Links for 2014 11 29 30

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Q. and A.: Zhang Lifan on the New Chinese Nationalism - NYTimes.com  

"Zhou Xiaoping doesn’t have his own viewpoint. He is not a person with his own independent thinking. He focuses on figuring out what the leadership wants and delivers just that. He has figured out that the leadership wants the people to blame foreign countries for various conflicts in society and has been promoting nationalism and anti-foreign sentiment ever since."

Sign in using App Passwords - Accounts Help  

YOU MUST HAVE TWO STEP VERIFICATION ON ALL YOUR VALUABLE ACCOUNTS (esp. if you live in China)

271 all time highs 2014 11 28  

Berkshire Hath Hld B 
Wells Fargo & Company 
Wal-Mart Stores 
Procter & Gamble Company 
Novartis Ag 
Visa Inc 
Coca-Cola Company 
Anheuser-Busch Inbev Sa 
Walt Disney Company 
Pepsico Inc 
Home Depot 
Amgen Inc 
Abbvie Inc. Common Stock 
CVS Corp 
Mastercard Inc 
United Parcel Service 
Unitedhealth Group Inc 
Celgene Corp 
Nike Inc 
21St Century Fox Class A 
Honeywell International Inc 
Medtronic Inc 
Allergan Inc 
UBS Ag Ordinary Shares When Iss 
Costco Wholesale Corp 
Prudential Public Limited Company 
Express Scripts 
Blackrock 
Danaher Corp 
Accenture Plc. 
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 
Fedex Corp 
Mckesson Corp 
General Dynamics Corp 
Target Corp 
Covidien Plc. 
Tjx Companies 
Kimberly-Clark Corp 
American Tower Corp 
Automatic Data Processing 
Ace Limited 
Liberty Global 
Delta Air Lines Inc 
Liberty Global 
Stryker Corp 
Reynolds American Inc 
The Travelers Companies Inc 
Raytheon Company 
Cognizant Technology Solutions 
Public Storage 
V.F. Corp 
PPG Industries 
Kroger Company 
Northrop Grumman Corp 
Allstate Corp 
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc 
Cardinal Health 
AON Plc 
Southwest Airlines Company 
Becton Dickinson and Company 
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. 
Equity Residential 
The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc 
Ameriprise Financial Services 
Chubb Corp 
L Brands Inc 
Avago Technologies 
Sherwin-Williams Company 
Macy's Inc 
Zoetis Inc. Class A Common Stoc 
Marriot International 
Seagate Technology. 
Delphi Automotive Plc 
Mylan Inc 
United Continental Holdings 
Avalonbay Communities 
Brown Forman Inc B 
Edison International 
Amerisourcebergen Corp 
Brown Forman Inc A 
Reed Elsevier Plc 
Omnicom Group Inc 
Zimmer Holdings 
Ross Stores 
Autozone 
Monster Beverage Corp 
Charter Communications 
Constellation Brands Inc 
O'Reilly Automotive 
Nxp Semiconductors N.V. 
Fiserv Inc 
Fidelity National Information Services 
Reed Elsevier Nv 
Xcel Energy Inc 
Amphenol Corp 
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd 
Genuine Parts Company 
SBA Communications Corp 
Nordstrom 
Whirlpool Corp 
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc 
Dollar Tree 
Edwards Lifesciences Corp 
Netease Inc 
Citizens Financial Group Inc/Ri 
Clorox Company 
Lam Research Corp 
C.R. Bard 
Carmax Inc 
Burger King Worldwide 
Carefusion Corp 
Henry Schein 
Rockwell Collins 
Hanesbrands Inc 
Tim Hortons Inc 
Stericycle Inc 
Transdigm Group Inc 
Wyndham Worldwide Corp 
Church & Dwight Company 
Intercontinental Hotels Group 
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd 
Palo Alto Networks Inc 
J.B. Hunt Transport Services 
Quest Diagnostics Inc 
Varian Medical Systems 
Medivation Inc 
Navient Corporation 
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings 
Sealed Air Corp 
Scana Corp 
Everest Re Group 
Dentsply International Inc 
Alaska Air Group 
Hasbro Inc 
Coty Inc 
Pinnacle West Capital Corp 
Extra Space Storage Inc 
Aramark Holdings Corp. 
Old Dominion Freight Line 
Synopsys Inc 
Sei Investments Company 
W.R. Berkley Corp 
Jones Lang Lasalle Inc 
Mednax Inc 
Spirit Aerosystems Holdings 
CDW Corp 
Ingredion Inc 
Global Payments Inc 
Leggett & Platt Inc 
Partnerre Ltd 
Spirit Airlines Inc 
Keysight Technologies Inc. Comm 
Hain Celestial Group 
Live Nation Entertainment 
American Financial Group 
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. 
Hcc Insurance Holdings 
Domino's Pizza Inc 
Axis Capital Holdings 
NVR Inc 
Ryder System 
Teleflex Inc 
Kar Auction Services Inc 
Echostar Corp 
Michaels Companies Inc. 
Spectrum Brands Holdings 
Tfs Financial Corp 
Brunswick Corp 
Rlj Lodging Trust 
SS&C Technologies Holdings 
Erie Indemnity Company 
Teledyne Technologies Inc 
Swift Transportation Company 
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp 
Cepheid 
HSN Inc 
Retail Properties of America 
West Pharmaceutical Services 
Verint Systems Inc 
Paramount Group Inc. 
Validus Holdings 
Brinker International 
Landstar System 
Catalent Inc. 
First American Corp 
Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc 
Receptos Inc 
Vwr Corporation 
Cst Brands Inc. Common Stock 
Berry Plastics Group Inc 
Burlington Stores Inc 
Buffalo Wild Wings 
Post Properties 
Columbia Sportswear Company 
Euronet Worldwide 
Cavium Inc 
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust 
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 
Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc 
Sovran Self Storage 
Big Lots 
La Quinta Holdings Inc. 
Sun Communities 
Primerica Inc 
J2 Global Communications Inc 
Knight Transportation 
Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd 
Marriot Vacations Worldwide Cor 
Epam Systems Inc 
Allegiant Travel Company 
Science Applications Internatio 
Impax Laboratories 
Asbury Automotive Group Inc 
Texas Roadhouse 
Group 1 Automotive 
Dupont Fabros Technology 
Caci International 
Acadia Realty Trust 
Heartland Payment Systems 
J & J Snack Foods 
American Realty Capital Healthc 
Chemed Inc 
Dineequity Inc 
Platinum Underwriters Holdings Ltd 
Chesapeake Lodging Trust 
Cantel Medical 
American Assets Trust 
Examworks Group 
Retail Opportunity Investments 
Ambarella Inc 
Comscore Inc 
Matson Inc 
Sonic Corp 
Anacor Pharmaceuticals 
Paycom Software Inc. 
Liberty Broadband Corporation 
The Spectranetics Corp 
Healthequity Inc. 
Abaxis Inc 
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. 
Inc Research Holdings Inc. 
Mimedx Group Inc 
Natus Medical Inc 
Smart 
Hawaiian Holdings 
Rentrak Corp 
Cato Corp 
Avalanche Biotechnologies Inc. 
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated 
Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc 
Fcb Financial Holdings Inc. 
Coresite Realty Corp 
Radius Health Inc. 
Omeros Corp 
Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals Inc 
K2M Group Holdings Inc. 
Nextera Energy Partners LP 
Echo Global Logistics 
Eros International Plc 
Square 1 Financial Inc 
Myr Group 
IGI Laboratories 
Zafgen Inc. 
Ardelyx Inc. 
Covenant Transportation Group 
Re/Max Holdings Inc 
Vitae Pharmaceuticals Inc 
Vectrus Inc. Common Stock 
Affimed Therapeutics B.V. 
Willdan Group 
Scynexis Inc

