Unfortunately, Stools Are Now Made in China

But wait until their bubble bursts. It could make the rest of our burst bubbles pale in comparison. And you know what they say about all things being interconnected.

New high points, it seems, are reached daily. China surged past the United States to become the world’s largest automobile market — in units, if not in dollars, figures released Monday show. It toppled Germany as the world’s biggest exporter of manufactured goods, according to year-end trade data. World Bank estimates suggest that China — the world’s fifth-largest economy just four years ago — will shortly overtake Japan to claim the number two spot.

[...]

Yet China confronts a number of questions about its recent surge, including whether its formula for growth is sustainable, and how it will manage its increasingly strained economic relations with the outside world. Those are likely to prove tricky issues for a leadership unaccustomed to making policy under an international spotlight.

The meltdown cometh. And it shall not be pleasant.


Replay.

With property prices soaring in key cities, many investors and bankers worry that China has the next great real estate bubble waiting to be popped.

The Chinese government is worried, too. On Sunday, the nation's cabinet, citing "excessively rising house prices" in some cities, said it will monitor capital flows to "stop overseas speculative funds from jeopardizing China's property market." It also said that any Chinese family buying a second home must make a down payment of at least 40 percent.

For investors, many of the usual bubble warning signs are flashing. Fueled by low interest rates, prices in Shanghai and Beijing doubled in less than four years, then doubled again. Most Chinese home buyers expect that today's high prices will climb even higher tomorrow, so they are stretching to pay prices at the edge of their means or beyond. Brokers say it is common for buyers to falsely inflate income statements for bank loans.

Jesus H. Christ, don't they read the news?

Asshole - Part 2

Foiled Goil, over at Big Brass Blog, did a nice pile-on of my earlier Daily Dose of Asshole post. There is also a link to the WaPo story from Mike Goldman in that post's comment thread.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with Rep. Kirk?

In a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Kirk said he told Chinese officials "the budget numbers that the U.S. Government has put forward should not be believed."

[...]

Democratic operatives aren't letting this one go. They're fixated on Kirk's declaration that the U.S. budget numbers "should not be believed." In other words, Democrats charge, Kirk is calling his own country a liar.

"After helping get us into this current economic crisis by supporting President Bush's failed economic policies, Congressman Mark Kirk went to China and told Chinese officials that the American government was not to be trusted," says Ryan Rudominer, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Congressman Kirk's questioning of America while representing our government in China is incredibly irresponsible and endangers the American economy."

Is Kirk the most irresponsible person in Congress? And if not, is he striving for the title? His timing on this is not so great, as if there were ever a good time to rock that boat.

Hello Kitty

I'm getting a little annoyed with these Chinese athletes who appear to be 12-years-old.

He Kexin can't possibly be 16. Maybe. But I seriously doubt it. I voted for 12. I've seen reports that's she's 14. That a middle ground I'm willing to accept.

And all this purple and blue eye liner and glitter.. it just reeks of underage.

Correct me if I'm wrong. Oh, she's good; no doubt about it. But rules is rules.

16 my ass.

My Least Favorite Event

There are several sports in which I have zero interest. Basketball being one of them. And honestly, I don't get the world's infatuation with soccer. I was watching some of that during lunch at a restaurant today, and frankly it's about as exciting as staring out the window.

But neither of those can approach my least favorite event of all: Weightlifting. It gives me a hernia to watch these people and the palms of my hands literally sweat. I don't like it. And I'm not going to watch it.

Caption this:

I hope 3 billion people can't see that I just shit myself.

The Parade of Nations

Of course when the Iraqi contingent appears, all cameras would point to George and Laura Bush applauding.

And why not?

ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!

A Common Olympic Theme

It seems to be dog eat god out there.

This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by a third party.

Fucking scavengers.

義勇軍進行曲

The national anthem of China is "March of the Volunteers?"

How ironic. And who knew?

How a government can repress people capable of such beautiful artistry is beyond my comprehension.

8.8.08

The opening ceremonies are going to be so cool in high def.

However.... Fuck China.

Photo credit: Chang W. Lee/New York Times

Let the Games Begin

I'm eagerly anticipating the Beijing Olympics for a completely abnormal reason. I'm more interested in the potential for unexpected events which could disrupt the planned ones and potentially prove embarrassing for a country which should never have been awarded the games in the first place.

Where to begin...

Acts of God

Acts of Assailants

Airborne Particulates

Human Rights Violations

And of course, the Propaganda Panda.

On the ever-sensitive subjective of political protests, visitors are warned in no uncertain terms that protests on any subject from politics, to the environment and animal rights will not be tolerated.

[...]

Then again, few other Olympic cities have such an overt approach to propaganda work. Red banners have sprouted all over the city in recent days exhorting citizens to show their enthusiasm - and their obedience to the Party line.

"I participate, I contribute and I enjoy," a banner at the entrance to one of the parks set aside for "protest pens" at the Games reads. "Welcome Olympic Games with joyfulness and construct a harmonious society," says the banner at the other entrance.

But wait; there's more. Let's throw in the entire Bush family just to really ratchet things up a notch.

Reason #32,856 To Hate Wal-Mart

Peaches. What's not to love? Someone gave my mother a case of these and she sent several containers home with me. And yes, that is a plastic container. And yes, that stamp at the top reads: "Peaches from China."

And I know peaches are native to China, but do we not grow enough here to satisfy our own demand? Or are they rotting on the trees due to a shortage of immigrant labor to pick them?

This bothers me.

I Have a Map Fetish

I got myself three $50 gift cards from Barnes & Noble when I cashed out my American Express points prior to cutting up the card. I wanted to splurge on a really nice large world atlas.

Today we stopped at a Borders just to check out the selection because I really haven't browsed a store for their atlas offerings in years. I'm pretty sure I want the National Geographic World Atlas because their maps have always been my favorites. The question is whether I want to pop for the larger atlas or get one that's more lap comfortable. The large one is $165.00 retail.

What sucks is that amazon.com has it for a tad over $100 with no sales tax and free shipping. I'm contemplating that option and I could use the gift cards for something else. After all, by the time I pay retail plus sales tax, I'm still spending almost $40 with the gift cards!

Meanwhile, I was searching on the National Geographic web site and found this Map Machine which rekindles my map fetish on so many levels!

Check out these two images from the population density map theme. This is rather frightening.

We think of the east and west coasts of the US as being crowded. California alone has well over 30 million people. I can't even fathom the density levels of China and India.

Keep in mind these are still developing nations with a rapidly rising middle class who will increasingly develop a thirst for energy at an alarming rate.

We may soon find ourselves longing for the good old days of $100 a barrel crude oil prices.

It seems like the body heat from those folks is enough to raise the air temperature a degree or two, aside from all the usual emissions attributed to global warming.

"Oh My God" Said the Lexus Soccer Mom

What will I buy my children for Christmas?


Fuck You, and the cart you rode in on.