Study claims that Chinese people evolved from Indians

According to this recent study I'm not only Chinese, I'm also African and Indian. This might explain my fondness of rap music and curry.

If this study is true, then Columbus was right in calling the Native Americans, "Indians". LOL.

Frankly, I'm skeptical about this theory, but it does provoke some thought. I think Tibetans, Bhutanese, Thais and Burmese people share similar features with Indians though...

via dnaindia

The Chinese evolved from Indians: Study

Vineeta Pandey / DNA
Friday, December 11, 2009 1:44


A genetic study has found that Indians are the ancestors of the Chinese and other East Asian populations.

The study, a joint project of 10 Asian countries, found that India received a wave of migration from Africa 60,000-70,000 years ago and these early humans subsequently moved to East and Southeast Asia. The earlier belief was that humans from Africa reached India and East and Southeast Asia separately.

The study has important implications, especially in the understanding of human migratory patterns and in the investigation of genetics and disease.

The findings of the five-year study — conducted by a group of 90 scientists, including those from India, in a consortium of 40 Asian laboratories under the Human Genome Organisation — have been published in the journal Science.

The study analysed genetic data of 1,900 individuals representing 73 population groups. The findings showed that Asian genetic ancestry correlated highly with ethnic and linguistic groups and “considerable gene flow was observed among sub-populations of the clusters” that were studied; the clusters included “groups believed to practice endogamy (marriage within a group) based on linguistics, cultural and ethic information”.

“This large study establishes that Indians are ancestors of the Japanese, Chinese and all other East Asians. All these populations have a common genetic origin and it shows that India represents a microcosm of Asia’s genetic diversity,” said Samir Brahmachari, director-general, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research — a participant in the study.

Thai army pulls back from protest clashes; 15 dead

Thai soldiers firing rubber bullets at the red shirt protesters
(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

The Thai army is cracking down on red shirt protesters. 15 are dead, 650 are injured!

via The Associated Press

Thai army pulls back from protest clashes; 15 dead

By GRANT PECK (AP) – 3 hours ago

BANGKOK — A crackdown on anti-government protesters in Thailand's capital Saturday left at least 15 people dead and more than 650 injured, with no progress toward ending a month long standoff with demonstrators demanding new elections.

It was the worst violence in Bangkok since more than four dozen people were killed in an antimilitary protest in 1992. Bullet casings, rocks and pools of blood littered the streets where pitched battles raged for hours.

Army troops later retreated and asked protesters to do the same, resulting in an unofficial truce.

Four soldiers and 11 civilians, including a Japanese cameraman, were killed, according to the government's Erawan emergency center.

The savage fighting erupted after security forces tried to push out demonstrators who have been staging a month of disruptive protests demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajva dissolve Parliament and call new elections.

The demonstrations are part of a long-running battle between the mostly poor and rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the ruling elite they say orchestrated the 2006 military coup that removed him from power on corruption allegations.

The protesters, called "Red Shirts" for their garb, see the Oxford-educated Abhisit as a symbol of an elite impervious to the plight of Thailand's poor and claim he took office illegitimately in December 2008 after the military pressured Parliament to vote for him.

Saturday's violence and failure to dislodge the protesters are likely to make it harder to end the political deadlock. Previously, both sides had exercised considerable restraint.

Abhisit "failed miserably," said Michael Nelson, a German scholar of Southeast Asian studies working in Bangkok.

Tanet Charoengmuang, a political scientist at Chiang Mai University sympathetic to the Red Shirt's cause, said he expects the fighting will resume because the protesters are unafraid and the government refused to listen to them.

Abhisit went on national television shortly before midnight to pay condolences to the families of victims and indirectly assert that he would not bow to the protesters' demands.

"The government and I are still responsible for easing the situation and trying to bring peace and order to the country," Abhisit said.

Nelson said he had been hopeful the situation would calm down after the troops pulled back but that Abhisit's TV appearance raised doubts because he seemed "totally defiant."