Oil & Gas Stocks at All Time Lows 2014 11 28  

Cenovus Energy Inc
Enable Midstream Partners LP
Ep Energy Corp
Now Inc. Common Stock When Issu
Linn Co Llc
Laredo Petroleum Holdings Inc
Penn West Petroleum Ltd
Antero Resources Midstream Llc
Pengrowth Energy Corp
Eclipse Resources Corp
Sandridge Energy Inc
Ocean Rig Udw Inc
Parsley Energy
Seadrill Partners Llc
Pacific Drilling S.A.
Memorial Production Partners LP
Sanchez Energy Corp
North Atlantic Drilling Ltd. Co
Transocean Partners Llc
Bill Barrett Corp
Jones Energy Inc
Seventy Seven Energy Inc.
Mid-Con Energy Partners LP
Chc Group Ltd.
Paragon Offshore Plc Ordinary S
Lrr Energy L.P.
Chesapeake Granite Wash Trust
JP Energy Partners LP
Swift Energy Company
Enduro Royalty Trust
New Source Energy Partners L.P
Whiting USA Trust II
Voc Energy Trust
Glori Energy Inc.
Eca Marcellus Trust I

Wow! Flickr is about to sell off your Creative Commons photos and photographers won’t see a penny of it. dazeddigital.com/photography/ar…  

I THINK MINE ARE ALL COPYRIGHTED?

