What's in the News

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DaDan

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #885 on: February 05, 2009, 01:42:25 PM »

A man has died after his mobile phone exploded, bursting an artery in his neck, it has been reported.

Local reports said that this was the ninth recorded cellphone explosion in China since 2002.

me pappy sayd... 
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synthette58

Re: What's in the News
« Reply #886 on: February 06, 2009, 04:01:41 PM »
Dang!
I had a brill video from YouTube with kiddies using cellphones to pop popcorn!! Danged if I can find the thing.
It was a total hoax of course.........

Funny what we'll fall for eh?

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Stil

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #887 on: February 08, 2009, 04:45:07 PM »
China arrests man linked to deadly diabetes drug

The Associated Press

February 06, 2009

Police in China have arrested a man accused of distributing a shoddy diabetes drug blamed for at least two deaths, a state news agency said Saturday.

The medicine contained six times the normal amount of a chemical ingredient used to lower blood sugar.

It is blamed for killing two people and sickening nine others in the far western region of Xinjiang. The drug is believed to have been widely distributed throughout the country, though only Xinjiang reported problems.

Police have said Li Dong is the chief suspect in the case, Xinhua News Agency reported without giving details. He was arrested in northeastern Liaoning province early Saturday, Xinhua said, adding that Li's brother and another suspect were detained earlier.

A man who answered the phone at the criminal investigation department of the Liaoning police would not comment, saying he was not authorized to speak to the media. The phone rang unanswered at the Liaoning Public Security Bureau's propaganda department.

China has been hit by a string of cases highlighting its poor record in food and drug safety. Last year, at least six babies died and nearly 300,000 were sickened by infant formula contaminated with an industrial chemical that can cause kidney failure.

Re: What's in the News
« Reply #888 on: February 08, 2009, 10:40:07 PM »
A step in the right direction.

Did anybody kiss a bullet yet for the starving baby tragedy a few years back?
And there is no liar like the indignant man... -Nietszche

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. -William James

englishmoose.com

Re: What's in the News
« Reply #889 on: February 10, 2009, 05:23:00 AM »
The CCTV building in Beijing went on fire tonight. There's pictures of it on youtube/youku and it is completely engulfed in flames.  Can anyone say what happened?

There has to be a good chance it's firework related.

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Stil

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #890 on: February 10, 2009, 05:35:27 AM »
Ooops! A little late.

Downtown Beijing to ban fireworks as of midnight Monday

Beijingers have been told to stop igniting and selling fireworks in the downtown areas as of midnight Monday, or face arrests, city authorities said.

The explosives will be banned within Beijing's Fifth Ring Road that encircles the urban areas, Beijing Fireworks Administration Office said in a statement Monday.

The office predicted this year's last "big bang" will last for two to three hours Monday night as citizens mark the traditional Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

Beijing Public Security Bureau said it would tighten patrol after midnight and citizens who were caught lighting fireworks would be arrested and their names would be published on local newspapers.

In their last attempts to sell off leftovers, many firework vendors are offering "buy two, get one for free" or discounting original prices by 50 to 60 percent off.

Beijing's three fireworks wholesalers will collect vendors' unsold fireworks on Tuesday, but a handling fee about 20 percent of their market price is applicable, said Beijing Fireworks Co. Ltd. on its Web site.

It said the recollection of all fireworks would be completed within four days.

Meanwhile, citizens are encouraged to swap their leftover fireworks for fluffy toys, washing powder or other gifts at collection centers in their communities, the company said.

Fireworks are part of traditional celebrations marking the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, which lasts until the Lantern Festival.

Total fireworks sales of this year have not been published. Yet on Jan. 26, the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, sanitation workers collected 2,268 tonnes of fireworks debris in downtown Beijing.

Source: Xinhua

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Lotus Eater

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #891 on: February 10, 2009, 05:48:18 AM »
Banned permanently or just until next fireworks time??

Apparently it was the building just around the corner from teh CCTV building.
 


Hotel adjacent to Beijing's new CCTV headquarters on fire
www.chinaview.cn 2009-02-09 22:12:26         Print

    BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- A hotel adjacent to the new China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters in Beijing caught fire Monday night, witnesses said, and the blaze was still spreading after 10 p.m.


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old34

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #892 on: February 10, 2009, 06:35:33 AM »
That's a pretty big lantern:

Beijing Mandarin Oriental Hotel (via NYT)

[attachment removed for space reason by admin]
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. - B. O'Driscoll.
TIC is knowing that, in China, your fruit salad WILL come with cherry tomatoes AND all slathered in mayo. - old34.

Re: What's in the News
« Reply #893 on: February 12, 2009, 02:12:09 AM »
No building is more vulnerable to fire than one halfway through construction.  A few years ago in my hometown, a new downtown development caught fire, and tore through the unfinshed interior walls.  The fire was so hot that firefighters had to cordon off the area and let 5 or 6 city blicks burn themselves out.  A lot of people lost their new homes.

I've heard some theories about terrorism, arson for insurance and firebugs, bug I'll bet a fiver it was just a dumb accident.   
And there is no liar like the indignant man... -Nietszche

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. -William James

englishmoose.com

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Escaped Lunatic

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #894 on: February 12, 2009, 04:58:35 AM »
I'm pro-cloning and we vote!               Why isn't this card colored green?
EscapedLunatic.com

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old34

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #895 on: February 12, 2009, 06:02:18 AM »
The building was still under construction and sheathed in that green mesh stuff they use ubiquitously here on construction sites. "To conceal the dragon" is how I've heard it explained to me.

Well, that stuff is flammable...as I guess they just learned. Watch the videos as the fire from the roof peels down the sides of the building.

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. - B. O'Driscoll.
TIC is knowing that, in China, your fruit salad WILL come with cherry tomatoes AND all slathered in mayo. - old34.

Re: What's in the News
« Reply #896 on: February 12, 2009, 06:34:23 AM »
Old34, let me get this straight: they wrapped a half-built skyscraper in flammable plastic?
And there is no liar like the indignant man... -Nietszche

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. -William James

englishmoose.com

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Stil

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #897 on: February 12, 2009, 03:29:49 PM »
You never seen this Con? In China, I've never seen an unfinished large building that wasn't covered in the green.

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Spaghetti

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #898 on: February 15, 2009, 06:36:38 AM »
That's a pretty big lantern:
http://raoulschinasaloon.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=92.0;attach=419;image
Beijing Mandarin Oriental Hotel (via NYT)

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Re: What's in the News
« Reply #899 on: February 16, 2009, 04:48:30 AM »
You never seen this Con? In China, I've never seen an unfinished large building that wasn't covered in the green.

Yes, but I never thought of it as kindling.  Some plastics don't readily burn...
And there is no liar like the indignant man... -Nietszche

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. -William James

englishmoose.com