User profile: Geezer

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Hijacking the forums

There was once a poster who has departed (?), who once put up an amazing, long and totally off topic post. It is a classic. I post it here to remind us of how to hijack a forum thread:

Forums > Living in Kunming > Update your locks
www.cancioneros.com/[...]

A somewhat philosophical view.

Paroles de Stances Au Un Cambrioleur

- Georges Brassens

Prince des monte-en-l'air et de la cambriole,
Toi qui eus le bon goût de choisir ma maison
Cependant que je colportais mes godrioles
En ton honneur j'ai compose cette chanson
Sache que j'apprécie au sa valeur le geste
Qui te fit bien fermer la porte en repartant
De peur que des rôdeurs n'emportassent le reste
Des voleurs comme il faut c'est rare de ce temps,
Tu ne m'as dérobe que le stricte nécessaire,
Délaissant dédaigneux l'exécrable portrait
Que l'on m'avait offert au mon anniversaire
Quel bon critique d'art mon salaud tu ferais!
Autre signe indiquant toute absence de tare,
Respectueux du brave travailleur tu n'as
Pas cru décent de me priver de ma guitare,
Solidarité sainte de l'artisanat.
Pour toutes ces raisons vois-tu, je te pardonne
Sans arriére pensée après mur examen
Ce que tu m'as vole, mon vieux, je te le donne,
Ça pouvait pas tomber en de meilleures mains.
D'ailleurs mi qui te parle, avec mes chansonnettes,
Si je n'avais pas du rencontrer le succès,
J'aurais tout comme toi, pu virer malhonnête,
Je serais devenu ton complice, qui sait?
En vendant ton butin, prends garde au marchandage,
Ne vas pas tout lâcher en solde au receleurs,
Tiens leur la dragée haute en évoquant l'adage
Qui dit que ces gens-la sont pis que les voleurs.
Fort de ce que je n'ai pas sonne les gendarmes,
Ne te crois pas du tout tenu de revenir,
Ta moindre récidive abolirait le charme,
Laisse moi je t'en prie, sur un bon souvenir.
Monte-en-l'air mon ami, que mon bien te profite,
Que Mercure te préserve de la prison,
Et pas trop de remors, d'ailleurs nous sommes quittes,
Après tout ne te dois-je pas une chanson?

Post-Scriptum.
Si le vol est l'art que tu préfères,
Ta seule vocation, ton unique talent,
Prends donc pigeon sur rue, mets-toi dans les affaires,
Et tu auras les flics même comme chalands.
Ge who is without sin....."

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Relaxing the requirements?

@cloudtrapezer I think you got this wrong: “But under capitalism, the product of workers' labour, whether physical or intellectual - news articles, lesson plans etc. belongs to the employer… .” If this is explicit in an employment contract,

you are correct. However, absent an explicit contract stipulation, development of intellectual property and its subsequent ownership, often becomes a matter of litigation at least “under capitalism.”

Socialists, and Communists, generally oppose any form of private property rights, including intellectual property, which nicely eliminates the existence of Intellectual Property (IP).

As for publishing your IP, it is often the case that you are required to relinquish you IP rights in order to be published. This is not universal and depends on the publisher’s policy. I developed a new approach to determining and calculating break even for complex businesses, was published but retained the copyright. Subsequently, I agreed to allow use of my method in an accounting textbook as long as I was given attribution.

About 40 years ago I came up with the idea of building a numeric key pad into computer keyboards. Being an accountant, and the Corporate Controller, I insisted the number key be arranged like an accountants 10 key adding machine instead of like a telephone keypad. It cost more to do it that way as the keypads had to be redesigned to fit into keyboards but you, and the whole world use it.

