Current Events

[Randy W]

"The government will have a solution."

from the SCMP on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/posts/297215228303744/

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

22 years ago . . .

from the SCMP on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/posts/3131644603580556/

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

more flood pics - from Al Jazeera on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/7382473689/posts/10159127559928690/

Quote

China faces worst floods in 30 years - in pictures: https://aje.io/s4te7

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone at Wuhan

Quote

A pavilion on the Huanghuaji waterfront of Wuhan, Hubei province, was almost completely submerged as the Yangtze River’s water levels continue to rise in the region. (Images: People Visual)

https://www.facebook.com/1570821646570023/posts/2694370110881832/?substory_index=0

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the Global Times on Facebook (with linked article)

Quote

#环球时报Editorial: The UK’s decision to ban #Huawei means huge economic loss for it. It is highly doubtful that other European countries will make the same decision. https://bit.ly/3h4lYxB

https://www.facebook.com/115591005188475/posts/3249050068509204/

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from China Daily on Facebook

Quote

#EverydayHero Salute! Chinese rescue teams faced torrential flooding and acted without hesitation, weathering the storm across China to save lives. #flood

https://www.facebook.com/191347651290/posts/10158664237686291/

https://www.facebook.com/191347651290/posts/10158664237686291/

(the video is still there, but only through the link)

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the SCMP on Facebook

Quote

China’s flooding this year has been the worst in decades, affecting more than 37 million people and leaving at least 140 dead or missing.

 

Full story: sc.mp/0782b

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/posts/2992697744182019/

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the WSJ

 

Microsoft, Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

• Negotiations aren’t believed to be dead, but the companies are trying to get clarity on White House’s stance

Microsoft Corp. has paused negotiations to buy the U.S. operations of the video-sharing app TikTok after President Trump said late Friday he opposed the deal, according to people familiar with the matter.

 

The president’s statements spurred TikTok to make additional concessions, including agreeing to add as many as 10,000 jobs in the U.S. over the next three years, but it isn’t clear if those will alter Mr. Trump’s stance, one of the people said. The founder of TikTok parent Bytedance Ltd., Zhang Yiming, also agreed to sell his stake as part of any deal, the person said.

 

Mr. Zhang was going to retain a minority stake under the deal being discussed before Mr. Trump’s remarks, the person said.

 

The software giant was in advanced talks with Bytedance, gaining momentum toward a deal they believed met the White House goal for the popular app to get bought by a U.S. company, the people said. Those plans were interrupted when Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he preferred to ban the app and wouldn’t support a sale.

 

Before Mr. Trump’s remarks, the two sides believed the broad strokes of a deal could be in place by Monday, the people said.

 

The companies were caught off guard by the president’s comments, said one person familiar with the matter. Another person said the White House has been involved in the discussions for weeks and made it clear from the outset that the desired outcome was for TikTok to be “American-owned.”

 

 

[Randy W]

seeds from China - from CBSNews

 

Some mystery seeds illegally sent from China identified

 

Images tweeted by the Maryland Department of Agriculture show packets of unidentified seeds received in the mail, unsolicited, by state residents, apparently from China. Maryland Department of Agriculture

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified some of the plant species in bags of unsolicited seeds arriving in mailboxes across the United States. Officials have warned the shipments of mystery seeds, which appear to have originated in China, could be invasive plant species.

So far, however, the species appear to be innocuous. At least 14 of the seed species had been identified as of July 29, according to Deputy Administrator Osama El-Lissy of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. They includes mustard, cabbage and morning glory as well as herbs like mint, sage, rosemary and lavender. He said hibiscus and roses were also found.

CBS News confirmed that residents in all 50 states have reported receiving the suspicious packages of seeds.The USDA said if you receive the packets of seeds, do not plant them and contact your state plant regulatory official.

CBS News confirmed that residents in all 50 states have reported receiving the suspicious packages of seeds.The USDA said if you receive the packets of seeds, do not plant them and contact your state plant regulatory official.

 

 

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/1570821646570023/posts/2711945959124247/

Quote

Hagupit, the fourth typhoon of this year, made landfall in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday. Photos circulating online show the windows of a Taizhou City residential community complex blown out by the storm.

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[amberjack1234]

Son of a gun they should be made to put those windows in better than that.

[Randy W]

One of our neighboring buildings had a couple of them pop out when the summer morning sun hit them for the first time (back in 2011). Shattered all over the entry plaza when they fell.

[amberjack1234]

Lucky no one was hurt.

[Randy W]

You may have heard that the Three Gorges Dam may be about to burst its britches (bridges?) This is what the Taiwan News has to say about that.

China admits Three Gorges Dam 'deformed' by flood

• China says 2nd major flood caused 'displacement, seepage, deformation' of Three Gorges Dam

Controversial Google Maps image (left), CASC map (right).

Quote

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China on Saturday (July 18) reported that the vaunted Three Gorges Dam experienced "displacement, seepage, and deformation" as it was hit with the "No. 2 Flood" of the year but that these were within "the normal range."

. . .

The report then claimed that monitoring records from the dam's operators show that the main parameters of the dam, including "displacement, seepage, and deformation are within the normal range." It added that the safety indexes of the water retaining structures of the dam are stable.

On July 21 Chinese state-run voicebox the Global Times cited engineers as saying that the "elastic deformation is recoverable and not permanent, and that of the Three Gorges Dam has always been within the design limits." In another article on July 22, the Global Times cited Wang Hao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as claiming that the "concrete materials used by the dam are different from ordinary concrete" and that it will continue to cure and strengthen until it reaches its "peak strength in 100 years."

In 2019, a Google Maps image surfaced appearing to show the Three Gorges Dam to be badly warped. However, Cao Yi (曹毅), director of the Operations Department of the Three Gorges Group Basin Administration, told The Paper.cn the Google Maps image in question was not taken directly by a satellite, but had been processed by a series of algorithms which caused the deviations.

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from China Pictorial on Facebook

Quote

Part of an ancient city wall in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, collapsed on Saturday morning, leaving four people injured, one bus and three private cars damaged.

The authorities said the incident likely happened due to the persistent rain in the city in recent days.

 

https://www.facebook.com/553929144732479/posts/3004954402963262/

Edited December 21, 2020 by Randy W (see edit history)