The army had vowed to clear the protesters out of one of their two bases in Bangkok by nightfall, but the push instead set off street fighting. There was a continuous sound of gunfire and explosions, mostly from Molotov cocktails. After more than two hours of fierce clashes, the soldiers pulled back.

Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd went on television to ask the protesters to retreat as well. He also accused them of firing live rounds and throwing grenades. An APTN cameraman saw two Red Shirt security guards carrying assault rifles.

At least 678 people were injured, according to the Erawan emergency center. The deaths included Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto, who worked for Thomson Reuters news agency. In a statement, Reuters said he was shot in the chest.

Most of the fighting took place around Democracy Monument, but spread to the Khao San Road area, a favorite of foreign backpackers.

Soldiers made repeated charges to clear the Red Shirts, while some tourists stood by watching. Two protesters and a Buddhist monk with them were badly beaten by soldiers and taken away by ambulance.

A Japanese tourist who was wearing a red shirt was also clubbed by soldiers until bystanders rescued him.

Thai media reported that several soldiers were captured by the protesters. Red Shirts also staged protests in several other provinces, seizing the provincial hall in the northern city of Chiang Mai, Thaksin's hometown.

On Friday, the police and army failed to prevent demonstrators from breaking into the compound of a satellite transmission station and briefly restarting a pro-Red Shirt television station that had been shut down by the government under a state of emergency. The humiliating rout raised questions about how much control Abhisit has over the police and army.

Thailand's military has traditionally played a major role in politics, staging almost a score of coups since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

The Red Shirts have a second rally site in the heart of Bangkok's upscale shopping district, and more troops were sent there Saturday as well. The city's elevated mass transit system known as the Skytrain, which runs past that site, stopped running and closed all its stations.

Merchants say the demonstrations have cost them hundreds of millions of baht (tens of millions of dollars), and luxury hotels near the site have been under virtual siege.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 27 Red Shirt leaders, but none is known to have been taken into custody.

Associated Press writers Denis D. Gray, Jocelyn Gecker and Thanyarat Doksone contributed to this report.

Singapore Is #1 City For Expats And Asians To Live

via ECA International

Singapore retains pole position as No.1 place for Asians to live for 11th consecutive year

24 Mar 2010

• Australian and Japanese locations offer some of the best quality of life for Asians
• European locations dominate the top 30
• Air quality and health facilities remain an issue in many Asian locations.
  

Singapore continues to offer the best living environment for Asian assignees, according to the latest Location Ratings for expatriate living conditions published by ECA International, the world’s leader in the development and provision of solutions for the management and assignment of employees around the world. This is the 11th year in a row that Singapore has held pole position.

Published annually, ECA International’s Location Ratings system is used to assist International HR departments to establish expatriate allowances which compensate staff for the difficulties of adapting to living in their assignment location. The ratings are based on an analysis of living standards for more than 400 locations globally based on categories including climate, health services, housing and utilities, isolation, social network and leisure facilities, infrastructure, personal safety, political tensions and air quality.

"Singapore’s high quality infrastructure and health facilities, combined with low health risks, air pollution, crime rates and a cosmopolitan population help make the city an easy place for Asian assignees to live in,"explains Lee Quane, Regional Director, Asia, ECA International.

The Japanese cities of Kobe, Yokohama and Tokyo along with Hong Kong are the other Asian locations in the top 15.

The Australian cities of Canberra and Melbourne also feature in the top 15 for Asian expatriates as well as New Zealand’s Wellington. These are joined by the European locations of Copenhagen, Dublin, Antwerp, Brussels and Bern along with the Canadian city of Vancouver.

Baghdad (254) remains the least favourable location to live in, followed by Kabul (253) and Karachi (252).

"According to our latest Expatriate Salary Management Survey, over 70% of companies will pay a location allowance when there is a need to compensate for the difficulties associated with adapting to a new living environment," says Quane.

