GUANGZHOU WARNING

[hypoclear]

So true, RMark,

 

I traveled to GZ for several years before experiencing the Main Railway station in Guangzhou, (this last summer to travel to Hunan provience)  ---  like you. I always got off at the East GZ station, which is clean, linked to the subway, and as far as I can tell, largely crime free....

 

... the Main Railway station is a different world.

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww again!!! sigh sigh boohoo, insult to injury..

 

This is the liberal Mark...

 

Kim you have been away tooo long.. have ole Doc Trigg email you a 'script..

 

To' who's dis 'cerns...

 

Kim is here by haven' to be haven' his 1 to 2 hours a'day oven the i'net and CFL. His memory is slipping and dis... de doc's oders!

 

Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

 

P.S. of course HE will put this on an official 'script paper.. -

[lele]

Good advice for everywhere in the world!

 

Avoid large crowds...

 

and in China (as in most of Asia) where the population density is higher, it is hence easier to become a target.

 

But do not worry! Since you look so different, many people, good as well as bad, will be watching you.

[hypoclear]

Dave they can and do. Just the other night my wife told me one of the women in the office of her company asked her if she wanted some condoms, free of charge of course.

 

I believe this is open to all employees or maybe just the married ones.

Bea was given 3 month paid leave and an extra month because of the C-Section, she now also has 1 hour off perday paid for breast feeding for the first year and I think she can not be asked to work over time. I do know that from her 7th month on she couldn't be asked.

 

Everywhere you look and go here in Sz you see them in plain view for sale, while people maybe modest about their sexual relations they certainly are open and aware of birth control. Sadly they may not practice it well as there seems to be a large amount of STD clinics.. but that could just be a wrong assumption on my part coz it's one of the few signs in some hospitals in English.. heheh

 

As for money spent.. I just read where after 25 years.. yes years of free food sent to China the world organizations felt it was time to stop. I believe it was during the cultural revolution that the population exploded at Mao's urgings,which along with the closing of universities and most other forms of education is a direct line to China's current condition.

 

Not enough aridable land to support this population, nor enough educated people to devise solutions to these problems. if one takes a generation to be 20 years than 2 1/2 to perhaps 3 generations of Chinese have lost the opportunity of an education and their society in turns is unable to developed.

 

This year the powers that be are in agreeance that a 9th grade education will be offered free of charge to the poorest.. which classified as a farmers accounts for from 70 to 80% of the pop. In a developed country such as the USA I believe only 9 or 10 % of the pop is involved in agriculture and they are much better educated and with transferable skills.

 

I just read yesterday that China only invests 1 to 1 1/2 % per cent of gross income to R&D where as others devote 5% and more. The problem for China is that many in the world refuse core technology transfers which will again hamper their development, but is it our fault?

 

So these are just a few of the forces and issues operating on China and along with it's longer history, personal and political biases and global political movements, I'd have to say it's a pretty complex issue which has more written and said about it than I could ever grasp even IF I could get access to it all.

 

Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

[cqhk]

Sorry to hear the muggings and the thefts happened. At least no one was seriously hurt.

 

I've lived in Hawaii, California, Arizona, Virginia, Utah, and Georgia. I've been to Guizhou, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. Quite honestly, I felt safer in China than most places I've lived or visited in the US.

 

Yes, I saw the predators in China, but really now are they even close to the kinds of predators that we have in the major cities here? Not even close.

 

I've ridden MARTA in Atlanta, GA and I've ridden the subway in Guangzhou. Guangzhou's subway is much safer. Could the train station in Guangzhou be more dangerous than Central Station in NY?

 

While in China we walked whenever possible, and we walked around until the early hours of the morning. We saw some shady characters, but not even close to the shady characters I've seen walking around in broad daylight in LA.

 

Never had a Chinese person mad dawg me like I've had people do to me in Hawaii or any other place I've been in the US. Definitely never had a Chinese person square off on me and yell, "State your claim m-therf-cker!"

 

Your SO going to Guangzhou for the interview is like someone from NY going to LA for an interview, or visa versa. If she's a stranger to the place, then she just needs to be a little more aware of things.

 

I don't think any barrio in America is safer than Guangzhou. lol, come on. NY safer than Guangzhou? I admit, not even Hawaii is safer than Guangzhou for a tourist. Just avoid the bad areas, and think safety first.

 

Predators prey on the weak whether out of hatred or straight meaness. We shouldn't make ourselves victims of the fear. Just remember it's better to lose a few dollars, than to lose a few teeth or worse. Swallow your pride and give up the goods. Realisticly, if you get mugged in China you are dealing with more than just the two people confronting you. Just like their American counterparts they run in packs. If it came down to a brawl, one american is no match for the worms that will come out of the woodwork to get a good shot in on you. And, what happens to your SO after they take you out?

 

Seen it happen many times in Hawaii, CA, and Utah. Send a small guy to bait a bigger guys into a fight. Next thing you know, someone's going to the hospital. Seen teenagers pummel grown men, so please swallow your pride especially if your SO is with you.

 

As far as health, lol. That is a different animal. Los Angeles is living in the country fresh air, compared to many cities in China. That's one thing China definitely has to work on, the polution. I'm sure they'll get it together.

 

I did have a few close calls with some clowns in different areas in Guangzhou, but Helen pulled me away. She was right to do so. No telling how many more of those clowns were around. Just keep walking, cat calls never hurt anyone. Now if you're rolling deep, then by all means take care of business.

 

And in Shenzhen as well as Guizhou, I wanted to confront some idiots walking by who made comments about Helen being with a foreigner. lol, no one identified me as Chinese. Helen said I was too big to be Chinese, even though my eyes and skin look asian.

 

Anyway, if this were a poll, I'd vote China is safer in relation to violent criminals and random acts of violence.

 

However, if I was a criminal I'd rather be locked down in a US prison. San Quinton must be a resort getaway compared to prisons in China. At least in the US, prisoners get three square meals, a bunk, exercise, and tv. Not to mention visitation. In the US if you're on death row, then you relax for a few years. In China death row means exactly that.