Commuting time in Beijing averages 97 minutes- China.org.cn  

THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY PROPERTY PRICES WITHIN 4TH RING SO HIGH ... MY COMMUTE IS 15 MINS BY SCOOTER

US government to its people: Stay away from these countries | GlobalPost  

Depart Immediately 

GENERALLY GOOD ADVICE

Supported Browsers — Help and Customer Care - Squarespace  

"Most modern web browsers are supported when visiting or editing a site designed in Squarespace 7. 

Editing your site on Squarespace 7 requires advanced browser technology typically provided in the most recent versions. Our system is designed to take advantage of the new features these programs provide, as we intend to deliver the best editing experience." 

ANY BROWSER MORE THAN TEN DAYS OLD AND YOU'RE PHUCKED

BBC Two - The Fall, Series 1, Trail: BBC Two - The Fall Series 2  

Available since: Thu 17 Jul 2014

THIS HAS BEEN OUT THAT LONG?? NO, BUT IT IS OUT NOW, STARTING TWO WEEKS AGO

#China's economic success has shredded the fabric of village life. Joe Zhang asks: Was it worth it? buff.ly/1CoFxul 

China bans wordplay in attempt at pun control gu.com/p/43yyc/stw  

PUN CONTROL ... THE CHINESE LANGUAGE MADE FOR PUNS

Movies Watched -- Casino

Added on by C. Maoxian.

My Twitter buddy @FinanceTrends recommended this one. Although clocking in at nearly three hours long, I watched all of it without fast forwarding. I'd give it a yellow rating (not green, not red).  I appreciate all movie and TV recommendations!

The Fall S02 E02

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Typical face of a serial killer, on TV ... the real ones don't look anything like this low body fat lad.

The Fall S02 E01

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Gillian looking like the horse-faced women in my family, although as my wife is quick to add, "better looking."

Veep S03 E01 to E10

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Enjoy it but it probably doesn't fly in flyover country ... too snide, too cynical, too smart. 

Click on image to view all screenshots from the season.

Veep S02 E01 to E10

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Started slowly but then got up to speed ... loved the Zuckerberg parody ... oops, Zuckerberg was season three, that's what I get for binge-watching both season two and three in a row. 

Click on the image to scroll through all the screenshots. 

Links for 2014 11 28

Added on by C. Maoxian.

HONG KONG BANKS CUT YUAN DEPOSIT RATES AS STOCK CONNECT DISAPPOINTS  

 China's Industrial and Commercial Bank (ICBC) signed a pact with the Los Angeles city government to promote 
cross-border yuan trade and set up an offshore renminbi centre in California, the bank said on Saturday. 
 China Merchants Bank Hong Kong branch completed its sale of a 2 billion yuan dim sum bond, which was priced at 
3.95 percent for the 3-year tranche and 4.05 percent for the 5-year tranche. 
 The Hong Kong Futures Exchange, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, will launch 
three metal mini-futures denominated in the yuan on Dec 1. The contract size for aluminium, zinc and copper futures 
will be 5 tonnes. 
 BNP Paribas (China) announced on Wednesday that it had further expanded its presence in the Shanghai Free Trade 
Zone with the opening of a new branch.

deadly cricket pitch  

CHOPPY VIDEO? "pretty confrontng moment" ... IS THAT AN AUSTRALIANISM?

Beijing Restos To Visit (Again) -- not reviewed  

brick & wood
okra
jing ya tang
yotsuba
mercante
huang ting (peninsula set lunch)
starfish
the rug
vin vi
mare
chef too
cru steakhouse (marriott)
the pho laboratory
phonominal
man fu lou
...

The Olympic Impact: The Reform Fantasy  

By James Mann 

979 words 

5 August 2008 

The Wall Street Journal Asia 

For decades, as the Chinese economy has advanced, Western presidents and prime ministers have been putting forward one ve...

The rich scent of freedom | The Economist  

"An unsettling possibility for America is that China could grow richer and yet remain authoritarian. In his book, “The China Fantasy: Why Capitalism Will Not Bring Democracy to China”, James Mann, an American journalist, argues that his countrymen like to believe they are changing China and that the Chinese are becoming Americanised. “These assumptions have never been borne out in the past,” he writes. American political debate tends to concentrate on two scenarios: the gradual liberalisation of China and, occasionally, the possibility of political upheaval there. A third, highly plausible scenario—that there will be no real political change—is also worth considering, says Mr Mann. American officials have often said that their country’s trade and engagement with China would help to change it politically, but they may have been mistaken.

