A glance across today's China news...



What's wrong with this picture? (prize payable in chips)
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China, now that it is beginning to understand the implications of piracy and intellectual property violations, is posing a public effort at consciousness raising...Thus, from People's Daily Online, February 27, 2005:

Officials, entertainers stage events to fight piracy

About 100 Chinese music celebrities gathered at Beijing's Capital Stadium Saturday night standing on a huge CD-shape platform and singing for public support in the country's fight against rampant music piracy. The stadium was nearly full, and organizers said 150 million more watched on television. Pop stars sang their hit songs and occasionally urged their fans not to buy pirated products. Organized by the central government and associations in entertainment circles, the concert was just one of a series anti-piracy events going on in Beijing Saturday, aiming to show officials' and entertainers' determination to hit hard on piracy. Events included a forum, a Beijing anti-piracy declaration and a public destruction of pirated products.

"If Beijing fails to solve piracy soon, we will not deserve to host the Olympics in 2008," said Feng Xiaogang, a Chinese director who was recently named the country's proponent of copyright protection.

"This is not exaggerating," said Wang Ziqiang, spokesman of National Copyright Administration, or the state copyright watchdog." Rampant piracy harms people's creativity, and a nation without creativity is a nation without hope."

and then:

Audience of the concert corresponded what Yan [Yan Xiaohong, vice chief of the National Copyright Administration] had said." A copyrighted CD for 200 yuan, pirated one for 10 yuan, what will you buy?" -- someone on stage asked. "The pirated one," answered the thousands of people in the stadium.[Was that an intelligence test? Ed.]

But of course,

"What I want to do is to repeatedly promote the use of copyrighted things," said Feng, adding that if all Chinese watch pirated movies, Chinese films are doomed to be barred from the world's market.

(above the gate "MAINSTREAM MEDIA")
"The Bloggers are at the gates, Sire."
King: "Really? Have them go away at once."


'Nuff said

As the day to celebrate love dawns around the world, new trends, old taboos, sensual pleasure for unattached ladies and crazy love bears provide commentary on love in the 21st century.


Love Message in your Pocket

Text a romantic message or send a card,

the modern Valentine's Day dilemma

LONDON, (AFP) - Texting frantically on her mobile phone, teenager Sarah Marks is one of millions worldwide who will send their object of desire a romantic text message on Valentine's Day rather than a traditional card.

Sale of red Roses for Valentines Day forbidden by Saudi
But sub rosa, so to speak they're doing brisk business.

Saudi Morality Police See Red Over Valentine Roses

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's morality police are on the scent of illicit red roses as part of a clampdown on would-be St Valentine's lovers in the strict Muslim kingdom.

...

Valentine's Day, or the "Feast of Love" in Arabic, is beyond the pale in a country where women must cover themselves from head to toe in public and be accompanied by a male guardian.

"For the last week, we've had no red in the shop," said Ahmed, a flower shop manager. "You can't even have red cards." Despite the prohibition, demand for the banned roses has been strong and unofficial business was booming, Ahmed said

Good vibrations

Meanwhile, back in in New York, The N.Y. Post reports that a traditionally stylish department store is now offering sex toys for ladies:

New Beauty Buzz

There's more to this cute little rubber ducky than meets the eye. That makeup brush and lipstick aren't so innocent, either.

Take a closer look, and you'll find that these new items from Henri Bendel are all actually well-disguised vibrators.

The newly opened Rykiel Woman boutique, brainchild of Paris designer Nathalie Rykiel (daughter of renowned clothier Sonia Rykiel), is a saucy new section of Bendel's otherwise straight-laced third floor.

And its three sex toys in disguise on display amid high-end lingerie, bustier-clad mannequins and garish pink lighting make Bendel's the first department store on Fifth Avenue with a dildo display. ...But not everyone will be celebrating Midtown's new sexual freedom.

"This is just one more indication of how the moral climate has deteriorated over the last 50 years in this country," fumed Frank Russo, spokesman for the American Family Association.

He should go to Saudi Arabia.

Crazy Love
There was a big flap over this cuddly strait-jacketed love bear, causing it to be removed from the market.

