Strollerderby : chinese

Grieving Chinese Parents Not Allowed To Sue

Brett Singer — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:00:00 GMT

A Chinese court has officially refused to hear the lawsuit filed by 57 parents whose children were killed in the earthquake earlier this year, according to the AP.

The New York Times had confirmed this morning that the lawsuit had in fact been filed. 127 students in the town of Deyang lost their lives on May 12; some, but not all, of their parents are involved in the suit. Many parents blamed shoddy construction at the school buildings they were in when the quake occurred; in total, 88,000 people were killed, 10,000 were schoolchildren. The Chinese government has said that they plan to investigate the disaster and promised to punish anyone found guilty of not making the school buildings as safe as they could be; so far nothing has been done, despite an admission by a Chinese official that, "a rush to build schools in recent years likely led to construction flaws causing so many of them to collapse," according to the AP report. The Chinese government has actively tried to stop anyone from talking about the earthquake, offering grieving parents "the equivalent of $8,800 in cash and several thousand more dollars in post-retirement pension payments if they agreed to drop the issue of the collapsed schools," according to the New York Times.

Now the parents and the lawyer who agreed to represent them may be in danger of being charged with treason. Despite this, more parents are expected to join the lawsuit. So this isn't over yet.

In other news, a Chinese court did allow someone to sue KFC – yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken – because she ate potato chips that had "black and silk-like things" in them. Priorities, people, priorities. Sheesh.

Sources: chinacsr.com

AP via Google News

New York Times (also image)

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Breaking News: Cadbury chocolate made in China recalled

Brett Singer — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:15:00 GMT

The AP is reporting that Cadbury is "recalling 11 types of Chinese-made chocolates after tests found they contained the industrial chemical melamine." This follows the recall of tainted milk powder in China.

AND, according to Newsinferno.com, a specific candy made by Cadbury called "White Rabbit" has been found to contain Melamine, the substance that cause more than 50,000 children to fall ill in China. The candy has been "distributed to California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington state through wholesale distributors to retail stores."

Before you say what I said ("Newsinferno? What's that?"), here's a link to the FDA's press release about the recall.

Newsinferno also reports that, "Pizza Hut suspended supplying cheese powder found to be contaminated by melamine in Pizza Hut’s Taiwan branch." Unless you happen to be in Taiwan, this one is pretty easy to avoid, but the White Rabbit stuff sounds like it could be in your local candy shoppe. Plus there are 11 other varieties, such as Eclairs (sold in Australia). So be careful.

But wait! There's more! According to Wikipedia, this White Rabbit stuff was recalled last year in the Philippines because it contained formaldehyde. Yum!

Anyone else in the mood for some good news? Like, "Field of unicorns found frolicking in Central Park, film at 11"? Sorry, I made that one up. Sounds good though, right?

Sources: CBS News/AP, Newsinferno.com, Sydney Morning Herald, Wikipedia (also image)

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They say: Chinese baby formula is dangerous

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Now Chinese Coffee May Also Be Contaminated

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YOU say: I got fooled (update to "They USED to say: give babies cola")

UPDATE: Tainted Milk Tally tops 50,000

Brett Singer — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

An update to the tainted milk story from VOANews.com:

China is vowing to stop tainted milk from reaching export markets, amid a growing scandal...Four Chinese infants have already died from drinking toxic milk products and more than 53,000 others have been made sick...The widening scandal has already claimed resignations from several officials, including Li Changjiang, the head of China's top quality inspection agency.

Apparently this was a known problem for eight months before anyone did anything about it.

53,000 kids sick? Nasty.

Original post follows.

*-*-*-*-*

The number of children affected by a dangerous chemical in certain brands of Chinese-made baby formula is going up. CNN is reporting that more than 13,000 children in China have been, "sickened by tainted milk."

The details are even worse: four babies have died, and a 3-year-old girl in Hong Kong was hospitalized after drinking the tainted formula. The little girl was released, but this means that the illnesses are no longer isolated to Mainland China.

AND: "In addition, nearly 40,000 other infants and young children have received outpatient medical treatment and consultation as a result of the tainted milk," according to Xinhua, China's state-run news agency.

The issue, according to published reports, is that the formula contains a chemical called melamine, which is a "key ingredient in most fire retardant materials." In other words, not something anyone should be eating.

Full details are on CNN.com.

A reader emailed to ask if we knew whether or not any U.S. formula brands were affected. We do not. That's not to say that there is any reason to think that there IS a problem with any U.S. baby formulas; as far as I know (the key words there are "as far as I know") there have been no recalls or reports of infants becoming sick from baby formula in the United States. Still, I would be very careful with any formula that you buy, especially if you have any reason to believe it was manufactured in China. To clarify: we are NOT saying that you should avoid any brand of baby formula, we are only telling you what CNN has reported. There has been some concern that boxes of Sanlu-brand formula may be on store shelves in Chinese grocery stores in the United States; more details are here.

