Fobby, I mean Bobby Hundreds (I wonder if anybody’s ever cracked that joke… then again it’s not funny cause he’s not fobby) rolled through town last week. Went for a delicious German meal… authenticity was in question though. Anyways, the dinner conversation was rooted extensively in how fucked up and how filthy rich China is… but also having a flip side with some crazy bouts of poverty. Season’s had some bad experiences with beggars in China, nothing anybody would want to experience nor would you want people to have to resort to those behavioral levels as well. Yet from a certain perspective and to the outside world, China is still considered in the eyes of many as a socialist/communist state… How are poor people still around? I certainly couldn’t provide an answer so I did some quick digging. I don’t know if it’s accurate or what, but it seems as though that China’s State Capitalism really is a case-by-case scenario in which the government selectively chooses where to loosen the reigns and allow their people to practice capitalism. While corruption on various levels is a mainstay in Chinese politics, I think this serves as a decent statement across the board in which people are often looking out for themselves rather than for the collective. This is the basis of socialism/communism we can all agree on without over-simplifying. But as I think about it more… the marginalization of the masses by the government through censorship allows China to keep a certain agenda. China’s rise and the de-valuation of their currency has built up a super power for sure but at the cost of sub-standard lives for many who we can consider the backbone of China’s progress in production/farming. Yet with these powerful economy, the government can also go on the offensive and declare loud and proud how great their system is to the foreign world. I’ll put some more thought into this cause the current round of thoughts are pretty un-organized.
Feel free to comment below and reference the link #.
An archive of previous Link Dump’s can be seen here.
-Eugene
*If you’re always on the go, I’m a huge advocate for Instapaper. Basically you can bookmark links to read on your mobile device later and it can strip away all the unnecessary imagery to load more quickly.
**If you encounter a login page for a NY Times article (yes there are quite a few of them…), I highly suggest signing up for a free account or else use this dummy one I set up.
Login: tempaccountNYT
Password: tempaccountNYT
#1. The Definitive Guide to Dairy | The Latest News in Modern Ignorance: Switch to Low-Fat Milk Lowers Calories for NYC School Kids
Full-fat really ain’t no shit to be afraid of and neither is saturated fat… but it is cheaper to serve kids watered down skim crap. But the first link goes into detail regarding the questionable aspect of dairy… which I assume is more so milk than say probiotic yogurt.
#2. China’s Zeal for ‘Avatar’ Crowds Out ‘Confucius’ | ‘Avatar’ Faces Traffic Jam at 3-D Screens
Nope, still haven’t seen Avatar. But we all know how popular it is. In China, it’s popularity isn’t boding well with the country who only screens 20 foreign movies a year especially when it’s head to head with a movie based on Chinese history. Second article talks about how Avatar’s time in the 3-D screens WILL come to an end when Alice in Wonderland drops… but there are talks that they will re-release it later this year? Has that EVER happened?
#4. Coaching Baseball Rookies for the Limelight
It can be a harrowing experience for those that fall into huge amounts of money when they came from relatively nothing. I think putting together “life coaches” for pro athletes is a smart idea.
#6. Cardinal’s Warner Quits After 12 Unlikely Years
Kurt Warner, one of the nicest personalities with a big heart calls it quits. He and his family would routinely single out a family to pay for their dinner at restaurants.
#7. Masculinity in a Spray Can
Kids are dropping mad dough for smelly products… and with it people are saving on water bills cause they’re forgoing showers haha.
#8. When Phones Are Just Too Smart
What’s the point of having 10 pages of iPhone apps when you only use 5 of them?
#9. Beef Bowl Economics
Deflation in theory sounds good as prices fall but bad news in the grand scheme of things as business squeeze and cut. Japan’s quintessential cheap meal the beef bowl is entering a big price war.
#11. Wall Street Totally Consumed Right Now By Epic Chicken McNugget-Eating Bet
Pretty self-explanatory, dude had to eat 60 McNuggets in 20 minutes and then keep it down for 10 minutes.
#12. An Attempt to Revive the Lost Art of Apology
Nobody apologizes anymore… mostly cause of the legal ramifications involved. But in some countries like Japan, it’s totally accepted.
#13. Will China Eat America’s Lunch in Cleantech
China does deserve credit where credit is due… and it looks as though the sustainability and environmental arena is one it’s looking to take over… effectively eclipsing the United States.