Unchanged, and yet changing

Mr Mann may have understated the extent of recent changes in China. Its political institutions and its treatment of organised opposition to the party remain unaltered. But property rights, which hardly existed in China until the 1990s, have widely taken hold. Citizens protest against forced evictions from their homes to make way for development. A new army of private lawyers take on the state in court (and usually lose, but at least they try). The middle class, armed with the internet (users of which remain a step ahead of censors), demands, and sometimes gets, redress for abuses of power by local governments."

Russia Profile - Experts Panel - Russia Profile Weekly Experts Panel: “Chimerica’s” Challenge to Russia  

"Yet one needs to be cautious not to overestimate China's ability to fulfill its potential. Anyone who believes otherwise would benefit from reading James Mann's "The China Fantasy" and Minxin Pei's "China's Trapped Transition." They might be wrong in their predictions, but I find them convincing."

Allies of the State: China's Private Entrepreneurs and Democratic Change: Jie Chen, Bruce J. Dickson: 9780674048966: Amazon.com: Books  

"The sceptics, anchored by polemics such as James Mann's The China Fantasy, look at Singapore and Russia. They see cosy ties between business and government and a bought-off bourgeoisie whose memories of hunger and fear of both chaos and the government keep them in line. No liberalisation is on the horizon. Life is better than ever, so why rock the boat?"

China won't bow down - Los Angeles Times  

In "The China Fantasy: How Our Leaders Explain Away Chinese Repression," James Mann also scorns the Washington think tanks (one of which he works for). 

But he hints that free trade advocates who pushed for China's admission to the World Trade Organization in 2000 misled the public. 

"Across the United States, factories have closed and millions of Americans have been put out of work as the result of our decision to keep our markets open to Chinese goods. Meanwhile, the American people have been informed repeatedly that the reasons for our policy were not merely economic -- helping American companies that do business with or in China -- but political. Free trade was going to lead to political liberalization," he writes. 

A former columnist and Beijing correspondent for The Times, Mann says it's too late to undo what was done. 

"We need to stop assuming that we are going to integrate China into an American-led community," says Mann. But that doesn't mean that the United States has to quietly accept China's system of government.


"The United States ought to take a strong and forthright stand on human rights," says Mann.

The Media Kowtow | The Weekly Standard  

"James Mann, the Los Angeles Times’s former Beijing bureau chief, was so bothered by this state of affairs that a few years ago he wrote The China Fantasy: How Our Leaders Explain Away Chinese Repression. The book is a taxonomy of all the transparently misleading buzz words, tropes, and justifications that brought us to the point where we “assume repression as a baseline,” says Mann. The argument is skillfully presented and damning, which perhaps explains its lack of impact. The book has, however, made navigating the sidewalks of Washington, D.C., a little easier for Mann. “There are now people that cross the street when they see me,” he says."

Search Engine ART PINE Art Pine 833 words 8 February 2010  

For years, U.S. policymakers have generally left human rights issues on the back burner in dealing with China. The rationale has been that Beijing's autocrats eventually would become more democratic o...

A special report on China: Rising power, anxious state | The Economist  

China is likely to disappoint those who believed that the country’s embrace of globalisation would usher in greater political freedoms over the next few years. James Mann, an American journalist, gave warning of this in a 2007 book, "The China Fantasy: Why Capitalism Will Not Bring Democracy to China", suggesting that a quarter of a century from now China’s "current system of modernised, business-supported repression could well be vastly more established and entrenched". A lot can happen in 25 years, but the line-up for next year’s change of leadership does not give cause for optimism.

U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION HOLDS A FORUM ENTITLED "CHINA'S INTERNAL DILEMMAS," ROUNDTABLE - NEWS EVENT  

U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION FORMUM ENTITLED "CHINA'S INTERNAL DILEMMAS," ROUNDTABLE 

FEBRUARY 25, 2011 

SPEAKERS: ELIZABETH ECONOMY, C.V. STARR SENIOR FELLOW AND DIRECTOR FO...

UCLA conference explores impact of Nixon's 1972 visit with China's Chairman Mao, UCLA International Institute  

The day's keynote speaker is Ambassador Richard Solomon, president of the United States Institute of Peace and former assistant secretary of state for East Asia. He will be interviewed by James Mann, author of "Rise of the Vulcans" and "The China Fantasy."

Candidates Debate Rise of China; China Debates Reform  

Bill Bishop

By BILL BISHOP 

863 words

22 October 2012

NYT Blogs

"In his 2007 book"The China Fantasy" (Viking), James Mann criticized the argument that trade and engagement would bring l...