"When we analyse quality of living we take into account the home and destination country," continues Quane. "The impact of a number of factors, including distance from home and differences in culture, language and climate, will vary according to where someone comes from. This helps to explain why although Singapore ranks at the top for Asians, it ranks 55th for someone coming from Western Europe. However, these particular factors cannot be considered in isolation. Scores given for better air quality and health facilities in a number of the top ranking non-Asian locations, for example, can counterbalance the scores awarded for distance from home. Location ratings are about looking at the new environment in its totality and its merits relative to home."

Asia

Joining the top five Asian locations are Taipei (55), Macau (57), Kuala Lumpur (62), Bangkok (62) and Georgetown (62).

Shanghai (77) tops the list of mainland Chinese locations in the survey, followed by Nanjing (97) and Beijing (100). While China has generally seen improvements over the past few years, the country’s air quality and health facilities remain an issue. The level of personal security, recreation and education facilities remain mixed throughout the country with cities such as Wuhan (142) and Chongqing (154) scoring less favourably in these areas compared with Shanghai and Beijing.

"Improvements in the quality of living in China have been significant in recent years," notes Quane. "We now find that in terms of the availability of decent housing, access to recreation and low crime rates, Beijing and Shanghai are on a par with Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore. However, the persistence of issues such as poor air quality, as well as less advanced medical and transportation facilities, contribute to these locations ranking lower within the region and globally."

Taipei which ranks 6th of the 49 Asian locations studied and 55th globally is among the locations whose score has improved the most this year. The city generally scores better in terms of air quality than most Asian locations. It also does better regarding the availability of goods and services, recreation and socio-political tensions than mainland China locations.

Hong Kong’s long-standing air pollution problems contribute to its position behind Singapore and the Japanese locations. Air pollution in the SAR is worse than most of the other Asian cities analysed and it remains in 5th position within the region. However, in other areas, including housing and schooling, it offers good quality facilities for the international community. Slight improvement in an already good transportation and communications infrastructure has contributed to a rise in the ranking since last year from 11th to 8th position.

In India, Bangalore (145) scores the most favourably ahead of Chennai (149), Mumbai (156) and New Delhi (185). Compared with these locations, Kolkata (206) does less well in terms of availability of schools, housing and goods for expatriates. Health facilities remain an issue in all the Indian locations.

Air pollution remains a significant problem in a number of Asian locations. New Delhi, Beijing and Hong Kong are amongst the worst locations studied in terms of air quality. Health facility provision is also a problem for many parts of the region.

Globally

For Asians coming to live and work in Europe, Copenhagen, ranked 5th globally, offers the best quality of living followed by Dublin (10) and the Belgian cities of Antwerp (13) and Brussels jointly with the Swiss capital, Bern. London, Barcelona and Stockholm share 37th position ahead of Paris and Rome which share 46th place.

Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana (48) tops the Central and Eastern European locations followed by Croatia’s Zagreb (60). Prague (61) and Warsaw (84) are among those locations to improve the most over the year, mainly as a result of improvements in personal safety there.

For Asians going to North America, Vancouver, ranked 10th, is the most favourable destination. The Canadian city is followed by San Francisco (16) and Miami (30). Within South America, Puerto Rico, in 62nd position, offers Asians the best quality of living.

Security and pollution are major issues in a number of South American locations. Santiago (91) in Chile along with Mexico City (149) receive some of the worst scores for air quality. A number of the continent’s locations are among the worst in the survey for personal security including Sao Paolo (127), Rio do Janeiro (127), Mexico City and Caracas (181).

Africa is also home to some of the most difficult places for Asian assignees to adapt to living in. Socio-political tensions as well as personal security issues can be particularly problematic. Gaborone in Botswana ranked 84th offers the best quality of life for Asians coming to the African continent. South African locations including football World Cup destinations, Cape Town (103) Johannesburg (117) are among the top ten most liveable of the African locations analysed. However, personal safety is still a major issue.

In the Middle East, Manama (68) offers the best quality of life followed by Dubai (71) and Abu Dhabi (74).

