Not just any woman in China can be an astronaut

When it comes to women in space, the Chinese have got it all figured out.

Their new Tiangong-1 space module has been specially designed for females, as the country's first woman astronaut will join the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft docking mission this week and live in the Tiangong for 13 days.


Despite the module being only 15 cubic meters inside, the female astronaut will have a separate toilet and bedroom that is soundproof to protect her privacy, Pang Zhihao, a researcher with the China Academy of Space Technology, said yesterday. How's that for luxury!

"She will also be able to take a sponge bath with a larger water supply than that of her male counterparts and even bring some specially made cosmetics into space," said Pang. Take that you smelly men.

Two women pilots from the Wuhan Flight Unit, including a backup, were picked for the mission. Either Liu Yang or Wang Yaping will become the nation's first woman in space, said Qi Faren, former chief designer of the Shenzhou spaceship series.

They were selected from 15 women who met the most stringent guidelines set by Chinese scientists.
1) They must be married
2) They must have given birth naturally
3) They must have no scars on their body
4) They must not exude any body odor.

Our good Dr Pang says a scar might open and start bleeding in space and the cramped conditions would intensify body odor. They have just thought of everything

And here is the kicker for all you married ladies who gave birth naturally - Xu Xianrong, a professor with the General Hospital of the PLA Air Force, said the female astronauts must be married and have given birth naturally because this ensures their body and mental condition are mature enough. And these folks are sending a rocket ship into space - makes you wonder!!!

Dr Pang said added that female astronauts tend to be more "keen and sensitive with better communication skills than their male counterparts." He added women were also good at dealing with relationships with their space partners, which would be an important issue on a long mission such as a trip to Mars.

An apple a day keeps the .......

As I sat down to breakfast this morning with my yogurt and apples I opened the Shanghai Daily News to read the following headline "Apples ripen in toxic bags". After choking and thinking twice about the next swallow, I read that the Shandong Provincial Agricultural Bureau is probing allegations that paper bags coated with pesticide are widely used to cover apples growing on trees in two major apple growing areas in east China - a region that supplies billions of kilograms of apples to cities all across China  and also accounts for over half of all the apples sold in Shanghai. That made me feel better - I have a 50/50 chance I'm eating an apple that was not coated with pesticides.

According to a bureau official surnamed Su it seems that young apples are covered in pesticide coated bags until they grow to full size. Local farmers  buy the pesticide-coated bags from unlicensed workshops to keep their apples from getting worms and to maintain a fresh shiny look.

These unlicensed manufacturers have so far refused to disclose the ingredients used in coating the interior of their bags however it is believed they contain highly toxic pesticides including asomate and tuzet and a mixture of thiram, ziram and urbacid - none of which I recognize but they all sound nasty. One manufacturer is quoted as saying a sack of pesticide costing 30 Yuan ($4.70 US) can coat 20,000 bags selling for 1,000 Yuan or $160.00 US.

An orchard owner says almost all orchards are using these bags because grocery stores and restaurants are demanding that all apples they sell have a perfect appearance.

So it looks like apples now join a long list of other goods that come off our shopping list or we start buying imported ones. So does An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away? Im not so sure anymore.
 

It was only a matter of time

China yesterday called on foreign consulates to stop releasing their own air quality readings. I was wondering when this would happen given the wide variences in reporting that I blogged about a few weeks ago

The Government is now saying only they are authorized to monitor and publish air quality information and data. Here is the party line from Wu Xiaoqing, a vice environmental minister. He said "other sources may not be standardized or as rigorous as ours is". Now that's called Chutzpah!!

The US Embassy in Beijing and the US consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou currently release PM2.5 readings on an hourly basis. PM2.5 particles are a risk to health because they are small enough to lodge deep in the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.

Later, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a press briefing: "Of course, if the foreign embassies want to collect air quality information for their own staff or diplomats, I think that is their own affair, but we believe that this type of information should not be released to the public." Of course it should not be released - why cause the public to be concerned about air quality when it is completely safe.

