Growing Middle Class

Are countries like China, India and Brazil getting stronger? Here are two shows from TVO's The Agenda that gives us a better idea of where the world might be going in the next decades.





I would have to take the side not really believing that the middle class is growing or will make much difference in China or India. The levels are so low. It's not really fair to call the middle class in China the biggest in the world compared to countries like US and Canada when the a person making $2 a day can be considered middle class. The countries are growing but the people there are still just hanging on. China is growing at 9% a year and a person may have gotten a raise from $4000 a year to $5000 a year but unless that growth continues year after year after year, the so-called middle class will get very restless and demand more and more from the communist authoritarian government.

Taiwan unveils birth-boosting slogan

Source: Yahoo!

Taiwan's government on Wednesday unveiled a new slogan aimed at encouraging couples to have more babies, in its latest bid to boost the island's dwindling birth rate which is among the world's lowest.

"Children -- our best heirloom" was chosen via an on-line poll after garnering nearly a third of the 31,000 responses, followed by "happiness is very easy, baby one two three" and "it's good to have a child", said the interior ministry.

The slogan's writer will get a cash prize of one million Taiwan dollars (31,250 US) while the phrase will be printed on government literature, it said in a statement.

Taiwan's authorities have been offering various incentives in an unsuccessful bid to boost birth rates, amid growing concerns that a severe manpower shortage will trigger serious social and economic problems.

The island's capital Taipei, where birth rates dived to an all-time low in 2009 with fewer than 20,000 babies being born, will start paying couples 20,000 Taiwan dollars for every newborn from next year.

Taiwan's overall birth rate stood at 8.29 births per 1,000 people last year, according to the ministry. That compares with a global average of more than 20 births per 1,000 people, according to the United Nations.

Last year 191,310 babies were born in Taiwan, down 3.74 percent from the previous year.

I don't know if this will work, just a slogan? And just the slogan winner get a prize? How about every new baby gets a grant or something, that might entice parents to have a kid!

Or how about a mascot?



I don't know, people are having less babies because raising one is such hard work. Only one of two kids is enough. I'm planning to have a baby in 2012 and I'll be 33 by then. After that, one more at most cause I married late.

Chinese youth accused of not being fighting fit

At least they're running, somewhere

Source: Reuters

The government must immediately invest some of its new wealth in ensuring that children take regular exercise, Beijing Sports University president Yang Hua told the sports group of the largely ceremonial advisory body to China's annual parliament.

"It is time for the Chinese nation to improve the physical fitness of our next generation," said Yang. "If we miss the next three to five years a whole generation will be next to useless.

"If there was another war against Japan, would the younger Chinese be able to fight the Japanese one-on-one?

"The government has enough money for banquets and for luxurious office buildings, do they not have money for children's physical education?" he added.

Japan invaded and occupied much of China between 1931 and 1945. Rancour over Japanese wartime atrocities has subsided as a diplomatic flashpoint, but it continues to shape Chinese public attitudes toward Japan and its people.

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For a country that calls itself the Center of the World, they sure are insecure about what the Japanese are doing. Are they seriously still thinking about a future war with Japan? One-on-One? Does this guy realize that this isn't the Three Kingdoms era and wars aren't wrestled? I'm not even sure the next war would even use guns.
And I'm not sure either the Chinese nor the Japanese were fit in 1931.

Children's physical education in schools is very important. China spent a bazillion dollars on Olympic facilities, Olympic programs and the opening ceremonies. All for nothing as it may have resulted in 60 gold medals, but a kid sitting on his can watching China win 6 gold medals in table tennis isn't going to make him any fitter.
For a country who Communist motto famously says, opportunity for the many, only the best get selected for sporting greatness. China addiction of showing the world that they can win the Olympics, has resulted in a neglection of the bigger picture of sports in schools.

Another symptom is that the academic system is too competitive. Students study 24 hours a day to get into the best schools. Sitting on a chair studying numbs your butt. No time for exercise.

Oooooooh matchmaking!

Source: Reuters

The health ministry plans a matchmaking program where it will bring single public servants together for social gatherings and community service work in the hopes of fostering love among available bureaucrats looking to wed.

The ministry has been doing its homework on the unmarried.

"We found that single people fall into certain categories, much like the unemployed," said Choi Jin-sun of the ministry's human resources development division.

It will split the unmarried between those that way by choice and those by circumstance, and has devised plans to help any segment of the unwed population find a partner and settle down.

