On this page the following entries were made in the “WTF” category.
Archive for “WTF”
60 is the New 5000
If you’re reading this from somewhere outside of China, you may be unaware that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. That is probably because you hate the Chinese people and your concerted ignorance is a carefully designed plot to insult the world’s largest population. Or possibly, [...]
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Grow the Economy, Print Bigger Currency
As you may have heard, China’s economy has changed over the last few years. In 1979 China’s economy was 10th biggest in the world between Spain and Holland. It is expected to pass Japan as the world’s second largest this year, if it hasn’t already.
And yet, with all of the changes that have taken place, [...]
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Chinese Police to “Punish and Enslave”
For some reason, a lot of people in Beijing have decided that it is really cool to paint things onto the side of their cars. I have a friend who painted a giant Yankees logo onto the side of his car in New York, which seemed pretty dumb. But he was handed two world series [...]
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Bill Kristol on the Daily Show
Just before the four-minute mark is one of the weirdest exchanges I’ve ever seen. You can’t make this stuff up.
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No Roads Lead to Starbucks
One of the oddest things about Beijing is its bizarre scale. You can’t walk anywhere. One block is about a kilometer long. Housing complexes expand over dozens of acres. Coming from Brooklyn, where anything you want is a five-minute walk, Beijing is bizarro world.
And one of the cornerstones of Beijing’s madness is the lack of [...]
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We Don’t Want No Stinkin’ Business
Henry Sanderson of the Associated Press is reporting that China has stopped issuing all business visas into China until September 20. Terrorism concerns related to American lawyers were the cited reason. Just kidding, they’re worried businessmen might protest. That makes sense:
The visas restrictions are part of a massive security operation to ensure a trouble-free games, [...]
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Idiots Encouraged to Protest in Olympic Safe Zones
The Chinese government has announced that people attending the Olympic Games will have designated areas where they will be allowed to protest. No word yet on what topics people are allowed to protest in these areas that, no doubt, will have extremely close surveillance. Here’s the official story from the AP:
Beijing will set up specially [...]
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Riot Gear and Big Guns Near Yonghegong Temple
A few nights ago, I was minding my own business biking home from the Andingmen area on the Second Ring Road, when I noticed two police officers in full riot gear talking to a motorist on the side of the road. The one speaking had a giant plexiglass shield on his left arm, separating himself [...]
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Express Mail Now Requires Passport
So I just tried to send a package express to the US through one of the three major shipping companies (EMS does not qualify. Sorry). They now require a photocopy of your passport. Why? “We’re now in a ’special period.’”
Damn presidential election!
I can’t wait for the Olympics to end so we can get to normal [...]
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I Do Not Call Wrong Numbers
In New York I sometimes get phone calls from wrong numbers. Sometimes they are speaking in Spanish. Come to think of it, that happened once with my US number in Beijing. Can you imagine living in Washington Heights and accidentally calling China? Anyway, callers are usually apologetic in the US, or sometimes embarrassed causing a [...]
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