Scientific: How We are Going to Win the Olympics

Hello Children,

Success

don’t be scared. It’s just me, Hermit, the muscular Taoist Dragonfly with your daily dose of science. Now, children, you remember me from yesterday, right? Yesterday I was skinny. But that was yesterday. Since then have I not only invented LETHAL SUXXESS [TM], but I have also tried it on myself! And the best thing is, no doping test would ever find it! (I mean, if any independent organization carried out the tests during the Olympics anyway.) Think of LETHAL SUXXESS as another one of our patriotic secret weapons.

Now, children. Maybe you will be athletes too? Then you will hear a lot of bullshit, especially from foreigners. You may hear them say that doping is both unhealthy for yourself and also unfair against those who don’t dope.

Don’t listen to those sabotaging whiners. Sure. It is a bit dangerous. But every service for your great motherland can be dangerous. And at the same time, every service for our motherland is very important, because our enemies are very cruel! Never forget how cruel our enemies are, and your victories will make our great motherland even greater!

(And LETHAL SUXXESS [TM] too.)

Got to fly now. Stay patriotic, children.

The Benevolent Emperor?

Quote:

“Past horrors and mistakes do not seem to have weakened a servile belief in the ultimate benevolence of the state and a willingness to grant it unlimited powers.”

Jasper Becker, The Chinese, p. 245,   » quoted here.

Current Visa Restrictions – Short-term measure or Long-Term Policy?

There may be more to the current difficulties in obtaining visa from Chinese authorities than just “paranoia on China’s part regarding protests or terrorist attacks during the Olympics”, says Rodger Baker in an article published on stratfor.com.

“Assumptions that China is only focused on continued good economic ties with the world shouldn’t be taken as gospel — China has a track record of shutting down external connections when internal crises brew.”

Net Nanny speaks out

No unhealthy stuff

HEY! Attention there! I’m the lady you always wanted to meet in person. I’m the PRC Net Nanny. As you can see from my funny little hat, I’m a national minority. Of course. Because the national majority always wants to read unhealthy stuff like the Chinese-language BBC Website, or Apple Daily, or CNN – even if they suffer heart attacks when they do access such unhealthy media.

Ever thought of how much CO2-emission we would have spared the world if mainland Chinese access to these sources had remained barred? And if access to anti-unhealthy websites would be needless, because nobody knew the unhealthies?

Just think about it

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Urban Competitiveness Report

Shanghai up, Hong Kong down, says the Global Urban Competitiveness Report for 2007. Indices of the report, run by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Bucknell University, apparently cover human resources, entrepreneurship, living standards, business environment, innovation, technology, plus social and public welfare indices.

A Magic Wand against Corruption and Inefficiency?

Another scientific concept has taken shape this week in the media: opinion polls “from central government departments to grass-root villages”.

As good as the news may sound, no legislative or organizational step can improve real life as long as there is no rule of law, and if respondents to polls can’t be sure that their privacy will always be protected. Those who carry out the polls are not independent of the party – according to an article by Liu Junning (刘军宁), conducting the annual polls will be the job of the State Statistics Bureau. Last year’s property law  hasn’t become a guarantee for the rights of small owners either. Apparently, legal rights are only effective when people have the personal connections and influence of to defend them. Location and timing can become important factors, too.

Do China’s leaders really want to know the mood of their people, and correct obvious flaws or crimes in the work of local cadres? If so, they could have started reading – and acting upon – petitions that have traditionally come to Beijing from all over the country, all the time. If they don’t do that, there is some reason to suspect that the polls taken will end up in the same dustbins as, apparently, most of the petitions.

But only time will show.

Czech Government: No, we are not supporting Tibetan Independence

Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek announced on July 15 that he would be present at the Olympic Games in Beijing at some time, though not at the opening. During the announcement, he was wearing a badge with the Tibetan colors. That led to Chinese complaints that the Czech Republic was supporting Tibetan independence. A government spokeswoman told Agence France Press that this was not the case, that the prime minister had used the badge to express his close attention to human rights, that Prague did not support Tibetan independence, and that the Chinese government had accepted this explanation.

Topolanek said that he would be in Beijing for three days from August 13 on invitation of the Czech Olympic Committee to support the Czech athletes.

The Chinese Olympic Delegation is now Ready

The Chinese Olympic Delegation is now ready. SHIKEZHUNBEIZHE!!!