The government in late 2009 unveiled a plan to boost South Korea's birthrate, the lowest in the developed world.

The country is graying quickly and needs to boost the population to expand the economy and provide payments to government coffers for the increased welfare spending that comes with an aging society.

"We're not talking about a one-time mass meeting among singles, but regular, constant opportunities where singles can meet and mingle naturally," said Choi.

These people work together, why don't they just ask each other out for lunch or something. South Korean men need a government program and tax dollars to get laid?

That's pretty sad.

On second thought, after watching those unbearable shitty Korean soaps, this does not surprise me.

China's Army

Youtube Link

I'm not sure PINK is a good camouflage colour in the battlefield!

Chinese universities faking employment rates to boost ratings

Source: Canada.com

Some Chinese universities appear to be faking employment rates among their graduates in an effort to keep their own ratings high in these economic hard times.

On Tuesday, the official China Daily confirmed the Internet buzz that some universities are providing the government with documented "proof" their graduates have found jobs, even though they are still unemployed.

"Due to fierce competition among universities, especially second-tier ones, the performance and reputation of a school largely depends on its employment rate after graduation," an unnamed "education expert" was quoted telling the English-language newspaper.

According to the Chinese language Southern Metropolis Daily, the job scam was revealed on the popular Internet forum Tianya when a "netizen" got a peek at his university records and was astounded to find he had a job.

"I was immediately stunned. Heavens! I have obtained employment. The agreement documented stated the name of my employer in black and white, next to a big red stamp of that employer," he wrote.

Chinese lying? Noooo. Say it ain't so. Universities obviously want to show they have a good employment rate to prove they program delivers results!

I love how a student found out he's employed when he's not! woohoo!

Damn! Green Dam Sucks!

Did you know bad stuff on the computer will turn an angel into a devil? :)

Source: CNN

China's last-minute decision to postpone a controversial content-filtering application on computers sold there is the latest example of the trouble that Western technology companies face doing business in the world's fastest-growing economy.

Businesses and Chinese computer users are up in arms about the Web filtering plan -- ostensibly meant to protect young online users from pornography, but criticized for leaving businesses vulnerable to cyber attacks.

The "Green Dam Youth Escort" software application unleashed a flood of complaints toward Beijing, making strange bedfellows of human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Chinese computer users and trade groups representing the largest international businesses in China.

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The government wants unlimited control and wants to know what you're doing at all times. It has nothing to do with porn.

China bans all porn, even sex ed!

Source: Reuters

Ordinary web users in China will be banned from surfing sex-related medical and research websites from next month, amid an Internet crackdown on pornographic online content, according to new regulations.

Medical information service providers must install software to ensure only professionals can access sites that carry information and research about sex, the regulations on the website of the Ministry of Health (www.moh.gov.cn) said.

"It is prohibited to spread pornographic content in the name of sex-related scientific research," the regulations said.

But the rules risk slowing sexual health education in a country where many people are too embarrassed to talk publicly about sex.

Chat rooms on health channels in popular web sites, which are one of the few sources of information on sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases, may also be covered by the regulations.

"The health sections of web portals are not allowed to conduct sex-related research services," the regulation added.

The rules do not specify exactly what is covered by "scientific research" into sex.

The rules come after a series of anti-porn efforts that culminated in the announcement earlier this month that Beijing would demand the installation of "Green Dam" Internet filtering software on all new personal computers manufactured or shipped after July 1.

Just like anything in life. The internet has both good a bad elements. We all know the internet can be a dangerous place where kids and teenagers can run into violent, sex and tasteless sites. But technological advances is always really fascinating to me. Kids now can take pictures, upload them, text 100 miles an hour. When I was a kid I couldn even turn Bumblebee back into a car :(

The Chinese government is scared of EVERYTHING and the more they restrict the better for them to maintain control. In this case they will lose out alot on sexual health and education in a country that is still too naive about sex and too embarassed to ask.

Chinese waitress walks free after killing official

Source: Google

A Chinese waitress convicted of killing an official who demanded sex walked free from court Tuesday, after a nationwide Internet campaign hailed her as a heroine for standing up to government sleaze.

In a case that sparked widespread outrage, Deng Yujiao, 21, was put on trial for stabbing to death a local official in central China in May, in what she said was self-defence after he tried to force himself on her sexually.

Deng, a waitress at a hotel in the city of Badong, was initially detained on suspicion of murder after the incident, in which she said the man hit her repeatedly after she refused his advances.

She also stood accused of injuring a second official who had made unwanted sexual advances.

