News Stories

[aohige]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1749146/

Aren't they thinking too much of the Nobel prize?

Too much?
Well, it was a slap in the face to the PRC.

The prize was well deserved.
Too bad the PRC government is gonna do everything in its power to censor this information to their public.

[MrTerrorist]

Pirate Johnny Depp makes surprise school visit

Captain Jack Sparrow visiting your school. How cool is that.

[bladeofdarkness]

i'm putting this here, not because it WAS on the news, but because there is a fair chance it WILL be on the news (it was on the news in Al Jazirra anyway)

this is a depiction of events as presented by AlJazeeraEnglish
be warned, it depicts two Palestinian kids being hit by an Israeli car, that isn't going all that fast, but still sends them flying (no blood, not that severe of a hit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2unZIzIwp0 (not sure how to upload vids)

the story is basically saying that the car hit the kids while they were throwing rocks at it, pretending that this was some sort of demonstration.
framing it as a hit and run in the middle of a riot or something.

this is the unedited version of events
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QvMW7abxGg
it tells a different story.
+the kids area clearly shown preparing for the "scene" without any kind of violence before hand.
+the kids are very clearly shown running right up TO the car, making it impossible for the driver to avoid them, which is why they were hit.
+the video shows that a large amount of photographers were there, camera ready, well before the kids were hit.
+the video also shows, that the car was hit with rocks, before, during, and after it hit the kids.
+it shows that the Driver stopped after hitting the kids, and drove off only because it was still being hit with rocks with the noise making it perfectly clear that the rocks are punching through the glass.
+it shows clearly that the entire back window of the car is shattered.
+it shows that the kid, far from being hurt, is actively fighting against the people who are trying to evacuate him from the scene (he's holding on to the door of the car)
+and most tellingly, it shows at 00:22, that after the "scene" has taken place, one of the children watching starts clapping as if happy at a job well done.

in short, this entire event, is nothing more then a shameful attempt at Propaganda, and a clear case of Children being put in harms way by adults who hang back taking pictures.

i'm showing this, because i assume that in the coming days it would get more media attention, and the media would more then likely display edited versions similar to what Al Jazzira shows (painting this as a hit and run, rather then a planned Propaganda ambush)

[Jinto]

Wouldn't it have been enough to make this post if actually another broadcaster was using the material? I mean that pre-emptive justification borders on paranoia.
Anyway, I agree that the misuse of children and inflammatory propaganda and malicious damage are to be condemned.

[killer3000ad]

Student finds tracking device on car, FBI asked for it back

An Arab-American student found a weird object underneath his car when he sent it to the mechanics, and posted pictures of it online. Viewers identified it as GPS tracking device. FBI agents later showed up at his apartment complex and demanded he give it back.

Woman taunts dying 7-year-old neighbour
Mkay. I hope she gets some terminal disease as well and then have everyone in the neighbourhood taunt her.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by killer3000ad

Student finds tracking device on car, FBI asked for it back

An Arab-American student found a weird object underneath his car when he sent it to the mechanics, and posted pictures of it online. Viewers identified it as GPS tracking device. FBI agents later showed up at his apartment complex and demanded he give it back.

Crap news of our screwed-up world No.2 : China livid as dissident Liu wins Nobel Peace Prize

(Reuters) - Jailed Chinese democracy activist Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for two decades of non-violent struggle for human rights, infuriating China, which called the award "an obscenity".

The prize shines a spotlight on human rights in China at a time when it is starting to play a leading role on the global stage as a result of its growing economic might.

"We have to speak when others cannot speak," Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland told Reuters. "As China is rising, we should have the right to criticize."

The award drew muted reactions from the European Union, France, Germany and Britain.

But last year's winner, U.S. President Barack Obama, accused China of falling behind on political reforms as its economy surges, and urged it to free Liu Xiaobo as soon as possible.

Liu Xiaobo rose to prominence as a strike leader during the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989.

He was sentenced to 11 years' jail last December for writing a manifesto calling for free speech and multi-party elections.

The Nobel Committee praised him for his "long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights" and reiterated its belief in a "close connection between human rights and peace".

