China Megathread - Their navy can be taken seriously or taken littorally

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > China Megathread - Their navy can be taken seriously or taken littorally

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Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

hitension posted:

Perhaps I'm naive for thinking it's overall good for women to work, but this statement is also naive. I think there are very few women that can choose to not work in the US. Be as harsh on Chinese as you want, the information is very helpful, but don't overestimate how great Western society must be just because it's different.

I remember a Chinese guy whining to me about how Chinese weddings were so expensive, and how he thought an American wedding must be super cheap. That was a laugh!

"What women want" in any society is ridiculously varied and almost impossible to pin down (what do men want, for that matter? what do humans want?) and I think we need some statistics to back up our claims. Unfortunately, it's hard to find quantitative statistics about peoples' opinions, so we just get your "women just want to stay at home washing clothes" anecdote vs. my anecdotes of Chinese women telling me if they're NOT working it's 没有意义. Anecdotally, the only people I've ever met who told me their life dream was to be a "wife" were Japanese women, but I've met some Japanese women who want to be diplomats and doctors too. It's really hard to generalize. Probably it's different for different places as well-- in China I end up talking to university and grad students and young professionals in major cities, who certainly don't represent the whole country.

Oh, I'm familiar with the bracket thing, but don't they do that for all genders and races? I like to joke how the US would be if we had
President, Barack Obama (Male, African-American)
Vice President, Joe Biden (Male, White)
Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton (Female, White)
Looks weird and unnecessary to include this extra information, right? But China does it.

and so on. All it does is draw attention to how many (Male, Han) there are in China. I even see it after professor's names sometimes.
Affirmative action in Chinese colleges is interesting too..

The bracket thing is only done for women and minorities. If your name has nothing after it you are a Han male.

There are lots of measures of how countries treat women. The number of days of paid maternity leave and the percentage of pay mandated by law, for example. One mentioned in Sinica(you're all listening, right?) was female suicide rates - China's is the highest in the world, and almost unique in being higher than that of men.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2012 15:18

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 05:13

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

hitension posted:

Are we talking about the same thing? Both of these list the "Male, Han" thing I'm talking about :
http://www.dlxww.com/gb/daliandaily/2003-03/17/content_127915.htm
http://news.qq.com/a/20080316/001295.htm

Do you ever watch CCTV news? Whenever there's a list of officials, e.g. when they go through and list every single member of the NPC after each meeting, the one's that are not male and Han will have brackets after their names to indicate their status.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2012 15:41

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Fangz posted:

Suicide rates are a notoriously unreliable proxy for some idea of public wellbeing. In the UK, for example, merely changing the gas supply reduced suicide rates by a third.

Having a higher suicide rate for women than men when it is overwhelmingly the opposite in pretty much every other country tells you something about the status of women.

quote:

I always have to stifle a smirk when I am told by my coworkers that social welfare in America is "very good", and tell them to compare it to Western (not great but better) or Nothern Europe.

Social welfare in America is very good compared to China. In America old and poor people get free healthcare instead of dying in the street like farm animals. Not bad! I doubt your friends were telling you that America is literally Sweden.

# ¿ Jun 7, 2012 04:45

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

http://politics.caijing.com.cn/2012-06-08/111883328.html

Changsha plans to build the world's tallest building, 220 storeys, 838 meters in 7 months. Will be done by the end of the year.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2012 03:35

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Abilifier posted:

I can't read Chinese, so I'm missing a lot of details here. Are they going to build a 220 Storey tower in 6 months? Considering it took 5 years to build the Burj Khalifa, this estimate seems a tad optimistic.

Yes. The article notes that a lot of Chinese commentators are also skeptical. The company that is building it is the same one that did the "6 storey hotel in 10 hours" videos you might have seen on youtube, so a lot of it might be pre-fabricated or some poo poo like that. I guess we'll find out in 6 months.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2012 03:46

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Electro-Boogie Jack posted:

Thanks! I was thinking about fleshing out parts of it (and yes, adding more pictures). You'll probably notice if I repost it!