Deng was eventually charged with the lesser offence of intentional assault -- still punishable by death, according to the China Daily -- as officials caved in to the massive public pressure generated on the Internet.

Internet users fed up with government corruption, abuse of power and official impunity quickly rallied to Deng's cause, and her case became a symbol of injustice in a society tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party.

On Tuesday, after a brief trial in Badong in Hubei province, Deng walked free despite being found guilty as charged, on the grounds of diminished responsibility, a judge at the court, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

The judge said the court had decided not to punish her as she had used excessive force in an act of self-defence, she had surrendered to the police, and the officials involved in the incident had made a "major mistake."

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Woohoo. A victory for the commoner! Funny how she's guilty but won't get any jail time. So what's she guilty of? The Chinese are so afraid to be embarassed that they will appeased anyone in fear of a revolt.

I wonder how she'll be be treated from now on. Will she go back to waitressing?

Related: Chinese public outraged over case of Deng Yujiao

China city kills 36,000 dogs after rabies deaths

Source: Reuters

A Chinese city has killed 36,000 stray and pet dogs in a bid to wipe out rabies, state media said on Tuesday, as the country considers a draft law recognising animal rights and making such a cull illegal.

Rabies has killed 12 people in Hanzhong, in the northern province of Shaanxi, where more than 6,000 people had been bitten or scratched since late May, the China Daily said.

"The monitoring data showed that the danger caused by the dogs which carried rabies virus has increased and epidemic prevention and control is urgent," Xing Tianhu, deputy mayor of the city, was quoted as saying.

International animal rights groups have criticised China for cruelty, saying millions of animals raised for their pelts, including cats and dogs, are mistreated and inhumanely killed.

Raising dogs was banned under the rule of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a bourgeois pastime and was only made legal a few years ago as living standards rose.

Animal protection organisations expressed concern over the Hanzhong cull.

"The mass removal of dogs can result in the increased movement of dogs of unknown disease status from surrounding areas, thereby actually facilitating disease transmission and increasing the threat to human and animal health," Peter Williams, China director for the World Society for Protection of Animals, was quoted as saying.

China's first law to recognise "animal welfare" and include domestic animals is in the draft stage.

"Once it gets passed, the abuses of animals, such as the Hanzhong dog killings, is expected to stop," Chang Jiwen, a professor who led the drafting team, was quoted as saying.

Biting more than 6000 people? I think the problem here is that having dogs is a new thing in China and people don't know how to train them properly yet. In my neighbourhood there are alot of dogs and I pet them all the time. They know who I am now and don't bite. Dogs just want to be loved and are definitely spoiled in North America.

But in China, dogs are running around, eating shit out of gutters and biting anyone who comes near them. I don't know if killing 36000 dogs is the solution but unless people learn how to raise dogs, this problem will continue.

Ahmadinejad wins! Sparks Protests!

Source: CNN

As street protests and voter skepticism rose over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election victory, the incumbent leader hailed the vote, saying it was a "great ordeal" but one that pointed "the way to the future."

"The people of Iran inspired hope for all nations and created a source of pride in the nation and disappointed all the ill wishers," Ahmadinejad said in a nationwide TV address Saturday night. "This election was held at a juncture of history."

The government said on Saturday that Ahmadinejad won Friday's presidential election with 62.63 percent of the vote and Mir Hossein Moussavi received 33.75 percent of the vote.

But while he extolled the result and the huge turnout, Moussavi and supporters in the Tehran streets are crying foul as street clashes have erupted in the aftermath of the polls. Reaction emerged across the world, as countries such as the United States and Canada voiced concern over claims of voter irregularities.

The ongoing street protests have been viewed as remarkable in a country where anti-government sentiment is not looked upon kindly by those in power. In the aftermath of the vote, street protesters and riot police engaged in running battles, with stones thrown, garbage cans set on fire and people shouting "death to the dictatorship."

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That's quite a riot! Almost Stanley Cup proportions!

You Can Hack Chinese Computers!

Source: BBC

Every PC in China could be at risk of being taken over by malicious hackers because of flaws in compulsory government software.

The potential faults were brought to light by Chinese computer experts who said the flaw could lead to a "large-scale disaster".

The Chinese government has mandated that all computers in the country must have the screening software installed.

It is intended to filter out offensive material from the net.

The Chinese government said that the Green Dam Youth Escort software, as it is known, was intended to push forward the "healthy development of the internet" and "effectively manage harmful material for the public and prevent it from being spread."