Source: CNN
Image: china.org.cn

Mom finds hairy Goldilocks in 2 year old's bed

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They say: Chinese baby formula is dangerous

Brett Singer — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:30:00 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a waning about baby formula made in China. These products are illegal in the U.S., but the FDA fears that some bottles may have found their way onto store shelves in Chinese neighborhoods.

Before I start a worldwide panic, let me point out that the FDA also said, "There is no threat of contamination in the domestic supply of infant formula." So you can give your little one good ol' U.S. baby formula (provided there are no La Leche people nearby – ba dum bum.)

According to Chinese officials, "contaminants were found in Sanlu-brand milk formula," which, "killed one baby and caused kidney stones in dozens of others who may have drunk the same product." A recall of the product was issued in China on August 6.

The FDA...said agency officials were concerned the Chinese formula may be tainted with melamine, the contaminant found in pet food ingredients from China and linked to the deaths and illnesses of hundreds of cats and dogs in 2007.

Bad stuff. If this formula is on sale in the U.S., or anyplace else, I hope it gets pulled from the shelves.

Source: Reuters
Image: china.org.cn

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Nastia Liukin's mom watches from the stands (video)

Brett Singer — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Apparently Nastia Liukin's mother, Anna Kotchneva Liukin, has a hard time watching her gold-medal winning daughter compete. According to the NBC commentators, she spent some of the recent Beijing events shopping. This time, though, she stuck it out, but not without some difficulty. They didn't mention it, but I don't think she knows the guy she's sitting next to, despite the fact that she almost ends up in his lap.

My kids aren't terribly athletic (at least not yet) so I don't know what it's like to see your offspring in an intense competition, and the Olympics are as big as it gets for gymnasts. Anna knows from being on that big stage: she was a champion gymnast herself. Not sure if that makes it harder or easier to see your kid out there; judging from this video, I'd say it must be pretty tough.

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IOC orders investigation of Chinese Gymnast's age

Brett Singer — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:54:00 GMT

He Kexin won a gold medal in the uneven bars and also contributed to the Chinese beating out the U.S. in the team gymnastics event. She looks really really young, and there have been questions about her age for awhile now. The IOC has begun to formally investigate whether or not, "Chinese authorities covered up the true age of their gold-medal winning gymnastics star because she was too young to compete," because of, "'discrepancies' that have come to light about the age of He Kexin." You kind of have to wonder what took them so long, but apparently someone, described as an "American hacker" by the U.K.-based Times Online, has uncovered documents that offer proof that Kexin is too young.

Watching the games, the judging also seemed biased, although that's more subjective. Still, I'm pretty sure I saw a member of the Chinese team fall in one event and not get any deduction, whereas an American who had a similar fall lost points. Béla Károlyi told Bob Costas that, "The lack of competence of certain judges is obvious," and it was tough to disagree.

Károlyi's wife Marta has attacked the age issue the way her gymnasts attacked their events, and while I think she went a little overboard, I agree that the whole thing is very suspicious.

Would the Chinese government lie about an athlete's age in order to gain a competitive advantage? And if so, what happens? The medals get stripped, but should they be banned from the Olympics for a time after that?

So – how old do you think she looks? 14? 16? Do I hear 12?

Source/image: TimesOnline

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Bela Karolyi likes to kill things

Brett Singer — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:00:00 GMT

When Béla Károlyi isn't training world-class gymnasts or telling Bob Costas that, "The lack of competence of certain judges [in this year's Olympic Games] is obvious," he likes to go…hunting.

When I googled Károlyi in an attempt to get the spelling of his name correct, this page was the fourth result. After seeing him comment, often mercilessly, on the various Olympic gymnastic events, I'm going to say that I'm not exactly shocked that one of his leisure activities is hunting big game.

I'm not going to say anything else about this, since, you know, I don't want to get shot.

Images/Source: bigbexotics.com

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Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Brett Singer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Australian crewman won a gold medal in men's pairs rowing. For inspiration, he kept a photo of his kids tucked away in his shorts:

So he's a gold-medal winning dad, and has been keeping a blog at drewginn.blogspot.com.

It seems like there are more parents competing at the games this year, but it's possible that there always were and I just never noticed. One of those, "now that I have children I see parents everywhere" kind of things.

My wife asked me if I would keep a picture of the kids with me if I were competing in the Olympics. The fact that she would compare me to an Olympic athlete is one of the many reasons why I love her.

image: nbcolympics.com

source: abc.net.au

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Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Brett Singer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

While we wonder whether or not the Chinese gymnasts are the age the government says they are, there's some other stuff happening over in China.

First up, British protesters were arrested for unfurling a "Free Tibet" banner (video below):

Second, and perhaps more disturbing, is this video of a British journalist being detained for covering said protest (video below):

But hey, what about that Michael Phelps? He won another medal, right?

Source/image: Daily Telegraph

It all started when Mary needed a laxative

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Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Should Countries be Allowed to Ban Women from the Olympics?

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Bored games

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Brett Singer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:30:00 GMT

The Daily Telegraph is reporting that there was even more fakin' goin' on at the 2008 Olympics' opening ceremony.