No one is quoting it because it says right there in the OP: No Tibet stuff, so SA doesn't get blocked.

Are we going to let 100 flowers bloom now?

# ¿ Jun 12, 2012 15:58

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

So there are some more details about the tallest skyscraper in the world being built in 6 months.

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/06/15/build-the-worlds-tallest-building-in-nine-months-sure-why-not/

# ¿ Jun 15, 2012 08:53

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

SharpyShuffle posted:

It would be nice if sites hosting articles about China, which will inevitably attract a lot of interest from within China itself, could avoid using youtube. Not a big deal, and obviously youtube is easy and popular, but it's hardly the only option.

Are there other options? I don't think they can use Youku or any of the Chinese ones because they are throttled outside of China (Chinese advertisers don't pay for American eyeballs)?

# ¿ Jun 15, 2012 14:30

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Why are there so many posts about who some lovely movie starlet is loving. Who gives a poo poo. Jesus Christ, 99% of movie actresses are just moderately attractive chicks who most people only see after a ton of makeup and photoshop. You'll see a dozen girls hotter than Zhang Ziyi on the subway every day.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2012 17:16

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

# ¿ Jul 27, 2012 01:32

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Here's a thing

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303567704577519390210114240.html

quote:

For all Bo Xilai's reputation as big-government leftist, he was a more complex character when it came to policy.

When the recently deposed Communist Party leader of Chongqing served as China's commerce minister in the mid-2000s, he pushed for a reduction of tariff rebates, which battered exporters. In export-heavy Guangdong province, next to Hong Kong, some 50,000 labor-intensive manufacturers went broke in 2007 and 2008, the American Chamber of Commerce in South China estimates. Their demise cleared the way for companies specializing in more complex processes than factory assembly and contributed to the remaking of Shenzhen and Guangzhou into more modern cities.

As party boss in Chongqing�before his fall in a scandal that grew out of the death of a British businessman he was associated with�Mr. Bo pressed for the adoption of a land-auction program based on market principles. He also championed another program that let peasants trade land for the rights to live in cities rather than rural areas. City dwellers in China are entitled to better schooling and social welfare programs.

The goal of those programs has been to provide a stable workforce that can attract foreign investment. Mr. Bo's fall has emboldened critics within the Communist Party's left wing to cripple the programs.

"It would be ironic if the left slows down reform because of the misdeeds of someone identified with the left"�Mr. Bo�said Tom Miller, managing editor of China Economic Quarterly in Beijing.

Under the land-auction program, peasant farmers could elect to receive a certificate called a dipiao�somewhat akin to a deed�for their homes and residential land and auction this certificate on the Chongqing County Land Exchange, located in a building next to the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Chongqing.

Developers want dipiaos because the certificates give them the right to develop the same-sized plot of land close to the city center. Farmers are promised a minimum of about 96,000 yuan ($15,000) for every one-sixth acre they have. Their plots are frequently less than an acre because they can dispose only of their household and the land around it, not the fields they till.

The payments are supposed to be enough for farmers to start a life in China's cities, where wages are much higher than in rural China. Farm homes are bulldozed and the plots turned back to farmland.

At the program's best, farmers get reasonable value for their land instead of facing the possibility of being ripped off. When they become city dwellers, they become part of Chongqing city's labor force, which is a big selling point for companies moving from the coast in search of cheaper wages.

But the plan was never all that popular and has stalled. Farmers wonder if they will get the money they were promised; now they wonder what the future holds without Mr. Bo. Some government officials oppose the dipiao system as a big step toward land privatization, which is still a no-no in officially Communist China.

The central government closed a similar program in Chengdu in 2010, but Chongqing's program was permitted to continue on an experimental basis�perhaps a testament to the clout Mr. Bo used to wield.

The last major dipiao auction appears to have been held on April 30, 2010, although individual transactions can still take place. The last of those appear to have occurred on Dec. 6, 2011, according to the land-exchange website. There was no information about future deals. Chongqing authorities wouldn't answer questions about the dipiao.