"We found a series of software flaws," explained Isaac Mao, a blogger and social entrepreneur in China, as well as a research fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

For example, he said, tests had shown that communications between the software and the servers at the company that developed the program were unencrypted.

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Not a surprise. The criminals are always ahead of the government and police. The more the government wants to censor and peek into people's computer, the hackers an go that same route even faster!

Iranian Election Push

Source: CNN

The sidewalks of Iran's capital are jammed with political rallies, just days before the Islamic republic decides on its next president.

A sea of green identifies the massive rally for reformist candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi, who is hoping to unseat hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Moussavi has rallied Iran's younger voters, many of whom just want Ahmadinejad out of office.

"This is like a revolution, people are excited about rescuing our country from a calamity it's been in for the last four years," says Pega, a Moussavi supporter who dons a green headband under her black headscarf.

Voters will head to the polls on Friday.

On the opposite street, Ahmadinejad's supporters, who are mostly traditional and overwhelmingly religious, wave pictures of the incumbent president as honking cars pass through the dueling sidewalk rallies. Many have been bused in to counter the ever-growing Moussavi crowds.

The Iranian president still has staunch support especially among the poor in the provinces to whom he has doled out money, benefits and favors.

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Sounds like the young, the rich and the women are on Moussavi's side while the rest thing everything is great and want more Ahmadinejad. The opposition will always promise more freedoms. Whether they can deliver when elected is another issue.

Do you think a new President will change Iran's relations with the rest of the world?

Chinese Computers Will Come Anti-Wanged

Say goodbye to these lovely ladies

Source: Google

China is requiring personal computers sold in the country to carry software that blocks online pornography and other Web sites, potentially giving one of the world's most sophisticated censorship regimes even more control over the Internet.

The software's developer said Monday the tool would give parents more oversight by preventing computers from accessing sites with pornographic pictures or language. Jinhui Computer System Engineering Co., which won a government contract to develop the "Green Dam-Youth Escort" filtering software, was compiling a database of sites to block.

Although porn sites are initially targeted, the software could be used to block other Web sites, too, including those based on keywords rather than specific Web addresses.

Parents can also add their own sites to the blocking list, Zhang Chenmin, general manager of Jinhui, told The Associated Press.

"If a father doesn't want his son to be exposed to content related to basketball or drugs, he can block all Web sites related to those things," Zhang said.

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Basketball?! Is there something racy and violent about basketball that I don't know about? (Kobe Bryant notwithstanding)

I don't think the Chinese really understand. If you can't download porn why bother having a computer?

Al Gore may go to NKorea to help US reporters

Source: Breitbart

The United States might send former US vice president Al Gore to Pyongyang in order to negotiate the release of two American journalists on trial in North Korea for illegal entry.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly did not rule out such a possibility when asked if it would make sense to send Gore, who is chairman of the California station Current TV, which employs the two journalists.

"It's a very, very sensitive issue, I'm not going to go into it," Kelly told reporters who pressed him on the matter.

"This is such a sensitive issue, I'm just not going to go into those kinds of discussions that we may or may not have had," he added when asked whether Gore himself had raised the matter with the State Department.

"The bottom line is that these two young women should be released but I'm not going to go into any kind of details on what we will or won't do," Kelly said when asked again if it would help to send Gore.

How is this going to work? Is he going to lecture them about global warming and bore them to death.

Internet is Evil: We shock you into therapy!

Source: China.org

Electroshock therapy is being administered to youngsters at a controversial Internet addiction clinic where patients are "reborn".

More than 3,000 youths have been tricked or forced in to a four-month program run by Dr Yang Yongxin at a clinic in Shandong province. About 100 people are currently receiving treatment at the clinic.

Patients are given electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for breaking any of the center's 86 rules, including eating chocolate, locking the bathroom door, taking pills before a meal and sitting on Yang's chair without permission, the Information Times reported.

Parents or guardians sign a contract acknowledging that the child will be given ECT and pay 6,000 yuan ($878) per month for treatment.

Details about the treatment were revealed online recently when a number of former patients began to write about their experience.

According to the posts, the clinic administers continuous ECT in a current of up to 200 milliamperes.

Meanwhile, patients are forced to admit "wrongdoings" and those of others and are also instructed to kneel down in front of their parents to show obedience.

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Wow. Who determines that being on the internet is a bad thing and how much is too much? This a clear case of parents too lazy for parenting and officials cashing in on this paranoia. And how do they treat you? By continuous tasering?

