Not for the faint-hearted. Thanks to “Beijing Today” for this tip, dated 19 October. Beats all the SPAM I get in my mail box. No, I won’t try, thanks. But maybe we can export to the USA if the FDA permits? Hmmm I see money here… Here goes the full text of the article:
Worming up to weight loss craze ‘reckless’
By Gan Tian- Beijing Today
In the latest bid to battle Beijingers’ burgeoning waistlines, netizens at Baidu’s Post Bar have started selling roundworm eggs as a new magic diet pill. Posters claim to have lost 20 kilograms since drinking a bottle of intentionally-tainted water.
“I’ve heard super stars and rich women use them to lose weight,” Luo Rui, a woman entertainer, said. Online rumors have pointed to one formerly-chubby local star’s staggeringly speedy weight loss as being due to roundworm egg abuse. The worms, more specifically Ascariasis, are a parasite spread by ingestion of worm eggs. When the eggs hatch, larvae burrow into the lungs, from whence they are coughed up and swallowed back into the intestinal track.
Inside their new 37-degree home, the worms anchor to the intestinal wall where they feed on partially-digested food and mature to an adult length of 30 centimeters. The sellers said this feeding can help host organisms lose weight.
Beijing Youth Daily reported that a Shandong man surnamed Guo has been selling the eggs, and many netizens have posted messages naming him as their source. Guo said he raises all the eggs on his own.
“A woman in Guangdong paid me more than 600 yuan for the eggs,” he said. In Guo’s package to the customer, there was a bottle of liquid, which Guo claimed contained the roundworm eggs. He asked customer to take the liquid with water five times, and then the liquid would take effect.
A netizen named Crymax said he gets five customers a day calling for information on roundworm eggs. “Usually I can make 200 yuan on each sale. It is safe to drink the eggs, because human bodies know what is useful and what is harmful. If the roundworms were useless or harmful, the body would just kill them and dump them out,” he said.However, Liang Benyuan, a worker at The Third Hospital of Beijing University, said ingesting the eggs, even intentionally, is dangerous. “Roundworms are harmful to human bodies, and sometimes, their larvae will burrow into blood vessels and travel into the brain. This is an incredibly reckless way to try to lose weight,” he said. Currently, China does not have any laws regulating the sale of roundworm eggs for this purpose, he said.
Beijing Marathon: I give up
Since 2003 I have looked at the Beijing Marathon as the personal challenge of the year and to show the spirit of the Olympics.
Well, 21 October was the last one. Frustration and disappointment. Morale at a low. Now looking at other cities. Maybe I still try the half marathon next year.
Why? Simple. Running in Beijing is for suicidal people who want to ruin their health forever. My Chinese doctor told me, with 5 bronchitis this year only: don’t run outside in Beijing anymore. My bronchi are busted, loaded with the Beijing pollution (dust particles). See earlier entries in this blog.
When I see people jogging in this city I feel pity for them. One day they will realize their foolish enthusiasm has ruined their lungs.
John & Gilbert still fresh – the start – barely able to walk
The ANA Marathon was a disaster despite improvements in the organization. There was water at all stations, emergency services were all fine. Printing of the individual results was reasonably quick despite the long queue. The departure and arrival area however were a nightmare. Of course the “leaders” who just come to show their face on TV won’t notice that. After arriving (exhausted at least) you need to walk several Km before you ever manage to reach the exit and your pick-up car or taxi (good luck). Pathetic.
The sky looked “blue” for those ignorant people (e.g. in That’s Beijing) who cannot see the pollution. Official API figures were at 100 – the WHO limit is 50. For me, it looked even worse.
The new itinerary was awful. Each year the race is held at the same time – when the Party Congress takes place. But this time, no more departure from Tiananmen (by the way the most polluted spot in Beijing). The 42 Km were mostly through city roads, clogged with traffic, including the 4th and 5th ring roads, alongside thousands of cars stuck in a huge traffic jam and with running engines. Foreign athletes complained about the “dirty air”.
I had done a successful training run in Shunyi on 1 October – over 32 Km in 3H 18m, in very clean air. I was tired but no major problems and went to two weddings the same day. I felt good.
On 21 October after Km 26 my hip muscles gave up, with excruciating pain. I finished the last 15 Km walking, finishing in 5h 1m 1s – over 30 minutes more than last year. My friend John who had gone through rigorous training should have finished in 4 hours. He too got busted at Km 30 and finished in 4h 34. Leah did great, half Marathon in 1h 55m 58s.
Reason: pollution seriously affects the oxygen intake by the blood, the muscles don’t get the needed oxygen and get busted by lactic acid. Can also be “the heavily polluted tunnel run” (carbon monoxide attaches to the haemoglobin 10 times more readily than oxygen).
Hein Verbruggen (IOC) told me running the New York Marathon was probably worse. Poor guy, got his figures a bit wrong (maybe the Chinese ganbei?). NYC is better on its worst day than Beijing is on its best day. Why doesn’t he run the Beijing marathon?
