We complain here about the lack of police action to reduce traffic jams, corruption, IPR infringements, organized crime etc. There is certainly much room for improvement like in traffic where the overall situation still looks hopeless for me – nobody respects any rule.
But think twice.
In Italy, organized crime is the biggest segment of the economy, accounting for € 90 billion. Activities are extortion, usury, contraband, robberies, prostitution, gambling and Internet piracy – organized crime syndicates account for 7% of the country’s GDP. As compiled by Confesercenti, a major Italian business association.
Not to mention about all the related mafia killings, even in other European countries (remember Germany?). Most unsolved.
Talking about murders, FBI figures show nearly 40% of all USA homicides go unsolved. Of course there guns are everywhere. At least one problem with do not have in Beijing. Not many Rambos running around here.

The Chinese Communist Party has ordered that all Santas cannot use anymore “ho ho ho” as it has been seen as offensive for China’s image.
Indeed, “ho” sounds like “hou” meaning back (like in backdoor, a familiar way of doing business in China). The Party has ordered to use “ha” instead, sounding like (hao”, meaning good).
Now, if that would REALLY have happened, guess what the foreign press would say about China. Not much good, right!? Well, when something happens like that in our “western liberated world”, ….
14 Nov 07
SYDNEY (AFP) – Santas in Australia’s largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas’s traditional “ho ho ho” greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.
Sydney’s Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say “ha ha ha” instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.
One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use “ho ho ho” because it could frighten children and was too close to “ho”, a US slang term for prostitute.
I guess we can all say hahaha right now in China, at the expense of the “free” world.

Complaining about China? This can make you feel better. No place is perfect.
May 2007 – A “Muslim-born” woman converted to Christianity and was baptized in 1998. A court in Putrajaya (Malaysia) denied to have her ID card changed to remove the word “Islam”. Result: she cannot marry her Catholic fiancé and is ostracized. (Of course she cannot do many other things, like drink alcohol, etc. No glass of red wine for her). She is now considering fleeing the country for better pastures. So Malaysia has its own caste system, you are born with it, you die with it. Religious intolerance. Maybe the next step will be to stone her? Mind you, the date is correct. May 2007.