Senior Chinese climate negotiator, Su Wei, likened the US to Zhubajie, the vain pig character from a mythical Chinese classic who preens itself in a mirror. "It has no measures or actions to show for itself, and instead it criticizes China, which is actively taking measures and actions," Su said of the United States. more ›

• Apparently, China's in the midst of a "golf boom," despite the percentage of our population who plays the game being negligible - and the fact that course construction has been officially banned since 2004, according to a story written by Shanghaiist founding editor Dan Washburn. Surprisingly, more than 400 new courses have popped up since then. Not so surprisingly, the government doesn't think twice about bulldozing multimillion dollar investments that are illegally built. [Slate]
• The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority has owned up to its bad RE: forced internment of Chinese immigrants by erecting a memorial to honor them. The chairman of the organization said he was "sorry the early immigrants [...] were denied their civil rights and denied a decent burial" but that he's "glad we're finally honoring them by righting the wrong." Well, half of the wrong, anyway. [The Los Angeles Times]
• In a surprising twist, it seems that China may end up the champion in one leg of its green energy marathon against the US: developing a "smart" power grid. China's advantages include a less-developed existing grid which is easier to modify without service interruptions and a strategery - less cute polar bears, more energy security - more aimed at winning the race than public support.[Solve Climate]

What do call-center jobs, military contracting and emissions all have in common? If you guessed "they can all be outsourced," then you're absolutely right! If you then scratched your head and asked "wait a minute - how does one outsource emissions?" don't worry - you're still right. We find it perplexing, too! more ›

• Corporations, nonprofits and government alike are throwing down major yuan to prevent the imminent extinction of 4,000-year old Nushu, a Hunan dialect that may have inadvertently started its own feminist movement. [Guardian]
• So, it seems the Chinese criminals behind that whole Google hacking business found their way into the system through a loophole Google deliberately wrote into the Gmail code in order to facilitate the US spying on its own citizens. [CNN]
• Six of eleven mainland Chinese companies listed on Singapore's stock exchange have defaulted on their bonds. The most notable offender? A Heilongjiang operation that produces bull semen and cow embryos. [Business Insider]

• The best way to show how hot the earth will be (thanks to global warming)? Strip off your pants in public. 20 people did just that in Guangdong. [Treehugger]
• Xinjiang is continuing to lift communications restrictions, including on international calls and *gasp* the internet? [Xinhua]
• Exactly how much have officials swindled out of China? It's hard to say, but a 2004 study places it at $50 billion USD. And this is before the stimulus. No wonder Beijing keeps on holding corruption conferences. [China Media Project]

We're pretty used to celebrities being the face of international causes and campaigns, whether it be global warming or genocide in Darfur. Then again, that's probably because Americans have developed an outstanding capacity to listen to famous people weigh in on important topics like intellectual welterweights. But rarely do we see celebrities attend significant events: save Bono, the realm of actual policy is reserved for experts and politicians, leaving fundraisers and PR events for the publicity-minded. more ›

It's been a full week since the UN's climate conference in Copenhagen started, and nothing ground shaking has come out of the meetings so far (beyond protesting, and an interesting scandal). Of course, gathering leaders from around the world to discuss tangible restrictions on carbon emissions seems to have only brought tension over the past decade, despite increasing evidence of global warming. Yet in the buildup to this year's talks in Copenhagen, there was a general agreement that the major players in climate change discussions would undoubtedly be America and China: the biggest polluting powers have the most at stake, yet finding a suitable agreement on reduction would undoubtedly be difficult. Tensions have already risen between the two powers, and with only two days before Premier Wen Jiabao and President Obama go to Copenhagen (and only four more days of conference), time is running out. more ›

