Shake-up coming for energy industry

Good evening everybody,

Today I am writing you from Lithuania, one of the three Baltic States in Europe.

This morning I was reading the newspaper and I read this article about the construction of a new waste-to-energy plant. The permission to build this plant was recently given; it will be completed in 2013 and will cost 140 million Euros.

The use of waste for energy is seen as one of the most important measures to reach Lithuanian energy independence. The draft national energy independence strategy foresees building waste-to-energy plants in the largest cities of Lithuania.

The idea of using waste instead of fossil energy resources, which are rapidly getting more and more expensive, is related not just with the target of energy independence, but also with the need to reduce energy prices for consumers. Some people still have doubts about the uncontrolled pollution produced by waste-to-energy plants, but the doubt is unfounded because the plant only has an economic benefit, namely the combustion of waste will provide cheaper heat and electricity. This is the first big advantage to this plant.

Second, the plant will potentially open up marketplace opportunities within the country. It’s a new possibility for waste and fuel markets.

And lastly, other than energy, the new plant will also offer employment opportunities in the region.

In my opinion this waste-to-energy plant is a great investment. More countries should develop waste-to-energy plants. If everyone becomes a little more energy independent, maybe our descendants will still have non-renewable resources like coal and natural gas.

This was our last stop of our trip. I really hope you enjoyed reading mine and my friend’s blogs!

Greetings Laura

Source: http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/28609/

European Council agrees to Lithuania’s proposals concerning nuclear safety

Hello bloggers

I can’t believe our journey comes to an end. Right now we’re in Lithuania and in two day we’re going home.

Today I would like to tell you something more about the proposals of Lithuania concerning nuclear safety.
The European Council agreed that maximum safety of nuclear energy must be ensured in Europe, and around Europe. All the objectives set by Lithuania for this meeting have been achieved, as the European Council agreed to Lithuania's suggestions that all nuclear power plants within and outside the European Union must be subject to safety tests.

Lithuania joins EU’s new economic pact barring economic populism. The Pact brings together all eurozone countries and is open to other EU Member States.
According to President Grybauskaitė, Lithuania is joining the Pact despite not being a eurozone country, as the country needs to continue responsible budget and fiscal policy.

“The Pact will be beneficial to Lithuanian people and the domestic economic growth in the future, as it promotes employment, business growth and, no less importantly, ties hands of those who may want to pass excessively populist decisions. On the basis of this Pact, Lithuania will have to develop and present to the European Commission a concrete action plan outlining the steps to be followed by Lithuania to meet its commitments under the Pact," the President said.

I could not agree more with the president of Lithuania to subject every nuclear plant to strict rules and safety controls.

I hope you all enjoyed these blogs and more important that you learned something out of the items that I wrote about.
If we have a government in Belgium by the time I’ll get back, I’ll write a blog about it.

Goodbye and greetings

Sarina

Source: http://www.euro.lt/en/news/lithuanias-membership-in-the-eu/news/6933/

The euro is not ready for Lithuania

Hello Blogfans!

After this incredible journey we finally arrived , unfortunately , at our last destination: Lithuania. Lithuania is an atypical destination so we were interested in what the country would had to offer.
Lithuania is part of the European Union since 2004 so we assumed their currency would  be the euro. Unfortunately we thought wrong..
So we had to go to the bank for Litai (LTL) , the official currency of Lithuania.

In the bank our curiosity took over and we asked the bank servant if he knew why Lithuania still didn’t join the Eurozone.
He told us that Lithuania aims for the euro but that the aim is political rather than economic. Many politicians are arguing that joining the Eurozone is necessary , but in fact Lithuania is performing better already than many Eurozone countries. The euro has obvious advantages but it also has some drawbacks.
That’s why , in the opinion of the bank servant , the question should not be whether Lithuania is ready for the euro , but if the euro is ready for Lithuania. Economics are unable to say what will happen to the euro in the next few years with several economies trying to avoid default.  So it would be wise to adopt the euro after the situation has stabilized.
Adopting the strict fiscal agenda required for entering the Eurozone would be beneficial, but there should not be a blind goal of adopting the currency.