This is the Valentine's day bear called Crazy for You. The bear in a strait jacket comes with commitment papers and is meant to convey out-of-control love. The executive director of the Vermont chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill said the bear is 'a tasteless use of marketing that stigmatizes persons with mental illness.' ...The company said it had decided to stop manufacturing the bears but would continue selling them through Valentine's Day.

The head of the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. resigned from the board of Vermont's largest hospital Wednesday after coming under fire from mental health activists for selling the Crazy for You bear. Story at Yahoo News/AP Strange News. The bears, which retail for $69.95 have been offered on eBay for as much as $175.

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However and with whomever you celebrate it, Happy Valentines Day. I send love to my dear husband, Joseph, and today I also memorialize the birthday of my late grandfather, Fedor Sander.

Charles Darwin was born February 12, 1809. He published On the Origin of Species at age 50. On the occasion of celebrating his birth and contribution to the fundament of human knowledge, a few thoughts on the uneasy coexistence of faith and evolution. It is sometimes difficult, particularly these days, to have faith in evolution when civilization seems bent on imploding over which flavor of faith others believe in, and the faithful and the faithless see one another as enemies.

Nick Kristof in the Times on recent evidence that the human inclination to be religious, to have faith, may in fact be genetic:

God and Evolution

Imagine if, as a cosmic joke, humans have gradually evolved to leave many of us doubting evolution. [great line, huh? -Ed]

... it's striking how faith is almost irrepressible. While I was living in China in the early 1990's, after religion had been suppressed for decades, drivers suddenly began dangling pictures of Chairman Mao from their rear-view mirrors. The word had spread that Mao's spirit could protect them from car crashes or even bring them sons and wealth. It was a miracle: ordinary Chinese had transformed the great atheist into a god.

I actually agree --completely-- that faith is an instinctual human quality, that believing in something more powerful and communal than the self (using any name, natural phenomenon or image that one likes) is a participation in that power, that fate is a partnership with destiny and that inquiries into belief (I'm showing my Jewish roots here) formulates a necessary detente with the unknown. It's fine with me if you believe something else that works for you--as long as you don't fight anybody over it. Fighting for the right to believe in what you want is justified. But fighting to destroy those who believe differently is destroying civilization.

Edna Devore, Director of Education and Public Outreach, SETI Institute on the awe of unfolding the mystery of the exquisite miracle of evolution:

Teach Evolution: Leave No Child Behind

The universe evolved from the Big Bang to systems of galaxies, stars, and planets; these, including Earth, continue to evolve. Astronomers are teasing out the role of dark matter and dark energy. Life on Earth goes back at least 3.5 billion years as evidenced by fossilized stromatolites from Australia. Over that vast span of time, there’s evidence that life evolved from small single celled-organisms to the incredible diversity we see today. Scientific research continues to discover additional evidence that supports evolution as the fundamental description for how the physical universe and life developed in the past and will continue to change in the future.
...
Yet, teaching [human] evolution remains controversial in America.
...
Today, we find the fossil remains of extinct creatures that wandered the shores of the ancient American sea high in the Rockies and layered in the badlands of the US and Canada. The evolution of life on our planet is evident in these layers of rock and fossil. In Africa, fossil evidence of early hominids links us to ancestral species. Where did we come from? We six billion humans find our biological genesis in these African fossils.

I personally think that even if you require some notion of God to justify the miracle of mankind, the sheer persistence, diversification and span of evolution is more impressive than the seven-day myth. But I'd settle for at least as impressive, when it comes to education.

Taiwan isn't the only island giving the Chinese political heartburn. The little known smattering of islands known as Diaoyutai Islands to the Chinese and Senkaku Islands to Japan, have been a matter of ongoing contention between the two nations that may be coming to a head. (They're known in English as the Pinnacle Islands courtesy of the British, who have no claim on them.) As Asian powers jockey for influence and primacy, these islands have become an active part of the game. Taiwan also has a claim to these islands, which may or may not turn out to be moot depending in the resolution of the intensifying Taiwanese independence/unification squabble between Beijing and Taipei.

A really good article about this from the Christian Science Monitor is here.

We're not talking Hawaii here. The islands, too small to be seen on most maps, are used by the U.S. as targets for bombing practice. The dispute is heating up because a geological survey indicated there could be oil in the area.