The top 15 best locations in the world for Asians to live

Rank 2010	Location	World Rank 2009
1	Singapore	1
2	Sydney	2
3	Kobe	3
4	Yokohama	4
5	Tokyo	6
5	Copenhagen	6
7	Canberra	8
8	Hong Kong	11
8	Melbourne	4
10	Dublin	11
10	Vancouver	9
10	Wellington	9
13	Antwerp	11
13	Brussels	11
13	Bern	11

Asia ranking

Asia 2010	Location	Global Rank 2010
1	Singapore	1
2	Kobe	3
3	Yokohoma	4
4	Tokyo	5
5	Hong Kong	8
6	Taipei	55
7	Macau	57
8	Kuala Lumpur	62
8	Bangkok	62
8	Georgetown	62
11	Seoul	71
12	Shanghai	77
13	Bandar Seri Begawan	94
14	Nanjing	97
15	Beijing	100
16	Xiamen	105
17	Senzhen	115
18	Guangzhou	117
19	Tianjin	121
20	Hanoi	123
21	Dalian	124
22	Ho Chi Minh City	126
23	Chengdu	138
23	Depensar	138
25	Metro Manila	142
25	Wuhan	142
27	Bangalore	145
28	Ventiane	147
29	Chennai	149
30	Chongqing	154
31	Shenyang	156
31	Mumbai	156
33	Ulaanbaatar	162
34	Xi'an	164
34	Colombo	164
36	Phnom Penh	171
37	New Delhi	185
38	Jakarta	191
39	Yangon	198
40	Kolkata	206
41	Kathmandu	210
41	Surabaya	210
43	Tashkent	216
44	Dhaka	229
45	Ashgabat	232
46	Islamabad	243
47	Pyongyang	246
48	Karachi	252
49	Kabul	253

Chinese activist Ai Weiwei on CNN's Amanpour

Beijing-based artist and social activist Ai Weiwei was interviewed on CNN's Amanpour about China's media censorship.

Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva on AlJazeerza's Frost Over the World

Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand's current Prime Minister says he is "open to talks" of fresh elections. I think that's what the red shirts are rallying for and throwing their own blood over.

Now the question is, will he have fresh elections?

Chinese Netizens are all over Zhang Lu, Wen Jiabao's female translator

Zhang Lu, Wen Jiabao's translator
(NetEase)

Chinese premier Wen Jiabao's translator, Zhang Lu (张璐) is now an internet celebrity in China. After translating accurately Wen Jiabao's quotation of classical Chinese poetry, she won the hearts of the Chinese media rose to stardom overnight. She is currently one of the top top search queries of people on China's search engines baidu and google.cn.

Here's some of Zhang Lu's quick-witted translations (via NetEase):

1. “亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔。”

For the ideal that I hold dear to my heart,I'd not regret a thousand times to die.

2. “人或加讪，心无疵兮。”

My conscience stays untainted in spite of rumors and slanders from the outside.

Zhang Lu was born and raised in Jinan and is in her early 30's. In her formative school years her nickname was "class flower". She is also the chief translator for the Chinese President, Hu Jintao.

More pictures of Zhang Lu:








(NetEase)

Not bad, not bad. She looks well-poised and elegant. What's up with the bowl bob cut? I thought that went out in the 60's? Lol, I kid, I kid.

Read more about Zhang Lu at ChinaHush.

Rest in peace Nujabes

Nujabes in the summer of 2009
(yosuke moriya)

It was announced on Shing02's website that the Japanese hip hop producer Nujabes has passed away in a fatal car accident in Tokyo, Japan on February 26, 2010. He was 36 years old.

Nujabes was definitely one of the best that ever did it. Thank you Nujabes. You are a true inspiration and blessing. Your music will live on. Rest in peace brother.

via E22 (Shing02's website)

Today, I have very somber news for the international hip hop community, especially fans of the independent hip hop scene, and those who have followed my career.