In my opinion it’s a good decision of Lithuania to play a waiting game. Now the country is already performing better than many Eurozone countries so it wouldn’t be wise to take avoidable risks by entering the Eurozone. I’m sure that they will enter the Eurozone in the future but they have to wait for the right moment so it becomes a win-win situation for the Eurozone as well as for Lithuania.

But now the time has come to say goodbye.. I hope you guys enjoyed reading my blogs and don’t hesitate if you want to discover the world yourselves. It’s a real adventure to travel around the world with some friends so.. I look forward to read your blogs in the future!

Greetings

Nelson

source: http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/2011/04/08/the-euro-is-not-ready-for-lithuania/

Anti-nuclear sentiment of the Lithuanians

Hi everyone,

Lithuania is our last country that we visit, and that means my last blog. Before we all get to sentimental, I have another interesting story to tell you. This is about the anti-nuclear manifestation that I saw today. The sentence “I’m for Lithuania without nuclear energy!” and “”Think how you will explain it to your children!” are still in my head, like you have that sometimes with a song.

The green protesters were standing in front of the Prime Ministers Andrius Kubilius’ building. Because the Russian are building two nuclear plants at a high speed, both of them are situated on Lithuanian borders. This is actually the first time in world’s history. The arguments of the protesters are that the waters of rivers will be polluted and change their ecosystem, used for cooling the reactors in the Nuclear plant. The plants are too close to the civilization and neighboring country. 

The intention of the Lithuanian officials was building another nuclear plant, on the border with Belarus. Luckily, they have changed their mind after Fukushima accident, in Japan.  This reminds the public also of the Chernobyl disaster, just 25 years ago. So this subject carries has a huge sentimental value for the citizens of Lithuania. Because there were catastrophic consequences for 7000 Lithuanians and almost 1000 who found death.

The protestors created also posters with strong slogans. For instance: “Do you know where to evacuate?”, “I want to have a child with one head, and you?”. But the stubborn dictator Alexander Lukashenko, from Belarus, will not surrender under any kind of pressure made by the protesters or the EU.  I found the consequences are too hard to neglect, but what did you think if the prime minister has to choose between money and the safety of his civilians?
I already know the answer, do you?

My last friendly greeting to you,

Céline

Sources: http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/28596/

Women Still an Untapped Labor Force in Turkey

Hi everyone,

In the European countries almost 64% adult women were employed, but only 23,5% in Turkey. Remarkable is that 50% of all Turkish women enters in the labor market. That’s doesn’t last long, before many women quit their job. This is just unbelievable! The means reasons why they stop working are due to the fact that women have family obligation or they have poor working conditions.

The International Labor Organization did also some research to know where most women worked. Almost 50 % works in the agriculture sector, then 35% in the service sector and only 15% in the industry. The migration to larger cities is also an important factor.  They move away from rural areas to find proper education and legal employment otherwise women can only rely on their spouses.

The most important reason why women don’t stay on the job is… MARRIAGE! Yes, marriage destroys almost every woman’s dream to have a successful job and her level of education doesn’t even matter. In fact 90% unmarried women with university graduation participate in the labor force.

Gulsen Cigdem is also one of those women with an university degree, she had a well-paying job and was responsible for logistics (air, truck and sea) and sales. Cigdem was doing fine, until she gave birth to her first child three months ago. Hopefully she finds an affordable babysitter before her maternity leave expires. Otherwise she will end up like all those other women, and that is difficult to understand that this still happens in the 21ste century. Or is it just me who thinks that?

Friendly greeting from Turkey,

Céline 

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/middleeast/05iht-M05-WORK-WOMEN.html?scp=11&sq=turkey&st=cse

Today I want to talk to you about the opportunities for woman in Turkey.  In the 21th Century, women still have to choose between work and children. This in unbelievable, but it exists, namely in Turkey.  Saturday is a special day for all the women, the annual gathering to discuss the goals of the 2011 Global Summit of Women. The meeting is for the first time in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Turkey still wants to join the EU

Hello Blogfans!

