying up in the corner, ordering the cheapest item on the menu then discreetly noshing on tasty treats stuffed into the farthest recesses of their four year old daughters hello Kitty backpack. Mother prancing around in those cheap sneakers and plain denim pants they all wear as the daughters father counsels her on how to pronounce ‘book’ all the while calling it a buuke. Like a pair of raptors the duo scout the place for free language lesson or better yet, to strike a gold mine and a ‘foreign friend’. They are pretty much left alone as the woman in front of them is too worried about finding a foreign guy as she’s overeducated and too old for the local set. Hiding behind scads of rouge and lipstick that make appear more like a voodo doll than a kewpie, she coifs her hair as she’s seen a million times on Sex and the City, all the while swiveling her head trying to catch a man. Foreigners have separated themselves from this woeful pack, with foreign women perched behind laptops doing the math on what value it is they can add to this place, while the foreign guys sit behind mags about wine tasting or their Chinese to English dictionary, waiting for a – language partner- wink wink. The rest of the people seem to be the type who are oblivious to the world but thoroughly enjoy a good book and how it makes them feel while they sit and bask in the Beijing sunlight. I merely sip my coffee and shake my head at it all….

Feeling Safe in China- Uncle Chicom Guarantees Her Nuclear Plants Safe

While not a skeptical person by nature, I have developed a bit of skepticism over my past three years while in the land of sludge and infection. The chicoms and to a great extent, the country in general, will do whatever is necessary to save face, even if it means deceiving the masses. Thus, color me less than convinced when the Chinese government “guarantees the safety’ of her nuclear power plants. Hmm, OK the Japanese who are pretty good at building quality stuff and appreciating quality craftsmanship (I realize the reactors have GE parts), and usually take care of their equipment are undergoing a disaster. And then I think of China, a country where it is seen as moral to shave off your child ear if it means grandma Li can eat a bowl of rice. China a place where quality can be usually be found in foreign goods and not much else. So this same china proclaims that there is no problem with her nuclear plants has me more than a little skeptical. I guess it’s just the fact that the last time I heard them guarantee quality was in 2008 when they guaranteed that Chinese milk was once again safe. This was followed, of course, by the same guarantee in ’09 and ’10 … I think you get my point. chinadaily excperpt: BEIJING – An official overseeing nuclear safety in China has said that the safety of the country’s nuclear power facilities is guaranteed, while reaffirming its goal of developing nuclear power as a clean energy source. “There is a guarantee for the safety of China’s nuclear power facilities and (China) will not abandon (its nuclear power plan) for fear of slight risks,” said Tian Shujia in response to reports that China will become more prudent toward developing nuclear power.