"OBSCENITY"

China, which had warned against giving the prize to Liu, summoned Norway's ambassador to protest.

"This is an obscenity against the peace prize," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.

"(Liu's) actions are diametrically opposed to the aims of the Nobel prize. Nobel's behest was that the Nobel Peace Prize be awarded to somebody who promoted peace between peoples, promoted international friendship and disarmament."

Beijing residents reported that CNN and BBC broadcasts were cut when the prize was mentioned.

Activists say human rights have dropped down the agenda of Western powers wary of upsetting China, now the world's second largest economy.

Britain, France, Germany and the European Union all congratulated Liu, saying they had lobbied for his release from prison, but were careful to avoid direct criticism of China.

Obama was more pointed.

He said China had made dramatic progress in fighting poverty, but that "this award reminds us that political reform has not kept pace, and that the basic human rights of every man, woman and child must be respected".

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the award of the prize to Liu underscored growing concern around the world about human rights and he hoped any disagreement over the decision would not damage the global rights cause.

In a carefully worded statement, Ban also praised China, which he said "has achieved remarkable economic advances, lifted millions out of poverty, broadened political participation and steadily joined the international mainstream in its adherence to recognized human rights instruments and practices."

Jagland told Reuters: "It would have been very damaging for the Committee if one could say: 'No, we do not dare to give the prize to someone from this big economic and political power'."

The Dalai Lama, whose receipt of the Peace Prize in 1989 similarly angered China, said the prize highlighted "the international community's recognition of the increasing voices among the Chinese people" pushing for reforms.

"INNOCENT"

Liu's wife Liu Xia told Reuters: "His friends repeatedly told me that they thirsted for Liu Xiaobo to win the prize more than he himself did because they think it would be an opportunity to change China ...

"Xiaobo is innocent. The constitution guarantees freedom of speech. They (the authorities) broke the law first."

Outside the couple's apartment in western Beijing, there was a heavy police presence on Friday.

Liu Xia said the police were taking her to Liu Xiaobo's prison in Jinzhou, in northeastern China, in an apparent effort to prevent foreign reporters speaking to her.

"They are forcing me to leave Beijing," she said as her brothers packed her bags, with plainclothes officers waiting for her outside.

Liu Xiaobo, a former literature professor, was jailed last December for subversion of state power. He had been arrested as lead author of Charter 08, a manifesto by intellectuals and activists calling for democratic reform in the one-party state.

In 1989, Liu was pilloried by China as one of the "black hands" who fomented the Tiananmen protests, although he was among a group of intellectuals who tried to defuse the standoff before it ended with army shootings that killed hundreds of students and residents.

A 20-month jail sentence followed, and he also spent three years in a "labor re-education" camp in the 1990s.

Passers-by outside the block did not appear impressed by China's new high-profile dissident.

"The Western world's choice is different from ours," said one man, who asked not to be identified. "It does not mean that people receiving the award have contributed to the peace process."

The prize is worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.5 million) and will be awarded in Oslo on December 10. It was not clear who would collect the prize if Liu could not.

He's not the first to be clamped down by power-hungry people-fearing greedy cowards, Aung San Suu Kyi shared the same fate a number of years ago. And they actually made a political threat to Norway like they did to Japan a couple of weeks back.

Come to think of it, I thought China wanted a Nobel Prize. Now they have got it, why are they bitching?

[aohige]

Because Norway went "Oh? You want a Nobel Peace Prize that bad? Well, here you go. LOLLLLLLLL" at their face.

Go Go Norway! You the man.

P.S. ganbaru already posted that news on the previous page, btw.

EDIT: Looks like PRC's attempt at censoring this info already started.
NHK international for China was broadcasting the news, but the news suddenly went blank black screen when it got to the Nobel Prize news.
The program came back up after the news was finished, and was onto the next news.

The other news media such as xinhua and CCTV apparently has not even aired the news.

It feels like a futile attempt in this age of internet and globalization, but keep trying PRC.

[bloppyblue]

Glee Cast Breaks Beatles Record

The greatest band in music history has been topped by auto-tuned TV Gleeks. With the unveiling of this week's Billboard Hot 100, the cast of Glee will be the group with the most entries on the chart in its 52-year history. With 71 singles in the Hot 100, The Beatles were the former record-holders.

