So Much for an Objective Press

Press urges action on climate change

The above  was a headline in the December 8, Schenzhen Daily. The story did not have a byline but was from SD-Agencies.

Here is the story:

  HUMANITY faces a profound emergency and unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, a joint editorial published in newspapers in 45 countries said yesterday.

    The 56 newspapers said they were taking the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice to implore world leaders to “make the right choice” at U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen.

    “The politicians in Copenhagen have the power to shape history’s judgment on this generation: one that saw a challenge and rose to it, or one so stupid that we saw a calamity coming but did not avert it,” the editorial read.

    Two weeks of talks opened yesterday seeking to agree curbs on greenhouse gas emissions and raise billions of dollars for the poor in aid and clean technology.

    The talks will end with a summit of 105 world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, on Dec. 18 and must overcome deep distrust between rich and poor nations about sharing the burden of costly cuts in carbon emissions.

    “Climate change has been caused over centuries, has consequences that will endure for all time and our prospects of taming it will be determined in the next 14 days,” read the front-page editorial.

    It was published in 20 languages, including Chinese, Arabic and Russian, in newspapers including the Guardian in London, Le Monde in France, the Toronto Star, Gulf Times, Botswana Guardian and Miami Herald.

    “This should not be a fight between the rich world and the poor world, between East and West. Climate change affects everyone, and must be solved by everyone.

    “The science is complex, but the facts are clear. The world needs to take steps to limit temperature rises to 2 degrees Celsius, an aim that will require global emissions to peak and begin falling within the next 5-10 years.

    “A bigger rise of 3-4 degrees Celsius — the smallest increase we can prudently expect to follow inaction — would parch continents, turning farmland into desert. Half of all species could become extinct, untold millions would be displaced, whole nations drowned by the sea,” it read.

    “The question is no longer whether humans are to blame, but how little time we have got left to limit the damage.”

    It urged politicians in Copenhagen to agree the essential elements of a fair and effective deal and a firm timetable for turning it into a treaty, saying next June’s U.N. climate meeting in Bonn should be their deadline.   (SD-Agencies)

I thought the press was supposed to report on events. They are supposed to record history as it happens. Clearly things have changed.

 Here is a link to the Shenzhen Daily:

http://szdaily.sznews.com/html/2009-12/08/node_2.htm

 

What I Did Thanksgiving Week

Sunday. November 22, 2009. It was a tropical 66 in my house this morning. Did my cleaning and laundry this morning. Noticed the house was much cleaner than usual, probably because I have been keeping the windows and balcony closed.

Had a giant bowl of rice and veggie soup for dinner. It cost 10 Yuan (about $1.50 USD) and was enough for 4 people. It was just rice and finely cut up green vegetables. It could have used some soy or hot pepper sauce, but I wouldn’t make the waitress understand. In most places they have these things sitting on the table, but this place not.

The little tangerines are back. I bought some tonight, but they weren’t as sweet as I remembered them. Maybe it’s too early in the season. I’ll buy some more in a few days.

Here are some pictures of my favorite barbecue place. It is being remodeled and is closed now. Sad for me.

Monday. November 23, 2009. 67 degrees in my place this morning. They keep revising the forecasts up this week. By Wednesday it will be in the 80s.

It turned out to be sunny and pleasant this afternoon. It was just a little cool, so walking was very comfortable.

Had a potato dish for dinner. I thought it was tofu when looking at the menu. I don’t remember having potatoes here before, though I see them for sale at the markets. The potato was sliced thin and sautéed with celery, red peppers and garlic. The dish was served on a heated cast iron plate. It started out very good, but got a little greasy toward the end. I ate most of it, and will probably have it again. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I miss potatoes.

Took my night walk for the first time in several days. It was pleasant. Stopped at the night market and bought some small green fruits. They look like a small apple and are about half the size of an egg. They were hard and had a single seed inside. I didn’t think much of them, but I am told they are sweet and very good if dried.

Tuesday. November 24, 2009. The mornings are getting warmer. It was a balmy 68 at 06:00. I didn’t use the electric heater after my shower this morning. The sky was clear. It looks like another nice day.

I have become fascinated with the damage the subway construction has been doing to the building that I have taken pics of before. So I went home that way again today and got a few more pictures. There was more damage and some very superficial repair work. I guess they know what they are doing, but I remember reading about an apartment building falling over on its side in Shanghai due to nearby construction.