Well, he got some taste of the pollution anyway. During the IOC Conference in Beijing the API pollution level shot to over 200 in many locations. Qianmen, as usual, scored highest at 299.
Don’t worry, during the Olympics NO pollution. But every other day – stay inside, close the windows, install air purifiers. Smoking is optional. But no running.
Click on the following link to get the picture gallery:
http://homepage.mac.com/bjprc/PhotoAlbum10.html
Another bad case of rebranding: IAPA
Any of you used to travel will be familiar with the blue and gold IAPA tags, of the “International Airline Passenger Association”. You would immediately identify fellow travelers who were members.
the old and the new tags
IAPA felt like a club. They had a small and handy booklet (yearly update) with the hotels where members could have a discount, plus other information. Handy to locate hotels at home and on the road, in a glance.
IAPA has caught the disease of so many companies: “rebranding”. Some PR agencies need to invent meaningless reasons to change logos (and often company names), so they can make money.
Now IAPA has a new logo, their tags are bland and just look like any other. So, no more visibility. Worse, with the “modern age”, no more printed booklet, you can only use their website. Tags for the spouse never arrived. The old tags: no more use?
In the past, messages sent to their office would be promptly answered. Now, forget it. Try to cancel the automatic renewal: impossible on the website.
After several registered letters and complaints, they finally reacted and cancelled the automatic renewal.
A sign of the times. Meaningless rebranding, less service, only web contact and online information. Certainly not always “progress”. Call me old-fashioned if you want – I’ll quit IAPA.
Beijing newspapers guides: outdated
The English language newspapers in Beijing are improving and add more content. But when run by Chinese only, they remain a bit unreliable and outdated.
“Beijing Weekend” (China Daily) is a good case. Nice layout and colorful. But don’t trust their listings…
– “The Hidden Tree”: the popular Belgian bar has been renamed “The Tree” since years
– If you follow the directions to “Bus Bar” and “Nanjie” you’ll end up in a meters deep crater where both stood once, in front of the Workers’ Stadium; as reported earkier in this blog, they moved time ago (fortunately for them);
– “Browns”: as far as I know, closed since long with its owner vanished.
– “Babyface”: good luck if you wanna dance there. In the process of being demolished, hopefully to re-open one day.
welcome to Bus Bar and Nanjie (pic taken 12 Oct, one week before the mentioned publications)
“Beijing Today” also just published a so-called “Chunxiu Lu” Guide. They too lead us directly to the huge construction site to have a beer at Bus Bar and Nanjie. They left out several other well known entertainment and health venues in the area. The same happened when they explored the Gongti Xi Lu area where they missed some famous spots.
Maybe the Chinese reporters don’t have the stamina to visit so many bars and get tired. Too much rice, too little Belgian beer and juicy steak.
Compare that to the other publications like That’s Beijing, Time Out, City Weekend. Can’t beat those.
That is actually a major problem with many Chinese “Guides”: incomplete. A major issue I brought up with the city government who tries to guide the visitors for the 2008 Olympics. I suggested they pick up a copy of That’s Beijing in Morel’s Restaurant or The Tree. After a Leffe beer, of course.
2008 Olympics: the quest for tickets, hotel, etc.
On 4 Sept 07, Bencham invited Olivier Carteret, CEO of ARISTEIA Sport Communication to explain how they handle the sales of tickets and packages for the Beijing Olympics.
Aristeia has been appointed as the exclusive supplier for tickets in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Monaco. That means, if you live in those countries you must pass through them. Don’t even think of trying to get them here directly.
The turn-out for the presentation was a bit low, a real pity as it was a lively presentation and discussion.
Olivier introduced by Bencham, Rini Quirijns
Again, Bencham members received the electronic copy of the presentation.
Olivier explained that many people, especially working in Beijing, still have some illusions like they will be able to get, for the period of the Olympics, airplane tickets, restaurants and venues for meetings and hospitality, transportation, tickets for their guests, etc.
Some companies tried but had to get back to Aristeia six months later as they had failed to get what they wanted.
Aristeia is working very closely with BOCOG to secure hotel rooms, transportation and of course tickets for the competition events.
One of the issues Aristeia has to deal with is securing competent staff, so they do in-house training.
They have a wide range of packages, for the normal tourist up to the demanding corporate client. But the more you ask for, the more you’ll pay and it won’t come cheap.
You are warned also – better just stick to the officially appointed agencies like Aristeia, don’t trust all those fancy offers.
One of my concerns is that many of the food & beverage outlets as well as entertainment venues will not be open to the public, either because they are not allowed or able to operate or because they will be taken over completely to handle corporate hospitality. Olivier confirmed at least in part my concern.
Another controversial aspect, not discussed in the seminar, are the “National Houses” planned by many countries (and even Chinese provinces). Some of those countries might face some unexpected bureaucratic hurdles I won’t explain here…