Our friends of the U.S, Embassy have now started to include ozone figures in their AQI measurements.
Looks not too bad as for now. In the past days air quality was reasonable, with several good days and only a few bad days.
The Beijing officials have lots to learn from BeijingAir, or maybe not. They just want to continue with their fake figures to make us feel happy. I even don’t bother anymore to download their daily tables.
Sad that as a general rule, you can’t trust any figures (or news) from the government here. As the Chinese say “you can’t even trust the weather report”.
Of course we all know the Internet is free, the Constitution guarantees free speech, the authorities control the melamine in the milk, no government hacking, etc. etc. etc. Ad nauseum.
So, feel free to go check BeijingAir on Twitter. Good luck!
Investing in stock markets: beware
I get at least once a week cold calls from “investment advisors” who want to convince me to empty my pockets, give it all to them so I can get rich. They come with all kinds of charts trying to prove how great they are and how great it is to invest in stock markets. Problem is, only they get rich, and so do the bankers in Wall Street who buy multi-million dollar mansions like a hamburger (I call them crooks).
With all the eloquent explanations, shuffle the article under their nose and tell them to f### off and find another idiot.
Here in Beijing the cold-calls are usually done by foreigners (often girls from the Philippines). They seem never to give up and don’t take no for an answer. Annoying bunch. Slamming the phone helps.
21 November 2009 by Floyd Norris – excerpts
International Herald Tribune
“A decade to forget for U.S. stocks”
American stock markets have soared 64% since they hit bottom eight months ago.
And that leaves them just where they were over 11 years ago.
U.S. stock markets were the world leader in the great bull market of the late 1990s, but more recently they have been a laggard, in large part because of the weakness of the dollar.
As the accompanying charts show, a stock a stock investor looking for a part of the world to invest in back 1998 – and to hold on until now – could not have done worse than to chose the United States.
After 11 years, the S&P index of 500 USA stocks climbed back to 1,100 this week – more than 11 years after it first reached that level on 24 March 1998.
Read the full story and see the charts:
So, beware.
The danger of solar panels
Latest guide to Belgium
Here comes the latest updated guide to understanding Belgium.
Of course, as this is about Belgium, you’ll need to understand French. Could be worse, could be in Flemish. As a born Flemish, I must agree it sounds pretty cool in French.
Bon, donc voici un guide, fait en particulier pour nos amis (ça dépend du jour) français qui ne connaissent pas bien notre pays qui est en général assez plat.
GuideBelgique.pdf
Vous pouvez cliquer le link pour downloade le document.
Au moins on ne se prend pas trop au sérieux.
Indeed, imagine some Chinese would make something like that about China. There would be an angry reaction, accusing the person of being a traitor of the Motherland and asking that his/her complete family should be persecuted. Chinese have not yet discovered a bit of sarcasm. Reason why foreigners are usually asked to refrain from telling jokes: humor cannot be translated into Chinese, and vice versa.
Oh yeah, forgot. In China they have a Motherland. In België we have a Fatherland (Vaderland). Explains a lot. Or?
Muslims (and others) in the EU
Got this in my mail (from my native Belgium). I simply copy what I received, not changing anything – I hope you read French.
Pour une fois qu’un politique français a le courage de dire tout haut ce que Les Français pensent, et parfois crient: BRAVO MONSIEUR FRANCOIS FILLON! Bien dit … !
Intéressant comme approche … Apprendre à vivre en paix et harmonie …
Les musulmans qui veulent vivre selon la loi de la “Sharia Islamique” se sont fait dire tout récemment de quitter la France, dans le but de parer à d’éventuelles attaques terroristes, le gouvernement ayant ciblé les radicaux.
Apparemment, le Premier Ministre, Monsieur François Fillon a choqué quelques musulmans Français en déclarant ceci:
LES IMMIGRANTS, NON FRANÇAIS, DOIVENT S’ADAPTER.
À prendre ou à laisser, je suis fatigué que cette nation s’inquiète de savoir si nous offensons certains individus ou leur culture.
Notre culture s’est développée de luttes d’habileté en victoires par des millions d’hommes et de femmes qui ont recherché la liberté.
Notre langue officielle est le français, ni l’espagnol, ni le Libanais, ni l’Arabe, ni le Chinois, ni le Japonais, ou n’importe quelle autre langue.
Par conséquent, si vous désirez faire partie de notre société, apprenez-en la langue!
La plupart des Français croient en Dieu.
Il ne s’agit pas d’obligation chrétienne, d’influence de la droite ou de pression politique, mais c’est un fait, parce que des hommes et des femmes ont fondé cette nation sur des principes chrétiens, et cela est officiellement enseigné.
Il est parfaitement approprié de les afficher sur les murs de nos écoles.
Si Dieu vous offense, je vous suggère alors d’envisager une autre partie du monde comme votre pays d’accueil, car Dieu fait partie de notre culture.
Nous accepterons vos croyances sans poser de question.
Tout ce que nous vous demandons c’est d’accepter les nôtres, et de vivre en harmonie pacifique avec nous.
Ici c’est NOTRE PAYS, NOTRE TERRE, et NOTRE STYLE DE VIE.
Et nous vous offrons l’opportunité de profiter de tout cela.
Mais si vous en avez assez de notre drapeau, de notre engagement, de nos croyances chrétiennes, ou de notre style de vie, je vous encourage fortement à profiter d’une autre grande liberté Française, LE DROIT DE PARTIR.
Si vous n’êtes pas heureux ici, alors PARTEZ.
Nous ne vous avons pas forcés à venir ici.
Vous avez demandé à être ici.
Alors, acceptez le pays que VOUS avez choisi
====
Not that silly or far-fetched while some people of course might have strong objections.
When we go to some of Muslim-influenced countries, we are not allowed to be ourselves (like drinking a beer, as required by Belgian religious beliefs). We have to obey their strict and often medieval laws. Men, women, children can get flogged, stoned, whatever Imams claim is right. So, if they come to our countries, WE rule and WE say what can be done or not. Even this is what the Chinese tell us here (and Bill Gates agrees).
Unfortunately, poor old Europe, if it wants to survive, should make more kids and work harder, not leaving all that to the immigrants and to the Chinese. Otherwise the original population will be reduced to live in rest homes for the elderly and the Muslims will dominate.
Some of our EU countries are also a mess. Look at Italy, where most of the South (or maybe most of the country) is run by the Mafia and the only ones fighting it are …. African immigrants. Not to mention the parents who forgot how to make kids (we could show them?). The French might talk a lot (often a nuisance) but at least they make kids.
Studies demonstrate that Muslims will simply take over the EU within a few decades, by a demographic evolution. No need for a Holy War.
And the Chinese will buy up most of the factories and natural resources.
Maybe the leftover locals can work in the museums and Disney Parks, as attractions.
So, Monsieur François Fillon, make sure the French keep up the good work in bed.
As for the USA, well, we still have some hope they will come out of their difficulties. Anyway, Latinos seem more Western at least than other nations. But as Lawrence H. Summers said, last year before entering the Obama administration:
“How long can the world’s biggest borrower remain the world’s biggest power?”
Talking about challenges. On est mal parti les enfants.