A Chinese protester shows off a protest T-shirt showing where the Diaoyu islands are located during a demonstration outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing. Japan said it had placed under state control a lighthouse built by nationalists on a disputed island in the East China Sea despite rival claims by China and Taiwan.(AFP/File/Goh Chai Hin)

At the zoo in Bremerhaven, Germany, birthplace of my father (the city, not the zoo), they've been unsuccessful in convincing two bonded male penquins to procreate with females. The penguins clearly and adamantly prefer their same-sex union. So they stopped trying to retrain them, allowing the couple to continue their relationship in peace. Story at Ananova.

This is not the first such incident reported. About a year ago, the N.Y. Times ran a story, Love That Dare Not Squeak Its Name, about two male gay penguins in the Central Park Zoo in New York, which is reproduced here.

excerpt:

Roy and Silo, two chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan, are completely devoted to each other. For nearly six years now, they have been inseparable. They exhibit what in penguin parlance is called "ecstatic behavior": that is, they entwine their necks, they vocalize to each other, they have sex. Silo and Roy are, to anthropomorphize a bit, gay penguins. When offered female companionship, they have adamantly refused it. And the females aren't interested in them, either.

At one time, the two seemed so desperate to incubate an egg together that they put a rock in their nest and sat on it, keeping it warm in the folds of their abdomens, said their chief keeper, Rob Gramzay. Finally, he gave them a fertile egg that needed care to hatch. Things went perfectly. Roy and Silo sat on it for the typical 34 days until a chick, Tango, was born. For the next two and a half months they raised Tango, keeping her warm and feeding her food from their beaks until she could go out into the world on her own.

Homosexuality, conclusively, is a completely natural minority behavior in mammals, including humans. Obviously it's not a disorder that can be cured or pathological sexuality that can be trained. People who think that there is something "immoral" about natural behavior are ignorant, not pious. In these days of rampant conservatism in the U.S., which seeks, among other social and educational atrocities, to further maginalize the gay population, think about these adorable penguins who have no need for secrecy or guilt. They're not punished by their society or even their human keepers.

So, where's the humanity in the "highest order of animal?" Where's the "values" in condemning natural behavior?

This is a follow up to Coming soon to U.S. Highways: Chinese Cars? blogged here on January 5, 2005. Apparently, Malcolm Bricklin, who imported the Yugo with less than spectacular results, has cut a deal with Chinese automaker Chery and looking to import a whole range of models to the U.S.

Story here.

The article doesn't say whether Bricklin has surmounted various emission control and import restrictions affecting such an endeavor but it appears as if he thinks he can, with an investment of $200 million.

Keep an eye on this story as it develops. It'll reveal worlds about U.S. China trade and the future of the automobile industry. A $7,000.00 auto, assuming the design, quality and reliability was acceptable (a 100,000 mile/10 year warranty addresses the latter concern) would be very appealing to American consumers.

Who says America isn't the land of opportunity any more?

Kinky Friedman is running for governor of Texas. Seeing as GWB got the job at one point, you'd have to admit his chances are better than good. Young Americans say that their primary source of news is the John Stewart's parody Daily Show, so they'll probably hear ol' Kinky out.

What a country!

First famous for his Tex-rock band, The Texas Jewboys, now a mystery novelist read by both presidents Clinton and Bush, according to an AP story, Friedman says he he wants to move into the governor's mansion "because I need the closet space."

I learned about this on The Yada Yada Yada Blog

Rock steady
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has sued the online Jewish Rock and Roll Hall of Fame over alleged trademark infringements of the rock hall's name. "The idea that the public could possibly be confused between a large museum backed by any number of corporations and a Web site run by a couple of Jewish guys is kind of nuts," said David Segal, one of the founders of the Jewish rock hall. We said the same thing when Newsweek tried contacting us.

And there's more at Kinky Friedman news

Despite the campaign slogans "How Hard Can it Be?" and "Why the Hell Not?" Friedman seems serious about making a run for the Texas top spot, apparently emboldened by the successful runs of wrestler Jesse Ventura in Minnesota and Arnold Schwarzenegger in California. Among his campaign pet peeves: the "wussification" of Texas due to political correctness run amok.
...
Friedman's nearly two dozen books include one called "Kill Two Birds and Get Stoned." His campaign bumper stickers proclaim: "Why Not Kinky?"