• "VVIP" President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be camping out at the Portman Ritz-Carlton during their visit to Shanghai, effectively shutting down the hotel from Nov. 14-16. No doubt, security will be extremely tight during the Obamas' visit, so don't try nothin' fancy. [Urbanatomy]
• With all the excitement surrounding Shanghai local government approval of Disney's bid to build a new theme park in the city, there are still those who suffer the consequences: retired farmer Jin Xinmei and her husband will lose their land to the magic kingdom. This Bloomberg piece outlines China's past land acquisitions for projects such as the Three Gorges Dam and Olympics construction. [Bloomberg]
• Ye Quiantong, dubbed "China's number one voice actress" by admiring netizens, was arrested for creating pornographic audio on the website DongTing China, since shut down. As China continues to attempt asexuality, we wonder what's next... censoring erotic smells? [ChinaHush]

If you've found yourself commenting to your friends, family, or coworkers on the prolonged warm weather, you probably wouldn't be surprised to know that Shanghai's summers are actually getting longer by the year. A lot longer, in fact. Shanghai Daily reports that since 1970, the length of summer has increased by 50%, from a measly 100 days back then to a whopping average of 150+ days a year. So if you crunch the numbers, that means summer takes up more than 40% of the year. more ›

• HTC Releasing Three Android Phones In China [InformationWeek] "The company will have to remove Google Maps and tailor the operating system on the Hero, Magic, and Click to gain Chinese government approval. HTC will be bringing out three custom-tailored Android handsets for China by the end of the year, the smartphone maker said."
• Official says China's jobless situation 'very grave' despite improving economy [Los Angeles Times] "China's jobless situation is "very grave," with millions out of work due to the global crisis and the threat that unemployment might rise despite recent improvements in the economy, the government said Tuesday. Beijing is trying to create jobs for laid-off workers, new college graduates, migrants and others, said Wang Yadong, deputy director of job promotion at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security."
• Bret Stephens: China’s Pollution Problems Are a Result of Government Economic Control [WSJ] "A funny thing happened on the way to saving the world’s poor from the ravages of global warming. The poor told the warming alarmists to get lost. This spring, the Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum, led by former U.N. General Secretary Kofi Annan, issued a report warning that “mass starvation, mass migration, and mass sickness” would ensue if the world did not agree to “the most ambitious international agreement ever negotiated” on global warming at a forthcoming conference in Copenhagen. But never mind about that. The more interesting kiss-off took place in New Delhi late last month, when Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that there was no way India would sign on to any global scheme to cap carbon emissions."

• About 30,000 cleaners swept up 1,200 tonnes of fireworks debris left over from Sunday night's big celebrations.
• Originally scheduled for launch in August 2008, the much-touted luxury hotel Jumeirah HanTang Xintiandi Shanghai, will now be open for business sometime this year.
• Chinese government officials have denied U.S. Treasury secretary nominee Timothy Geithner's allegations that China is manipulating its currency.

Michael Zhao of the New York-based Asia Society emailed us with this 3-min trailer video introducing their new project China Green and informs us:

As the source of most of the major river systems in Asia from China to Pakistan, including the Yellow, the Yangtze, the Mekong, the Salween, the Brahmaputra, the Ganges and the Indus, the Tibetan Plateau has become an epicenter of crisis. With the retreating of its glaciers - what glaciologist Lonnie Thompson has called the "fresh water bank account" of Asia - rivers and lakes have started running lower, pastures have become drier, deserts larger, weather patterns more unpredictable. Indeed, the whole ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau and its hinterland are now slipping toward a catastrophic environmental disaster which will have continental implications far beyond the plateau itself.

It no longer matters whether you believe global warming is caused by man, or "just God hugging us closer." Because Chicken Little was right, Shanghai is sinking. more ›

You go first... no you go first! One might imagine this kind of bickering taking place near the swings during recess, but at a gathering of world leaders? According to PBS's Thirteen/WNET, that is exactly what is happening at this year's G8 discussions.

China and India say it is up to the developed world — the biggest polluters — to take the lead in the fight against climate change. But President Bush has said that developing nations must also sign on to make any global deal work.