It has been announced that Jun Seba, aka Nujabes, Japanese hip hop producer extraordinaire, passed away late February. Official statement from the label (in Japanese) here:
http://hydeout.net/hydeout/2010/03/_hydeoutproductions.html

We deeply regret the loss of a unique talent and a close friend. Through his soulful music, Nujabes has touched so many people around the world, even beyond his dreams. He was a mysterious character to most as he avoided the public limelight, rarely conducted interviews, so only a few got to know the man behind the signature production. Yet it continued to amaze me how young listeners of all backgrounds learned of his enigmatic name, and expressed support for his music.

As I write now from Japan, I had been leaving him messages the past couple of weeks, trying to get in the studio together, so the news could not have come any more unexpected. Even last week, I passed by his house and called him thinking he was still home.

I met Nujabes around 2000 and as an upcoming MC, I was fortunate to work on tracks such as Battlecry, F.I.L.O, Luv(sic) parts 1, 2 and 3. We had been working on the next trilogy of Luv(sic) over the past year (which we're determined to see through). The last time we talked in January, Nujabes emailed me to wish Jeff Resurreccion, a 19-year old beatboxer who had just passed way from cancer, his heartfelt condolences.

While we continue to respect the privacy of his family, we will work to preserve his legacy, and pay tribute to the body of work, some unreleased, that he has left for us to enjoy. Jun Seba will be dearly missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and fans worldwide.

in peace,
Shing02

Thailand's Red Shirts spill their own donated blood in protest

Anti-government protesters in Thailand - known as the Red Shirts - have spilt blood on the prime minister's office.

They drew it from their own veins, but in the end it was nowhere near the amount they'd promised.

Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay reports

Is it just me or does the pouring of the blood at the gates kinda reminds of you the first Passover as depicted in the Bible? You know, at the time when the Hebrews poured blood on their doorposts so the Angel of Death would passover their house and not kill their firstborn? Yeah I know the pouring of blood for this particular incident has a different purpose, but heh, Passover was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw it.

The blood that the red shirt are pouring is supposed to be a symbol of the 2006 coup d'etat that ousted the government of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Interesting way to protest... but I think its a bit unhygienic to pour blood, not to mention gross! Let's hope the people of Thailand can come to a peaceful resolution from this political crisis.

Tablo from Epik High disses allkpop on Twitter

In Kpop news today, Tablo from Epik High tweeted some nasty messages about allkpop for everyone to see. Tablo is pissed off that allkpop leaked out Epik High's new music video and put up their latest album Epilouge up for stream.

The tweets:



What an EPIK tweets.......!!! I wonder how allkpop will address the situation.

Meet Pepa's new boyfriend: Tom Lo

Pepa with her new boyfriend Tom Lo

Pepa (from Salt-n-Pepa), has found "love" with chef Tom Lo in her reality dating show Let's Talk About Pep. And daaaaaayum!! This guy is REALLY chinky.

Asian and black interracial dating is still considered a social taboo and them being an interracial couple will definitely turn heads around. Props for both of them trying to date outside the box though. I hope they aren't trying to pull a publicity stunt for TV ratings or whatever. I dunno, do you think they look good together as couple?

A clip of the finale:




Uggggh... I really dunno. But then again I'm not Pepa. It just might be his personality that Pepa is really into.

Keep the Canadian anthem as it is!!

I just watched the Speech from the Throne and one unexpected thing that Prime Minister Stephen Harper said was "Our Government will also ask Parliament to examine the original gender-neutral English wording of the national anthem." Harper is referring to original version of O Canada which says "True patriot love thou dost in us command". The current (better) version of the anthem says "True patriot love, in all thy sons command."

Let's keep the national anthem as it is. It is Un-Canadian to tinker around with it. It worked for us for all these years and let's keep it at that. If women feel left out in the national anthem, I'm sure atheists, who don't believe in God, and pacifists and conscientious objectors who don't believe in standing on guard for Canada feel left out too. This is Canada. We can't damn please everyone!! Let's not forget that the French version of the national anthem is totally different than the English version:

O Canada! Land of our ancestors, Thy brow is wreathed with a glorious garland of flowers. As in thy arm ready to wield the sword, So also is it ready to carry the cross. Thy history is an epic Of the most brilliant exploits. Thy valour steeped in faith Will protect our homes and our rights Will protect our homes and our rights.