His humor often plays on his Jewish background. He quotes Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, both friends, and he views the success of Jesse Ventura in Minnesota and Arnold Schwarzenegger in California as a sign he can prevail similarly in Texas.

...more about his record and a collection of all the news stories at Kinky Friedman news

And the official announcement

Reuters
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Texas humorist Kinky Friedman, who wrote the song "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Any More," announced on Thursday his independent candidacy for the state's governorship.
Friedman, joking he wants to move into the governor's mansion "because I need the closet space," launched his drive to become the state's first independent governor since Texas Revolution hero Sam Houston in 1859 in front of the Alamo.

Wearing a black cowboy hat and sporting a trademark lit cigar, Friedman's announcement was carried nationally on the MSNBC morning show hosted by radio personality Don Imus.

The author of numerous books, columns and songs he performed with his bar band "The Texas Jewboys," Friedman, 60, stressed he'll use humor to frame a serious candidacy in the Republican-dominated state.

"Don't worry about my lack of experience," Friedman said. "Trust me. I'm a Jew. I'll hire good people."

What a punch line! He's got a lot of them.

Shanghai









Beijing

All the best wishes for a happy healthy and prosperous new year to all my Chinese friends -- and to the rest of you as well! It's a festive week long holiday with firecrackers, special foods, family reunions and temple fairs. This will be the year of the Rooster, alternatively known as the year of the hen, the year of the chicken or the year of the cock, a very auspicious year. Here in Beijing, it snowed last night, a Beijing snow, like a fairy snow, not too heavy, not to much, very crisp and white.

Sin Nian Kuai Le
"Happy New Year"
Wan Shih Ru Yi
"May everything go as you wish"
Ji Nian Da Ji, Kai Men Jian Xi
"Every thing will be perfect in the year of rooster and you will have good luck as soon as you open your door in the new year"

Thanks to various former students for these wishes, which I pass along to you!

Sanya, Hainan

The Hindustan Times credits this story to "China Morning Business View" (which I can't find) and the pictures are from Ananova. This is about the coolest development in furniture that I've ever seen, eco-logical, beautiful, inventive, creative and cleverly Chinese.

This of course might not have the estimated 2,000 furniture plants now operating in China (source: http://www.usa-furniture.com/) shaking in their 靴 at the competition. And Mr. Wu might be in for a hard time enforcing his patent as well. Be those things as they may, all part of the fascination of watching China develop. Not only are they modernizing at an amazing pace, but evolving "roots" customs as well. Mr. Hu rates high as a cool Crackpot. And I really want a set of these chairs!
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Chinese man grows chairs

A Chinese man has patented his technique for growing his own wooden chairs.

Mr Wu, from Liaoning City, Shengyang province, moulds branches into shape while the tree is still growing. He uses elm trees which are pliant and do not break easily, reports the China Morning Business View.

Mr Wu, who's in his 60s, says it takes him about five years to grow a tree chair, from saplings to the finished article.

As the 'chair' grows, he constantly trims and guides it into shape before the chair is finally harvested.

Mr Wu has one tree chair in his home, which he harvested last September, and six more growing in his field. He hopes that one day people will be able to grow all of their furniture instead of having to buy it from a store.

Some of China's most recent unusual farmland developments:

Hen Lays Spoon Shaped Egg

The hen is owned by Huang Yazhou, a railway worker from Huaibei city, Anhui province, reports Chinanews.com.

One morning, Huang awoke to hear the hen, which he bought from a market two months ago, making weird noises.
When he checked, Huang found the hen had laid a spoon-shaped egg, 8.5 centimeters long and 35 grammes in weight.
Huang said he had never seen an egg like it before in his life.

Two Headed Lamb

Two-headed lamb born in China

A two-headed lamb has been born in China. Farmer Han Dianrong, 74, of Yantai city, Shangdong province, said he had never seen anything like it.
The lamb, one of four born to the same ewe, has four eyes and two mouths. Mr Dianrong says both heads bleat together when the lamb sees people approaching.The weight of two heads is too much for the lamb's neck so it has to be fed by bottle.