...

[Ithekro]

Ah but what positions in the Hot 100? I imagine the Beatles still hold a higher average score.

[ChainLegacy]

The music charts have been garbage for years now.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by ChainLegacy

The music charts have been garbage for years now.

Yes. All around the world. Other than Oricon in 2009.

Originally Posted by aohige

Because Norway went "Oh? You want a Nobel Peace Prize that bad? Well, here you go. LOLLLLLLLL" at their face.

Go Go Norway! You the man.

P.S. ganbaru already posted that news on the previous page, btw.

Yep I know. This one is a more updated and scrutinising version, and it presented the events as most of us wanted to play out.

EDIT: Looks like PRC's attempt at censoring this info already started.
NHK international for China was broadcasting the news, but the news suddenly went blank black screen when it got to the Nobel Prize news.
The program came back up after the news was finished, and was onto the next news.

The other news media such as xinhua and CCTV apparently has not even aired the news.

It feels like a futile attempt in this age of internet and globalization, but keep trying PRC.

I have yet to see reporting in the local news, and we have alot of Chinese immigrants over here, so I don't know about how the immigrant population would respond if they are here.

As usual, I used to tell my some of my schoolmates from China when they bitch about the local news being unfair and "inviting trouble with inflammatory news reports about their homeland" - if you don't like it, then FOBTYM (F*** Off Back To Your Motherland).

Fortunately most of them are level-headed enough to criticise both sides. It is just the minority of bloody nationalists out to sow discord on foreign soil and create a stereotypical distrust for all the Chinese out there.

[MeoTwister5]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Yes. All around the world. Other than Oricon in 2009.



Yep I know. This one is a more updated and scrutinising version, and it presented the events as most of us wanted to play out.



I have yet to see reporting in the local news, and we have alot of Chinese immigrants over here, so I don't know about how the immigrant population would respond if they are here.

As usual, I used to tell my some of my schoolmates from China when they bitch about the local news being unfair and "inviting trouble with inflammatory news reports about their homeland" - if you don't like it, then FOBTYM (F*** Off Back To Your Motherland).

Fortunately most of them are level-headed enough to criticise both sides. It is just the minority of bloody nationalists out to sow discord on foreign soil and create a stereotypical distrust for all the Chinese out there.

And here I was thinking you were a Singaporean Chinese.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

And here I was thinking you were a Singaporean Chinese.

I am. A Singaporean "Mongrel" Chinese - mixed blood due to my maternal ancestry. The laws still consider me Chinese, and I don't quite like it when the SM quoted earlier this year that "We Singaporean Chinese should not forget where we come from.".

That was a f***ing asinine comment. My great-grandfather is a corrupt military official in China, according to historical and family records, he embezzled quite a sum before shipping himself down the South China Sea here, and blew all his money smoking opium to death. And I never found out about my family tree until the death of my grandfather.

So according to the SM's words, I should take after my ancestor? Over my dead body. That is why I don't exactly like being put together with the type of mainland Chinese* who would cheat, lie and steal their way to wealth citing "self-preservation" as an excuse - it may be a dog-eat-dog world out there, but if everyone else is a bitch or bastard, does it mean we have to be one too?

[Tom Bombadil]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

As usual, I used to tell my some of my schoolmates from China when they bitch about the local news being unfair and "inviting trouble with inflammatory news reports about their homeland" - if you don't like it, then FOBTYM (F*** Off Back To Your Motherland).

Fortunately most of them are level-headed enough to criticise both sides. It is just the minority of bloody nationalists out to sow discord on foreign soil and create a stereotypical distrust for all the Chinese out there.

Quite some strong word there. As a Chinese, I can't help but to feel upset about such comments, even though they are directed at a selected few.

As for the prize itself, one comment on the New York times made a lot sense:

The Times asks "How will Liu Xiaobo's winning the peace prize affect the Chinese government's attitude toward political reform?" I'd like to reply with another question, to think about the effects this prize could have:

How has Barack Obamas's winning the peace prize affected the US government's attitude toward peace in the Palestine-Israel area and somewhere else in the world?

