| Tracy's profileMidwestern Girl in a Far...PhotosBlogLists |  Tools  Help |
|
Midwestern Girl in a Far Eastern WorldI used to work in a cubicle. One day I escaped. Now, all of my thinking is done outside the box. March 05 Netizens a growing force to be reckoned withChina, with 298 million users, now has the world's largest internet population. Despite censorship and monitoring, citizens fed up with rampant corruption are using the net as a forum for their outrage. China is taking this growing force seriously, as Premier Wen Jiabao (Grandpa Wen) recently had his first online chat opening up the government's policies to constructive criticism. The following article, published in the Shanghai Daily, supports just how influential the netizens have become.
Guards held in inmate death
Created: 2009-3-5 1:10:31
Author:Li Xinran TWO guards at a detention house in southwest China's Yunnan Province have been detained and may face criminal charges after an inmate in their charge was beaten to death by fellow prisoners during a game of blind man's bluff. Prosecutors in the provincial capital Kunming have begun an investigation into whether guards Li Dongming and Su Shaolu were derelict in their duties in connection with the death of Li Qiaoming, a 24-year-old who had been detained for illegally cutting down trees. The public security bureau in Yunnan's Jinning County has paid Li's family 350,000 yuan (US$51,138) as compensation and promised to return a tractor they seized from Li, the dead inmate's father told China News Service yesterday. Li died of severe brain injuries on February 12 in a hospital in Kunming. Police initially said Li was accidentally injured when he ran into a wall blindfolded during a game with other inmates. The explanation angered Li's family and created a storm of Internet criticism. A probe by judicial authorities later determined that Li was fatally beaten by inmates who used the game as a cover. Li had been frequently bullied by three inmates, according to prosecutors. On February 8, the trio asked Li to join them in a game of blind-man's bluff and covered his eyes with a cloth. Then the men began beating him, causing him to strike a wall and pass out, authorities said. The three inmates will probably face charges of assault resulting in death, prosecutors said. The chief and deputy of the detention house were removed from their posts, and a Jinning police vice director was dismissed. February 19 Comparing social problems- U.S. vs ChinaThe U.S. has one of the highest percentage of teen pregnancies in the world, despite widespread public education about pregnancy prevention and plenty of contraceptive options. Experts are divided as to why the cause-I blame the breakdown in a strong family unit due to high divorce rates. Teens are left with too much unsupervised and unstructured time. In China, on the other hand, 25% of women in the 20-29 year old age group have had abortions. A Shanghai 'expert' suggests that it's due to lack of education and improper use of contraceptives. Both issues are equally alarming, but despite what the 'experts' state, both also share a bigger root cause-government programs. In the U.S. , women with children born out-of-wedlock can recieve financial support from the government. Family and friends chip in to babysit, donate basic necessities, offer baby showers, and generally don't villify the unwed mother. In China, the government offers no support to single mothers or their children. Additionally, with the One Child Policy, parents must pay high fees for their second child to attend public school and obtain other social services. In general the community looks unfavorably upon unwed mothers-there is a social stigma attached. Thus the motivation for so many abortions. I don't have an answer for either problem. However, there's a Chinese proverb that rings true: "When you are in a common boat you need to learn to cross the river peacefully together." I hope both counties can share some wisdom that can address these social problems.