After our difficult time in Iran we decided it was time to explore another country. So we packed our bags and steered course for Turkey. After a long journey we finally arrived and the first thing we realized was that Turkey still isn’t a country of the EU. But why is it that Turkey still hasn’t joined? Doesn’t Turkey want to join? Or are there other reasons?

The opinions about Turkey joining the EU are various. Turkey wants to join for a long time there are some problems.
To start with the EU has laid out certain principles if a country wants to join the EU. Turkey has looked at those principles and on the basis of these principles they said ‘All right , we want to become part of your club”. But now in the middle of the ‘soccer game’ the EU is changing the penalty rules.

Mr. Erdogan’s (the Turkish prime minister) Justice and Development Party (AKP) made joining the EU a top priority and opened accession talks in December 2004. But the effort stalled even as Turkey implemented democratic reforms and saw unprecedented economic growth.
Now Turkey is fully integrated into the European society , economy , politics even in a general sense of foreign policy. Turkey namely has a membership in a range of European institutions as well as trade with Europe that exceeds half of Turkeys total. So in theory there’s no more problem for Turkey to join the EU.

But another problem is that inside Europe, the notion of an increasingly religious Muslim nation joining a club of secular countries with Christian roots has ignited fierce debates about European identity at a time when many EU member states are struggling to integrate growing Muslim minorities. So  The fact that Turkey is improving their relations with Muslim countries and particularly with the bad guys of the Middle East also doesn’t help the situation. 
Moreover opponents of Ankara’s bid note that if demographic trends persist, Turkey would soon overtake Germany as the most populous EU member.

So it isn’t as easy as it seems . An accession to the EU requires the 27-member body’s unanimous approval , which gives veto power to small nations such as Cyprus. The leaders of Britain , Italy and Spain all support Turkey’s entry. But other powers like France and Germany have proposed a “privileged partnership” instead.
Turkey rejects the idea of France and Germany and says that the EU will have to choose either for full membership or full rejection. There’s no in between.

Turkey’s response to these problems is: “It will not be the end of the world for us if we are not accepted into the EU , but if Europe becomes and intolerant continent  it will be Europe that will lose in the end.”

It’s clear that the last word about this situation hasn’t been said. Turkey really tries to come up to the expectations in order to join the EU but the religion and political situation of the country makes it very difficult to decide.
In my opinion they should give Turkey a chance. It’s a developing country with a strong economy and it would strengthen the position of the EU. If there are clear rules , the fact that Turkey isn’t a Christian country shouldn’t be a problem. We now live in a world of diversity so multicultural countries are in my opinion the future.
All countries should realize that we only have one world and one life , so we’d better work together in order to create a win-win situation instead of making problems .

Greetings,

Nelson

Source:  The Washington Times by Ben Birnbaum - Sunday, January 30, 2011

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/30/turkey-cites-prejudice-in-delay-of-bid-to-join-eu/?page=1#

Growing investments in Turkey creates new tourism products alluring to travelers

Good morning everybody!

I am writing you from the beautiful country Turkey, the fifth stop on our trip. I had never been to Turkey before but my first impression is overwhelming. Everywhere you look, you discover something so lovely and magnificent that I can’t stop making pictures!

Turkey has gone from a normal country to a must-see destination for tourists and globetrotters. This is the result of a significant number of investments to further increase tourism. And thanks to the selection of the multi-ethnic city Istanbul as the 2010 European Capital of Culture, the country garnered an enormous amount of attention and as a result, an increase in visitors.

Today, Turkey is a modern country with an appealing mix of antiquity and contemporary and of East and West, it is one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the world. Turkey was the site of the first human settlement; the seat of the Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman Empires; the birthplace of Homer and the last home of the Virgin Mary and now it is one of the world’s most fascinating travel destinations, with its spectacular coastline, majestic mountains, cosmopolitan cities and charming villages.

The worldwide recession affected tourism dramatically for most destinations, but that wasn’t the case at all in Turkey, moreover there was a large growth in the amount of tourists. But in order to attract those new visitors, new developments and investments had to be made. New hotels that range from luxurious to affordable, a new museum and the largest convention centre in Istanbul are keeping the tourism stats steady and growing.

