How`s this for a brilliant crime stopping technique

Seems the Chengdu police won't stop deflating tires

Officers at a police station in Chengdu, Sichuan province, have been deflating the tires of more than 100 motor vehicles every night lately to combat rampant car theft.

The practice has led to occasional objections from local residents and disputes between car owners and officers. Even so, Zhang Xiaochuan, chief officer at the Jitou police station in Wuhou district, said police will not abandon it because they have no better solution.

What's more important than the occasional annoyances, he said, is the fact that the campaign has proved effective in thwarting car thieves, who used to steal dozens of automobiles a year in the township.

To prevent car theft, especially of cars parked in unattended areas, the police station employed eight police officers and about 80 resident patrol members. That staff worked every day to deflate tires from midnight to 6 am.

Two officers then have the task of inflating the tires free of charge, starting at 7:30 am every day.

A notice was left on each car, telling the owner how to get in touch with the two officers and request that the tires be re-inflated. Sound like a good idea to me - might want to start it on some residential streets in Forest Hill to see how it goes over.

Take that you smokers - next time life in jail

A man was detained for three days for smoking in a Metro station, the first person in Shanghai to be held for violating tough new no-smoking laws, city police said yesterday.

The man, surnamed Chen, was found smoking near a ventilation shaft along Line 3 on March 23, police said.

A cleaner first detected Chen smoking on Line 3's Hongkou Football Stadium Station, an elevated station, about 2:15pm, police said.

Police arrived shortly after and Chen threw the cigarette butt on the ground.

Chen, 49, was taken to a police station for questioning. He told police he knew that smoking is banned in Metro stations and on subway trains.

Smoking has been prohibited in public places since the city enacted the ban in March 2010. During the past 12 months, 12 public venues and five individuals were punished for breaking the smoking ban. They were fined a combined 25,400 yuan (US$3,878).

However, many smokers still ignore the ban.

And you thought virgin eggs were weird

From the Shanghai Daily News today - A Shanghai resident found the pork she bought was giving off a "blue fluorescence" at night. Food safety experts said the blue light may have been caused by a photobacterium that contaminated the pork. They added that the pork would not harm people's health if it was well cooked. And not to be confused with glowing pork but today the Walt Disney Co and its Chinese partner held a ground-breaking ceremony this morning for its Shanghai Disneyland theme park, the first on China's mainland. The Shanghai Disney Resort will be located on a 963 acre (3.9 square kilometer) site in Pudong, Shanghai, with additional room to expand in the future, the statement said. At opening, the resort will include Shanghai Disneyland, two themed hotels, a large retail, dining and entertainment venue, recreational facilities, a lake and associated parking and transportation hubs, it added. So there you have it - Porky Pig comes to Shanghai - glowing red, white and let's not forget blue.

Who'd of Thunk

Bob Dylan will make his debut in China tomorrow, starting with a sell-out concert in Beijing followed by a gig in Shanghai on Friday which of course I will miss because I am in Toronto - what a drag.

It may be that Dylan has some way to go to win mass popularity in China, though. When the Xinmin Evening News, one of Shanghai's most-read newspapers, wrote a story previewing his concert, they used a picture of Willie Nelson - pretty funny.

"In China, maybe many people have heard of Dylan, but not many really know who he is," said Zhang Xiaozhou, a Beijing music critic. I'll bet the concert in Shanghai will be packed with expats of every age.

Dylan, whose first attempt to come to China last year was reportedly vetoed by the culture ministry, is being brought in by concert promotion giants Live Nation

Dylan, who turns 70 in May, will play his first mainland show at the Workers' Gymnasium of Beijing, followed by another at Shanghai Grand Stage on April the 8th.

The deed is done

The move is complete. Our Montreal condo is but a shell of it's previous past. The place looks as good today as it did when we first saw it in November 2009 and we are sad to leave it behind. Many great dinners were shared with friends and family and it truly was one of the more unique places we have ever lived in. It will be hard to top but our new apartment in Shanghai has it's own unique features (japanese toilet with a heated toilet seat and other accessories) as well as some pretty breath taking views of Shanghai and the Bund and 3300 square feet of living space so no complaints from anybody. It is a beautiful space and will be made even more beautiful with the addition of our art, photos, books and plants.