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Beijing hotels slash rates after foreign tourists fail to show up
Hotels in Beijing are slashing room rates for next month's Olympics after tighter security — among other measures — dashed an expected windfall of visitors, hotels and travel industry executives said Tuesday.
Fan Runjun, an employee of the press department of popular travel Web site Ctrip.com, said many two- to four-star hotels have reduced prices by 10 percent to 20 percent compared to May and June. Some have slashed rates by as much as 30 percent, said Fan, whose site lists about 500 hotels in its English-language section.
The usual pre-Olympic festive atmosphere host cities experience has not hit Beijing yet, with some hotels feeling empty and listless. In June, the number of visitors to Beijing, including overseas and domestic, declined by 19.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Beijing Tourism Authority.
The government has said the games are a target of terrorism, and has reported breaking up plots to attack the games by Islamic radicals in the western province of Xinjiang. In a show of force, China's military has stationed a ground-to-air missile battery just 300 yards from one Beijing Olympic venue. Hotels in Beijing are slashing room rates for next month's Olympics after tighter security — among other measures — dashed an expected... more -
Saving Sichuan's 'people in the clouds'
The devastating earthquake in Sichuan province has seriously endangered the 3,000 year-old customs of the Qiang people, writes the BBC's Nick Mackie.
It is a precarious drive some 10 km up a narrow, winding mountain trail to catch a glimpse of Zengtou and its fortress-like dwellings.
From about a kilometre downhill, the damage seems slight.
Surprisingly so, for this area is close to the epicentre of May's powerful earthquake. To the east, the huge Longmenshan range - the quake fault line - fills the skyline.
After China's choking, chaotic cities, the final climb past hillside blossoms towards this village in the clouds seems idyllic.
But on the rock-strewn path between high stone walls that serves as Zengtou's main street, the picture is different.
At the home of 60-year-old Zhou Libin the quake damage is clear.
Sections of the roof have caved in and supporting walls have collapsed. Huge cracks run down stonework that is still standing and the floor is dangerously unstable.
“We've no idea how to continue,” she says, crying. “We cannot harvest our plants, our peppercorns. We used to dry them on the roof, now we've either no roof or it's too dangerous.”
The devastating earthquake in Sichuan province has seriously endangered the 3,000 year-old customs of the Qiang people, writes the BBC... more -
An Innovative and Fresh Cuba That You Must Inhale
Wow, have you seen Cuba's new look of passive capitalism? ... Or is this just another Castro mirror trick?
It's a new and exciting country of opportunities and its Cuba! Cuba? You might say?
Yes, Cuba! At least that is what the Cuban government wants its citizens and the rest of the world to believe.
Wow, have you seen Cuba's new look of passive capitalism? ... Or is this just another Castro mirror trick? ... more -
A Western ad blitz for Beijing Olympics
It is becoming increasingly clear which nation global corporations will be rooting for at this summer's Olympics: China.
Or at least that's what it looks like from advertisements here. McDonald's is running a "Cheer for China" television ad. Nike ads feature China's star hurdler, Liu Xiang, and other Chinese athletes besting foreign competitors. Earlier this year, Pepsi even painted its familiar blue cans red for a limited edition "Go Red for China" promotion.
The campaigns for Western companies are part of an advertising blitz the likes of which this ostensibly communist nation has never seen. Ads are papered over bus shelters, projected on giant outdoor television screens and plastered on billboards. Commercials even flicker at commuters as they zoom through subway tunnels.
China, already the world's second-largest advertising market, after the United States, is a dream for consumer product companies. "For most international brands here, China is the growth market for the next 10 years," said Jonathan Chajet, strategic director at Interbrand, which consults on brands.
A record 63 companies have become sponsors or partners of the Beijing Olympics. Olympic-related advertising in China could reach $4 billion to $6 billion this year, according to CSM, a Beijing marketing research firm. It is becoming increasingly clear which nation global corporations will be rooting for at this summer's Olympics: China. ... more -
TV networks fight shorter Olympic leash
For several years now NBC has meticulously planned all the details for its coverage of the many sports events at the Summer Olympics in China.
