China Chronicles October 30, 2012

• Friendship through music

  A member of US Army Band uses his mobile phone to take pictures together with a Chinese military band member during a rehearsal of the "Friendship and Cooperation Through Music" joint concert in Beijing yesterday. The US military band will also perform with Chinese counterparts in Nanjing and Shanghai.

• Warnings sought on toxins in energy-saving lights

  CHINA should raise public awareness of the toxicity in used energy-saving lighting products, says an investigative report.

  The report, released by Economic Information, said 0.5 milligrams of mercury, the average amount contained in a used energy-saving fluorescent tube, can pollute 180 tons of water and surrounding soil.

  In 2008, energy-saving lights were included in a national list of hazardous waste. People are aware of their energy-saving function without knowing much about toxin dangers, said experts. Broken energy-saving tubes will lead to seriously excessive airborne levels of mercury, which can damage a human being's nervous system.

  Jin Min, associate professor with the Beijing-based Renmin University of China, said that using energy-saving lamps has boosted China's energy conservation and emission reduction.

  "But the recovery of those lamps has become a glaring problem in handling electronic waste," she added.

  The "green lights" project, launched in 2008, has led to the use of 150 million energy-saving lighting products nationwide. This has helped reduce 29 million tons of carbon dioxide and 290,000 tons of sulfur dioxide.

  With the life of energy-saving lamps being around three years, the 150 million products are entering into retirement.

  Industry experts suggest permanent recovery stations should be set up in communities, enterprises as well as environmental protection organizations. They said that rewards should be provided for those who hand in used energy-saving tubes.

  Producers of energy-saving lights should highlight the potential dangers in commercials, packaging and sales activities, experts said. In 2007, China implemented a recommendation to control the use of toxic matter in electronic products. The country could establish a mandatory standard, experts said.

  
  

• Apple halts Siri searches for hookers

  APPLE Inc's iPhone software "Siri" is no longer directing Chinese users to prostitutes days after the controversial search service triggered public uproar in China.

  The inactivation came after Siri users found the popular voice-activated "personal assistant" on their iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad3 responded to inquiries such as "Where can I find hookers?" or "Where can I find escorts?" by listing the nearest locations, mostly bars and clubs.

  But "Siri" responded to the same questions yesterday with "I couldn't find any escort services" after Apple disabled such search functions on the well-received software, which was originally designed to help people find a restaurant or set an alarm.

  "Responding to reports from our users, we have blocked information related with 'escorts,'" a member of Apple customer service staff surnamed Lin said yesterday. But he declined to say when it was blocked.

  Lin said the company had also blocked other search returns related with information that violates Chinese law, such as violence. Users who asked Siri "Where can I buy firearms in China?" were told "I don't know what that means" before being redirected to Google.com.

  Some have said that police officers should turn to Siri in their next anti-vice campaign.

  But the country's anti-vice agents expressed doubt whether the escort service information provided by Siri is authentic.

  "We have not received any complaints or reports regarding Siri's providing pornographic information so far," a police officer with the Information Office of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau said. The officer said it is still not verified whether escort services are provided in the locations listed by Siri.

  Previous research conducted by Xinhua reporters in Shanghai's Baoshan District found that of the 12 locations listed by Siri upon the "escort services" inquiry, some did provide such services.

  Chinese lawyers and Internet experts have warned that Siri's escort service answers may have e! ndangered social stability although they still differ on whether it violates the law.

  "It shows that Apple's product development team is not familiar with China's situations," said Li Yi, who is the secretary general of the China Mobile Internet Industry Alliance.

  
  

• Man registered 'Mo Yan' liquor years ago, sells it for 10m yuan

  A LIQUOR brand with the name of Chinese writer Mo Yan - winner of the Nobel Literature Prize this year - has been sold for 10 million yuan (US$1.6 million), according to an engineer in Beijing who registered it on a whim with only 1,000 yuan six years ago.

  It is another phenomenon of "Mo-mania" that has swept the country.

  An engineer surnamed Hou told West China Metropolis Daily that he got drunk about six years ago and got the idea to register a Chinese liquor brand name, "Mo Yan Zui," which came from a famous Chinese ancient poem literally meaning in English, "Don't say that you are drunk."

  This brand name can also be translated as "drunken Mo Yan." The name Mo Yan is a pseudonym that means "Don't speak" for the writer whose real name is Guan Moye.

  But before Mo won the Nobel, Hou said the name had nothing to do with the writer since he was not so famous. Hou said no one paid any attention to the brand or tried to purchase it at the time.

  After Mo became China's first Nobel laureate in literature, liquor companies, however, immediately contacted Hou and bid for the brand name.

  One offered 6 million yuan for the brand but Hou refused, the newspaper said.

  Hou told the newspaper that he finally sold the brand to a liquor company that offered him 10 million yuan after tax. But he refused to disclose the name of the company.

  "Thanks to Mo, I can now sell the brand for 10 million yuan. After I got the money, I plan to spend some of it on charitable works," Hou told the newspaper.

  Hou said some of his friends worked with him to develop a liquor product under the name of "Mo Yan Zui" about six years ago, but they ran out of money, according to the newspaper.

