[ast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif You must be kidding. I'll show you one exemple of the impact of having no rules in the environment field: ...... Their economical ''winning strategy'' will someday haunt them. Would you realy live in a country with so little protection for their population? Amicalement

Nobody would dispute with that fact. I am by no means saying China is perfect, far from it! But regarding this Olympic effort, I'd say the Chinese are doing a GREAT job, put out an effort more than they could afford normally.

Regarding the Three Gorge Dam project, things are not that easy. China need lots of energy quickly. If it were not the Dam, then it would have to be either burning coad or diesel, which are much worse to the env. Nuclear seems to be a slightly better solution, but it has it own problems. Nobody, including the Chinese, want to deliberately destroy the env. Sometimes growing pain is inevitable, as long as they do whatever they can to make things better, then it should be acceptable.

I just want to say we all have to keep an open mind, be a little more patient. China just got into the world stage of economics, so cut them some slacks. We can see clearly China is much much better in every aspects than, say 20 years ago already.

 

[Genetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saint.panda /img/forum/go_quote.gif I won't be apologetic about China's environmental problems, but fact is, things are getting better because as people get richer, they start to care about things like environment.

I'm personally inclined to think that it's only possible when the wealth can be distribute on a larger basis than what we see right now. Too much concentration has the opposite effect. That's why we have a ''middle class'' so large.

Granted, it will take time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saint.panda /img/forum/go_quote.gif (...) Economic advance is still priority number one in China, but that might (hopefully) change.

A delicate balancing act indeed.

Amicalement

 

[Spareribs]

I know a Chinese woman who refuses to watch the Olympics because she's not a sports fan.

 

[Rednamalas1]

too bad that girl was not actually singing. patrick was trying to get her phone number

 

[LostOne.TR]

Just want to point out. YouTube - Chinese Pollution Reaches U.S. (CBS News)

The whole polluting environment thing, isn't 'one' country's problem, it's the world's. Not going for the cliche we should care about everyone else, but even just stopping at the care about yourself scope. Our pollution affects others, other's pollution can affect us. some examples-- China affecting air in Northern Cali ; the yellow dust from china blowing into korea and Japan.

When confronted about the pollution, one of China's responses is that the US refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. (pointing the finger's a worthless excuse, I know) The US doesn't want to ratify the Kyoto Protocol because it feels that developing countries (which China currently qualifies as) need to be restricted more than they would be under the current plans. Right now, the US still might be the largest polluter in greenhouse gas emissions (I'm not sure...cause it depends which measure you go by. There's Dutch reports saying China already overtook the US in 2006). But global warming is a problem that'll screw us all. So it doesn't really matter which country's doing it more. Time's running out, and there seems to be not enough collaboration; Just excuses/getting defensive, which amounts to nothing. At this rate the 'rule set' will eventually change to be the same for everyone, it just might not be in the best of circumstances.


some random reads on this topic :
Pollution From China And India Affecting World's Weather

Gulfnews: China and India face pollution timebomb

 

[Akabeth]

I don't think it's worth muttering this issue at all

The two young ladies did their part 'as instructed', no more, no less.

 

[cvc]

I found the ceremony to be very moving. Everything was beautiful. Yao Ming is just a great guy. I want to buy a Yao Ming basketball jersey just because he's a great human being and I don't wear sports **** like that. The birds nest is amazing and so is the water cube. The Chinese have definitely come through with a memorable Olympics. As my main man Forest Gump would say, "That's all I have to say about that."

 

[bundee1]

Quote:

I found the ceremony to be very moving. Everything was beautiful. Yao Ming is just a great guy. I want to buy a Yao Ming basketball jersey just because he's a great human being and I don't wear sports **** like that. The birds nest is amazing and so is the water cube. The Chinese have definitely come through with a memorable Olympics. As my main man Forest Gump would say, "That's all I have to say about that."

I didnt know the Chinese government was monitoring these boards.

 

[Audio-Omega]

You can watch the fireworks taped by individuals inside and outside the stadium.

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can watch the fireworks taped by individuals inside and outside the stadium.

Yeah I didn't watch the fireworks on TV, I watched them on the internet. And let me tell you, I don't know if they could even be made better on TV.

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Few years back my Law Faculty had the challeging task of educating some chinese jurists about our occidental legal system. The program was built with the specific intent of trying to initiate chinese judges to the ''way it works here''. I'm not sure about the benefits of the other way around...

According to the latest legal reform in China, the Highest People's Court of China has steadily published their decisions over the last few years, establishing a set of precedents, although non-binding, are extremely persuasive. Like Germany, China is a code-based country, so to see this stream of published decisions is certainly very fresh; with that I think their legal system is taking steps in the right direction. I have to hope that these decisions will some what bind the lower courts in their application of the law. (although stare decisis can also be side-stepped if the judge wanted to)

Looking back at the US Supreme Court and seeing the amount of power and respect it has today is quite amazing considering it has literally no real power (executive has the army and legislative got the purse) besides their words written on some paper.

Additionally, we have seen some real pioneer work in the area of legal education in China starting with the first American-style J.D. law school, founded by the former Michigan Law Professor Lehman (I think he went to Cornell to become their current sitting Law School President). Looking at their roster of professors many of whom from Michigan Law, I can only imaging the talents that place will produce for the next 20 years in China and the kind of transformation those graduates will have on the Chinese legal system.

Things are changing in China...we just need to be patient.

 

[nickdawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nor_spoon /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Bird's Nest is just stunning! Watched a show on Discovery the other day on how it was built. Amazing.

Too bad it will probably be completely rusted/corroded out in about 50 years from all that acid rain.

 

[nickdawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif You must be kidding. I'll show you one exemple of the impact of having no rules in the environment field: Their economical ''winning strategy'' will someday haunt them. Would you realy live in a country with so little protection for their population? Amicalement

I hate to say it but if some in our own USA, cough GWB, cough cough JMcC cough cough, got their way, we would be no better. Some in the US government are fine with destroying our environment. From the beautiful shores of California to the wildlife habitats in Alaska. Certain people will stop at nothing to pillage every possible place for oil. These are the same people who also will not go along with the Kyoto, which most other nations have. The same people in power who will not push for better fuel efficiency and alternative fuels because it will hurt their bottom lines, even though the industry said people are involved with has posted record profits this quarter. As much as we in the US like to criticize, we're in a similar boat environmentally speaking.

 

[Zuerst]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickdawg /img/forum/go_quote.gif Too bad it will probably be completely rusted/corroded out in about 50 years from all that acid rain.

With all the engineering effort expended to design and build the bird's nest you think they didn't have some sort of plan for that? Newly engineered structural material? Protective paint?

 

[nickdawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zuerst /img/forum/go_quote.gif With all the engineering effort expended to design and build the bird's nest you think they didn't have some sort of plan for that? Newly engineered structural material? Protective paint?

I hope so. Or else we'll be left with a sorry sight if that phenomenal building is ruined. Just about everything there had to be designed with the China climate in mind.