But with the Games only 19 days away, many at the network are concerned about how they will permitted to cover any unscheduled events, like political protests or government crackdowns — or whether the Chinese government will allow them to cover such things at all.
One of the most common hypothetical questions NBC officials have bandied about involves the opening ceremonies on Aug. 8.
Hundreds of athletes will parade into a stadium in front of world leaders, including President George W. Bush, and a huge global television audience. If an athlete holds a protest sign or waves a Tibetan flag, how will the Chinese hosts react? Will the television networks show the scene? How will the Chinese handle the media for the rest of the Games?
The stakes are high for both the network, which paid $900 million for broadcast rights for the Olympics, and the reputation of NBC News. If it covers any controversies aggressively, it risks drawing the ire of the Chinese and interfering with coverage of sports events. But if it shies from coverage of any protests, NBC risks being criticized in the West for kowtowing to China — particularly since its corporate parent, General Electric, is aggressively expanding its investments in China. For several years now NBC has meticulously planned all the details for its coverage of the many sports events at the Summer Olympics i... more -
Olympics Suck Up China's Already Scarce Water
Three years ago, local government officials told farmers in this village of 7,000 residents to stop using water from a reservoir near their wheat and corn fields. If they needed water, the farmers were told, they would have to dig a well.
"They said there wasn't enough water," Jia Jianguo, 60, recalled.
At their own expense, the farmers dug a 90-foot well. But even though the new irrigation system worked fine, the locals have been forced to pool their meager resources each year that the water recedes to keep their crops alive. The well is now 135 feet deep, and the groundwater is seeping away as fast as the province's increasingly scarce water supplies are being channeled some 100 miles southwest to the thirsty capital of 15 million inhabitants, Beijing.
The Changgucheng farmers were never told that their reservoir is one of four in the province tapped to meet the capital's demand for water leading up to and during the Olympic Games, which begin in August. The Games are expected to increase Beijing's water consumption by at least 5 percent, or 162,000 acre-feet, according to a recent report by Probe International, a Canadian environmental group. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons.
From south to north
The channel is needed not only to make more water available for Beijing, but to clean Olympic venues and to flush out the city's polluted canals and lakes.
It is part of a mammoth $25 billion diversion scheme to bring water from southern rivers to the arid north to bolster Beijing's water supply.
Ecologists say this is just another example of how the push to showcase a green Olympics is creating environmental problems in provinces outside Beijing. Major polluting factories have been shut down or moved out of the capital for the Olympics. Diverting Hebei's water is just one of many potentially problematic actions, experts say.
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Diverting scarce water from farmers just to put on a show for the world is sickening.
Another reason to boycott their sham along with their human rights abuses and their part in genocide. Three years ago, local government officials told farmers in this village of 7,000 residents to stop using water from a reservoir near ... more -
Thanks to Olympics, Beijing gets its Eiffel Tower
London has Big Ben, Paris has the Eiffel Tower , San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge and now Beijing has an iconic structure that's likely to identify the city forever.
It's an audacious monolith that looks like two drunken high-rise towers leaning over and holding each other up at the shoulders.
The eye-catching building, which is nearly finished, will be the headquarters of China Central Television, the staid propaganda arm of China's ruling Communist Party , and it's perhaps the boldest and most daring of several new buildings that have given Beijing a stunning new appearance for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games.
In keeping with the playful nature of the new buildings, all have weird popular names. There's "the egg" and the "bird's nest." The "water cube" isn't far away, and lastly there's "short pants," also known as the "twisted doughnut."
The last of them is the new television building, the CCTV headquarters, and it can nearly make one dizzy standing on the ground and looking up at its odd, teetering 49-story towers connected by a multistory, cantilevered, jagged cross section over open space at a vertiginous 36 stories up in the air.
London has Big Ben, Paris has the Eiffel Tower , San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge and now Beijing has an iconic structure that... more -
Beijingers told to mind their manners
Beijing citizens have been told not to pick their noses, yawn or scratch their heads when talking to foreigners during the Olympics.
They have also been given a list of things not to ask overseas visitors - a list so exhaustive it could make conversation difficult.
