This photo accompanies this news story reporting that part of the exterior shots for the opening Olympic ceremonies were faked (done in CG) due to smog. Apparently it is too smoggy to fly a helicopter over Beijing.
wow.
If carbon trading ever takes off globally China is going to go bankrupt….
I also happened to hear a report on NPR last week about how China’s economy is actually tied to the US. When our economy sours theirs does as well. China’s economy is around 80% export based. Not a good way to ensure future growth for your country. Since their economy is export based, they are affected by the gas crunch even more than we are. When tankers have to stay out at sea longer due to higher gas prices consumers who need things faster (and how many patient Americans do you know?) go elsewhere. The “slow-boat from China” takes on a new meaning.
China faces another problem – with an economy that is surging, wages will rise, which leads to an increase in the cost of goods sold. If they are no longer incredibly cheap AND they are starting to take longer to ship more and more customers are going to get their goods somewhere else.
China will have to turn inward to generate its next surge towards (the whole nation, not just Beijing, Shanghai, etc.) becoming a “real” 1st world country. The lead coated toys were just the beginning. There are still other countries waiting in line to become the “cheap” manufacturer of American crap-goods. China needs something else to sustain the economy. In a free-market economy this might not be a problem as the market will regulate itself into a balance between rising living conditions and GNP. With the communist grip still flexing (reporters are already complaining to the IOC about China blocking news websites on their supposedly “wide open” Olympic press-core networks) it is going to be a long hard road. Now is a good time to start selling road-maps…
Add to that that in ten years the “glass-children” will be taking the reigns with all their (involuntarily) inherited problems. The cautious businessmen of the past will be replaced with overzealous and over-eager. For those worried not just about glass children but glass ceilings as well there are even more problems. In the larger cities (apparently) women are gaining ground, but the country as a whole has a way to go in promoting equality. Hell, if nobody is safe from “human rights violations” it is going to be a long time before female equality is given a go.
America on the other hand is on the other end of the spectrum – which will make business negotiation with China very interesting in 20 years. Chinese men who still may not take women seriously will have to be negotiating with American CEOs – who will more and more start to be women…
Peking=potemkin village anyone?http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080812081108.7l9e8dck&show_article=1
“was in fact seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, who has a chubby face and uneven teeth.”
uneven teeth… why would you want to fix uneven teeth?
oh the sweet sweet irony that the next olympics will be held in London – the world capital of terrible teeth…
PS – it isn’t like the olympics were a surprise… the state could have paid an orthodontist to give her straight teeth in time for the ceremony…. As for chubby cheeks… so what? Aren’t children supposed to have chubby cheeks?
“Olympic organisers preoccupied with the right image for the country were criticised for insisting that only tall, slim, young and attractive women could serve as medal award ceremony hostesses. ”
I saw some of these women escorting the winners the other night. and… wow! I can’t fault the COCs (Chinese Olympic Committees) for that… might be the only reason I tune in 😉
Honestly I haven’t really been following the olympics very closely – so you’ll have to give me examples of the “good face.” Although – nothing says “we love America” like stabbing an American family to death in a public place.
Carbon trading is a joke—China (and India and Russia ) will watch as the silly socialists in Europe kill their economies with this nonsence. China will still be using their slave labor economy to sell sneakers to America and trying to build up their 19th century military with old junk from Russia (with “sneaker”dollars). USA=10 carrier task forces of 110,000 ton atomic ships (and two new x class a-building). Russia=1 (one!) 70,000 ton oiler. 10 minute war with russia—1 minute war with China.
The glass children cannot compete on the world stage–spoiled brats=fail. Look how inept China is at displaying “good face” to the world at the olympics.