Food problems exist on both sides of the world, not just in China. According to this WaPo article, food fraud is rampant in the U.S., with suppliers labeling cheaper goods as something much more expensive. John Spink, an expert on food and packaging fraud at Michigan State University, estimates that 5 to 7 percent of […]
China is unsafe. Not because of crime — China has among the lowest violent crime rates in the world — but because its a toxic jungle. Surprise, surprise. First, there’s the air pollution. Then, there’s the water pollution. And finally, there’s the food pollution. Tainted chopsticks, tainted oil and tainted takeaway boxes. So basically, I’m […]
And Google has left China. After finding hackers had violated some of their users’ Gmail accounts last December and threatening to pull out, Google had kept mum about what it’s final decision will be. It shut down its google.cn site yesterday and is redirecting all traffic to its uncensored Hong Kong site in a final […]
Hold up! Is it safe now to move back to the States? Congress finally passed the health care bill! Thanks to my former Representative, David Price, for voting yes (I could always count on him, of course). And no thanks to my current Representative, Patrick McHenry, for voting no (no surprises there, either).
Taking a surprise trip to Shanghai this weekend. It’s a surprise because I didn’t really plan on it. Evan Osnos over at the New Yorker also got a surprise. Hongqiao’s giant new terminal opened Tuesday, which somehow — despite being grand and extraordinary and (presumably) for the Expo — escaped the major news of the […]
Catching up on the news I missed while in Israel: Beijing’s population has reached 22 million, according to China Daily. That’s a shit ton of people, about the same as New York City and its suburbs. English with Chinese characteristics. Snarky Chinese. This story about two guys who hitchhiked from Beijing to Berlin puts my […]
It’s impossible to escape the World Expo here in China. Billboards everywhere remind you it’s happening this summer. Its scary mascot, Haibao, pops up suddenly when you least expect it. New government regulations remind locals to behave themselves. There is a swell of national pride that makes any foreigner scratch his head in wonder of […]