Ordinary people have also been given detailed instructions on how to talk to disabled people during the Paralympics.
Chinese officials want ordinary people to show the country's most civilised face during the sporting events.
A booklet prepared by the propaganda department of Beijing's Dongcheng District gives locals an introduction to the games.
It has a special section on dealing with foreigners, including what to do when talking to overseas visitors.
'Wear a smile'
"In conversation, wear a smile, don't stare too long or do anything to make people feel ill at ease," it says.
It also warns Beijing people not to yawn, shout, pick their noses, scratch their heads, play with their fingernails or pull at their clothes while talking.
The booklet suggests people abide by the "eight don't ask" principle when talking to foreigners.
Subjects to avoid include what foreigners earn or how much they spend, how old they are, whether they are married and whether they are healthy.
Also off-limits are questions about where foreigners live, where they have worked, their religious or political beliefs, or what they are currently doing.
In the booklet, propaganda chiefs remind Beijing citizens to be careful when being interviewed by foreign journalists during the Olympics, which begin on 8 August.
It tells them not to say or do anything that harms national prestige, the country's image or national security.
Beijing citizens have been told not to pick their noses, yawn or scratch their heads when talking to foreigners during the Olympics. ... more -
David Marriott's Blog SEX AND SHANGHAI, much more than sexual adventures
I've been reading fragment from Mr David Marriott's Blog SEX AND SHANGHAI / 欲望上海 and I don't have words enough to recommend to everyone visit and read it carefully.
David Marriott gives a very accurate impression of the chinese social and political situation from the point of view of somebody who sees the problem from the inside without blinds of any kind or the brain wash of which the chinese population is victim after year and years of misleading education, political propaganda, threats and repressions from the leaders in Beijing.
Aside of the sexual adventures told in his writings, which in appearance are the most advertised contents of this blog, he explain with accurate details how really works the monster of the Chinese Communist Party to control the minds of the population until transform them in a mass of social zombies incapable of a political opinion, either because they have no resources or references to do so or because they are so afraid of the consequences that they prefer to shut and keep living in the very well sold concept of harmony.
If you ever wandered if the events in the movie "The Matrix" could really happen, then you have to take a deep look to the real situation in this country from the inside and you will be amazed of how powerful is the manipulation of the collective consciousness in a society. I've been reading fragment from Mr David Marriott's Blog SEX AND SHANGHAI / 欲望上海 and I don't have words enough to recommend to everyon... more -
Flights grounded during Olympics opening ceremony
Flights to and from Beijing will be grounded during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on August 8, state media said Friday, in the latest security measure to hit China's capital.
"Airports and airlines have already received a notice that in order to guarantee the security of the Olympics, they have to ban flights according to the demands of the Civil Aviation Authority," the Beijing News said.
From 7:59 pm (1159 GMT) on August 8 to midnight, all flights to and from Beijing Capital Airport and Nanyuan airport in the south of the city would be grounded, the newspaper said.
Some of the flights would be moved to earlier or later slots while others have been cancelled, the report said.
The no-fly zone is the latest in a series of increasingly stringent safety measures aimed at reinforcing security in the capital ahead of and during the Olympic Games.
Dozens of heads of state including US President George W. Bush are expected to attend the opening ceremony.
Authorities in Beijing have warned of an unprecedented terror threat to the Olympics, particularly from its Muslim Xinjiang region in the northwest, and have said the security of athletes and tourists is their top priority.
A commentary in the Communist Party's mouthpiece, the People's Daily newspaper, last weekend also warned of the security threat from Xinjiang and Tibet.
"The Beijing Olympics is facing a terrorist threat unsurpassed in Olympic history," it said.
Critics, however, say that China's communist rulers are exaggerating the security threat to clampdown on any form of protest during the Olympics.
Flights to and from Beijing will be grounded during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on August 8, state media said Friday, in... more -
Tibetan flags banned at Olympic equestrian event
Tibetan flags will be banned from all Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong under rules aimed at heading off political propaganda and protests inside competition venues, organizers said Friday.