The last time I checked, the news about the prize is non existent in the Chinese media. China will not change under outside pressure. As long as the economy runs on high gears, there will be little incentive to change it from inside either.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Tom Bombadil

Quite some strong word there. As a Chinese, I can't help but to feel upset about such comments, even though they are directed at a selected few.

The thing about these people are that with the rise of China as a prominent superpower, they like to enforce their culture upon the countries they are visiting, and China doesn't really do anything about it.

Singapore gained independence in 1965, and being neutral when it comes to ideology governance, race, language, religion, or anything that serves to segregate the human race through their diversity of culture, it is right that we play host, and offer opportunities to the less fortunate around the world as a form of philantrocapitalism. However, certain guests somehow exploit the niceness of the locals to their own advantage for personal gain, be it emotional or material.

The host-guest relationship is pretty straightforward. Anyone is welcome to tour here, work here and stay here as long as you respect our citizens, culture and law. Suddenly spouting that "Singaporeans are pathetic and have so many unecessary laws" on public transport, or attempting to bribe even a national service policeman when booked for littering isn't respect.

The degratory term "Ah Tiong" was created for a reason, and the stereotype that follows : scheming, selfish and self-serving tagged to it is pretty much as such. China really needs to teach their citizens how to show respect rather than blackmail it from others out of their country prominence in the 21st century - being a superpower doesn't mean that you are entitled to the right to subvert others of the same race in another country.

Originally Posted by Tom Bombadil

The last time I checked, the news about the prize is non existent in the Chinese media. China will not change under outside pressure. As long as the economy runs on high gears, there will be little incentive to change it from inside either.

The economy won't run for long. The very basic law of Economics, supply-demand-price, will still apply.

China attracts large number of investors due to the large number of goods, AND the yuan being pegged at a low rate, that allows large profits to be made by the reseller due to the low operating cost. All sounds nice and effective, but when price comes into play, it won't last for long.

The Keynesian Economics had a very basic rule titled "value-normalisation". What China is doing is effectively devaluating their exports, if they don't raise the yuan now, or increase the quality of goods exported, it is going to severely normalise product valuation all around the world - which effectively takes away the incentive for aesthetic (arts), social (science and education) and material (infrastructure and technology) improvement. It could very well end up as a giant factory state which would bring them, and their closely tied SEA counterparts into the times of the Opium War, a perfect scenario for the already divided world society to fragment further.

[SeijiSensei]

China Blanks Nobel Peace Prize Searches

Slashdot article pointing to stories and CNN and NBC about Internet censorship of this story. One person claims his phone's SIM card was disabled after he sent a text message to his father mentioning Liu.

[Tom Bombadil]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

The thing about these people are that with the rise of China as a prominent superpower, they like to enforce their culture upon the countries they are visiting, and China doesn't really do anything about it.

Singapore gained independence in 1965, and being neutral when it comes to ideology governance, race, language, religion, or anything that serves to segregate the human race through their diversity of culture, it is right that we play host, and offer opportunities to the less fortunate around the world as a form of philantrocapitalism. However, certain guests somehow exploit the niceness of the locals to their own advantage for personal gain, be it emotional or material.

The host-guest relationship is pretty straightforward. Anyone is welcome to tour here, work here and stay here as long as you respect our citizens, culture and law. Suddenly spouting that "Singaporeans are pathetic and have so many unecessary laws" on public transport, or attempting to bribe even a national service policeman when booked for littering isn't respect.

The degratory term "Ah Tiong" was created for a reason, and the stereotype that follows : scheming, selfish and self-serving tagged to it is pretty much as such. China really needs to teach their citizens how to show respect rather than blackmail it from others out of their country prominence in the 21st century - being a superpower doesn't mean that you are entitled to the right to subvert others of the same race in another country.

There goes my hope that we can have a intelligent discussion. You do realize that the things that you mentioned (bribing, etc.) made the news because they are bad? To think such things represent all Chinese people is ridiculous. For god's sake it is a country with 1.3 billion people. There are going to be bad apples. What about the law-abiding Chinese visitors in Singapore? Do they make the news?