In China, Weighing Economic and Political Freedoms  

"In 2007, James Mann wrote “The China Fantasy,” a short book arguing that Western elites had misrepresented the benefits of engagement with China, and that prosperity and capitalism would not necessarily bring democracy to the country. Mr. Mann asked: 

“What if China manages to continue on its current economic path, yet its political system does not change in any fundamental way? What if, twenty-five or thirty years from now, a wealthier, more powerful China continues to be run by a one-party regime that still represses organized political dissent much as it does today, while at the same time China is also open to the outside world and, indeed, is deeply intertwined with the rest of the world through trade, investment and other economic ties? Everyone assumes that the Chinese political system is going to open up — but what if it doesn’t? What if, in other words, China becomes fully integrated into the world’s economy, yet it remains also entirely undemocratic?” 

That is the question many may now be focused on. As much as we in the West would like to assume that more prosperity will make China “more like us,” is there actually solid evidence to support that belief? 
"

China's 'political status quo' to continue despite economic rise: U.S. expert - Yahoo News India 

"Over the last six years, I have been impressed by Chinese middle class concerns in three areas. The first is pollution and air quality, which is really bad. The second is food quality, or product quality. Even basic milk is tainted in China, and people are importing milk from Hong Kong and overseas because they cannot trust anything they buy. The third is internet censorship, which is viewed as a daily annoyance and insult for middle class people," Prof. Mann opined.

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, consolidates power with crackdowns on corruption, Internet - The Washington Post  

“The main, single, ferocious idea of the party is that there is not going to be a Chinese Gorbachev,” said James Mann, author of “The China Fantasy,” a book that aims to explode the assumption that economic progress inexorably leads to democracy. 

“They are committed to a collective leadership, where nobody can get too far out in front of the others,” he said. “They are not open to restraints on the power of the party.” There was no reason to think Xi wanted to relax the party’s hold on power, Mann added. “And if he did, he wouldn’t be allowed to.”

China’s road to democracy blocked by rulers | Boston Herald  

LOCKED UP ... QUOTES MANN

Communist China: Facing up to modern Mao - The Globe and Mail  

“Countries generally seem to feel that they can't just say this is a big, tough, nasty government, but we have to deal with it," said James Mann, the author of The China Fantasy, which respected China watcher Bill Bishop has called “the most important and prescient American book on China of the 21st century." 

RESPECTED CHINA WATCHER, EH?

Capitalism Is Making China Richer, But Not Democratic : Parallels : NPR  

TRANSCRIPT

Capitalism Is Making China Richer, But Not Democratic : Parallels : NPR  

MANN GETTING SOME LOVE

Amazon.com: MindWare KEVA Contraptions: Toys & Games  

"And an 18 page idea book with project photos and quick start instructions" 

ALREADY HAVE LOTS OF KEVA PLANKS ... JUST NEED THE IDEA BOOK ;-)

Amazon.com: Tenzi Game dice color may vary .: Toys & Games  

"I saw these hanging around a toy store full of overpriced "education" and "creative" toys." 

WHY HAVEN'T I HEARD OF THIS BEFORE?

I2ardbeg-124-ff.jpg (650×650)  

ARDBEG FOR BLOG POST

Ernie Button » Vanishing Spirits – The Dried Remains of Single Malt Scotch  

BUT IS IT CAPITAL A.R.T. ART?

Mother Of 4 Wakes Up Early To Make Creative Breakfasts For Her Kids | Bored Panda  

JAPANESE MOM OF COURSE ... BORED AND FRUSTRATED AT HOME BUT NOT WATCHING THE SOAPS

Can you steal the best pricing techniques from restaurants?  

"Take Off That Dollar Sign from Your Prices" 

"Add An Expensive Steak To Your Proposal" 

"Do Not Underestimate Your Customers" i.e., NEVER ROUND YOUR PRICES

Amazon.com: max axiom: Books  

HOW MANY HAS HE DONE?

A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers: Antonis Antoniou, R. Klanten, H. Ehmann, H. Hellige: 9783899554694: Amazon.com: Books 

The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe: Theodore Gray, Nick Mann: 9781579128951: Amazon.com: Books  

Animalium (Welcome to the Museum): Jenny Broom, Katie Scott: 9780763675080: Amazon.com: Books  

The TKSST Gift Guide 2014 | A holiday list of favorite and featured smart stuff to give and get | The Kid Should See This  

NICE IDEAS

Forgotify | Discover a previously unheard Spotify track  

"4 million songs on Spotify have never been played. 
Not even once. Let’s change that." 

SURPRISED IT'S NOT 40 MILLION

New Works by Brock Davis | iGNANT.de  

LOVE IT BUT IS IT CAPITAL A.R.T. ART?