Here are some pics of the front steps of the building, a view of the building, and part of the disintegrating sidewalk.

Played chess tonight and on my way home, I noticed my barbecue place had reopened. The inside was still closed, but the kitchen was functioning and they had tables set up in the parking lot. Even though I had eaten a Caesar salad at La Casa earlier, I stopped had had 3 grilled chicken legs for 4 Yuan (about 0.60 USD) each.

 

Wednesday. November 25, 2009. It was 70 this morning. I guess this is about as good as it gets, weather-wise. Sunny and slightly warm.

Dinner at my newly discovered noodle shop. The steamed dumplings and peanut sauce were 3 yuan and the bowl of soup was the same. So both dishes cost less than $1.00 total. Not bad.

Have gotten out of my nightly routine of walking in the park, but did it tonight. It was pleasant. Bought bananas and grapes at the night market on my way home.

Thursday. November 26, 2009. Thanksgiving. It looks like the warm sunny weather will continue today.

There is a restaurant advertising a full Thanksgiving dinner for 4 people for 698 Yuan (about $23.00 USD each), so three friends and I are going to meet there for dinner tonight.

On my way home this afternoon I heard a loud noise. It turned out it was a team of workers with what I assume was insect control. They had a large leaf blower looking device blowing out smoke. I ducked into a restaurant as they passed and got a couple of pics.

It turned out that the Thanksgiving dinner I mentioned had to be reserved two days in advance. The restaurant was Italian, so we ended up eating pizza and pasta for dinner. I had a bowl of pasta with a spicy tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. The pasta was good and well prepared. We played dice and drank a “shoe” of beer.

On my way home I bought a charcoal grilled sweet potato from a street vendor and ate it before bed. That was my Thanksgiving dinner.

I think I might be getting a cold.

Friday. November 27, 2009. Another perfect morning. It’s supposed to get into the low 80s today, then there will be a gradual cooling trend.

Bought a passion fruit at the night market tonight. It has white flesh with tiny little black seeds inside. It’s a little bland. I just bought it for a little variety.

Saturday. November 28, 2009. Slightly cooler this morning, but still very pleasant. Did little unusual today. Played chess at La Casa this afternoon, then went to dinner at a Korean place with a few friends. Had a hot pot, but I didn’t get any pics.

The hot pot was interesting. It was divided into halves and sat in a recessed gas burner in the center of the table. Half was filled with a very spicy oil, the other half with seasoned broth. We had meat, fish, noodles, three veggies, mushrooms, and several fresh garnishes. Peanuts and Kim chi were served as appetizers. The hot oil was too spicy for me, so I used the broth side. It was pretty good, but I probably won’t go back. I didn’t pay, so I don’t know what it cost, but I think it was fairly expensive.

Sun Yat-Sen House Tour

The tour began at 07:00 in the morning. Three friends and I met at the pick-up point which was about 8 blocks from my house. We got on bus and headed out.

The first stop was a Chinese temple. It wasn’t all that impressive, and we only spent a few minutes there. It was on the side of a hill and had 150 steps to climb to get to it.

Then we went to a place that manufactured traditional Chinese medicines. I was a little disappointed in this stop. I thought it was going to be a farm where plants and animals were grown. Instead it was where they were processed and packaged. After a short tour that included tasting samples, the employees tried to sell us various teas, dried mushrooms, and god knows what else. Only a few people bought anything. They had a little museum that was interesting.

Then it was on to Sun Yat-Sen’s house and museum. Sun Yat-Sen is considered the father of modern China. I believe he lived 1866-1925. He appears on many pre-Communist coins.

Like most “men of the people,” Sun Yat-Sen lived much better than 99.9999% of his countrymen. His house was interesting and fairly well maintained. Pictures weren’t allowed, but I was able to a get a few when there were no guards looking.

In addition to the house, there a a small museum devoted to Sun Yat-Sen. There wasn’t much in it, mostly copies of old pictures. But the captions were in Chinese and English, so it was interesting reading.

After the Sun Yat-Sen house we went to a place for lunch. It was pretty good and was included in the price of the ticket. We were seated at large round tables of 10 and the dishes were placed on a Lazy Susan in the center. It was mostly seafood but also included a plate of duck, some stir fries, several vegetables and rice. My favorite was a small streamed crab that was served whole. It was difficult to eat, but very tasty.

