It wasn’t until I travelled to Kaohsiung (pardon me, Gaoxiuong…or is it Gaoshung?) last week that I saw for myself just how inane and unstandardized Taiwan’s (ab)use of pinyin really is. The sign above pretty well says it all. This site, which was generous enough to provide me with the above photo, has other interesting examples of Taiwanese pinyin as well as “simplified Chinese creep” in Taiwan.
Photograph by L.X. Gollin
After the positive news reported below, this story in the NY Times feels like a punch in the gut:
For as long as anyone can remember, Anyie Apoui and his people have lived among the majestic trees and churning rivers in an untouched corner of Borneo, catching fish and wild game, cultivating rice and making do without roads. But all that is about to change.
The Indonesian government has signed a deal with China that will level much of the remaining tropical forests in an area so vital it is sometimes called the lungs of Southeast Asia.
For China, the deal is a double bounty: the wood from the forest will provide flooring and furniture for its ever-expanding middle class, and in its place will grow vast plantations for palm oil, an increasingly popular ingredient in detergents, soaps and lipstick.
The forest-to-palm-oil deal, one of an array of projects that China said it would develop in Indonesia as part of a $7 billion investment spree last year, illustrates the increasingly symbiotic relationship between China’s need for a wide variety of raw materials, and its Asian neighbors’ readiness to provide them, often at enormous environmental cost.
Since this article is about to disappear behind the NYT’s subscription wall, I’ll quote at length…
So good to see he’s back. Money quote: “Every day we spend in Iraq erodes the war against those who attacked us on 9/11.”
Too Soon? It’s Too Late for ‘United 93’
By FRANK RICH
Published: May 7, 2006
DON’T feel guilty if you, like most Americans, have not run or even walked to see “United 93.” The movie that has been almost unanimously acclaimed as a rite of patriotism second only to singing the national anthem in English is clinical to the point of absurdity: it reduces the doomed and brave Americans on board to nameless stick figures with less personality than the passengers in “Airport.” Rather than deepening our knowledge of them or their heroism, the movie caps an hour of air-controller nail-biting with a tasteful re-enactment of the grisly end.
But it’s not a total waste. The debate that preceded the film’s arrival actually does tell us something about the war on terror. The two irrelevant questions that were asked over and over — Does “United 93” exploit the tragedy? Was it made too soon? — reveal just how adrift we are from reality as we head toward the fifth anniversary of the attacks.
Why on earth would anyone think we were losing the war in Iraq? It’s all about hearts and minds, no? And even now, we are being greeted as liberators.
A British military helicopter crashed in Basra on Saturday, and Iraqis hurled stones at British troops and set fire to three armored vehicles that rushed to the scene. Clashes broke out between British troops and Shiite militias, police and witnesses said.
Police Capt. Mushtaq Khazim said the helicopter was apparently shot down in a residential district. He said the four-member crew was killed, but British officials would say only that there were “casualties.”
British forces backed by armored vehicles rushed to the area but were met by a hail of stones from the crowd of at least 250 people, who jumped for joy and raised their fists as a plume of thick smoke rose into the air from the crash site.
The crowd set three British armored vehicles on fire, apparently with gasoline bombs and a rocket-propelled grenade, but the soldiers inside escaped unhurt, witnesses said.
What have we gotten ourselves into? Is this part of the turning point Bush was going on about last week. (Good God, yet another turning point.)
Yes, they really exist. And the military doesn’t like it one bit.
The Army warned an anti-war group of former U.S. Military Academy cadets to stop using the words “West Point” in its name, saying they are trademarked.
A co-founder of West Point Graduates Against the War countered Friday that his organization is simply following the cadets’ code.
“At West Point, we were taught that cadets do not lie, cheat or steal — and to oppose those who do,” said William Cross, a 1962 West Point graduate. “We are a positive organization. We are not anti-West Point or anti-military. We are just trying to uphold what we were taught.”
May they prosper and multiply.
Glenn Greenwald offers a brilliant case study of how the right wing, whenever it perceives itself to be under sttack, cranks up the Great GOP Wurlitzer to destroy the crediblity of the “attacker.” All the usual suspects are in on this one, and as usual, the most savage and resonant keywords are flying: antisemite! moonbat! radical leftist! The opening salvo Greenwald hurls at the other Glenn is priceless (what a moron). No wonder Greenwald is fast becoming the most popular liberal blogger.
Of course, if you look at the evidence, there is literally zero trace of antisemitism. A criticism of Israel, yes, and that’s the third rail, instant death, especially with windbags like Chuckles Johnson so eager to spread the good cheer. Absolutely anyone, no matter how esteemed their background and credentials, who questions the president must be ready to be drawn and quartered by the right wing noise machine. Anyone want to take bets on how long it takes for Seann Hannity to pick up on this and further destroy the reputation of a brave citizen?
cross-posted at the paper tiger
Some interesting environmental news related to China.
First, activist Yu Xiaogang, founder of the environmental group, Green Watershed, is one of this year’s recipients of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, which he accepted at a ceremony in San Francisco. It is one of the continuing paradoxes of modern China, where political competition is relentlessly stifled, that an environmental activist who organizes local communities that are impacted by the seemingly endless hydroelectric projects on China’s rivers is able to do work which directly empowers people to participate in decisions that affect their lives. Go read the interview with Yu at Grist Magazine. Here’s an excerpt:
Q: I understand that the watershed project inspired many local residents to speak publicly about their experiences. How did you encourage them to break their tradition of silence?