Mr. Bo was a popular official throughout Chongqing, which still is adjusting to his sacking. "People in Chongqing felt like they were running a race," said a Chongqing academic close to the city's leadership. "Then 200 meters from the end, you see the leader suddenly go down. Others wonder what they should do now."

The village of Kongmu, 50 miles from downtown Chongqing, was described in Chinese media as an early supporter of dipiao exchanges. Now residents of the small community aren't so sure they want to trade their land.

Li Yi holds her newborn son in a tiny house overlooking rice paddies and patches of corn. "Only a few aggressive villagers want to try their luck with the dipiao," she says. "I'm' not aggressive. I don't want to try."

# ¿ Jul 29, 2012 17:22

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

The kind of people who become part and government officials tend to not be extremely devout and observant muslims anyway.

# ¿ Aug 2, 2012 18:03

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

For those of you who haven't read the book, the NYT has a nice list of Gu Kailai quotes.

quote:

Before she was standing trial in a Chinese court on a murder charge, Gu Kailai, the 53-year-old lawyer and wife of deposed political leader Bo Xilai, wrote a book in a breezy style disparaging aspects of the American legal system. The following are selected quotes from the book, �Winning a Lawsuit in the U.S.,� published by Guangming Daily publishing house in February 1998.
Related

Trial of Chinese Ex-Official�s Wife Begins and Ends (August 10, 2012)

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Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.
Twitter List: Reporters and Editors
Some people ask me �how can you win a case which has already lost twice in the States?� I say this is the difference between defeated without having a battle and winning over a battle � courage is more important than wisdom.

� � � � �

I often see foreigners have this lower-than-average-IQ look and shrug their shoulders when they talk about the Chinese culture.

� � � � �

We should have expected that American laws were gangster laws.

� � � � �

The United States is a place where abundant absurd dramas have been produced. They can level charges against dogs and a court can even convict a husband of raping his wife. They can come up with all variety of strange and absurd law cases.

� � � � �

China�s image is not of a concern to our grass-roots people; it is the concern of the general secretary and the premier.

� � � � �

Leaders should be able to �ignore things.� This is what Stalin said with wisdom when he had encountered the counter-revolutionaries. Lu Xun once said �to show the highest contempt is not to respond.� This is what Dalian people should do to the American federal court.

� � � � �

What if our relative was murdered and we know how much he had suffered before death? We should cry for him. What if we know that the murderer is still out there and go scot-free? We should seek justice, even by putting our own life as the price.

� � � � �

We should not punish ourselves with other�s faults. We should not determine to be the best mouse � just be the one that can�t be caught by cats.

� � � � �

China practices law in a different way than America; we don�t play with words. We have a principle called �based on the facts.� You will be arrested, sentenced and executed as long as we know you killed someone.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2012 05:07

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Well to be fair Beijing is kind of a shithole and probably the worst city amongst the capitals of a major country.

# ¿ Aug 18, 2012 10:27

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Pro-PRC Laowai posted:

Fun fact: There's a whole little growing side industry now to mod the badges over to domestic brands

The guy who set fire to his own Honda Civic supposedly is getting a free car from BYD as a show of national solidarity. This is funny on the following levels:

- He's replacing a Honda Civic with a BYD. :lol:

- BYD's best selling car, the F3, is on the outside such an exact copy of the Toyota Corolla that body panels are interchangable.

- BYD dealers usually offered to replace the BYD badge with a Toyota badge on the spot when you bought the car.

# ¿ Sep 16, 2012 10:41

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

The Russian navy attacked a British fishing fleet off the coast of Britain during the Russo-Japanese war. The Russians claimed they mistook them for Japanese warships.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogger_Bank_incident

# ¿ Sep 17, 2012 15:05

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Fall Sick and Die posted:

Here's an example of a Chinese map...

