MetaFilter posts tagged with shanghai

A Crash in Shanghai raises questions about an airline...

krautland — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:38:46 -0800

A Zimbabwean cargo aircraft crashed earlier today at Shanghai-Pudong airport, killing three and seriously injuring four. It is not yet known why the aircraft, an ex Varig MD-11F (pic) operated by an airline called Avient, failed to become airborne, but the airline itself has received quite some attention recently. Headquartered in Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, they almost went bankrupt, leaving behind massive debts in France, only to almost out of nowhere get this MD-11F, which crashed within a week of being acquired. (pprune, reg req) But that's not the only shady thing about this airline... Avient is run by Andrew Smith, a former captain of the Royal Engineers, who has made a fortune from a bloody African civil war. "A United Nations report has accused Smith of organising bombing raids in the DRC on behalf of President Joseph Kabila to suppress rebel forces. It is alleged that three years ago Avient received $30,000 a month for recruiting crew from Ukraine to fly in Russian-made Antonovs behind enemy lines in 1999 and 2000." (Observer, link above) Amnesty International mentioned Avient in A catalogue of failures: G8 Arms Exports and Human Rights Violations: "Besides the “official” trade in weapons, there are a large number of arms traffickers and brokers willing to supply arms to warring factions across Africa. One example is the network operated by Victor Bout who, through his UAE based Air Cess Company, is reported to have delivered arms clandestinely to Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Congo and to have been paid in “conflict diamonds” mined illegally. Much of the weaponry traded originated in Russia, Central Asia and other Eastern European countries. Another example is the Zimbabwean company, Avient, with management links to the UK, which was reported to have hired Russian aircraft and air crew to support the government of Laurent Kabila in the Congo with “air drops”, and also admitted to repairing and maintaining Russian MIG fighters for the Kabila regime." It is not yet known if Avient was engaged in mercenary activities at the time of this crash but one should hope this event will cause authorities to investigate this operation. Bout is in jail, Smith is still free. A footnote: 8 MD-11 have been written off, representing 4% of the production.

Lithographs from the Touchstone Studio

Abiezer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:33:13 -0800

Envisioning Chinese Society in the Late Nineteenth Century: Words and Images from the Dianshizhai Pictorial Very nice online presentation of translated content from the famed nineteenth century Shanghai pictorial journal (China's first); Dianshizhai (点石斋画报) was modelled on Britain's Punch and produced as a supplement for Shen Bao subscribers. Flash is used so elements in the cartoons can be clicked for further information: a young woman repels a thief with martial derring-do; a customer bilks on the bill in a street eatery in Hangzhou; small-town society and politics with the muddle-headed magistrate; a non-performing temple bell offers a chance for sceptical commentary on religion; the gentlemanly pastime of cricket-fighting.

Oriental Angel

djduckie — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:37:19 -0800

Lou Jing was your average 20 year old woman from Shanghai, until being on Go! Oriental Angel, an American Idol like singing competition show, had to point out the obvious. Lou Jing is half Chinese, half African- America, something China apparently wasn't ready for.

Barbie's midlife crisis

mudpuppie — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:43:39 -0800

While US sales declined steadily in recent years, worldwide Barbie sales have been on the rise. So what better way to celebrate Barbie's 50th birthday and increase worldwide sales than by giving her her very own flagship store in Shanghai [Flash, sound]. And here in the States, Mattel is trying to revive the brand by bringing her into the 21st century -- with Totally Stylin' Tattoo Barbie and, of course, her own Twitter page. But some think that Barbie has no place in modern times. One West Virginia lawmaker has introduced a bill that would ban the sale of Barbie dolls "and other similar dolls that promote or influence girls to place an undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual and emotional development." Other questionable Barbie marketing decisions include Pregnant Midge and Teen Talk Barbie.

3D Map of Shanghai

priorpark17 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:33:57 -0800

3D map of Shanghai. Double Click a building and get a pic of the building My Chinese isn't up to it but if you double click a building you seem to get a pic of the building and nearby flats for rent. The links on the lower left seem to take you the nearest McDonalds, Hospital, and KFC. You start in the new area of Pudong, go west of the river (direction left) to find the older sites. The cranes on building sites is a nice touch. If you want to see Shanghai from ground level try here: City8

Raise your flag!

finite — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:16:26 -0800

Björk, in Shanghai, on Tibet: Declare Independence! [YouTube] Bjork's Shanghai surprise: a cry of 'Tibet!' - Bjork's protest a sign of things to come for China - Björk Exposes China's Greatest Weakness - Bjork Shouts Out To Tibet During Shanghai Show - Chinese furious at 'Tibet-independence' Bjork Shanghai Daily says "Let's hope that Bjork's controversial parting comments do not lessen the likelihood of local music fans enjoying more of these acts in the future" without offering readers any hint as to what the comments were about. Declare Independence on mefi previously: 1, 2

Hey, Chinabounder ...

RavinDave — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 05:04:34 -0800

Hey, Chinabounder ... There's 14,608,512 guys outside wanna have a chat with you! A self-described Western scoundrel in Shanghai [racey text] seems to be creating the biggest backlash against foreign devils since the Boxer Rebellion. Said to be an expat English tutor, he's been seducing women and writing up lurid accounts on his blog and shocking the indignant and conservative populace. Now there's a growing effort to track him down as the drama unfolds.

Live in Thames Town, and enjoy the distinctly English atmosphere of this unique place!

jack_mo — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 12:57:31 -0800

Live in Thames Town, and enjoy the distinctly English atmosphere of this unique place! (Thames Town is in Shanghai.)

Yeah Shanghai!

banishedimmortal — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 11:37:37 -0800

Old photos of Shanghai from Virtual Shanghai is one of the best collections of old Shanghai photos (over 2000) I've found on the web, and it has a nice map collection too. Tales of Old Shanghai has a lot of great stuff, especially primary texts. Sinomania has a pretty eclectic collection of photos. Some of my favorites so far.

Death sentence for online gamer

Trik — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 14:34:02 -0800

Death sentence for online gamer SHANGHAI: A Shanghai online gamer who murdered another player because of a dispute over a "cyber-weapon" was given the death sentence with a two-year reprieve yesterday at Shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court. Qiu Chengwei's death penalty will be commuted to life in prison if he behaves well in jail, and no other crimes relating to him are uncovered.

Not to condone the murder, but is cyber theft or isn't it? Acording to the DMCA if I download a song or movie from cyberspace I am commiting a crime. Yet if someone steals your item in a cyberworld and sells it for real world cash your left without recourse. I feel China had a chance to establish new law and balked. (more inside)

Ling Lung Women's Magazine

hama7 — Tue, 09 Sep 2003 08:01:43 -0800

Ling Lung Women's Magazine: Shanghai, 1931 to 1937.

1930 Shanghai style advertising posters

hama7 — Fri, 05 Sep 2003 14:35:21 -0800

1930 Shanghai style advertising posters

crasspastor — Mon, 29 Oct 2001 10:52:07 -0800

Oh that whirlwind affair that October in Shanghai. It's a week old. And I hope and pray this hasn't been posted before. But if you like joke fodder about Bush, these photos may be for you.