more quilts needed

'Local governments have promised that everyone will get supplies for the winter. But late last month, the vice governor of Sichuan Province said at a news conference in Beijing that survivors still needed 330,000 quilts and some heating equipment.

The vice governor, Wei Hong, also said government financing would account for only a fifth of the estimated $438 billion needed for reconstruction. The rest would have to come from loans and investments by private companies and state-owned enterprises, he said.'

Great panda hunters #1

Theodore Roosevelt

the audacity of it

No-smoking signs and rules are generally given short shrift in China and about half of all Chinese men smoke.

beware the quality of bamboo in Taiwan

how can 2 pandas afford 500 security guards and first class airfares?

little Kimmy loves his trainset

... and his other toys too!

loyal Chinese pets

the pig that survived more than a month, trapped in the rubble of the Sichuan earthquake .. much loved by the Chinese

is he really losing it?

are the North Korean people really that aware that King Jong Il is shafting them from behind?

Mong Chongi

this kind of childishly violent madness could only happen in South Korea
and only in South Korean parliament for that matter!

'... Scuffles broke out as dozens of opposition members and their aides attempted to push their way into the office. TV footage showed people from both sides shoving, pushing and shouting in a crowded hall at the National Assembly building amid a barrage of flashing cameras.

Opponents later used a sledgehammer and other construction tools to tear open the room's wooden doors, only to find barricades of furniture set up inside as a second line of defense...'

way to go, mate

A man in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, urinated in the hall of a bank on Dec 5 while waiting to draw money from his account.

Dai had the urgent need to use the bathroom after queuing too long and relieved himself in a plastic-covered rubbish bin.

He then got into a fight with a guard who abused him.

After police took them both back to the station, Dai agreed to pay the guard 500-yuan ($73) compensation.

Later that day the bank's managers visited Dai to apologize for poor service and return the 500 yuan as well hand over 100-yuan compensation.

(West China Metropolis Daily)

an exercise in futility or

'China applied in 1996 for the scenic area around Hangzhou city's West lake to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage site, a prestigious title aimed at preserving sites of cultural or natural importance.

The Hangzhou government warned in July that all buildings over 24m (79ft) high on the lake's east bank would have to be shortened to clear the skyline'

lots of jobs for the under-employed construction workers, I guess,
but when will Asians learn that cities are not the most beautiful places in their countries?

nice translation-uh

"With high salary, we have sincerely employed [lots of strippers/girls] to stay in our daytime show.

"Jiamei as the director, she will personally lead young girls who are as pretty as jade.

"[We have] beauties from the north who appear in all their glory with thousands of deportments.

"[We have] young housewives who have hot body that will stir up your [sexual] fire.

"They are sexy, horny and enchanting. The performance will begin in few days!"

oh, the rich irony

'To protect the Tibetan culture, the Chinese government has spent heavily to renovate the Potala Palace, the Norbulingka and the Sakya Monastery. Unprecedented renovation of 22 temples and monasteries as well as ancient historical relics started early this year. The government has conducted a program of Collation and Study of Tibetan Sutra and brought over 100 Tibetan linguists to compile and collate different versions of Tibetan Sutra for publication.'

spot them:
- James Hilton never even visited Tbet, rather based his story on the National Geographic Society reports of Dr Joseph Rock's botanical surveys in Sichuan, Yunnan and possibly Tbet.
- Buddhist crusaders, like Richard Gere, make millions from playing villianous Hollywood charaters,
- Devotees of the 'Shangri-La' way of life lived exceedingly long lives if they stayed in the temple complex, but shrivelled up and died very quickly if they left.
- Tibetan marauders were once the scourge of Central China and destroyed their share of cultural properties along the way.

global snapshot

'On the international scene, Islamic terrorists slaughter innocent people in Mumbai, targeting especially Brits, Americans and Jews; Vladimir Putin shreds the Monroe Doctrine by sailing his ancient warships into South American waters; Germany’s Angela Merkel, leader of Europe’s largest economy, decides she is not enthusiastic about joining a worldwide stimulus effort; China adopts the beggar-thy-neighbour policy of guiding its currency down to support its export industries; and parts of Africa remain killing grounds.'

sometimes

God tells us to do the strangest things,
right George?

(article slow to load)

there you have it ..

intelligent men have better sperm
because a scientific study has scientifically found that intelligent men are:
- less likely to smoke,
- more likely to exercise,
- less likely to drink heavily
- and so on

They obviously don't know about some of the professors I work with or studied under!

Other great revelations include the theory that fat men have bad sperm because, well, pandas are also fat and they can hardly bring themselves to copulate ...

oh dear, how sad, never mind

the start of the end for Formula 1 motor racing.

It's about freakin time,
and a smart statement from a racing team that advertises it self as 'earth friendly'

Alas, it may be some time before the other petrol 'heds' see the futility of their ways ... long live earth, it is, afterall, the only known planet with chocolate!

operating online

it ain't easy
- just ask this doctor from MSF after he amputated a limb via text message

don't mess with nature!

or here's what'l happen to ya ...

a well made ad from NZ television

Mr Pilooski

he does magic tricks on old tunes from the 60's like