China commentary just took a new turn … well several twists and turns, followed by a rapid descent into a mind-bending ideological vortex. Confused? That’s the point. No, really. That’s the point behind Sp!ked Magazine’s campaign against China-bashing in the media. more ›

The Yangtze River just can't seem to cut a break these days. Earlier this year we reported that the river was in its death throes and now it's being hit by droughts. This week the Yangtze River hit a 142-year record low, a plight expected to have some serious environmental and economic repercussion, particularly in our humble delta region. more ›

Well it's the fault of global warming elves, who have been wreaking havoc on China of late. First they go and make it hard for Harbin to hold the ice festival in an economical way by raising the temperature by five degrees (Celsius) over the average, while in other parts of China, there are those who are rapidly losing their source of drinking water. The subject of the latter, part of an article written by Beijing Newspeak blogger Chris O'Brien, is Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province. And it's not just human beings that are being endangered there; much of the world's population of Siberians cranes calls the place home. The lake is shrinking, and being at the mercy of the Yangtze River, itself suffering from the worst drought in years, the picture seems bleak. For one, conducts its first nationwide pollution survey? more ›

China Digital Times: Deal With Global Warming: Try Not to Divorce - China Youth Daily more ›

Shanghai Awaiting Approval on Disneyland [AP] Shanghai is awaiting approval of mainland China's first Disneyland, and the theme park could be built on an island in the Yangtze River, according to reports in the mainland and Hong Kong media.Shanghai sets up $1bn fund [FT] Shanghai's city government is setting up a financial investment company with about $1bn to spend on investments in China and overseas.New mechanisms required for China's climate change efforts - Greenpeace [Forbes]... more ›

Or more specifically, Hilton, which was rendered as Hiton in a recent issue of The Bund (外滩画报). They ran some pictures and an interview with Paris Hilton when she was here, but unfortunately, it's only in Chinese. She has some interesting thoughts about dark matter in the universe, which she's been exploring for her upcoming novel. On the other hand, it seems that she won't discuss where her money comes from, or if she's saving... more ›

Planning an October holiday escape? Need some fresh air? How does Norway sound? The European Arctic. That should be far enough from the pull of Shanghai's pollution, right? Wrong. These days, there's no escaping China's chief export: Crappy air. more ›

If you haven't noticed (perhaps you are a human ice cube?) it's hot out. Really hot. Today's forecast features a 36C high, which is 97F to the Americans in the audience, plus another 10-13 degrees for the heat index. Yesterday the mercury hit 39.6C, making it the hottest Shanghai day in 63 years. more ›

• Students top pregnancy hotline list
  Nearly half the women calling the city's first hotline for unexpected pregnancies are students. Hotline officials released the figures yesterday in a move to promote young people's sexual awareness ahead of World Population Day on Wednesday.


• Prostate awareness drive goes national
  Ten Chinese hospitals will kick off the nation's first coordinated research into chronic prostatitis, or inflammation of the prostate gland.


• Beijing opens first counseling clinic for prisoners
  A special assistance center was set up in Beijing Prison recently where policewomen, who are also qualified counselors, provide help for special "clients", male prisoners who are serving long sentences, Beijing Youth News reported on July 5.

For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day. more ›

The Washington Post reports that the former next president of the United States, Al Gore, is going to put on some massive live shows to help persuade the world to take global warming and climate change seriously:

At the news conference Thursday announcing this summer's ambitious "Live Earth" concerts -- designed as an exercise in "mass persuasion" about threats of global warming -- Al Gore described his vision: a 24-hour musical extravaganza across seven continents, featuring as many as 150 of the world's top recording artists, introduced by an army of "celebrities and thought leaders" (think: Cameron Diaz and Richard Branson), playing before a total live audience of a million people, and reaching 2 billion more via television, radio and the Internet on July 7.

The foreign cities hosting the stadium-size concerts will be Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, London, Rio and Kyoto, Japan.

There's a serious drought affecting Chongqing and neighboring Sichuan, which recent reports have stated is the worst such drought to hit the region in 50 years. Water levels on the Yangtze are at lows unseen for 100 years, water is being rationed in Chongqing, and millions of people are already without safe drinking water. Losses are already in the billions of yuan, and it looks like the autumn harvests are going to be shite, thus leading to huge agricultural losses. more ›

The question posed by one Glenn Beck, a program host for CNN Headline News, during his nationally syndicated radio program. Shanghaiist learned of the story from Mediamatters.org: more ›