November 2011
51 posts
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“Fatty Infiltration of Liver”
– My only health problem, according to the report I received from the clinic where I had the most bizarre medical exam of my life: a shockingly efficient but nonetheless disconcerting assembly line-style series of tests — ultrasound, x-ray, blood test, eye exam (including color-blindness), etc....
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In Race for Fastest Supercomputer, China Outpaces... →
infoneer-pulse:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is one of the great symbols of America’s scientific and military prowess. For six decades, here on this tranquil campus tucked away in the hill country east of San Francisco, where scientists stroll along leafy paths and zip to meetings on bicycles, huge breakthroughs have been made, like the discovery of a half-dozen elements on the...
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At 10 a.m. on 1 December 2011, the pastry chefs of... →
Seems appropriate that the longest Christmas dessert of all time should be Made in China.
BTW, 888 meters is more than half a mile. How is that only the longest yule-log cake of all time??
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“FINANCIAL CHAMPION”
– A woman I just passed in the mall, according to her shirt
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China Tries to Add Cultural Clout to Economic... →
The leaders’ approach to building a world-class culture is not all that different from the one that powered China’s economic miracle: set a long-term goal, adopt rigid specifications, pour in copious amounts of public money, monitor closely to ensure the desired result.
In this case, as the report repeatedly stated, the specifications are to adhere to “core socialist values” in cultural ...
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Oh, you chwamtons. So crazy!
Cute hooker who approached me today on Nanjing: Hello, suh!
Me: Hello.
CHWAMTON: Where you go?
Me: I go home.
CHWAMTON: I go with!
Me: No, thanks.
CHWAMTON: It's Friday. Weekend day. We walk together.
Me: No, thanks.
CHWAMTON [slapping me playfully on the arm]: Oh, you crazy!
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“It’s so high! I reach the top and see all the skyscrapers at a single...”
– Promotional text for the observation deck at the World Financial Center, from the “Shanghai Visitor’s Kit.”
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A Chinese Man Set Himself on Fire in Tiananmen... →
A self-immolation took place in the heart of China’s capital city last month, but it has taken weeks for the news to leak out via foreign tourists. Police acted immediately to put out the fire and the man who did it has reportedly recovered.
The incident, which took place on October 21, has gone completely unreported on China’s heavily censored state media and social networks, despite being...
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Putin wins 2nd annual Confucius Peace Prize -- for... →
I learned about this last night at pub trivia.
In related news, Confucius just rolled over in Kong Lin.
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“A gathering of Mercedes indicates a get-together for old folks. A group of BMWs...”
– A posting on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, regarding luxury-car brand images in China. From this interesting piece in the Times.
I also considered using this excerpt — “The Buick, long associated in the United States with drivers who have a soft spot for the early-bird...
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The Suicide Catcher →
The Electric Typewriter recently posted this one. It’s a little too long, but the vivid descriptions of modern-day Nanjing and its world-weary inhabitants make it worth the read.
The Golden Gate needs its own Suicide Catcher.
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(The "Other") China Mike →
Really good site, whatever you’re looking for. Very comprehensive.
Guess I’ll have to be China Michael.
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'No mercy: Self-immolations continue, as do the... →
Incidentally, the government blocks ESPN.com, IMDB, and porn, but not news about its atrocities from internationally renowned newspapers and magazines. Hey, I’ll take what I can get…
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Oh, Baibi
The prevalence of white models (both children and adult) here might be surprising to some, especially in light of the population’s almost palpable xenophobia. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem as common as in other parts of Asia (or at least Southeast Asia, c. 2006).
(In China, they have the power to turn back time to get pictures of Andy Samberg from 1989.)
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“Hi there—I thought a blog was to share your own mind’s creative...”
– Anonymous email I received in my Tumblr inbox (yes, seriously) from [name redacted to protect the writer’s privacy, but the handle suggests it might be someone related to me].
“Valuable Tumblr space,” I’m pretty sure, is an oxymoron.
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“I asked what he knew about Facebook’s being blocked. “It has something to do...”
– And yet more from “The Grand Tour”
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“Zhu said that Chinese interest in Europe contained a deeply personal motivation:...”
– More from “The Grand Tour”
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“At times, (our guide) marvelled at Europe’s high standard of living—bombarding...”
– From “The Grand Tour,” Evan Osnos’s wonderful piece about a Chinese tour group’s trip through Europe, from last spring’s New Yorker Travel Issue. The story works on two levels, with deep insights about that Great Inescapable 21st-Century Topic (i.e., the Inevitable Rise...
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“I think the thing I admire most about the Chinese is that they’re hanging...”
– Jerry Seinfeld, c. 1993
I mostly do as the Romans, but let’s be honest, chopsticks are useless. When possible, I use them as a purely supplementary utensil.
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YES, I Have No Knack Whatsoever for Foreign...
I’m trying to memorize my Chinese numbers. Here’s the mnemonic I came up with for 1 - 10:
YES, Some White Ladies Question Badass Judo Skills =
yi
er
san
si
wu
liu
qi
ba
jiu
shi
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“The palest ink is better than the best memory.”
– Chinese proverb 