The sometimes sharp differences in air quality readings released by Chinese urban environmental watchdogs and those from the US consular authorities have stirred great debate among China's increasingly pollution-aware public. The US consular practice attracted public attention last year when Beijing was troubled by serious smog. The sharp variances in air quality reports released by the Beijing environmental watchdog and by the American Embassy spurred heated discussion.

The air quality yesterday in Shanghai reported by the government environmental authority was "good," similar to the "moderate" to "good" levels released by the US Consulate in the city. But there was controversy on May 14, for example, when the local government said the air quality in Shanghai was "good," while the US Consulate rated it "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

Wu said: "People may have noticed that the official PM2.5 readings released by Beijing and Shanghai watchdogs are basically the same as those released by some consular operations. However, the interpretations of air quality are sharply different.

As I said in a previous post the issue is how one interprets the air quality results. Wu said "It's because other countries use the air quality standards of their own country to evaluate air conditions here. That's obviously unreasonable." That's another Chutzpah quote worth noting. Yes of course it is unreasonable - in countries where clean air is a given why shouldn't the bar be set high. In developing countries with mass amounts of pollution in the air, you have to take that into account and set the bar lower - peoples health does not really enter into the equation.

Last night, the US air quality results were still available online and I hope they remain online - in the meantime I have to go and get my puffer :)

 

Two is one too many in China

As tomorrow is International Children's Day, I thought it appropriate to comment on China's one child policy.

It  has to be one of the more interesting social engineering  policies this country has adopted - the implications of which will be felt for generations to come.


A couple in eastern China's Zhejiang Province who violated the family planning law was recently fined 1.3 million yuan (US$205,000), the biggest such penalty levied by authorities.

The couple gave birth to a daughter in February after having a son in 1995. As the law was written, couples can have a second child under a few conditions such as both spouses being from one child families, or the first child has a non-inherited disease. In some provinces, rural couples are allowed to have a second child if their first child is a girl - hows that for sexual equality.  The couple in question did not qualify under any of these terms. They were wealthy business people who knew the consequences. Local regulations state the fine for having a second child should be four to eight times the average annual income of local residents with family planning authorities having the flexibility set the penalties at their discretion.

Since many of those who do violate the family planning law are rich families, they are given the maximum fines local authorities said. Ruian where this couple lived is in the jurisdiction of Wenzhou, which boasts many wealthy entrepreneurs. Nearly half of Wenzhou's families have two kids, and more than a dozen couples have been fined more than 1 million yuan.

The previous record fine, 1.25 million yuan was just recently imposed in April.

The Chinese government adopted the family-planning policy in 1979 to rein in the growth rate of the world's largest population. The law was enacted because authorities believed China's large population imposed undue pressure on the nation's sustainable development and was a bottleneck for China's competitiveness.

What is already evident is that China now has a gender imbalance. There many more boys born than girls which has created a serious social dilemma - their just aren't enough women around for men to marry - where that goes is anyone's guess?

We know how this will eventually end

And I'm afraid that it will most likely not be a great ending.

A three month old baby found alone in a downtown park a few weeks ago was reunited with his parents yesterday. The parents got their baby back after a warning and paying fines ending the two week drama.

And right about now you are asking why would the parents be warned and fined.

The incident began when police received emergency calls about a baby found sitting in a stroller with no parents in sight. The police rushed to the scene, waited a half hour or so for the parents to show up and then took the baby to the hospital for safe keeping while they tried to find the parents.

The next day after seeing the baby's picture posted online by the police, the mother contacted the police station to claim her child. She said she was regretful for what had happened. She told police she and her husband left the baby in the park after they quarreled about who should take care of the child. In a huff. she caught a bus back to her hometown in neighbouring Jiangsu Province and her hubby hit the road for his home in Sichuan. Duh - what about the kid???

After DNA testing to prove the child was in fact theirs, the police let the parents take the child with stern warnings to shape up.

So there you have it - a great insight into the handling of children's services and welfare here in China - my guess is we will never hear anything more from this family and there is probably a good chance the kid gets sold somewhere in the hinterland never to be heard from again.

