China's air pollution - the world's problem now

The New York Times as reported on Boingboing.net confirms the horror of China's air pollution -- now the world's problem:

China is already the world's second-biggest producer of greenhouse gas emissions and is expected to surpass the United States as the biggest. Roughly a third of China is exposed to acid rain. A recent study by a Chinese research institute found that 400,000 people die prematurely every year in China from diseases linked to air pollution.

Nor does China's air pollution respect borders: on certain days almost 25 percent of the particulate matter clotting the skies above Los Angeles can be traced to China, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental experts in California predict that China could eventually account for roughly a third of the state's air pollution.

However, an interesting analysis ensues -- 400,000 deaths a year is only about 175 deaths in Guangdong Province each year (given that the population is 70,000,000 in that province).

Blocking the Dalai Lama

No surprise here. The Daili Lama's new Web site is blocked from China...

www.dalailama.com

And the old www.tibet.net is still blocked.

Monday, December 12, 2005 Dalai Lama launches personal website to spread world peace
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Dharamsala

Self-exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Sunday launched a personal website to spread his message of world peace and take questions via email. The website www.dalailama.com was inaugurated on the international Human Rights Day and the 16th anniversary of his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize. "The website is not to promote the Dalai Lama himself. It is to reach out to the world with his message of love, peace and compassion and universal responsibility," a team member, who designed the website, told AFP. His messages have been posted both in English and Tibetan and questions can be emailed directly to the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan government-in-exile, based in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh state, had also launched an Arabic version of its official website www.tibet.net, the team member said. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet and crossed over to neighbouring India in 1959 after the collapse of the resistance movement opposed to the 1950 Chinese invasion. China has maintained that Tibet is a province of the country and that the invasion saved people from feudal oppression. Beijing formally established a Tibetan Autonomous Region in 1965 but the Dalai Lama says there is no real autonomy and seeks greater rights for its six million people.

Racist Park

Another wrong translation. The Chinese on the sign says "The Park of the Ethnic Chinese Race" -- poorly translated as "Racist Park."

翻译错误: 英文的意思是 "种族歧视公园."

Only white people for market surveys, please

Upon crossing a border into Hong Kong, there are often staff taking surveys of tourists. They are very professional with PDA's and short, to-the-point questions. However, they seem to only ask foreign (white) tourists questions. I am almost always accosted to reply to their questions. And, I have often seen these survey takers only asking other white people (often there are only a few white people crossing the border with me in a sea of Chinese). My concern is that these surveys are thus unrepresentative.

Perhaps the ethnic Chinese are unwilling to answer these survey takers? Or are rude?

Choking the Chinese chicken

Beware! Do not bring poultry back to Hong Kong from China or the Customs Man will choke your chicken! :-)

Hong Kong airport

The Hong Kong airport -- one of the -- if not the -- most efficient, comfortable and eye-pleasing
airports in the world.

It's a real tree!

Ah! Summertime in Confucian North Asia! This scanned in cartoon from the China Daily newspaper speaks volumes!