Kids are going to use the internet, there's no getting around it.

Tiananmen Square Massacre: 20 years later

So here we are, on June 4th, 2009 remembering what happened on this day 20 years ago. It's not a day to argue right or wrong. It's a day just to remember and mourn.

The Chinese government today will try to ignore everything and block all information from it's citizens from fear of the truth.

What does the Chinese Government say happened on June 4, 1989?



Umbrellas? That's just fucking embarassing.

But we all know better. I don't really care if the Chinese are censored and can't read this. We all know what happened. On a day like this, we remember what happened 20 years ago and we will never forget.

The following videos show us what really happened that day.

CBC:

Youtube Link

BBC:

Youtube Link

Tank Man Documentary (8 parts):

Youtube Link

China ups security ahead of Tiananmen anniversary

Source: Reuters

Chinese security forces blanketed Tiananmen Square on Wednesday ahead of the 20th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, a day after Twitter and Hotmail Internet services in China were blocked.

Black police vans lurked at the side of the Forbidden City, while police and paramilitary forces patrolled through crowds of tourists enjoying a sunny summer morning.

Tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square before dawn on June 4, 1989 to crush weeks of student and worker protests. The ruling Communist Party, which has never released a death toll, fears that any commemoration of the crackdown could challenge its continuing hold on power.

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Security at the square? Stopping foreigners? What do they think will happen tomorrow? If the government did nothing wrong 20 years ago what are they so scared of? Most of the youth nowadays don't really care about Tiananmen... since they know nothing about it! They would be more pissed off when the Chinese government does something big and drastic like, oh I don't know, blocking out half the internet!

China blocks Twitter, Flickr and Hotmail ahead of Tiananmen anniversary

DUH! What's going on? Looks like good news to me! China #1!

Source: Guardian

Chinese censors blocked access to Twitter and other popular online services today , two days before the 20th anniversary of the crackdown on democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.

The move came amid increasing pressure on dissidents, in a reflection of the authorities' anxiety ahead of the sensitive date. Hundreds died as the army forced its way through Beijing to clear away demonstrators from the capital's political heart in June 1989, but the issue is taboo on the mainland.

The photo-sharing site Flickr, email service Hotmail and other services were also unavailable this evening.

"Twitter is a tool which can put all the sensitive things and sensitive guys together, very quickly. That's the very thing that the Chinese government doesn't want to see in China," said one blogger, Michael Anti, who had predicted Twitter would not be allowed for long.

"They needed time to figure out what it is and whether it needed to be controlled."

He added: "I don't know whether they will reopen Twitter after 4 June. I hope they will, for Twitter is a crucial icon for the new internet era on which many innovations emerge. China can't block their young generation from the future."

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Shuuuuuuuush Tiananmen never happened so it is not to be discussed. It's pretty sad that govenment have to censor everything to their people and continue to hide their evil actions. The Chinese public are just mindless idiots.

A statement like this from me would be followed by comments and hate mail from Chinese pawns... but they can't read this today so NYAH!! phhhhhhhhhttttttttt

*dance dance dance*

Chinese public outraged over case of Deng Yujiao

Who is Deng Yujiao you ask?

Source: Times Online

The case of the pedicurist and the lecherous official has galvanised public opinion in China.

Women’s groups, and even the conservative state Women’s Federation, have demanded fair treatment for 21-year-old Deng Yujiao who stabbed a low-ranking government official who demanded she provide him with“special services”.

Civil rights organisations and untold numbers of ordinary Chinese want an explanation for the arrest of a young woman who said she was defending herself against the unwanted advances of the 44-year-old director of the local business promotion office. And they want to know why a Communist Party official was frequenting a hotel that offered massages with “special services” – a euphemism for sex.

Such is the public indignation over Ms Deng’s fate that usually docile newspapers and websites have ignored a government directive issued last week ordering all reports to toe the official line.

The case is particularly emotive since it cuts to the heart of many of the most sensitive issues in Chinese society. These include abuse of the law in favour of vested interests at the expense of the weak, the rapid spread of the sex trade in a country whose Communist leadership prides itself on puritan values not to mention abuse of power. It is being seen as pitting the vulnerable, particularly women struggling to make a living, against the might of the state.

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It could be a landmark case. Usually it doesn't matter if it's self-defense or not. If an offical wants sex he should get it. If she refuses, she's in big trouble. If she stabs the guy, she's in deep shit. That's how China works. Rich and powerful get everything. So will public support pressure the courts into ruling fairly. We'll see.