Heh.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2012 06:00

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Grand Fromage posted:

As a complete anecdote, I used to teach Chinese students at my university and several wrote papers about the Rape of Nanking. Every single one of them had a ridiculous number for the victims--my favorite was the one that said Japan killed five billion Chinese people in WW2. I assumed she just didn't know what billion meant but the most I was able to talk her down to was two hundred million. The lowest number I was able to ever get anyone down to for the massacre itself was two million people.

I assume they must be getting that from school but I don't know. Korea exaggerates Japanese crimes against them, I wouldn't be surprised if China does too. I think it cheapens them--Japan did legitimately do massive amounts of awful poo poo and killed millions of people, there's no reason to lie about it to try to make it look worse. All it does is make the victims look dishonest.

How about this theory: Ordinary people just don't know a whole lot about history and sometimes say incorrect things without the need for a big government conspiracy? I bet there are Americans who had quaint ideas about certain facts from the history of the United States too?

# ¿ Sep 19, 2012 04:24

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

DaiJiaTeng posted:

Ah sorry I think I should clarify. When I said Chinese family I meant my wife's side. My in-laws. I should have clarified better. They are all here in Hangzhou as well.

I agree with your statement about the countryside completely. I think poverty is a huge obstacle to (among alot of things) discussion. Like you said, you aren't going to be discussing much when you are barely able to survive and put food on the table. Although, current food prices are getting crazy and that in itself might start sparking something.

I think the part of the conversation above that I took issue with was this:

I felt that discussions about society and current events was a part of life for more people than numbers presented here, for example.

Also I wanted to ask anyone who is knowledgable about Taiwan stuff: Does the GMD still say that it is the rightful ruler of China? I was curious if they have stances on Tibet and Xinjiang (is it an integral part of China, or do they support autonomy, or something else)?

Fall Sick and Die posted:

Here's an example of a Chinese map...

# ¿ Sep 27, 2012 13:00

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

I remember there were articles in the Economist about Bo before his downfall. That's never happened for any other provincial leader or pretty much anyone who isn't on the politburo standing commitee. That's a pretty good sign that he was getting to big for his britches.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2012 10:42

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

I would be pretty suspicious of you too because why the gently caress would anyone want to be Chinese? :shepicide:

# ¿ Oct 2, 2012 09:12

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

As a stunted Asian woman with the mental capacity of a 10 year old I sure am glad I found a big husky laowai boyfriend to explain to me how babbies are :shepicide:

Let's talk about how we all love dating 7th graders

# ¿ Oct 3, 2012 04:35

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Roadside_Picnic posted:

As an addendum to this point, if your view of international politics, generally speaking, is repeatedly forcing you to consider thermonuclear war in East Asia as the only possible resolution of conflict between Japan and China and the US, you already have a pretty good illustration of why you should not be allowed anywhere near political power.

On that thought, has anybody ever considered the possibility that both the Japanese and Chinese government like playing up international tensions because it gives them an excuse to present the populations they govern as being incapable of reasonable rational thought and therefore in need of rule?

The Japanese government needs an excuse to present the population of Japan as being incapable of reasonable rational thought and therefore in need of rule? What?

I mean I'm sure there are aspects of Japanese political life that you as an outsider find distasteful, but that's true for any democracy. Everyone in democractic countries think exactly the same thing. Everyone in America hates congress, except for their own representatives that they voted for of course, if you ask people in the SF bay area whether West Virginians are capable of rational thought or are in need of iron fisted rule to drag them out of their ignorant backwardness they would say the same poo poo Chinese people do("Chinese people are literally all savages that will burn the country to the ground if Uncle Mao lifted his boot off their necks for one second, except for the special enlightened models of socialist labor like me of course.") that's the nature of democracy and public opinion in a pluralistic country.

# ¿ Oct 6, 2012 02:48

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

I don't have a position on this poo poo but if you actually believe that any government hand out foreign aid purely due to some kind of collective national altruism then you have a very poor understanding of how governments and large organizations work. Switch "China/Japan" with for example, "America/Israel" and tell me with a straight face that this is what you actually think.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2012 06:13

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

quote:

Here you can catch a glimpse what Shanghai used to look like a quarter century ago. Even the dress from that era was so different.