Do you political bigwigs wanna mess with and alter the French version of O Canada too? Haha, that will be final nail in the coffin to make Quebec separate from the rest of Canada for good! I say, screw political correctness. Leave the anthem alone!

via Reuters

Canada may adopt gender-neutral national anthem
Wed Mar 3, 2010 5:33pm EST

OTTAWA (Reuters) - "O Canada," the country's national anthem, has included the line, "True patriot love in all thy sons' command," for nearly 100 years.

Ottawa now wants to start a public discussion on whether Canada should adopt a gender-neutral version of the song.

As part of a policy speech unveiled on Wednesday, the minority Conservative government said it would ask Parliament to look at the original lyrics to the anthem.

Those lyrics, penned in 1908 by Canadian poet Robert Stanley Weir, read "True patriot love thou dost in us command." The version in current use was adopted in 1914.

Industry Minister Tony Clement said the government had not taken any firm decisions yet.

"I think the appropriate way to deal with this is through some sort of process where we have historical research and learned discussion," he told reporters.

Michael Ignatieff, leader of the opposition Liberal party, said if the government was serious about boosting women's rights it could have done something more substantive.

One of the first things the Conservatives did after winning power in January 2006 was to cancel a deal the Liberals had struck to provide a national child-care system.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren and Pav Jordan; Editing by Frank McGurty)

CANADA WINS OLYMPIC GOLD IN MEN'S HOCKEY!!!

The 2010 Canadian men's hockey team posing their gold medals
(Reuters)
YES!! OUR BOYS DID IT! Team Canada wins OLYMPIC GOLD in hockey today beating USA 3-2 with Sidney Crosby scoring the winning goal at 7:40 in the overtime.



Sidney Crosby celebrating the winning goal
(Reuters)


What a game! What A GAME!! What a glorious day it is for Canada. You boys did us proud!! This will go down as one of the greatest hockey games in Olympic history. TEAM CANADA IS #1!!!!!!

That hockey win gave Canada a total of 14 GOLD MEDALS in the Winter Olympics, setting the record for the country (and host country) with most gold medals won in the winter games. YEEEEAAAAAAAAAH BABY!!! THAT'S HOW WE DO!! GO CANADA GO!!

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, MY FRIENDS
AND WE'LL KEEP ON FIGHTING, TILL THE END
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
NO TIME FOR LOSERS
'CAUSE WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
OF THE WORLD!!!!

Dog G disses Jay Chou for not using his "diao"

Here's some Taiwanese celebrity gossip for you guys today...

Taiwanese celebrity television host Patty Hou, who considered as mega-babe status in Taiwan, will be getting married sometime year to a multi-millionaire Citigroup executive, Ken Huang. Patty Hou also publicly declared that she IS virgin and that is saving herself for marriage. Then all a sudden in comes rapper Dog G who released a little freestyle rap dissing Jay Chou, Patty's ex-boyfriend, for not tappin that ass when they were together for about 2 years. Jay is pretty pissed off at Dog G and just said he just name drops and disses celebrities to become famous. But that brings us to this question...


............Do you think Jay got a piece of that Patty cake? LOL.

More pics of Patty Hou:



Dayyyyyyyum...she's gorgeous.

And here's her lucky baller banker fiance, Ken Huang.


Of course when they tie the knot, the paparazzi will be all over them like white on rice, trying to find out whatever scandal they can. Some of the media speculates that Patty Hou is already pregnant and this might be a shotgun wedding. Yup, that's how the Taiwanese media is. They are monsters!!

Oh well. I hope these two will be very happy together!!

