From Beijing, an unfiltered view on business and economy.
Scientists have now completed a study to compare the brains of women and men.
See here how the brain of a woman looks like – complicated as expected:
click to enlarge
if you really want, click to enlarge
Thanks to Michael Wester I discovered this site:
http://www.amfic.eu/index.php
And their “air quality bulletin” – you can select Location, etc.
http://www.amfic.eu/bulletin/index.php
Seems they have terrific information on air quality. I will need to keep a close eye.
Another one I will explore further but looks interesting:
http://www.myhealthbeijing.com (by Richard Saint Cyr)
I will need to study those and fine-tune my overviews on Beijing pollution.
Beijing continues to force feed us with their blue-sky lies. Unfortunately some naïve foreigners fall for it. “Official” API figures for the city are often by miracle just up to 100. U.S. AQI Twitter figures are on the average 2 to 2.5 higher. Recently we had several days with AQI between 400 and 500. But Beijing remains proud with its cooked-up figures that demonstrate the air is continuously getting better. Some Chinese specialists (says China Daily) now dare to suggest some “improvements” for the measurements like taking into account PM2.5, ozone, etc.
The usual argument that the Twitter readings are “high because done in a high traffic area” is total nonsense, served with a straight face. What about their measurements in Dongsi and Agricultural Palace?
Keep on coughing! Or buy a good air filter (made in USA or Switzerland).
Some said the air was so good during the visit of president Obama because “the Chinese did something”. No you blockheads, say thanks to the cold wind that blew away all the s###. We did have some fabulous good days – now over again.
The crap I have to hear from some “well informed foreigners” is sometimes pathetic.
I still need to update my charts for the past months but don’t feel the urgency – it’s all artificial. Except if I use Twitter but their figures are not 7/7 nor 24/24. Guess those guys need a break to wash down the dust with some Tsingtao Beer.
Overall we think the visit of President Obama has been a success. He did not come like Rambo to China but managed to achieve the major goals: set a long-term agenda for improved relations between the USA and China. True, no major agreements were signed, he did not lambast China for all its perceived ills. Obviously many of the media in the USA did not see it that way but that is not a surprise. They have mostly no credibility anyway except if one bothers to read papers like the IHT (or the SCMP in Hong Kong).
The U.S. ambassador in Beijing, Jon Huntsman, was highly critical of the media in his country.
Not that the Chinese media come out clean either.
Censorship was at its best and most Chinese were served spoon wise by the propaganda machine allowed – leaving out important issues.
The only diplomatic hiccup by president Obama was his bowing to the Japanese emperor. Who the hell briefed him? Even newcomers know the angle of bowing has to be “the right one” (according to the difference in position/level) and either one bows or shakes hand. Not both. The angle was way over the top. Seems the president was better briefed about China than about Japan.
Maandagmorgen 16 november rond 6u15 Belgische tijd (= 13u15 Peking tijd) gaf ik een een telefonisch interview op “De Ochtend”, Radio 1 (VRT) naar aanleiding van het bezoek dat de Amerikaanse president Obama aan China geeft.
De vragen waren natuurlijk omtrent de verwachtingen over het bezoek, de bilaterale handelsproblemen en wat Obama zoal mocht/ging vertellen.
Het is duidelijk dat zowel China en Amerika er beide belang bij hebben te streven naar een evenwichtige relatie – als strategische partners. Beide hebben mekaar nodig – China is de grootste bankier voor de USA, wil zien dat hun leningen aan het land niet in waarde dalen. China is niet gelukkig met de Amerikaanse tegenmaatregelen tegen bepaalde invoerproducten. Terwijl de USA natuurlijk meer afzetmogelijkheden verlangt op de belangrijke Chinese markt.
Verder heeft de USA China nodig voor politieke redenen – steun voor politiek omtrent Noord Korea, Iran, Irak, Afghanistan en noem maar op. Dus liefst niet teveel porcelein breken…
Daarom werd er verwacht – en dat bleek ook zo – dat Obama wel over bepaalde “gevoelige” onderwerpen ging spreken maar op een diplomatische manier.
De “townhall meeting” in Shanghai verliep zoals ik verwachte. De studenten waren netjes uitgekozen en het was allemaal kunstmatig. Toch slaagde Obama erin een paar van de problemen aan te snijden zoals de irriterende beperkingen op het Chinese Internet.
De Chinese pers nam geen risikos en de dialoog met de studenten werd grotendeels in de doofpot gestopt. China Daily vermelde natuurlijk alleen wat ze wilden.
Ziehier wat de president wel vermelde – dank zij South China Morning Post.
wat Obama wel vertelde