Speak for yourself. I'm still rocking a sweater-vest with a blazer over the top every day. :colbert:

I told this story before(maybe in this tread) but one day I was bored and flipping channels and caught Micheal Palin's Himalaya on one of those 2nd tier provincial satellite chanels, like Yunnan TV or some poo poo. It was subtitled in traditional Chinese and apparently no one bothered to actually watch the thing before throwing it on air - it has a pretty long and sympathetic Palin interview with the Dalai Lama towards the end. I imagine the program director is probably toiling away in a labour camp now, but serves him right for probably throwing up pirate DVDs without checking.

# ¿ Nov 7, 2012 09:38

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Fiendish_Ghoul posted:

Agreed, we need to focus on the real issue here: do Chinese people constantly poo poo in the streets or not?

I have no doubt that people in Zhengzhou in fact poo poo in the streets everywhere and you can ask any non-Henan Chinese this. Henan is sort of like the West Virginia of China, in that the rest of the country hates the places, with the exception that Americans think of WVians as being merely stupid, while the Chinese think of Henan people as being actively dishonest. Also like 90 million people (including a surprising number of posters in this thread for some reason) live in Henan.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2013 02:05

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

The obvious solution is for Hong Kong to introduce ration books for baby formula and nationalize all retail outlets selling it. Hong Kong baby formula for Hong Kongers only.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2013 07:34

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

I don't understand this baby formula thing anyway. Aren't babies supposed to be sucking on nipples?

(clearly I am an expert on this subject)

# ¿ Jan 28, 2013 12:34

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Children are pretty inconvenient in general.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2013 12:44

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Arglebargle III posted:

Why are Chinese consumers so dumb about these luxury brands then, especially considering none of them are better than free breastmilk? Chinese consumers tend to be pretty price-conscious in other areas, to the point of being kinda stingy. For things that are non-conspicuous consumption like baby formula at least. Although I guess I don't know Hong Kongers and the southern nouveau riche very well.

People everywhere are dumb about all consumer products. You think the average American is particularly well informed about the particulars of the poo poo they buy? Now imagine that same person except he doesn't speak English and can't access half the internet.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2013 03:20

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

I hate Kimchee. Korea sounds like the worst place in the world.

Most Americans forget this since the USSR isn't around preparing to parachute tank armies into North Dakota or whatever but Russia/USSR is and was always much richer (per capita PP GDP 2011 $21k vs $8k) and more advanced than China. It's much richer than most of the fUSSR member states too, e.g. Ukraine and a major destination for economic migrants.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2013 04:05

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

I would eat hamburgers everyday if I could afford it. Hamburgers are delicious.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2013 07:39

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

PM2.5 particulates aren't visible so the stuff you can see isn't really the stuff that's killing you.

I've been using various types of N95 filters.

http://s.taobao.com/search?q=n95+%B...suggest&wq=n95+

The ones that also have active charcoal elements and an exhalation valve are the best, I've been to Beijing twice in the last bit and I've not hat anything in my snot and no respiratory complaints, compared to the last time I went there for less than 12 hours on a bad day and was coughing and hacking for days. Hell I wear one into a public bathroom and couldn't smell anything, for that alone they're well worth the price. The ones I have reduce but don't completely eliminate second hand smoke though, for that you need a more expensive P95 grade mask.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2013 04:03

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

After how many years do you cease to be surprised that most Asian countries are literally the US in the 1920s a la Boardwalk Empire?

# ¿ Feb 19, 2013 07:56

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

It's been a while since I've seen one but I don't think there's any dialogue in Tom and Jerry? What is the educational value here?

# ¿ Feb 25, 2013 06:31

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Dr. Witherbone posted:

And those guards just stand around, doing jack poo poo. I assume this is typical behaviour? From the cops, I mean?

