China

Hong Kong has over 18,000 taxis, including 45 new electric cars Hong Kong taxi drivers, love them or hate them (actually, mostly just dislike them). They’re not ALL bad, perhaps 50% are adequate. Here are a few of the reasons why they’re not popular. Feel free to add your own reasons in the comments! 10. They curse non-stop, and complain about where you want to go 9. They don’t help you with your suitcase, or even offer to 8. They drop you off at the wrong place, and then insist that it is correct 7. They always try to keep the change, despite giving you poor service 6. They smell bad, or the interior of the taxi does 5. They take the long way to get to your destination 4. They ransom, or simply just keep your mobile phone if it falls out of your pocket 3. They (illegally) want to know where you’re going before they’ll open the door (Which is why one person recently tried to Gangnam Style dance their way into a taxi… it didn’t work!) 2. They price-gouge, asking you to pay an exorbitant flat fee to get you someplace. It’s illegal, but commonplace in the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife area 1. They keep. Stepping. On. The Accelerator. And Then. Stepping. On. The Break. Which is. SUPER Annoying! Bonus reason: they try to adjust their mirror so that they can look up girls skirts! Ewww! H.K. taxi drivers bad reputation was once the subject of a Hong Kong movie titled “Taxi Hunter“, starring Anthony Wong Chau-Sang!

A New York Times editorial argues that China's rapid economic growth has decreased the employment rate of urban women. It comments that the growth in numbers of women leaving work is also compounded by the 'sheng nü' stereotype which has been intentionally perpetuated by central government since 2007. [ more › ]

Not much information is available about this video, which was recently uploaded to QQ (numerous times). The events depicted probably took place in Anhui, probably in March. What we can say with reasonable certainty is that this man should never have been allowed on a scooter. Watch as he hits multiple cars and other mopeds before ending up in a massive pit. [ more › ]

THE road in front of the gate of Huamao Industrial Park in Shenzhen, Guangzhou Province caved in last night, killing at least three people, local officials announced.The accident occurred at 9:19pm yesterday. The city's emergency management office said three bodies had been found by 9am this morning. Rescuers saved one man from the sunken hole and he is in stable condition.The office said the hole is six to seven meters in diameter and three to four meters in depth. It is still unclear how many people were swallowed by the hole. Some witnesses said they saw four to five people falling into the hole. One of them climbed out on his own.Shenzhen reported a ground subsidence incident in a construction site on March 26. The deep hole killed a security guard.

Date: May 21st 2013 2:04p.m. Contributed by: clairebared

LAW enforcement authorities vowed today to hand down harsher punishments for those found guilty of fabricating threats targeting civilian flights following a series of such hoaxes.The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said in a statement that those who made false bomb threats targeting a number of flights last week have been arrested.The MPS has issued a notice to police in all areas asking them to treat similar cases as criminal cases in the future, as criminal cases bear greater punishment.Five flights operated by China Eastern Airlines, Juneyao Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines were targeted by bomb threats last Wednesday. All flights at the Jiangbei International Airport in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality were disrupted for over one hour following a Friday bomb threat.The threats came in the form of anonymous phone calls placed to airports and airline offices.The MPS said the hoaxes created long delays and severely disrupted civilian flight order.According to China's criminal law and civil aviation law, those who intentionally disrupt flight operations by fabricating threats may receive punishments ranging from detention to a jail term of less than five years, or more than five years for those whose actions have severe consequences.

Date: May 21st 2013 2:55p.m. Contributed by: leemack The big party is on Thursday, will you be there?

In an article published in state media, Shandong University professor Zhang Xi’en has warned that, at around 83 million members, the Chinese Communist Party may have grown unhealthily large. Zhang proposes that membership be streamlined to a sleek, lean 51 million. From Tom Phillips at The Telegraph: Prof Zhang […] argued that the Soviet Union provided a "tragic lesson of what happens when a party grows too large with no strong mechanism for members to quit." Party leaders needed to find a way to jettison corrupt and opportunistic members who had "damaged the party spirit", joining the party "not because they believed in Marxism-Leninism, but because they yearned for wealth and fortune." "Only if the Communist Party keeps improving the quality and ability of its members can it ensure lasting rule," he argued. [Source] Minnie Chan provided more details on Zhang’s diet plan at South China Morning Post: Zhang suggested the party’s Central Committee classify members into three categories: honorary, probationary and formal members, with the honorary group being where most of the cuts should be made, because it was largely composed of "older, sick and retired members who are unable to toe the party line". He estimated "honorary members" could make up 20 per cent of the members, and many of them "are forced to stay in the party in order to save face, or for other political reasons". He also suggested the party extend the probation period of some "unqualified members" who failed to pass internal assessments. To prevent party cadres from using the "exit mechanism" to kick out political enemies, Zhang said the human rights of all party members should not be "violated", and members should not be "discriminated" against, after deciding to leave the party. He stressed that the party’s constitution allows members to "join and withdraw" freely. [Source] The Party is already one man lighter: the expulsion of former Agricultural Bank of China vice president Yang Kun was announced on Monday. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: CCP, Communist members, corruption, marxism, party discipline, Soviet Union Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Sometimes the wheels of justice turn slowly. And sometimes you have to make them turn yourself. The Guizhou Metropolis Daily today has a front page headline that reads “He’s lying!” (????), which was the phrase uttered by a man who heard his brother’s murderer proclaim his innocence. For 16 long years, Yang Shunming has been looking for the man who killed his brother, and by something of a fluke, he found him sitting at another table at a society dinner. The man had a new name, a new job, and dark secret.  For the last sixteen years, Yang Shunming (???) has been searching for the man that killed his younger brother, Yang Shunxiang (???). The man who did the vile deed, named Ren Yuefeng (???), back in 1997 hired Yang’s brother as manager of his girlfriend’s western restaurant in Yunnan province. After working at the restaurant for five months, Yang Shunxiang found out that Ren was using the restaurant to distribute fake cigarettes. Yang Shunming advised his brother to quit, which he did. But Ren was not happy and demanded compensation, which Yang Shunxiang refused. Ren and two of his friends then lured Yang Shunxiang to a remote place, and beat him to death. Ren then disappeared. Upon this tragedy, Yang Shunming resolved to find the man who was responsible and bring him to justice. For the last 16 years he has been doing part time work while moving from place to place, looking for Ren. He searched through Yunnan province, up into Shanghai, and into Guizhou province. Miraculously, last week Yang was attending a society dinner in Guiyang (??) in Guizhou province, when he spotted Ren sitting at another table in the same room. Yang observed him closely, surreptitiously took some pictures, and alerted the police – he was sure he had his man. Turns out that Ren was working under a different name as the head of the Guizhou branch of the China Planning Institute (?????). Ren at first maintained his innocence, but later – and after Yang Shunming has shouted “you’re lying!” at him a few times – confessed. Links and sources Guizhou Metropolis Daily (?????): ?????

Xi Jinping will visit Trinidad and Tobago at the end of May, alongside his wife, China's first lady Peng Liyuan, the Trinidad Express reports. [ more › ]