“Copyright was invented by and for early capitalism, and its importance to that system has grown ever since. To oppose copyright is to oppose capitalism. Thus, Marxism is a natural starting point when challenging copyright.”

firstmonday.org/article/view/938/860

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Individual Income Tax (IIT) Calculator 2019

Dezan Shira & Associates publisher of China Briefing has made available a IIT calculator. I did one of these about 10 years ago when the tax law was simpler.

Use it with the caution the law might change or your facts may be interpreted differently by tax authorities.

It should give you a pretty good idea of your tax exposure.

www.dezshira.com/[...]

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Minimum Wages in China 2019

Asia Briefing has published "Minimum Wages in China 2019" which, if you are interested, provides insight to minimum wages by province and local area. Both monthly and hourly minimums are provided.

The actual document provided is a JPG graphic so analysis is difficult. Other odd items: 1) Hourly minimum wage seems very high compared to monthly minimum, 2) Other sources label the Hourly Minimum as Daily minimum which would be quite low. SCMP discusses and compares various minimum wage rates here:
www.scmp.com/[...]

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Comments

Seems to me that 3.35 million attendees who have spent a combined 2.35 billion yuan (US$340 million) is a pretty good reason to throw a party. Brinbg on the bands and food!

Mass urbanization results in poor uneducated, unskilled rural workers migrating to urban centers where they are denied education for their young and healthcare for the aged. Without the requisite hukou, they are unable to avail themselves of labor contracts or protection of labor laws, these newly 'urbanized' folk are cheap labor to be exploited.

There was a time when annual reports by Chinese ministries reported actual spending against budgets. The last of these reports I saw indicated, while budgets had been impressively increased, actual spending on education and healthcare had declined year on year.

Recently, it was announced that 12.6 billion yuan would be spent to provide three years training to new 'Family Doctors.' This was in response to low pay for General Practice doctors. The goal is to double the number of low trained underpaid doctors to alleviate pressures on overworked, highly trained and highly paid doctors.

Statistics will show more doctors, more healthcare and more spending. Three year doctors for the poor?

Invoking the hukou system, which has existed in China for four millennium give or take a few centuries, as fueling capitalism is absurd.

How come it had no effect until the last 40 years?

The cheap labor and population control provided by the hukou system strengthens China's centrally planned system by providing the coercive control necessary to effect a modern serfdom key to economic growth to succeed on the cheap. Only by tying most Chinese to the land can the selectively chosen be allowed to participate in wealth, education, healthcare and prosperity.

Fortunately, as the water rises so do all boats.

Reviews

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Good for quality, but pricey, hand tools.

Be aware they will push whatever they are selling. Some of the staff have no idea about the technical side of appliances.

I went there to buy a stove. I repeatedly told them I would be using bottled gas. They sold me a stove. When I went to my local gas guy, I learned there are at least three kinds of gas sold. Luckily, B&Q did not deliver as promised. I went back to the store and discovered they had sold me a stove they needed to be hooked up to the gas main. I got my money back.

The sales lady was almost in tears, 没有问题!I don't know if it a safety or design issue, but I would think B&Q would know and care.

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Last week had an 8:45am flight.

Subway starts at 9am. I have no idea where to catch an airport express bus. Eight taxis refused to go to the airport. After almost an hour standing on Beijing Lu took a black taxi, this dude drives slower than my mother, 120 yuan.

Flight back was delayed so I learned the subway stops running at 6:10pm.

Getting a taxi back was easy, more taxis than customers. Taxi was 87 yuan including 1o yuan toll, airport to Beichen area. Yes, he took a longer route than necessary.

Kunming imagines being a gateway for international travelers. New airport but hard to get to and from it.

World Class Airport, NOT!

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Tonight "Peacock", a performance by Yang Liping (杨丽萍), to begin her world tour, 8pm, 100-1680 yuan at Yunna Haigeng Auditorium.

Saw this lady perform at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, in California, in 1995. Quite a good and interesting show.

I'm going to try to make it.

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Not so good. Kimchi had a very sour taste. Other food was nothing to brag about. I don't think I would go back.