So I get it: stereotyping about the Chinese is rampant in Sigapore, or at least that's what you think. From a point of view, it is easy to understand your animosity toward its people, because that's the easiest way to separate yourself from "the Chinese". What an irony it is when you are willing to go to such length to establish yourself as an individual yet failed to give 1.3 billion people a single chance.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Tom Bombadil

There goes my hope that we can have a intelligent discussion. You do realize that the things that you mentioned (bribing, etc.) made the news because they are bad? To think such things represent all Chinese people is ridiculous. For god's sake it is a country with 1.3 billion people. There are going to be bad apples. What about the law-abiding Chinese visitors in Singapore? Do they make the news?

It is obvious that we won't have an intelligent discussion because you didn't read the whole thing.

.....
Singapore gained independence in 1965, and being neutral when it comes to ideology governance, race, language, religion, or anything that serves to segregate the human race through their diversity of culture, it is right that we play host, and offer opportunities to the less fortunate around the world as a form of philantrocapitalism. However, certain guests somehow exploit the niceness of the locals to their own advantage for personal gain, be it emotional or material.

....

I know it makes one feel good to pick and choose what you like to read, but that is tantamount to starting a flame war.

So I get it: stereotyping about the Chinese is rampant in Sigapore, or at least that's what you think. From a point of view, it is easy to understand your animosity toward its people, because that's the easiest way to separate yourself from "the Chinese". What an irony it is when you are willing to go to such length to establish yourself as an individual yet failed to give 1.3 billion people a single chance.

I don't think you really understand how a number of the locals feel here. As much as we like being nice to foreigners and such, we don't exactly enjoyed being trampled upon - especially on how our government give preferential treatment to the PRC foreign workers and residents.

Repeating myself, I am all for the nice host mentality, provided they play the nice guest - everything can be unicorns and rainbows. It is more about taking into perspective with regards to those China Chinese who make trouble rather than the entire Chinese population here, local, permanent or immigrant. The frequency of occurences both on the macro and micro perspective was that make things look suspicious in such a small country where usually nothing big happens.

Putting the perspective in words, anyone is welcome to Singapore, to live, tour and work. As long as you don't cause trouble*.

* - Come to think of it, although the Lianhe Wanbao is pretty tabloidish, that is one of the few times they put the right thing into perspective - under the law, the couple are supposed to be fined for being public nuisances because it is a non-wheelchair allowed bus, which could pose a danger to the wheelchair-bound passenger. Apparently the SPF decided to be spineless for once and let them go.

[Tom Bombadil]

There we go again. Since I didn't make my point clear enough last time, let's try this again.

I get it: there are visitors in Singapore who are giving China bad image. I believe you. I don't need to check the details to know such things happen. Whether the Singapore government has spine or not is not my concern. Why should I? (Although I'd like to visit Singapore if I have the chance. It is a great city, so I heard, but so far the chance has not come yet.) If someone break the law, they should be punished, be them Chinese or Singapore. I believe that's something we can agree on. But alas, that was not the point that I was trying to make.

Let's start from square one again. You, sir, dropped the F-word. I tried to remind you that you might want to soft your words and make it more selective lest someone is offended. After all, we are all civilized fun-loving people here, or at least, most of us are. You don't want to target a great range of people. There is no grudge again anybody. But what did I get in return, even after I fully declared that I am a Chinese? Here I am going to quote what you said again.

China really needs to teach their citizens how to show respect rather than blackmail it from others out of their country prominence in the 21st century

SO I HAPPEN TO BE A CHINESE CITIZEN. RIGHT HERE! REPLYING TO YOUR POSTS! Did I get any respect? Are you implying I blackmailed someone? Are you saying that I should be "educated" to "show respect"? Yet you wonder why I am offended. If you don't want to sound like a racist, don't make such general statements. People WILL get offended. That's my point all along, and that's the only point that I am making now.

Edit: Now that I think about it, you owe me a tour of the city so we can convince each other that we are good people. See, that's how you "blackmail" people.

[flying ^]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

China Blanks Nobel Peace Prize Searches

those ChiComs sure are experts in that field