User profile: blobbles

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Forums > Living in Kunming > GMO Poison

Really it depends on the motivations of the people creating GMO goods. Are they doing it to help people or make money? If it is the latter, my personal belief is it can quickly lead to a situation where moral choices get put behind financial ones. If it is done for the sole purpose of feeding people and money is NOT made from doing so (or only enough to cover costs), it may not be a bad thing.

One thing that recent history has taught us though is that Monsanto as a company is rotten through and through. The way they flout law, the death and destruction they cause... basically they are a poster child of Corporate greed with zero social/environmental responsibility. Unless you have seen their practices first hand (as I have), you probably aren't likely to believe it as the spin they mete out to counter their activities is selective, the moral antithesis of the real world and far reaching.

There is a distinct difference between hybridising animals (selective breeding) and literally tinkering with the DNA of animals/vegetables. A great example is Terminator seeds - I am of the opinion living things have a basic reproductive right and as a believer in evolution, removing that right has terrible moral implications. Just as we do not sterilise prisoners convicted of crimes (we believe in the right of reform and second chances), we should not reduce a living things ability to breed through artificial means with the purpose of making money. Such practices are abhorrent as they lead to devastation for already established food/economic/environmental/social systems.

I am OK with GMO as long as we apply a precautionary approach to their use and are able to adequately restrict movement of GMO goods. Unfortunately that runs in direct contradiction of the goals of a company like Monsanto who wish to (and pay people) to release GMO seeds with little thought as to the consequences.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > legal status, right of social medias, intelligence

For a start, if you are in China, it doesn't matter if you are a French/Namibian/Timbuktu citizen, Chinese law and the rights that a Chinese person has are applied to you. You do not get special privilege or treated any differently unless you are a diplomat or ambassador of your country.

Chinese privacy laws, as far as I know, are largely non existent. However there are parts of other laws that indicate people have a right for freedom of discrimination and freedom of secrecy (which doesn't apply if you are breaking other laws though).

Coming soon however may be a new law that more explicitly defines your internet freedoms, they are drafting laws to cover counter-terrorism, with the wording indicating they are interested in establishing mechanisms that would ensure that access to private phone and Internet records, go through a strict approval procedure for search and seizure. The information gathered being used solely for the purpose of counter-terrorism. I would expect their definition of terrorism however to include violation of particular tenets, most likely one being the right for the Chinese Communist party to rule China.

Basically you have little protection Gompo and as the judicial system in China is not exactly independent, I wouldn't expect any sort of privacy that we are "afforded" in the West.

(I put the "afforded" in quotes because Dazzer is spot on).

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Forums > Living in Kunming > GMO Poison

And some farmers are forced into purchasing GMO seeds by aggressive pesticide and seed companies who wish to monopolise the food system. Pesticide Action Network is a grass roots organisation I used to work with who through investigations in India found shadowy middle men employed by Monsanto who would do all kinds of things to force farmers into buying their GMO "high yield" Bt cotton seeds. They would "convince" (read "force") farmers into buying their seeds which they advertised as having higher yields, more, drought resistance etc etc, but once planted the exact opposite was true, the seeds cost 3x the amount as normal, required huge amounts of Round up (another Monsanto product), caused lower yields and in many places made the land unsuitable for future crops that were not the same, locking the farmer into buying the seeds again. The destruction in India was shocking with farmers committing suicide, land ruined etc... seriously, read up all about them as they aren't a company you really want to be involved in our food systems:www.panna.org/[...]

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Bike Stealing in Kunming

The thieves are well organised, they use an incredibly strong tool that works on air pressure or battery which can slice through virtually anything in seconds. I saw a fairly close video of it when my wife's bike was stolen, the thief had the lock broken in seconds, pulled out a tool and snipped the d-lock and riding off on the bike. They are pretty brazen, this was right outside a bank with security guards standing outside with their backs turned. He then went to a mian bao che around the corner which was waiting.