Via channelnewsasia

Jay Chou lashes out at rapper Dog G for insulting song

Posted: 17 February 2010 1422 hrs

TAIPEI : Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou has lashed out at rapper Dog G for writing a song about ex-girlfriend Patty Hou's virgin bride status that indirectly insulted him.

The Taiwanese rapper, inspired by media reports that the soon-to-be-married television host Hou is a virgin bride, wrote in his song that Chou "writes about being 'diao' [cool, powerful] in his songs, but is all talk and never used it".

The word 'diao' can also refer to the male genitalia in the Taiwanese dialect.

Chou joked that it was up to the Green Hornet - the singer plays Kato in the upcoming Hollywood film of the same name - and Panda Heroic - a panda themed superhero played by Chou's close friend Devon Song - to uphold justice. So he asked Song, popularly known as Dan Tou, to respond on his behalf.

"If Dog G did not rely on scolding other people, he would be an unknown singer," said Song.

"I originally wanted to write a song to stand up for Chou but he [Chou] told me to spend time with my family over the Lunar New Year period and not waste my time," Song added.

Song also said that he was not happy with the way Dog G insulted his close friend and especially disliked the way the rapper showed no respect towards women. He pointed out that Hou was getting married soon and Dog G should not have brought attention to rumours that could smear her name.

Dog G on the other hand claimed he wrote the song because he found the media's obsession with virginity irksome and wanted to "showcase this serious issue with humour".

Dog G, whose real name is Zeng Guanrong and best known for his current affairs-inspired songs, also said that he "did not think scolding other people would make [him] popular" and welcomed Chou to write a song to admonish him, though he said that he would retaliate.

- CNA/ha

The infamous freestyle rap from Dog G:

Philippine presidential candidates begin their electoral campaign

Philippine presidential candidates taking a picture before a presidental debate
(Reuters)
The Philippines will finally get its chance for a new president in May 2010. Let's hope they choose the right person this coming May!

From BBC News:

Philippine poll campaign begins
By Vaudine England
BBC News, Bangkok

Official campaigning has begun in the Philippines for the first presidential elections in six years.

President Gloria Arroyo is not allowed to run again in the vote on 10 May.

Competition is intense between two opposition figures, with Mrs Arroyo's nominee and a former president lagging in the polls.

Long proud of its democratic traditions, the Philippines has still failed to find a leader able to deliver peace and prosperity.

For the wealthiest candidates, the political advertising has been going on for months.

The violence that has been part of every Philippine election started early too - the mass killing of 57 people in the southern province of Maguindanao in November has set a grim tone.

Election campaigns in the Philippines usually deliver showmanship, drama, personality clashes and genuine idealism.

What they rarely offer is any cogent debate of ideas or contest of policies.

This campaign is no exception.

"It's going to be a very tight race," says political analyst, writer and journalist Marites Vitug.

"Manny Villar is running a disciplined campaign and has enormous funds at his disposal - he could be our Thaksin, or our Berlusconi," she said, in reference to the wealthy former Thai and current Italian leaders.

The wealthiest candidate, Mr Villar, claims an affinity with the poor, the vast voting majority.

He was once a fish market seller and is now the biggest home-builder in the Philippines.

Ruling class

Mr Villar is up against Benigno "NoyNoy" Aquino, son of the revered former President Cory Aquino. He enjoyed an early surge soon after her death last year, but is now neck-and-neck with Mr Villar.

Lagging behind is Gilberto Teodoro, the current president's favourite, and the former movie star and former president Joseph "Erap" Estrada.

Also in the race is the former Mayor of Olongapo Richard Gordon, someone known as a good manager.

But as always in the Philippines, it will be the money, and the personalities, that count.

"It will really take a lot of resources, and I'm not referring to money alone," said Ronald Holmes, of the political science department of Manila's De La Salle University and president of the survey group, Pulse Asia.

Spending limits do exist, but an apparent lack of manpower has prevented the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from ever prosecuting anyone for over-spending.

"The primary issues are the old issues of economic growth and the problem of poverty," said Mr Holmes.

Alongside a widespread desire for cheaper commodity prices is the topic of corruption.