E: speaking of the bystander effect, I recall a video that made waves a year or two back of an abandoned toddler lying on the street getting repeatedly hurt. I remember one of the key reasons for this being a history of bad legal precedent for this, where people who try to help wound up getting caught up in nasty lawsuits.

I was wondering if anyone had examples of key cases that created this precedent for helping people being unsafe, or if there was some kind of paper/write up on China's lack of good Samaritan laws. I figure there has to have been some pretty huge public cases for people to be so worried about assisting one another.

1) It's not really clear who those guys in uniform in the background are. They look too smartly dressed to be security guards for sure, and much better dressed than the average cop. They might be cops but they look more like off-duty military officers travelling on a civilian flight. The cops in airports would usually be wearing something more like cargo pants and a reflective vest and not button down jacket and tie.

2) Yep, security guards will definitely not do anything. I sure as hell wouldn't if I were a security guard, if they want me to go start getting physical with people or some poo poo, especially people who might be rich/connected, they'd have to pay me a lot more than what a security guard gets. EDIT: I'm pretty sure private security guards in western countries aren't legally mandated to, if they see trouble, do anything other than stay back and call the cops, either.

3) Even if I were a cop, why bother? The guy doesn't seem to be harming or threatening to harm anyone, he's just smashing up some office equipment. I'm not risking my loving life/limb to save some office equipment. It's all on film, the airline knows who he is and where he lives, want until he gets tired, take him away and the airline can press charges against him for the damage if they want.

Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Feb 26, 2013

# ¿ Feb 26, 2013 04:27

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

goldboilermark posted:

Here's the Youku link for all the China goons: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTE4NDU0OTUy.html

Views: Badass.

And the case that set the precedent for China to have literally The Biggest Bystander Effect in the Entire World is linked here.

Back in the late 90s before there were any white people in China(apparently) this film was all the rage.

http://www.baike.com/wiki/%E3%80%8A%E7%A6%BB%E5%BC%80%E9%9B%B7%E9%94%8B%E7%9A%84%E6%97%A5%E5%AD%90%E3%80%8B

I think in the Peng case it turned out that the guy who helped the old woman had, in fact pushed her. So at the end of the day never underestimate Chinese douchebaggery.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2013 05:48

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

How much does the US Treasury Secretary or AG get paid compared to what he could make in the private sector? That's sort of the nature of any government job in any country outside of the Nordics or Singapore.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2013 04:25

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Supposedly the highest levels of the Chinese leadership look to Singapore as a model for better governance under an authoritarian regime. A hallmark of the Singaporean system (one of the least corrupt countries in the world according to most measures) is the idea that you should just pay them a lot of money openly, with performance bonuses tied to economic growth, if they'll just do their loving jobs.

http://www.ibtimes.com/millionaires-row-singapore-government-ministers-high-salaries-spark-outrage-819789

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Singapore#Remuneration

I generally like it. Just start from the assumption that anyone savvy enough to get up to their position of authority is going to enrich themselves one way or the other, and then figure out how to minimize the distortion and uncertainty that this will bring to the economy. So the minister of railways has 18 mistresses? If that was all it took to :hitler:

get the trains running on time :hitler:

then the government should procure a harem for every single minister.

It probably doesn't work at the very highest levels of government (of a country larger than Singapore), but for the lower and middle end it's probably OK.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2013 07:47

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 05:13

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

GuestBob posted:

Apparently Scottish people tend to either traffic in huge amounts of opium or clean up civil society: nice.

This chap is cool for several reasons, not least of which because his name rhymes internally and sounds like some sort of Runrig-esque Vedic chant. But the coolest thing about his guy is his job title, I am clearly living in the wrong century because there is nothing I want to be more than a "colonial administrator". I know it's terrible, but the Anglo-Saxon in me just can't help himself.

The older HKers I know all wish they were back under the British yoke. The only thing they hate more than the British are other Chinese.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2013 11:31

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > China Megathread - Their navy can be taken seriously or taken littorally

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