About time we had a dedicated thread.



mosheshmeal
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Free Tibet!

mosheshmeal
.

There are differences, ya know....

Tibet was, is, and always will be part of China!

eh, w/e.

Emergency Beijing Olympic pollution scheme begins

By Ben Blanchard Reuters - Sunday, July 20 12:01 pm

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijingers breathed easier on Sunday as traffic restrictions and factory closures came into effect in a last ditch attempt to turn the often smoggy Chinese capital into a pollution-free venue for next month's Olympics.
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On a sunny but still slightly hazy day, the flow of cars was lighter than usual for a Sunday on the city's wide roads, as vehicles with odd license plates were banned from the streets for the day. Tomorrow even-numbered cars must stay in the garage.

"Its great -- today there are far fewer cars on the road and the air quality is so nice. This is good for the children," said 20-year old Wang Yanna, out for a weekend stroll with her toddler nephew near a busy intersection.

<snip>

Under the new rules cars are banned on alternate days depending on their license plate number and most official cars have been impounded. Only taxis and Olympic vehicles are exempt.

The government hopes to take around 60 percent of the city's 3.3 million cars off the roads, the official Xinhua agency reported, and reduce emissions by two-thirds over the two months until the end of the Paralympic Games in mid-September.

Most building work has also halted and almost all earth and cement works have been closed, along with a string of factories -- including many in other provinces. Some are more than 100 kilometers away but still contribute to the pollution which earned the nickname "Grayjing" for the city.

Tianjin, a port city just east of Beijing and host to Olympic soccer qualifiers, has ordered 40 factories to close. Tangshan, a heavy industrial base northeast of Beijing will shut nearly 300 factories this month to improve air quality for the Games.

TAXIS HAPPY, DRIVERS MAD

With more than 1,000 new cars hitting the street every day, Beijing is becoming one of the world's most congested cities. So taxi drivers, used to losing money as they idle in the city's epic traffic jams, were thrilled about the new regime.

"Its going to be great for business. Look the traffic is already so much better, its much easier to drive today," said a smiling Han Jianguo from behind the wheel of his cab.

<snip>

"The rules will certainly help (with congestion). But it will bring some real difficulties in transportation for ordinary people," said driver Liu Shuo, before his wife hushed him for criticizing Olympic preparations.

The city has warned that people who violate the rules will be caught by a high-tech surveillance network of over 10,000 "smart" devices, including cameras, ultrasonic and microwave scanners.

An extra 4 million people are expected to cram onto the city's already-crowded public transport network, although new Olympic metro lines and an airport express that opened at the weekend will provide some relief.

Some athletes still have lingering doubts about air quality, but Beijing says it is making an all-out effort. It has spent 120 billion yuan ($17.58 billion) to clean up the environment, and already ordered 300,000 high-emission cars off its roads.

<snip>

Hundreds of "social volunteers" policing a ban on unwelcome behavior like littering and spitting lined Beijing's main Chang'an avenue in matching red caps and red-trimmed polo shirts.

($1=6.826 Yuan)

(Additional reporting by Ian Ransom and Tyra Dempster; Editing by Emma Graham-Harrison and Alex Richardson)

link


***
ms
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I wonder if they'll sell algae to the tourists as souvenirs.

Not to Blacks or Mongolians...

mosheshmeal
.

If they have to fake up their city, how did they win the Olympic bid to begin with? Not to mention the horrible civil rights that country has.

The same way any country wins an Olympic bid...

At least they pulled "dog" off the menus!!

Don't ask Olympic tourists' age or wage or . . .

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnough...l=0&sp=true

By Gillian Murdoch

BEIJING (Reuters) - Don't ask a tourist's age or wage, steer clear of sex and avoid religion: what many Chinese consider idle chit-chat has now become the latest area of censure in Beijing as it prepares for an influx of Olympic visitors.

Posters displayed on bulletin boards in the neighborhood which includes tourist magnet the Forbidden City, and which will host Olympics boxing events, counsel locals against a wide range of potentially awkward conversation topics with foreigners.

The list of "eight don't asks" was issued by the Dongcheng district Propaganda Department as a guide for locals about how to show proper hospitality, a department spokesman said.

"Don't ask about income or expenses, don't ask about age, don't ask about love life or marriage, don't ask about health, don't ask about someone's home or address, don't ask about personal experience, don't ask about religious beliefs or political views, don't ask what someone does," the Olympics logo stamped poster advises.

Several etiquette guidelines have already been issued in the run-up to the Games, as China prepares to put its best foot forward with a faultless event.

The government has campaigned to curb queue-jumping, spitting, littering and even speaking loudly in public, fearful such behavior could mar Beijing's image.

While some said the guidelines may make people feel nervous about chatting with the 500,000 overseas visitors expected in Beijing for the August 8-24 Games, others questioned the need for them in lively discussions on the Internet.

"Other than the weather what else are you suppose to talk about?" asked one blogger, posting on the New York Craiglist website in response to the list.

"Are there also eight 'don't tell's'?" asked another on the popular Shanghai blog, Shanghaiist (http://shanghaiist.com.)

"While 'Eight Don't Asks' is a general practice in the States ... I don't understand why Chinese living in China should follow this rather western guideline," wrote "LC" on another English-language site carrying photos of the posters.

Others online defended the list as a way to bridge cultural gaps and avoid confused reactions from visitors to questions often asked in China and that some might find too intrusive.

"Many Chinese coming to Beijing from around the country have had little or no contact with laowai," said "Ni hao Aussie" on the Thorntree website, using the Mandarin word for foreigner.

"We are a strange breed to many locals, whose curiosity may take them over the bounds of what many foreigners consider decent."

But for at least one blogger, the suggestions struck a chord.

"I want one of these posters!!" wrote "littlepoem" enthusiastically on Shanghaiist.

"I think my Aiyi (housekeeper) needs to read it. Perhaps then she can stop asking me how much everything is."

Not to mention