Although the official opening ceremony guide said, according to the Telegraph, that "Fifty-six children from 56 Chinese ethnic groups cluster around the Chinese national flag, representing the 56 ethnic groups." But the children were, "in fact all from the same [ethnic group], the majority Han Chinese race." According to the Telegraph, "The official guide to the opening ceremony said that the children did not just represent but 'came from' China's ethnic groups."

One thing that is interesting is the response, which is similar to the one expressed after the opening ceremony's Milli Vanilli moment. "I assume they think the kids were very natural looking and nice," Yuan Zhifeng, deputy director of the Galaxy Children's Art Troupe said.

Basically, as long as things look OK, they are. For more, read (and see) this.

source/image: Daily Telegraph

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Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Brett Singer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Maybe the U.S. Gymnastics team coach Márta Károlyi could take a lesson on how to lose gracefully from the gymnasts themselves.

After the U.S. won the silver (or lost the gold, depending on who you ask) Márta had a few things to say: Asked about the controversy over the ages of several Chinese gymnasts, including bars standout He Kexin, Karolyi stressed that while she had "no proof" that the competitors in question had not yet turned 16, she had noticed that "one little girl has a missing tooth". A baby tooth, presumably. "Certain countries go by the rules," Karolyi continued, "and certain countries may not." She also accused the judges of "psychological warfare" because of the time it took for the scores to be posted.

So how did the ladies on her team respond?

Pretty damn well, actually.

Shawn Johnson, the 16-year-old world champion, was more…well, mature about the whole thing. "In the end, we’re more than happy and proud to represent the USA wearing silver around our necks," Johnson said. "We respect the Chinese for what they’ve done. They had a great meet and brought their game."

Also: "We are proud of each other no matter what we do, we are still a family no matter what."

Did I mention she was 16?

Here's a video promo Shawn shot before the games. In it, she says that gymnastics is about falling, and getting back up, no matter what. Sounds like a good lesson for her coach.

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Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Brett Singer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:22:00 GMT

So. Like much of the world, I'm watching the Olympics. Women's Beach Volleyball is on. The wife refers to this event somewhat derisively. At first, I think that this is because of the fact that, you know, it's beach volleyball. How is this an Olympic event?

Then, a couple of days later, I catch a glimpse of the Men's Volleyball. Which is played indoors. By a team of more than two players. Fully clothed.

Suddenly, I get it. She's not saying that the women aren't athletes, or that it isn't a sport. It's that the women play on sand, barefoot, in bikinis. The men play in a gym. In clothes. Did I mention that?

Women's Beach Volleyball – the name itself is somewhat silly, since there is no Women's Indoor Volleyball, or Women-Standing-On-Hot-Coals Volleyball (CORRECTION: there is indoor women's volleyball, but they wear hot pants, so, y'know...) – is played by women in bikinis. Athletic looking bikinis, yes. But still bikinis.

After winning a point against the Belgian team, a song comes over the sound system. Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

OK.

UPDATE: The Table Tennis Federation actually asked the female players to wear more revealing outfits.

image: latimes.com

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Team more mature than coach

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Hunka hunka burnin Barbie

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Matthew McConaughey keeps placenta

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Birth inspires lottery ticket purchase

Retarded movie boycott

They Say: We're Fatties Because We Eat More Than Ever

How tough is it to be an only child in China?

Brett Singer — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:00:00 GMT

So you think you've got pressure? Try being an only child. Then add to that the fact that your parents can't have any more children – BY LAW.

Robert Siegel from NPR spent some time with an only child in China, before the devastating earthquake. The piece goes a long way towards confirming the stereotype of the overworked Asian child and parents who push them to study non-stop. "Like other Chinese high school students, she typically rises at 6:30 a.m., hits the books at 7:30 a.m. and doesn't knock off until 9:30 p.m." Sounds fun.

Another component of only-childness is indulging certain desires, at least in the case of this particular 17 year-old girl. When Luo Meng turned 17, she did what she refers to as a "Barbie shoot," creating a photo album of pics that would probably cause parents to flip if they had been taken from Miley Cyrus' myspace page.

So this kid works hard, she plays hard. But it's mostly work -- at least it is at school. Here's a line from the parent of a 10-year-old in China: "If you want to guarantee the quality of children, then you shouldn't have too many births…Children here don't have a very happy childhood." The parent goes on to say that "childhood is hard work," but at home, kids have it easy. "Mainly because they're the only one, their parents will do most of the chores for them…So comparing their generation to ours, their living skills are very weak." Work all day at school, come home and put your feet up. Hey, not bad! Sounds like there's not too much more pressure being the only kid, at least not as described here. And there are some benefits, like no chores.

It got me thinking: there are single-sex schools in the United States. What if there were an only-child school? Is the only-child experience that much different from the sibling experience? At one particular private music school in China, all "300 students are only children." I wonder if that shared experience makes any difference to the kids.

image: NPR.org

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