After lunch we were driven to a famous seafood market in a town whose name I already forgot. It was on the harbor and Macau was visible on the other side. The Chinese need special permits to go to Macau. It’s like Hong Kong, almost a separate country. Macau has become a famous destination for gambling. Here are some views of Macau. I could make out the Wynn Hotel, otherwise I couldn’t see anything very unusual.

The fish market was across the street from the wharf. It was very big and the vendors only sold dried, salted and smoked fish. There were absolutely no fresh or live fish anywhere. Nothing was refrigerated. I bought some smoked scallops and some spicy dried shrimp.

I was surprised how many people bought lots of fish at the market. They re-boarded carrying large bags that they stuffed into the over head bins. And the fish were not inexpensive. I priced a fish in the market that was a little over a foot long. It was 128 Yuan (about $18.00 USD).

After the fish market we went to an aloe farm. It was mostly a stop where they tried to sell us aloe products, similar in concept to the traditional medicine factory. The best part of this stop was the sign they had showing the benefits of aloe. Apparently aloe is a laxative that makes you both thinner and taller.

A lot of people bought aloe products at this stop. Toothpaste was the most popular item by far, but various skin creams and other beauty products were selling too. I bought a little bag of aloe flavored dried fruit. There was a lemon on the outside of the bag, but I didn’t recognize the taste of the fruit. It was about the size a a grape and had a small seed. It was very good.

After the aloe farm we headed home. We made a pit stop in a park that had mist being sprayed over the little ponds in it. The park was beautiful and perfectly maintained. The mist added an interesting effect.

The park was our last stop. We returned to Shenzhen about 20:30. Originally I had planned to go to a Halloween party at La Casa, but I was tired and went straight home.

The tour only cost 99 Yuan (about $15.00 USD) and that included lunch. I am sure the aloe farm, the fish market, and the traditional medicine factory paid the tour operator something to bring us there. That was OK with me. They were interesting and it kept the price down.

Shenzhen Flower Show

I mentioned trying to go to a flower display in a nearby park on Sunday, but it began to rain. Well, I went Monday afternoon instead. Here are some pics.

Top 10 Scandals of 2009

Today Time Magazine published their list of the top 10 scandals of 2009. Here is a link to the story.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1946275,00.html

Here is my list of top 10 ten scandals which are not on the Time list. 

1. Climate research fraud. This is still unfolding. It may appear on the lists next year too.

2.Obama fills his administration with lobbyists, insiders, scofflaws, hacks, and professional politicians after promising to do the opposite.

3. Failure of the $787 billion stimulus. What has it accomplished?

4. Decline of the dollar. The shameful result of reckless spending by Washington.

5. Prosecution of the Navy SEALs for giving a most-wanted terrorist a bloody lip.

6. Conferring US constitutional rights to terrorists held at Gitmo. I am sure the terrorists wet their pants laughing about this.

7. The Nobel Peace Prize made itself irrelevant and a laughing stock. The vote to award it to Obama was taken 11 days after he was in office.

8. Government take over of the auto industry. Like Amtrak and the Post Office, GM and Chrysler can count on subsidies forever.

9. Bogus flu scare. Seems to be an annual occurrence lately.

10. Obama’s dithering almost a year on Afghanistan after campaigning that is was the “right war.”

The Rebirth of Slavery

Headline from the news yesterday:

Reid Compares Opponents of Health Care Reform to Supporters of Slavery Reid Compares Opponents of Health Care Reform to Supporters of Slavery

Reid and the statists in Washington are not really opposed to slavery. They are only opposed to slavery if the slaves are owned by private individuals. When the government owns the slaves, there is nothing wrong with the peculiar institution.

On the face of it that sounds like a ridiculous statement, I know. But let me point out a few facts. Most people pay 40% or more of their income in taxes to all levels of government. This includes income tax, FICA, Medicare, unemployment insurance, state and local taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes, property taxes, etc. etc. This does not include embedded taxes and taxes that are passed along by business to consumers. If you are paying 40% of your income in taxes, that means you are spending 40% of your working life, in involuntary servitude to the government.

In addition to demands on your income, governments regulate ever increasing portions of your behavior. Many of the regulations are non intrusive, and most people are in favor of them. But every day government institutions are passing laws and writing regulations. Each one restricts the freedom and liberty of the people.

Now there are several huge tax bills working their ways through congress. We will be working for the government more than 40% of our time. Soon we will have no money and our freedom will be a distant memory. We will be slaves to the government.