Your humble author would like announce that his little housing community has a new member, a ‘barber shop’- wink wink nudge nudge. Yes, in her pursuit of all things economic, China is rapidly growing/changing and must meet the needs of her people. So what, you may ask? It’s just a barber shop right? Well if you have to ask this, then my dear reader, you probably have never been to China. For China, as the Olympics and government have shown, is truly the land of smoke, mirrors and obfuscation. For in China there are barber shops and there are barber shops. Lets explore the first type of barber shop. It is a place that has those large columns with the spinning ‘barber poles’ ask.com These things are a sign that the place is indeed a place, where for a few dollars one cant get a little taken off the top and sides. In China, this convention hold true about 70% of the time. Typically you can walk into a place where you see these spinning poles and for a price range of $0.50 to $200 you will have some pandering emaciated Chinese guy hack at your beautiful western locks all the while trying to practice his English. The place will be fetid and stink of garlic, cigarettes and cheap floozies who for some unknown reason also love to frequent these establishment with their ear splitting hip hop music. . |
Archive for April 3rd, 2011
China, Barbershops, Brothels and Bribes
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
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Chinese Shop at Night
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
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The Reality of China
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
From The Beijing Consensus- (Stefan Halper) When American optimists see big enterprise, balanced budgets, market incentives, foreign direct investment (FDI), pledges of corporate social responsibility, and cooperation at the World Trade Organization (WTO), they think they’re seeing signs of an inevitable acceptance of Western-style capitalism. In truth, the pressures and performance requirements of the Chinese Communist Party’s position at home place a limit on the West’s ability to bend China’s international presence to Western standards and norms. |
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China as an Alternative Means of Financing
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
From The Beijing Consensus- (Stefan Halper)
If China conformed to Western rules of liberal engagement in trade and politics, it would immediately lose its appeal as an alternative path to development for developing countries. And, of vital importance to party leaders, it would limit China’s access to resources and markets and would downsize Chinese newfound political influence on issues like Tibet, Taiwan, and human rights. |
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Photo of Older Chinese Woman
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
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Clustrmaps and Sitemeter
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
I have to give a shout out to Clustrmaps and Sitemeter. I’m using the free feature of both and they have some cool info. Clustrmaps is really eyecandy for readers of the webpage. Look at the right index and you will see a cool little map telling you where the visitors from this website came from, or at least where their proxies are located. Sitemeter actually has the same tool but it’s just for the blogger, as far as I can tell. In addition to that, sitemeter has cool info on where your visitors come from, isp addys how long they stay etc. Anyway, I feel like a tight ass for using only the free services, so I will just pass along the word. |
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China’s Oil Buddies
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
From The Beijing Consensus- (Stefan Halper)
Just in 2008, for example, autocracies were a vital source of energy for China’s growing needs. In the period 2007-2008, fuel imports from Africa to China amounted to $26 billion. Africa also supplied 24.8 percent of China’s imported minerals, with Angola, Sudan, the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea among the largest overall suppliers. And in the same period, Iran was China’s third-largest source of fossil fuels.83 |
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China and Angola
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
From The Beijing Consensus-(Stefan Halper) CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC As Angola prepared to jump horses from the IMF to China, a civil war was raging in the Central African Republic (CAR). UN peacekeepers had been forced to withdraw amid the escalating violence. They were replaced by a UN peace-building office, which was intended to be the first step in negotiating a political settlement for a transitional government that would include the warring factions. In 2003, however, a violent coup brought François Bozizé to power. The United Nations, the African Union, and various Western governments condemned the coup and urged General Bozizé to help international agencies restore order and political stability to the war-torn country. Weeks later, following preliminary negotiations, Beijing extended an interest-free loan and invited Bozizé for an official state visit. Shortly thereafter, Bozizé dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution ahead of “democratic elections,” which he “won” in 2005. As the UN Refugee Agency reported in 2007, the CAR’s civil liberties rating has since declined, humanitarian conditions have worsened, the country’s already scorched economy has further contracted, corruption has remained pervasive, and the government has practically taken over the judiciary.14 As Bozizé announced in 2007, China had been a “reliable friend” to the Central African Republic, having stepped in and “offered the support his country needed when it faced its most difficult times” with assistance in building a new mining and telecommunications structure to stimulate the economy.15 |
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Chinese Street Store- Chongqing China
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
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China at Night
Posted by w_thames_the_d on April 3, 2011
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