A: For about six years, we have had several kinds of workshops in Lashi Lake, and all of them are very participatory. So the local people have practiced this approach, and gradually they know that they can speak for their own interests, and change their lives themselves. For instance, one of the local people participated in a United Nations hydropower meeting in Beijing, where he could freely dialogue with hydropower CEOs and the decision-makers in the Chinese central government. He could talk with these leaders to protect his interests and his community’s interests.
Q: What kind of opposition did you encounter as you developed the project?
A: There were many challenges — there are still many rumors about me, about my organization, about the management of the project. There are some rumors that the organization is illegal, and that any people who participate in it should be careful. Many people think I have a secret agenda.
Any activity that involves organizing people outside of the CCP’s auspices involves a certain degree of risk. Kudos and congratulations to Yu Xiaogang. China’s future depends on people like him.
Several British papers have reported on a Green city to be built near Shanghai. The most comprehensive article is in the Independent:
Soaring demand for energy and heavy dependence on coal, China is often depicted as the world’s environmental bogeyman. Yet Dongtan, a ground-breaking eco-city to be built near Shanghai, is already setting new standards in sustainable urban planning and inspiring decision-makers worldwide – including London’s mayor, Ken Livingstone.
Dongtan will be built just 3km from a bird sanctuary whose varied residents include the endangered black-faced spoonbill (just one thousand of these large, white wading birds are estimated to remain in the wild). And its location, in protected wetlands on Chongming Island at the mouth of the Yangtze river, doesn’t exactly sound like a good starting point for an environmentally sustainable city with a population of half a million.
But Dongtan’s designers insist that it’s a blueprint for how cities could support, rather than destroy, the environment. For its two major goals are to generate zero carbon emissions and cut average energy demands by two thirds via a unique city layout, energy infrastructure and building design.
“Two years ago we were approached to assess the likely ecological impact of developing a city in an area adjacent to protected wetland,” says Alejandro Gutierrez, design leader for Dongtan at Arup Urban Design, London. “Our belief was that there was a wonderful opportunity to build a new city that, through its design and construction, would also address a broader range of concerns, such as air quality, and energy demand.”…
…Dongtan will be built on an island that has grown over the past 100 years from silt dumped by the Yangtze. The Chinese government has consistently reclaimed land from the marshlands around it, but the plan is that Dongtan will be the area’s last piece of development – so further silt deposits will simply increase the available natural habitat for the birds.
Well, the proximity of the bird sanctuary does give one pause. But the plans for Dongtan sound really impressive:
The city itself is being designed around a series of village-style neighbourhoods to make it pedestrian- rather than car-friendly. The alignment of streets will capitalise on the microclimates created by urban development, and the width and aspect of buildings will optimise the benefits of shade and direct sun to ensure efficient energy use. An integrated mix of residential, commercial and industrial areas – common in the West but unusual in China – will ensure people walk to most places they need to reach.
Technology to both generate and save energy will be integrated into buildings and all modes of transport. The emphasis is on making eco-living the norm, rather than trumpeting Dongtan’s green credentials with bold – and, potentially, intimidating – statements.
“We don’t want to replicate a European city in China, or create an alienating futuristic environment,” says urban designer Braulio Morera, who is also working on the Arup team. “We want to reinterpret a Chinese city – and Chinese urban lifestyle – for the 21st century. Bicycles, for example, will be a major feature, as will boats, but the bikes will be powered by renewables, and the boats by hydrogen.”
Dongtan’s developers are also commited to returning agricultural land around the city to its original wetland state. This will create a buffer zone between the city and the marshes that will cut down the spread of pollutants to areas where the black-faced spoonbills congregate. Farmland around the city will grow food for the residents.
The project has implications far beyond China. For better or worse, cities are the future homes for most of humanity. A project like Dongtan could provide a blueprint for sustainable development around the world. It’s a model we desperately need.
Poker, Hookers and Spooks
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: May 6, 2006
So much news was popping out all over Washington yesterday, it was hard to decide which way to look.
I felt I had no choice but to go with Dusty Foggo, Top Spook.
There was also the story of a Kennedy cover-up, moonlight car accident and drug abuse. Been there, done that.
And the story of a top U.S. official stuck in the cold war taunting the Russian bear. Been there, done that.
I usually skip Tierney. But this columns a good one.
A Taste of His Own Medicine
By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: May 6, 2006
Now that Rush Limbaugh has managed to keep himself out of prison, the punishment he once advocated for drug abusers, let me suggest a new cause for him: speaking out for people who can handle their OxyContin.
Like Limbaugh, Richard Paey suffers from back pain, which in his case is so severe that he’s confined to a wheelchair. Also like Limbaugh, he was accused of illegally obtaining large quantities of painkillers. Although there was no evidence that either man sold drugs illegally, the authorities in Florida zealously pursued each of them for years.
Go get her, Karl!
The Mighty GOP Wurlitzer is always revved up by Matt Drudge, who then passes the baton to talk radio and Fox News. The sheet music, of course, is printed and handed out by Karl Rove. I see that it’s business as usual, as they begin the carefully calculated character assassination of Hillary. This is exactly how the Swift Boat liars got started, with a big push from ever-helpful Matt, and the rest is history.
Hillary, time to don your body armor and fight back. Don’t pull a Kerry and fool yourself into thinking it’ll blow away. With Rove pulling the strings, it never blows away. He’s right out of a science fiction movie, a perfect, near-unstoppable terminator programmed to destroy. And just like Alien, he leaves a trail of slime and death wherever he goes.
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