Absurdity, Allegory and China

Just when it seems as if things cannot get any worse regarding the Chinese drywall problem in Florida, the next chapter opens up to more bad news, though this news seems more incredulous than just plain “worse.” Seems that the Tianjin, China drywall company at the center of the storm, the Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. [...]

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The Chinese drywall problem in Florida (USA) not only refuses to go away (and I suspect that it won’t any time soon, since it continues to generate lawsuits), but it has just gotten a bit more convoluted. The latest twist has two US drywall manufacturers being included in upcoming suits. The National Law Journal (NLJ) [...]

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Here are a few photos this morning in Tianjin, which woke to a light dusting of snow. The Olympic Center was the site of a dozen football (soccer) matches during the 2008 Olympics, but there has been little-to-no activity there since then. I would know, since this is my front yard. These are taken from [...]

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What a difference a few years makes. Hillary in Beijing in 1995 and again in 2009 is a study in sharp contrast. The only thing missing on camera this past weekend was a kowtow. There was a very ‘by the short hairs’ feeling to this one. One can only hope she managed to say something [...]

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From Caijing Online, some thoughts on the fire at the TVCC. Fire Report Issued by CCTV The TV station’s report found that the fire was limited to the insulation under the titanium alloy, damaging only the surface of the high-rise. … A Chinese architecture expert, however, doubted some details in the report, saying, “It is [...]

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The Chinese drywall problem in Florida has gotten a lot bigger all of a sudden, according to a story in the Sarasota Herald Tribune: Scope widens in Chinese drywall case Drywall produced by Knauf Tianjin Plasterboard Co. Ltd. — one of the problematic manufacturers identified so far — made it to the inland town of [...]

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For those who are not following this blog from China (or for those who are and have somehow missed this developing fiasco), there is a fairly thick thread – more like a rope, as in one used to fashion a noose – that’s been making the blog rounds lately concerning a fellow named Chris Devonshire-Ellis, [...]

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Often when I take photos I don’t get around to looking at them for a while. I find I need a bit of distance between shooting and looking at what’s been shot in order to get a clearer perspective on what is good and what is not. So, last night I found this one from [...]

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Here are several b&w photos of the TVCC (Mandarin Oriental Beijing) and the CCTV HQ Building taken in the late afternoon on New Year’s Day, January 26, 2009. Click photos for larger versions More photos: Rudenoon Photostream CCTV HQ Photos Project

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Here’s the latest on spring tourism opportunities in large and beautiful areas of Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces: Official: Tibetan areas closed to foreigners An official at the tourism office of northwestern Gansu province’s Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, home to a major monastery and large Tibetan communities, said the region was closed to foreigners and [...]

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