There is little indication, however, that any of the current crop of candidates will make any more progress on that than the country's rich ruling class has managed in the past.

As covered by NTD news:

YET ANOTHER brawl in the Taiwanese Parliament

Another brawl broke out in Taiwan's parliament two weeks ago. Taiwan's parliament fights are world-renowned. It stems for their passion for democracy. Way to demonstrate to Mainland China how politically stable Taiwan's democracy is. Who cares about the democratic process? If I were to punch you in the face, you might think twice before passing any legislature! Yeah cos that's how we we roll 'round here....

Article from BBC News:

Brawl breaks out in Taiwan parliament after policy row

A brawl has broken out in Taiwan's parliament as lawmakers from opposing parties clashed over proposed amendments to the Local Government Act.

Politicians punched and wrestled each other to the ground and one member of the governing party said he'd been bitten by a member of the opposition.

It is not the first time that scuffles have broken out as Jonathan Josephs reports.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8466516.stm

Introducing China's new replacement for Google-- Goojje!

I'm sure many of you have already heard the announcement from Google, that they are considering to leave China due to cyber attacks against them they claim that is originating from China. What will happen if Google really leaves? Fear not China, Goojje is here to the rescue!


Goojje.... W T F.


In case you are not familiar with that blue paw with the "J" in it, that blue paw is actually taken from Baidu, China's #1 search engine. Could Goojje is the love child between Google and Baidu? LOL. China, you guys have gone TOO FAR! I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last straw, causing Google to permenently leave China.

Check out the site. It is at http://goojje.com/

Japanese whaling boat collides with Ady Gil

In news today, a Bat Mobile-looking boat called Ady Gil with anti-whaling protesters on board and a Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru No. 2 have crashed into each other causing quite a bit of wreckage on the bow of Ady Gil. Both sides blame the other party for deliberately crashing into each other. From looking at the YouTube footage, it's quite difficult to see who is at fault.

Let's ask an onlooking whale at the scene of the accident about what REALLY HAPPENED shall we?


"WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRR!! I don't want to die!! I don't want to be turned into sushi!! So let's just blame the Japanese whaling ship!"

Thank you Shamu. There you have it ladies, and gentlemen. The Japanese whaling ship was at fault. Now that's some FOOD FOR THOUGHT. Err oops--- did I say food? I meant research. Yes... research for thought.

Taiwanese press Poking Fun of Taiwan's New Year Message: Taiwan Up

Yeah.... NOTHING gets by the Taiwanese media. Lol @ the political mob chanting "Taiwan up! Taiwan up!"

CCTV's coverage of Harper's visit to Beijing

This is CCTV's summary of Harper's visit to Beijing. At 2:35 there is a summary of the relationship between Canada and China since 1970.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper gets a "scolding" from Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao in Beijing

Stephen Harper: "Errrm... are you sure this is safe to drink?"
Wen Jia Bao: "Of course it is. It is MADE IN CHINA! Cheers!"
(Reuters)
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is currently in Beijing to thaw relations between Canada and China. Boy, was he ever surprised when he got a "scolding" (as the Canadian press put it) by Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao. Here's what Wen Jia Bao said [via translator]:

This is your first trip to China and this is the first meeting between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister in almost five years. Five years is too long a time for China-Canada relations and that is why there are comments in the media that your visit is one that should have taken place earlier.

To which Harper retorted:

...I agree with you Premier that five years is a long time. It’s also been almost five years since we’ve had yourself or President Hu in our country, and so I hope as we approach this important milestone in our relationship, the forty year anniversary, that yourself or President Hu will also have the opportunity in the not too distant future to visit Canada.

Touche. Well played Harper, NOT! Harper are you crazy? What the heck was the point in ignoring Beijing for the past 5 years? Harper should have paid a visit to Beijing long ago to establish economic ties and more business dealings with China for the well-being of Canadian citizens. 5 years as Premier Wen said, is too long! Canada needs to step up to stay ahead of the curve!