The proverbial Question "Is it safe to breath today?"

And the answer of course is it depends on who you believe.

Officially, Shanghai's air quality was "good" yesterday (see picture at left). But at the American Consulate it was a different story. Readings there indicated that the city air was "unhealthy for sensitive groups" throughout most of the day.
The issue of course is just what is an acceptable level of particulates in the air. Monitoring equipment at the consulate is basically the same as equipment at the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center. The difference is China and America have different standards for air quality.

Data from the consulate, based on its monitoring machine in its offices on Huaihai Road showed that PM2.5 density began rising from 10am yesterday to a peak of 70 micrograms per cubic meter when the air qulaity was defined as "unhealthy". It remained at around 60 throughout the afternoon.

Here's the rub - China's acceptable daily limit for PM2.5 is 75 micrograms per cubic meter compared with about 25 micrograms in the United States.

The city's readings showed that PM2.5 reached a high of 68 at 11am in Putuo District and 82 in Zhangjiang in the Pudong New Area, the only two spots whose readings are made public. Granted the data from the consulate is only able to measure the air quality of the limited space around the consulate but you have to believe this number holds true for much of Shanghai.

So why worry when China says the air is OK? To begin with PM2.5 sized particles are about 1/30th the width of a human hair and we are at risk because these particles are small enough to lodge deep in our lungs and even enter our bloodstream - sounds wonderful doesn't it?.

Here's the best question of the day from a man named Shu Jiong who is an environmental professor at East China Normal University (do you think there is an East China Abnormal University). Shu questioned whether it was proper for the consulate to use US standards to evaluate Shanghai's air quality. He said, "the two countries have different demographic situations and are at different stages of development, so it will be more suitable to use the Chinese standard to evaluate the air quality in Shanghai". There you have it  - the real thinking behind the difference in standards. China is developing so its OK for it's industries to pollute the air and its citizens to breath more PM2.5 particulate.

Why didn't I think of that.

Who said there is no free press in China

Today's Shanghai Daily(one of the English mouth pieces for the Chinese Government) has illustrated the ultimate in free speech. They've done what I believe no newspaper has ever done in the Western world.

They sold their ACTUAL front cover to Mercedes Benz. This is not a wrap around - it is the front page. Talk about the rise of capitalism - this is over the top and then some. Imagine the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal giving up their front page for an advertiser. Rest assured Mao is turning over in his grave and calling on all the Chinese spirits to come rescue his lost flock.

In most countries and for most newspapers, the front page is off bounds - no ifs ands or buts. Any suggestion to an editorial team that this might generate gobs of money would be scoffed at and turned down.  Newsprint has fallen on hard times so I guess the Chinese are at the forefront of rewriting the rule book.

Study methods take a whole new turn

Throw out the misconception that Asian students are competitive and study 20 hours a day seven days a week with their heads buried in textbooks memorizing every word, every phrase, every formula because  a school in central China's Hubei Province has taken studing to a whole new level and hooked students up to intravenous drips to improve their memory and performance in exams. Xiaogan City No. 1 High School said each student was subsidized 10 yuan (US$1.6) by the provincial education bureau for amino acid drips ahead of National College Entrance Exams.

These folks believe the intravenous drips will improve memory and allay anxiety. Since these exams determine where a student goes for post secondary education, nothing is out of the question to get good marks. In many cities parents rent hotel rooms next to the exam centres to keep their kids relaxed and able to study up to the last minute. This includes providing massages and yoga sessions just before the exam.
 

Photographs posted on microblogging site weibo.com last Friday showed almost 30 senior students  hooked up to intravenous drips in their classroom. Web users claimed this proved this technique has becomes a tradition ahead of the National College Entrance Exams.

A school official, surnamed Xia, said students volunteered for the drip, and in order not to disturb their exam preparations it was administered in the classroom.

Here's a great quote - Sun Zhongshi, an expert with the State Food and Drug Administration, said there was a danger of cross-infection as a classroom was not the appropriate environment for giving intravenous injections, and was skeptical of the benefits of amino acid.

