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Thursday, May 1, 2008

China Today

posted by on May 1 at 13:57 PM

Pulled from the Drudge Report:
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A secret submarine base, a massive airport, the longest bridge? Robert Mugabe is right about one thing: learn Chinese.

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1

...and China offers the world's largest potential pool of conspicuous consumers.

All those cars? That's not a carbon footprint, it's an eclipse.

Posted by Andy Niable | May 1, 2008 2:04 PM
2

tacky, tacky china.

Posted by max solomon | May 1, 2008 2:11 PM
3

never fails to amaze me how many of you slog writers read Drudge.

Posted by brett | May 1, 2008 2:16 PM
4

if it's a secret how does drudge know about it.

Posted by Bellevue Ave | May 1, 2008 2:34 PM
5

Charles--

Counterargument: Look at the toxic miasma devouring the far end of the bridge.

I say don't learn Chinese; learn how to farm.

Posted by Jonathan Golob | May 1, 2008 2:52 PM
6

and it was all built by slave labor.

Posted by brandon | May 1, 2008 2:52 PM
7

It is my impression that massive, stand alone works of engineering are emblematic of 20th century greatness. Hell, the same was done in Seattle at the beginning of the 20th Century with projects like the Smith tower. Now, however, these projects are more the hallmark of want-to-be status for developing countries (See the phallic symbols going up in Dubai).

Real emblems of national greatness are projects that integrate a nation. In this sense the US has been a leader with projects like nation wide rail and the Interstate Highway system.

So, China has a big airport. Can Joe Chinaman hop a flight from Beijing to the province where his family's village is located? Can he afford to?

The Three Gorges Dam is a ecological disaster but it will support a massive power grid and make the Yangtze River tame and navigable. As such it is a far greater symbol of China's development than a single bridge or airport. No matter how large.

Posted by Some other Joe | May 1, 2008 3:43 PM
8

Charles: Cantonese or Mandarin?

Posted by Reverse Polarity | May 1, 2008 3:44 PM
9

Why is this categorized under "The War"?

Posted by Mike of Renton | May 1, 2008 4:07 PM
10

What a bunch of suckers we are.

Posted by Vince | May 1, 2008 4:13 PM

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