One in four women in their 20s have abortions
Created: 2009-2-19
Author:Cai Wenjun MORE than a quarter of China's 20 to 29-year-old women have had an abortion, a conference heard yesterday. There are 100 million Chinese women in that age group and 27.3 percent of them have had surgery, a conference on women's health was told. The high abortion rate was related to people's lack of knowledge about contraception and the improper selection of contraceptive measures, experts told the conference in Shanghai. The nation conducted some 13 million abortion operations a year. Of abortions carried out in Shanghai, about 62 percent of women were in their 20s. Over 55 percent of women in China had more than one abortion. The Shanghai figure was 44.1 percent. A survey of 8,846 women having abortions in Beijing's 10 hospitals found 35.97 percent of them had a second abortion within six months. Dr Liu Xiaoai, vice director of the Shanghai Institute of Family Planning Technical Instruction, said oral contraceptive pills were an effective method of birth control. More than 40 percent of European women between 15 and 45 used oral contraceptives, while the percentage was just 2.6 percent in China's mainland. "It is because of Chinese women's poor awareness of oral contraceptives and misunderstanding on the side effects of long-term use of such pills," Liu said. Many women on the mainland take morning-after pills instead but these have strong side effects and should be limited to within three times per year, she added. February 17 Legal System FootnoteThe legal system here doesn't follow precedent-verdicts are issued based upon what is "reasonable". Thus it's entertaining and sometimes scary to read the crime and courts section of the Shanghai Daily. Some recent cases: A male Dutch citizen was fined 60000 RMB ($8800) for failing to prevent his Chinese girlfriend's death. She was sitting on the ledge of her balcony after a fight with the Dutch boyfriend, lost her balance, and fell. The courts felt he should have been responsible for her safety. In another case, a woman recieved a floral arrangement with a sympathy card attached for her own death. It turns out her neighbor, with whom she wasn't getting along, sent the flowers to piss her off. The courts decided the florist was responsible for not checking to see if she was really dead, so the company paid a hefty fine. Here's another fine example of convoluted justice:
Blow from shoe killed abusive husband
Created: 2009-2-17 0:51:15
Author:Xu Fang A WOMAN whose husband died after she hit him on the head with a shoe was jailed for 10 years yesterday. The Pudong New Area People's Court found Zhao, from Jiangsu Province, guilty of manslaughter. Zhao, 45, came to work in a local restaurant in 2007 after her first husband died. She met Lu, who was divorced, and married him last year. Lu lost his job soon after the wedding and refused to find another. He was an alcoholic who often beat Zhao after getting drunk, the court heard. On September 18 last year, Lu returned home after drinking and started to beat Zhao again. She grabbed a shoe and hit him on the head and body. Lu sank to the ground clutching his head in pain and Zhao seized her chance to escape from the house. "I was afraid he would beat me again. So when he was sitting on the ground, I left quickly," Zhao told police later. She went to her son's house. His father was her first husband and he also worked in Shanghai. Meanwhile, Lu had collapsed and neighbors sent him to hospital. There, he lapsed into a coma and died a few days later. While conscious he told staff he had been beaten by his wife. A doctor said a blood vessel in Lu's brain had been badly damaged by his alcoholism and any blow to the head would have had serious consequences. Police found Zhao on September 21 at her son's house. She was unaware that her husband had died. The woman won sympathy from a number of acquaintances, including her mother-in-law. In a written testimony given to the court, Lu's mother said it was her son's fault. He had always abused Zhao, she said. Zhao told the court that her actions were justifiable self-defense, but the court didn't accept that view. It said Lu wasn't able to threaten Zhao's life when he was drunk and he didn't have any weapons in his hand. Copyright © 2001-2009 Shanghai January 13 Iceason Ready to ServeIn the SuperBrand Mall there's a gelato store called Iceason. Their motto is "Most Enjoy, Least Annoy", and they know how to work it. They have customer service down to an art, as there are no less than five workers involved in expediting the gelato experience. Each worker has only one job, and they do it well. First is the greeter, who scans both entrances to the store and shouts an enthusiastic "Huan Ying Guang Lin!" to every entrant. Second is the flavor coordinator, who stands outside the counter next to patrons discussing flavors and helping one choose. Third is the girl who writes down your order and gives you a reciept, after which the flavor coordinator again intercedes and directs you to the cash register to pay. As the cashier is ringing up your order, another person is preparing your gelato. All this is overseen by the floor manager, who keeps a careful eye on the activities and occassionally gathers the staff for quick, motivational pep rallies held outside the store. Entertaining to watch them taking gelato so seriously. That's ChinaOvens are uncommon here as cooking is typically done quickly in a wok, or boiled /steamed on the stovetop. I am grateful to have an oven in our Shanghai home, mainly because I can make cookies, banana bread, and pizza. I recently noticed that the temperature adjustment wasn't working, and everything was burning. I called our maintenance office, and it was our lucky day-we were slated to get a new oven anyway, as ours was nearing ten years old. While we were on vacation our shiny new stainless-steel oven was installed, so I was eager to try it out. I stared at the dials for a while trying to figure out which symbol meant the bake mode and which was broil. I glanced thru the manual, but it all looked Chinese to me. I went to the manufacturer's web site and was able to download the English version, and was still perplexed at the lack of clarity. So, going back to the oven I experimented with the dials. The broil function was obvious, but why couldn't I find the bake function? Eventully I stared at the bottom of the oven and it dawned on me that there was no bake function because there are no burners on the bottom. Who would design an oven with no lower burners? Can you bake cookies or toast a pizza crust from above? The oven is a Whirlpool, so the company isn't completely clueless. Maybe this was destined for Italy or England where only crepes, blintzes, or tarts are made. Should make for some interesting experiments. |
|
|||
Send a private message
Tell a friend
Add to your network|
|