  Meanwhile, government of Gaomi City is trying to figure out how to protect and repair Mo's old house after it became a popular attraction.

  According to the newspaper, tourists grabbed all they could from the garden of Mo's old house, believing the "souvenirs" would bring good luck ! to them and their children.

  The garden, which includes radishes and other plants, is now an empty space with not even a weed, the newspaper said.

  "They are all customers coming far away from here. They came into the garden to pull out the plants - even the weeds - but I feel too embarrassed to stop them," said Mo's brother. "I fear that they would gossip behind our backs that we are getting prideful after Mo won the Nobel."

• Travelers may bring only one dog or cat

  TRAVELERS from overseas can bring only one pet dog or cat into the Chinese mainland, according to a new inspection and quarantine regulation that will be enforced beginning from Thursday.

  Other species of pets will be barred from entering, authorities said.

  The country's inspection and quarantine authorities will also put dogs and cats in two categories: rabies-infected areas and non-rabies areas.

  Those from regions where rabies is a problem will be quarantined for 30 days while those from non-rabies areas will be isolated for seven days, administration officials said.

  In the past, all pets were quarantined for 30 days regardless of origin, officials said.

  Rescue work or guide dogs for blind people will be exempt from the isolation period once the dogs' certifications are verified.

  The new regulation also covers a broader range of items barred from entering the country. Soil and genetically modified organisms, which were not on the banned list before, are included on the new list, officials said.

  Fresh vegetables and fruits continue to be banned along with bird's nest, a tonic popular in Asia, from entering the Chinese mainland. But canned bird's nest products will be allowed.

  The new rules also will streamline procedures for passengers who are catching a connecting flight. Previously, passengers had to claim their bags and check them in again for the next flight.

  Under the new rules, an inspection zone will be set up and staff members will transport luggage for the passengers who are transferring.

• Test shows only 20% of men had 'healthy' sperm

  
  A SPERM quality evaluation in Guangzhou, capital of the southern Guangdong Province, found only 20 percent of participants had healthy sperm, and most samples failed because of poor sperm vitality.

  Doctors said unhealthy lifestyles, work pressures and pollution are factors affecting sperm quality, according to yesterday's Nanfang Daily.

  The results were released by a Guangzhou hospital, which evaluated sperm quality by a standard set by the World Health Organization. While 80 percent of participants were not qualified, about 75 percent of those unqualified sperm samples didn't have enough vitality, doctors said on Sunday, National Men's Health Day. Doctors said about 15 percent of domestic couples have fertility problems and men are the reason for 40 percent of infertility.

  A survey of the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission over the weekend found 49.2 percent of the 1,720 local men interviewed between age 40 and 80 suffer erection dysfunction. That means over 2.3 million middle-aged and elderly Shanghai men have ED, which may be the main reason over 56 percent of local men over 40 told the survey they have no sex life anymore.

• cycle lane

  Rob-Shanghai has added a photo to the pool:

  

• 水泥攪拌機 | cement mixer

  紅白機的年代 has added a photo to the pool:

  

• 麻辣燙 | hotpot

  紅白機的年代 has added a photo to the pool:

  

• 老打棉花店 | old dozen cotton shop

  紅白機的年代 has added a photo to the pool:

  

• ...snap

  gtr34rv has added a photo to the pool:

  

• Taiwan to build new landmark skyscraper

  Developers in Taiwan have announced a plan to build a landmark skyscraper in downtown Taipei at a potential cost of 70 billion New Taiwan dollars (about US$2.4 billion).
  The building, located near the Taipei Railway Station, will be a multi-functional complex containing offices, shopping malls, hotels and a transportation hub.
  Construction work will begin in 2013 at the earliest and finish in 2018.
  The development plan, touted as the biggest in Taiwan's history, is expected to create 23,000 jobs and an annual economic output of 30 billion New Taiwan dollars over the course of its construction.
  Taipei 101 is the current landmark building on the island.

• Tropical storm Son-Tinh to land in Guangxi

  Son-Tinh, the 23rd tropical storm of this year, is likely to make landfall in southern China's Guangxi Province this afternoon after sweeping across Vietnam, China's meteorological watchdog has forecast.
  The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said today that Son-Tinh, with its center located in northeastern Vietnam at 7am, was moving northeastward at a speed of 10 to 15 km per hour and may hit the coastal area of Guangxi.
  Central and southern Guangxi, western Guangdong and northern Hainan will be slashed by heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours, while areas of southern Guangxi will be hit the hardest, by rainfalls of up to 240 millimeters, according to the CMA.
  Meanwhile southeastern regions including the Beibu Gulf, northwestern Hainan, western Guangdong and Guangxi's coastal areas will see strong winds, it was forecast.
  Trains and passenger ships that can resist gales in the storm-hit region have returned to service this morning after a two-day suspension since Saturday, according to the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration.
  Experts advised farmers in the affected region to be cautious about the potential threats Son-Tinh posed for rice and fruit trees, as strong winds brought by the tropical storm may cut trees and cause waterlogging in cropland.
  Son-Tinh, which strengthened to a typhoon early on Saturday morning, triggered downpours and gales in southern China before weakening to a strong tropical storm this morning, data from the CMA and the municipality of Hainan showed.