The lock/chain won't matter IMO.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > environmental documentary

Come on guys lets not be naive. Clearly the documentary was well produced, by a person who must have close ties to the CCP and who was allowed to interview anyone and everyone without impunity. The story of the documentary was a little too fairytale and the people who were interviewed were a little too high up the chain to have not sought permission or questioned people in the government about the interviews. If the CCP did not want this shown, they would have and could have had it shut down before it was even aired on youku, probably while it was being made. They didn't, and because they didn't it shows its production and release was clearly intentional. They wanted to show their intentions regarding environmental legal changes approaching and their enforcement. However, the doco became bigger than they thought it would and tipped over the point where "showing their intentions" started becoming "a bit embarrassing at showing how impotent some of our governing is" possibly leading to social disharmony. Hence the removal.

They killed two birds with one stone shutting it down - slowed its spread and limited the embarrassment it is causing and reinforced that they have absolute power over the media, both traditional and online.

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And for the love of god, prioritise the currently useless line that should run all the way to the airport! Anyone notice that it doesn't look like they have left enough room for the train just West of the East Bus station? The raised bridge appears to be a little close to the vehicle bridge above it... maybe this was why they haven't done anything, somebody screwed up and nobody wants to take responsibility?

I saw what I am almost sure was a black bear in Cangshan about 3 weeks ago. I was walking the cloud path, the northern part past Zhonghe temple towards the road leading down to the 3 pagodas. The first thing I heard was a loud angry grunting sound from something LARGE, as I was rounding a bend, the sound from behind. Being by myself (not making much noise on the lookout for birds) and not knowing what it was it was a bit of a brown pants time. So I legged it for a few hundred metres and got to the point where I could look back, to see a large black shape through the first line of forest through the trees. A couple of days later I saw a sign on the southern end of the cloud path that said black bears roamed Cangshan...

I aren't in Kunming for the foreseeable future, just left.

Clearly you aren't interested in answering the question, I withdraw it in the face of the inane/inept responses that you have provided. I suggest you stop telling others how to think/behave if you can't provide thoughtful, respectful advice/experience yourself.

Reviews

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Wow, just wow. Possibly the best Chinese food I have had in Kunming. And in one of the nicest, traditional courtyard style restaurant I have been in. A woman dressed in traditional qi pao playing a gu zheng just adds to it.

We had okra, mushroom soup, dried beef and chou dofu. All top notch with the bill coming in at just over 250 kuai. But we could have fed 3 people for that so not too bad at about 80-90 kuai each. Not the cheapest but for the quality, it's damn good.

If you have people visiting and want to take them to a traditional Chinese style restaurant with Yunnan style food, or want a romantic night out with a gal, you can't go wrong here. Close to Green Lake (down a little alley) for a romantic walk... Just perfect.

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Pretty good place for getting all your documents translated and/or notarised. Note that there are a number of notaries in the building which you can find by going up the stairs (the elevators are impossible). But you have to find the stairs to do so... go in the door, head over to the right, go up the big wide stairs which head up a floor, turn right then right again into the elevator area and right again into the stairwells. Whew!

One point off for the elevators never being available and having to hike 7-9 flights of stairs (not good if you have to go 3-4 times a day like I often did!)

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This does not stop at the Jinanya hotel at Da Shang Hui as the flyers state (and is on the images tab here). They need to have another stop in the same area or else they are missing out on covering a big chunk of the city.

You can take another bus, the 919C, I believe, if you are nearby Da Shang Hui, which leaves from the bus station on HeHong Lu, nearby the Qianxing road intersection. This bus goes every hour and is white, found at the western end of the station. It is operated by a different company and takes about 1 hour 10 minutes to get to the airport due to a large number of stops especially near the airport.

Great bus though if you can catch it!

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Friendly people, even got to the talk to the vice consulate, who told me she had done a stint in Malaysia's Siberian Consulate!

English is spoken by some of the Chinese girls working at the desk who are pleasant to deal with. I assume they do Visa's as well but I wasn't here for a visa, this time!