FCP Bob 1,311 Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 Very interesting time lapse video of various parts of Hong Kong. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 http://youtu.be/fb8m4Ytk0Ng Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Coming to hang out about a mile from my house in a couple weeks: Obama and Xi Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Not sure I believe this China has emerged as the most financially secure country in an index jointly launched by PICC Property and Casualty Co Ltd, the largest non-life insurance company in the Chinese mainland, and Genworth Financial Inc, a Fortune 500 insurance holding company. The report surveyed 13,000 households in 14 European countries, and five Latin American countries and China. China scored 78 out of 100, the highest score of any country and the highest since the index was launched in 2007. Only 3 percent of Chinese households are financially vulnerable, whereas the same figure for Germany is 22 percent and 26 percent for France, according to the report. 3% are financially vulnerable? In what sense? Bob, do you think this must be a cherry picked section of society Seems to me that having $200 a month pay for factory workers places them in more financial insecurity than the average frenchman who can't be fired by law. And two stories down is this story. Most first-tier cities in China are barely suitable for living due to their poor ecological environment, despite rapid economic development and preferential regulations for investment, said a newly released report by a top Chinese think tank on Sunday. First-tier cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, failed to make the list of habitable cities even though they are in the top 10 in terms of commercial advantages, unification of city and countryside, and culture development, according to a report on China's urban competitiveness from the National Academy of Economic Strategy under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Only two first-tier cities, Hong Kong and Macao, are among the country's most livable cities, said the report. Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Bob, could you and your wife look at this and tell me what you think of it's value to learn Mandarin? Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Not sure I believe this 3% are financially vulnerable? In what sense? Bob, do you think this must be a cherry picked section of society Seems to me that having $200 a month pay for factory workers places them in more financial insecurity than the average frenchman who can't be fired by law. And two stories down is this story. That survey is pretty bad. Also China Daily is the official English language paper of the Chinese government so anything on there will be biased to show things in a favorable light. That being said the average Chinese person even one who has a modest income has a high savings rate. Since there isn't a social safety net and pensions if you don't save for your retirement you are in a lot of trouble. Pollution in China is massive and it isn't just pollution but you can't trust the food safety. Here's the latest food scandal, cadmium in rice. Hunan Rice Sales Plunge as China Probes Cadmium Contamination Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Bob, could you and your wife look at this and tell me what you think of it's value to learn Mandarin? My wife is in China for a few weeks visiting her parents so I can't get her opinion but it seems pretty good after a quick look. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Half of The Rice in Guangzhou Is Polluted China's latest food scandal comes from soil pollution -- and that's bad news. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 ooops, posted the wrong thing here Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 oops also posted the wrong thing here Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Is that in Yuan? Link to post Share on other sites
BigDMcGee 3,352 Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 It's the ole catch 22 of Communist Environmentalism. China is trying to gain power independence by converting to solar, wind and hydroelectric energy, all clean energy. But, inorder to use these technology on a massive level that they'll need, they need massive amounts of rare earth metals, so they have massive open pit mining operations without environmental controls, that are poisoning the earth. Shit is going to get real in china ( and russia too) in the next 100 years. Link to post Share on other sites
mrdannyg 274 Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Not sure I believe this 3% are financially vulnerable? In what sense? Bob, do you think this must be a cherry picked section of society Seems to me that having $200 a month pay for factory workers places them in more financial insecurity than the average frenchman who can't be fired by law. And two stories down is this story. 76% said they had as much in savings as they receive in monthly salary (net of debt). How many people in other countries can say that? Low debt might not mean you're living in paradise, it just means your situation won't likely deteriorate significantly. Link to post Share on other sites
mrdannyg 274 Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Fwiw, I barely read the article. Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 76% said they had as much in savings as they receive in monthly salary (net of debt). How many people in other countries can say that? Low debt might not mean you're living in paradise, it just means your situation won't likely deteriorate significantly. Average factory worker makes $200 a month, would you like to reconsider your point? Link to post Share on other sites
mrdannyg 274 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Average factory worker makes $200 a month, would you like to reconsider your point? That's irrelevant to the point, so no, I won't. It's just a study done, where the results make it obvious that the study was poorly constructed and provides no information. So they could either change their study or pretend it means something. They took the easier option. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 ian bremmer @ianbremmer 1h Poverty Rate in China 1980 - 84% 2013 - 10% Link to post Share on other sites
colonel Feathers 5 Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 ian bremmer @ianbremmer 1h Poverty Rate in China 1980 - 84% 2013 - 10% I think a comparison in wat constitutes poverty in china vis a vis the US or even canada is wats needed here. In the US if your cable only gets 1 premium channel, and your cell phone is limited to a thousand monthly minutes, you are in poverty. Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Poverty = People living on > $1.25 per day. Just lower the bar, and the world becomes a socialist utopia! Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted June 16, 2013 Author Share Posted June 16, 2013 China’s Great Uprooting: Moving 250 Million Into Cities Articles in this series look at how China's government-driven effort to push the population to towns and cities is reshaping a nation that for millenniums has been defined by its rural life. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted June 16, 2013 Author Share Posted June 16, 2013 Fitch says China credit bubble unprecedented in modern world history China's shadow banking system is out of control and under mounting stress as borrowers struggle to roll over short-term debts, Fitch Ratings has warned. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Watch: video of Guangzhou airport's 'most careless baggage handler' Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 no lengthy appeals in China for the death penalty. Arrested in May 2012 and executed in June 2013 Official executed for raping 11 underage girls Link to post Share on other sites
colonel Feathers 5 Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 no lengthy appeals in China for the death penalty. Arrested in May 2012 and executed in June 2013 Official executed for raping 11 underage girls There is virtue in varying degrees in all forms of govt. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,311 Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 Things could get ugly in the Chinese credit market http://live.wsj.com/video/why-credit-woes-in-china-means-big-trouble-for-all/E2AD212F-5774-4C5E-8A3A-AB86C8CA0BF4.html#!E2AD212F-5774-4C5E-8A3A-AB86C8CA0BF4 Link to post Share on other sites
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