The crackdown guidelines apply to flags representing countries and regions without athletes in the events. Demonstrations, as well as any "propaganda" appearing on banners, clothing or other accessories, won't be allowed either.
Organizers said violators will be kicked out.
"I think most people who come to these events would hope nobody is allowed to spoil the fun and the purpose of the games," John Breen, security coordinator for the equestrian events, said at a news conference in Hong Kong.
The territory, which is hosting the equestrian event for the Beijing Olympics, has become a possible magnet for demonstrators as mainland China has tightened visa restrictions ahead of the games.
A former British colony now ruled by China, Hong Kong is supposed to enjoy Western-style civil liberties and grants visa-free access to citizens of many Western countries.
However, Hong Kong has acted to restrict demonstrators in some cases. In May, immigration officials turned back pro-Tibet activists who flew into Hong Kong before its leg of the Olympic torch relay.
Tibetan flags will be banned from all Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong under rules aimed at heading off political propaganda and... more -
China urges restrictions on performers
The government warned foreign performers and entertainers against harming China's sovereignty or ethnic unity, a sign of increasing nervousness over live performances weeks before the Olympic Games.
China is ratcheting up security ahead of the Aug. 8-24 games in an all-out attempt to shield the event from disruptions that could tarnish China's carefully cultivated image of order and control.
Also on Friday, The Shanghai Daily reported that Beijing's airport will close for about four hours during the opening ceremony on Aug. 8. The newspaper did not give a reason for the closure, which will affect dozens of flights.
China should strengthen its rules about foreign performers and performers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, a notice on the Ministry of Culture's Web site said, including checks on their background.
"The content of the performance should not violate the country's law, including situations that harm the sovereignty of the country," the notice said.
Chinese authorities were alarmed in March after Icelandic singer Bjork shouted "Tibet! Tibet!" at the end of her concert in Shanghai in March.
Authorities said Bjork's outburst "broke Chinese law and hurt Chinese people's feelings," and vowed to be stricter on foreign performers.
The notice said performances should also not harm China's "national security, or incite racial hatred and ruin ethnic unity."
Performers should also not promote pornography and superstition, it said.
The rules were first introduced in 2005, but the notice acts as warning and reinforcement during a sensitive time weeks from the opening of the Olympic Games. Agencies that bring foreign performers to China will be banned for two years if they violate the rules, it said.
Musicians in Beijing have gone into hibernation this summer as live performances have been stopped in bars, a music festival canceled, and clubs suddenly told they need a live performance license.
The government warned foreign performers and entertainers against harming China's sovereignty or ethnic unity, a sign of increasing ne... more -
Individualism vs Collectivism
"An animated [6 part] series exploring the substance behind the political terminology used in contemporary debates.
The research of Mr G Edward Griffin reveals how all viewpoints can be stripped down to 2 basic positions.
Discover how the different approaches of Collectivism and Individualism impact on all aspects of our lives, from human rights, governmental authority and the use of force.
INTRO
P1. The Nature and Origin of Human Rights
P2. Group Supremacy
P3. Coercion vs Freedom
P4. Equality and Inequality under the Law
P5. Proper Role of Government"
(End of excerpt)
Videos produced by YouTube user ST0PandL00K "An animated [6 part] series exploring the substance behind the political terminology used in contemporary debates. ... more -
He was taken into Chinese custody in 1995
He was called the world's youngest political prisoner when, as a six-year-old, he was taken into Chinese custody in 1995. He has not been seen or heard of since. He was called the world's youngest political prisoner when, as a six-year-old, he was taken into Chinese custody in 1995. He has not b... more
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Beyond open source software
Most people think "software" when they hear open source - but there are plenty of other things using open source principles to distribute their intellectual property. We've covered some of these: the OpenMoko phone, the Open Graphics Project, VIA's OpenNote, and even the RepRap self-duplicating machine. But they're just the tip of the iceberg. Here are five more projects that show how healthy open source is beyond the software arena.
The Multimachine is an open source machine tool. Starting with old automobile engine blocks and other salvaged bits, anyone with reasonable mechanical skills and access to some tooling can put together their own combination lathe, mill, drill press, and more.