So you saw it here first. Next time your son or daughter has to write an exam, just hook them up to some intavenous solution and voila - you'll have a doctor or lawyer or architect on your hands in no time.

 

Why we worry about food!

Reports of Chinese cabbages tainted with formaldehyde in east China's Shandong Province, the country's largest vegetable supplier have exposed clandestine market practices and triggered a new wave of food safety concerns.Over the weekend, there were reports that vegetable dealers in Qingzhou had been seen spraying formaldehyde on Chinese cabbages .

In visits to farms and wholesale centers, Xinhua news agency reporters found that using the formaldehyde solution has been a popular, unspoken method of keeping vegetables fresh for at least three years and was not limited to Qingzhou. Many local farmers turn a blind eye to dealers treating the cabbages with formaldehyde. "It's a common practice to keep the cabbages fresh," says Yin Lihua, a farmer in Qingzhou's Dongxia township. "Otherwise, the vegetables stacked tightly in their trucks would rot in two to three days." China's wholesale vegetable dealers are not required to use refrigerated trucks for produce, and few can afford them. Yesterday morning, trucks were lined up near Yin's greenhouse, waiting to take the cabbages to faraway cities for sale.

Zhao Mingli, a dealer from the northeastern Heilongjiang Province, was caught by police while spraying the chemical solution. Zhao told them he used the spray to keep the cabbages in good condition during a 10-hour journey to Langfang, a city on the Hebei-Beijing border. "Vegetable dealers in Langfang openly demand formaldehyde-preserved cabbages because they sell more easily. I just did what everyone else was doing for three or four years. Zhao said 2.5 liters of solution costs only 7 yuan and can keep 20 tons of vegetables fresh. Zhao was one of dozens of vegetable dealers apprehended by police in Dongxia township. They admitted having sold formaldehyde-tainted vegetables to many provinces, and many said they ate the tainted cabbages themselves. "You just do away with the first layer of leaves, cut the root and rinse well," Zhao said.

For the record, formaldehyde is used as a disinfectant and embalming fluid and has been declared a known human carcinogen. It is also a skin, eye and respiratory irritant. In 2008, China banned it as an illegal food additive however that hasn't seemed to concern these farmers.

So now you know why we pay so much for produce that is flown in from Australia or grown on farms managed by expats who care about what they are eating.

Quick, I need a hit of BBQ sauce

I genuinely thought I'd heard it all but this is pretty hard to top. The Shanghai Daily newspaper reported today that an additive that enhances the flavor of braised pork is causing people to become addicted to the dish .

The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration yesterday warned local restaurants after it was found that the additive was also available here in Shanghai. The additive, dubbed "King of Meat" can be found in many food markets and is used by many restaurant chefs who know the secret of the taste and don't eat the pork dish themselves - isnt that reassuring.

The Shanghai FDA said yesterday the three relevant ingredients in the composition of the additive were legal synthetic flavors that can be used in all kinds of food, except raw meat in which the use of the additives is banned.

Makes me feel all warm and cosy to know the law says the additives can't be used to cover food that has gone bad or to make counterfeit products. The Shanghai FDA said local restaurants should avoid using or use a minimum amount of the additive while cooking pork with brown sauce and other dishes.

The additive is made of chemical synthetics that contain chlorine and it can irritate the human gastronomic and digestive systems, Mo Baoqing, a professor of Nanjing Medical University, told the newspaper.

What is so spooky about eating in this country is that China has no clear provisions for dealing with such synthetic additives - that's why we've made a conscious decision to stay away from street food and other local dives.

The "King of Meat" mixture is also being sold online. Online vendors boast the special additive is made of "natural spices" and is widely used across the country. "It should be safe as long as you don't put too much of it into dishes," said a Shenzhen-based vendor. "We don't know what the additive is made of, but we haven't heard of anyone being poisoned or harmed by it." Online stores said the additive can be used in almost all kinds of meat products to enhance their taste and get rid of any bad smell. A 500ml bottle costs about 70 yuan (US$11), and most buyers were restaurant owners, the vendor said.

I'll remember that the next time we eat out.