#14.Gaming the Luggage System
I can imagine not wanting to check your baggage cause of the fees, so in comes the game of boarding. Where to book, how to exploit loop holes, these are all things to be considered.
#16. Forget Jenny Craig. Hit the Drive-Thru
You’d think fast-food chains would have jumped on the Jarred x Subway trend a lot earlier, but fuck you ain’t going to lose weight without anything short of starving yourself and eating still relatively unhealthy, chemical and preservative ladened food.
#17. As Hong Kong’s Political System Stalls, So Does Its Democracy Movement
I probably don’t immerse myself enough in Hong Kong’s local and political scene to really understand or grasp this. I feel pretty free and unrestricted in my every day yet I think the fact that Hong Kong’s personal agenda of many is “me before you… and anybody else”… I think that people aren’t too worried that people are continued to be marginalized under their noses.
#18. Three Reasons Why the iPad WILL Kill Amazon’s Kindle | Three Reasons Why the iPad WON’T Kill Amazon’s Kindle
Two accounts of the iPad vs. the Kindle. If anything, I’d even consider the Kindle now cause I’ve seemingly learned more about it since the launch of the iPad than in the past.
#20. The Quarrel Over Bernanke
Bernanke’s up for a second term as Federal Reserve Chairman, some champion this guy as somebody who stopped the bleeding while others say he shouldn’t be rewarded for his fuck-ups in the beginning.
#21. As Devices Pull More Data, Patience May be Required
Man… iPad won’t help the situation… the US needs to sort it out. Economies of scale!!!
#22. Trouble in Raw Vegan Paradise
Uh oh… vegan ain’t so hot after-all. Tons of holes in the diet lead to various deficiencies. Even various vegan crusaders are admitting they dabble in animal products… it just wasn’t meant to be.
#24. Agriculture Left to Die in India’s Peril
Much like China, there’s a massive core of farmers in India. However, the way things are currently going and the way that man’s intervention has essentially pillaged the land, it looks as though many multi-generational farmers can’t keep on for much longer.
#25. Phys Ed: How Exercising Keeps Your Cells Young
A study comparing those who exercise vs. those who don’t have significantly different cellular lifespans. The cell they looked at was the telomere, a cell that gets progressively shorter as it ages and gets “tired”. So guess who had the longest telomeres? High VO2 Max individuals. Get off the couch you fat fuck!!!
#26. Restaurant Battle Over Who Was “Unhealthy” First
Uhhh I guess if that’s your marketing angle you gotta protect the shit out of it.
#27. Forces Pushing Obama On “Dont’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
I never knew that the US military didn’t accept homosexuals but this is some big news as Obama looks to banish the current status. I’m not totally clear on the law/ruling, but I am under the assumption that the US armed forces will allow homosexuals in the force. However, with focuses on other military projects and pertinent matters, there’s a chance this might get swept off to the side.
#28. Never Judge A Book By Its Cover
Big Lurch… a name I only heard once cause the dude murked some girl and ate her flesh while in some drug-induced hallucination. Here a background story into the crazy rapper from somebody who knew him personally.
#29. Food Nazi: Nuts to You
Man some good looking recipes in here utilizing almonds. Almond bread looks legit but first I have to find some almond flour.
#31. One Noodle At a Time in Tokyo
A VERY thorough guide into Tokyo’s ramen restaurants.
#32. QB “Broadway Joe” Namath | New York Broads and Bold Predictions
A pictorial of that pimp Joe Namath… fucking pure classy.
#33. Experience in Sports Optional for New Leaders
In this day and age, college sports seem more business than athletics and the new incoming hires are a testament to that. It’s more about what business you were able to run successfully as opposed to your knowledge of the game.
#35. Disgruntled Magazine Editors Are Sick of Bloggers Getting All The Good Seats At Fashion Shows
I can see why somebody would catch feelings for this. In the end some good points are raised. Here you are upholding good media ethics by being truthful and honest while some starstruck blogger with a good following is much too afraid to voice a proper opinion in fear of being punished with no more gifts and no more invites.
#36. A First Taste of What Google’s Tablet Interface Will Look Like
This is what I’d much prefer to pick up before an iPad.
#37. Rumor: Apple Has Another Tablet In The Works. More Like A Mac Than An iPhone
This too is something I’d grab before the iPad if it’s closer to a computer… but still leaning towards something more PC-based.