The Open Prosthetics Project is applying open source principles to the design of prosthetic limbs. They've got a number of active projects on their wiki, and have put together some prototypes.
The Open Source Green Vehicle project is probably the most ambitious of the ones listed here - an attempt to develop a 100MPG hybrid SUV with open design specifications (though with restrictions on building the actual vehicle). It looks as if the project is largely moribund, though.
The OpenStim project wants to build an "open noninvasive brain stimulator." That is, you'd wear this helmet with its magnets and electronics, flip it on, and stuff would happen inside your cranium as a result. They're wiki-based with a fair number of people interested in moving the project forward.
Finally, Flying Dog Brewery's Open Source Beer Project encourages anyone to try out their recipe and suggest tweaks and improvements. They're currently soliciting suggestions on how to go about putting together Open Source Beer 2.0. Most people think "software" when they hear open source - but there are plenty of other things using open source principles to distrib... more -
what will the extreme right do to checkmate the left
cause we must accept that the right's brain storming sessions are quite huge, and they only choose and have chosen what benefits them the most, period. so when they are "virtually" chilling, compared to other averages of right wing activity, one can only out think them by..... well, by doing the same thing, but having the advantage of knowing what their flawed issues are (aka inequality)
so, that article talks about that "virtual pause", and this one
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/opinion/29rich.html?_...
talks about how a new terrorist attack may or may not "help"
i do not know what their next move will be to checkmate the left, but i do know that their only chance in this highly rational and enlightening technological era we are lucky to live in, would be to rule by force or be ruled by reason; and common sense, logical reasoning and equality have never been part of their agenda.
the rule of law helped the spreading of abusive powers that used to be monopolized in the king, queen or any other ruler of the land. law put people against one another, layers of employees who are not responsible for what their employers do are the ones answering questions when shit hits the fan. the culture of eliminate or be eliminated cannot continue.
maybe the system we created checkmated itself? im not sure, but both sides have to make up their minds. cause we must accept that the right's brain storming sessions are quite huge, and they only choose and have chosen what benefits them ... more -
Did jokes defeat Communism?
Poor Mr Gorbachev. Every time he met Ronald Reagan at a summit, he was subjected by the American President to a stream of Russian jokes. Or rather, to be precise, Soviet jokes - the point of which was always to satirise some aspect of life under communism.
'What is the difference between communism and capitalism?' 'Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man; communism is the exact opposite.' Poor Mr Gorbachev. Every time he met Ronald Reagan at a summit, he was subjected by the American President to a stream of Russian joke... more -
Elian Gonzales Joins Cuba's Youth Communists
HAVANA, Cuba (AP) -- The Cuban boy at the center of an international custody battle eight years ago has joined Cuba's Young Communist Union.
President Fidel Castro, left, poses with Elian Gonzalez after a May Day demonstration in Havana in 2005.
Elian Gonzalez said he will never let down ex-President Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro, according to the Communist youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde.
Raul Castro succeeded Fidel as president earlier this year.
Now 14, Elian was 6 when his relatives in Miami, Florida, lost their fight to keep him in the United States and he was returned to Cuba in mid-2000 with his father.
Elian had survived a boating accident off the Florida coast that killed his mother, who was attempting to get to the U.S.
Juventud Rebelde says in its Sunday edition that the boy was among 18,000 people who joined the group Saturday. HAVANA, Cuba (AP) -- The Cuban boy at the center of an international custody battle eight years ago has joined Cuba's Young Communist ... more -
A Genius Outside the Academy
The Hip Hop Caucus tour featuring Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. Yearwood is a minister, community activist, military chaplain, and one of the most influential people in Hip Hop. A powerful and fiery orator. The Hip Hop Caucus tour featuring Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. Yearwood is a minister, community activist, military chaplain, and one of ... more
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Your favorite animal Literature?
Orwell managed to tackle such weighty issues as communism, anarchism and the class system without once resorting to such terms.
So why do writers feel the need to imbue animals with human characteristics?
Orwell managed to tackle such weighty issues as communism, anarchism and the class system without once resorting to such terms. ... more
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Communism
