china

Chinese revolt over government plan to ban BBQ in order to fight epic smog problem

"China web-users were furious Thursday over plans to tackle pollution with a ban on barbecues, wryly asking if Beijing would stamp out fried food and normal bodily functions in its war on smog. The controversial measure is being explored as Beijing aims to confront the heavy pollution which has choked large swathes of the country in recent weeks. State media said Wednesday that the country’s environmental watchdog had issued draft guidelines advising major cities to adopt legislation banning 'barbecue-related activities'. Barbequed food is a favourite dish in China, particularly lamb skewers, a speciality of the north-western region of Xinjiang." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese revolt over government plan to ban BBQ in order to fight epic smog problem

Revolutionary Japan is suddenly the centre of world affairs

"We all watch with disbelief as China and Japan rattle sabres over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, so like the seemingly minor events that drew Europe's alliance systems into conflict from 1911 onwards. Both graduated to fighter jets last week: Japan sending in F-15s; China deploying J-10s, and mobilising the East China Sea fleet for live ammo drills. China's purpose is clear. It is testing the US security umbrella, and Washington's willingness to risk conflict to back Asian allies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRevolutionary Japan is suddenly the centre of world affairs

Chinese-Made Globes Anger The Philippines With A Territorial Claim

"A tiny, barely-noticeable line on some Chinese-made globes has created insult in Manilla where they are being sold in bookshops. The problem is that these globes appear to use China's 'nine-dash' map of the sea, first published in 1947, which shows Chinese territory extending hundreds of miles south from China's Hainan Island to the equatorial waters off the coast of Borneo. That little line indicates that the Spratly Islands are within Chinese territory, ignoring that they are currently the subject of overlapping territorial claims by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese-Made Globes Anger The Philippines With A Territorial Claim

A close call in the China Sea

"China has no desire to fight the United States unless absolutely necessary, and less to spark a US trade embargo. China holds over $1 trillion in US government debt. Beijing has no desire to panic all of East Asia. A war over the Senkaku/Diaoyus would be like the 1998-2000 desert war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, described as 'two bald men fighting over a comb.' No matter how much fish swim around the Senkakus, or how much oil and gas may be found underwater, nothing justifies a war. But, then again, nothing justified World War I that began by a murder in obscure Bosnia. Pray for cool heads in Beijing and Tokyo." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA close call in the China Sea

“Let’s You and Him Fight,” Japan’s Prime Minister Tells Obama.

"Japan has a few useless islands that China is trying to get by force. Abe wants the U.S. to back Japan in keeping these islands. 'Let’s you and him fight.' He is also concerned that North Korea keeps launching missiles. 'Tell them to stop.' America pays for Japan’s defense because (1) we need Japan to keep useless islands away from China, and (2) we need a port for our carriers, so that the boys can let off a little steam on shore leave. Japan encourages this so that it can keep corporate taxes low, so that Japan’s export sector can bankrupt American firms, which pay taxes to defend Japan." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“Let’s You and Him Fight,” Japan’s Prime Minister Tells Obama.

Drones, Assassinations, and the Drug War

"The Chinese military recently planned to assassinate by drone a suspected drug lord hiding out in Myanmar who was accused of having murdered 13 Chinese soldiers. While Chinese authorities ultimately decided not to carry out the assassination and ended up capturing the guy and having a court sentence him to death, the episode clearly points in the direction that both the Chinese communist regime and the U.S. government are taking their respective countries. After all, China could justify the assassination of the suspected drug lord in the same way that the U.S. government justifies the assassination of suspected terrorists." Continue reading →

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Manny Pacquiao prefers to fight in China because of high U.S. taxes

"Manny Pacquiao's chief adviser insisted Monday that the Filipino superstar's preference is for his next bout – a fifth fight against Juan Manuel Marquez – to take place away from Las Vegas, with the off-shore Chinese gambling resort of Macau emerging as the 'favorite.' Michael Koncz told Yahoo! Sports that the 39.6 percent tax rate Pacquiao would face if he were to fight again in the U.S. makes a fall bout in Las Vegas 'a no go.' Promoter Bob Arum Arum said Pacquiao would not have to pay taxes if the fight takes place in casinos in either Singapore or Macau." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingManny Pacquiao prefers to fight in China because of high U.S. taxes

Ecuadorean Tribal Leaders Fight Government, Gold-Hungry Chinese

"The most famous case of Shuar 'insolence' occurred in 1599, when the Spanish governor of Maca demanded a gold tax from local Indians to fund a celebration of the coronation of Philip III. The night before the tax was due, Shuar armies slaughtered every adult male in the Spanish hamlets and surrounded the governor’s home. They tied the governor to his bed and used a bone to push freshly melted gold down his throat, laughing and demanding to know if he had finally sated his thirst. For the next 250 years, the Spanish mostly stayed away. Occasional attempts by Jesuit missionaries to reestablish contact were met with a welcome basket of skulls." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEcuadorean Tribal Leaders Fight Government, Gold-Hungry Chinese

Ecuadorean Tribal Leaders Fight Government, Gold-Hungry Chinese

"The most famous case of Shuar 'insolence' occurred in 1599, when the Spanish governor of Maca demanded a gold tax from local Indians to fund a celebration of the coronation of Philip III. The night before the tax was due, Shuar armies slaughtered every adult male in the Spanish hamlets and surrounded the governor’s home. They tied the governor to his bed and used a bone to push freshly melted gold down his throat, laughing and demanding to know if he had finally sated his thirst. For the next 250 years, the Spanish mostly stayed away. Occasional attempts by Jesuit missionaries to reestablish contact were met with a welcome basket of skulls." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEcuadorean Tribal Leaders Fight Government, Gold-Hungry Chinese

Harvard Business Review: 3-D Printing Will Change the World

"To anyone who hasn’t seen it demonstrated, 3-D printing sounds futuristic—like the meals that materialized in the Jetsons’ oven at the touch of a keypad. But the technology is quite straightforward: It is a small evolutionary step from spraying toner on paper to putting down layers of something more substantial (such as plastic resin) until the layers add up to an object. And yet, by enabling a machine to produce objects of any shape, on the spot and as needed, 3-D printing really is ushering in a new era." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHarvard Business Review: 3-D Printing Will Change the World