A small selection out of the newest hotels in Turkey includes the Novotel Gaziantep, the Ibis Gaziantep, The Radisson Blu Hotel and the Shangri-La Hotel. If you want to come on holiday here you should absolutely try one of these hotels!

If you go to Ankara, Turkey’s capital city, a must-see is The Cer Modern. This is a modern art facility and exhibition centre in the Sıhhiye district. In Istanbul you can find the Ora Arena and Convention Center, designed by Valerio Mazzoli. This unique venue brings an arena, a convention center, two hotels, a theme park and an outlet mall together on a 70,000 square meter site in Bayrampasa.

The Baksı Museum is located in the city of Bayburt in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey and is another must-see. It’s a museum that blends both traditional and contemporary art.

My last tip is the land art park Time and Space in Cappadocia that features twelve major hand-built structures, or Geoglyphs. These 12 structures are part of the largest contemporary land art undertaking in the world.

I hope you enjoy Turkey as much as I am!

Greetings, Laura

Source: http://www.tourismturkey.org/catalog/de00ed34-2467-4b83-b204-cef3c82f86cf.aspx

Turkey - counterfeiters

Hello everyone

We arrived two days ago in Turkey. I must confess I was too tired to write the blog yesterday. But no worries, I’ll make it up to you.

Yes, it is true girls: Turkey is a paradise for shoppers with a limited budget.
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is the shopping attraction. But Turkey’s counterfeit market value amounts to $388 million. In most of the big cities you can find counterfeit products like: Ds, DVDs, software, textiles, cosmetics, jewellery, pharmaceuticals, chemical products and food.
A couple of shocking incidents involving consumption of counterfeit alcohol have highlighted the seriousness of this problem in Turkey. I will give you an example:
In 2005 around 23 people in Istanbul died after consuming counterfeit raki containing lethal levels of methyl alcohol.Turkey is aware that, if the country want to join the EU in the future, it needs to adhere to international and EU legislation regarding counterfeiting. That’s one of the reasons that Turkey is taken action against counterfeiters.
An example of brand protection technology that is being applied in Turkey can be found in ProdoSafe, which markets security solutions to the Turkish government and its regional municipalities. ProdoSafe focuses on vital records, official documents, brand protection and ticketing.


So there’s an acute awareness in Turkey that significant actions need to be taken against counterfeiters. While the government is trying to solve this issue, I’m going to the beach and take a swim.

Talk to you guys very soon!
Very sunny greetings
Sarina

Source: http://www.notofakes.com/Resources/TravelAdvisory/Europe/Turkey/tabid/417/Default.aspx

Antique Tabriz rug- The hidden gateway to an exotic world

Hey people

Right now we’re in Tabriz in the nort west part of Iran. It’s the capital city of East Azarbaijan province. The reason we came here is because Tabriz is known as the Chocolate city of Iran.
But we have to be honest Belgian chocolate is still our number one!

Another famous product from Tabriz is the oriental carpets. Tabriz was always hailed as a center of classic Persian culture.  Antique Persian rugs are famous for their refined palette. Colors used are mostly ivory, terracotta and copper tones coupled with blue shades and light touches of salmon, green and gold. The most luxurious of Antique Tabriz Rugs and carpets were woven in silk.

These rugs are still accepted as the finest in terms of quality and beauty.  There are a lot of rug stores here.  Today I wanted to buy a small rug for my mother as a souvenir so we walked in one of the stores. We really got a lot of information about the fabrics and the way the rugs are made.
The people here are really proud of their luxurious products that put this city on the map.
We all feel more comfortable here than in Tehran.

I have to go, because we want to visit the Tabrizan Bazaar to search for more souvenir.

Hope to hear you soon!

Greets

Sarina

Source: http://www.marketingpush.info/antique-tabriz-rug-the-hidden-gateway-to-an-exotic-world/22286/

Iran ‘using child soldiers’ to suppress Tehran protests

Hello Blogfans!

Today we travelled to our next country namely Iran. Because this country is very diverse we decided to visit different cities. After a long journey we finally arrived in the city Tehran. But the arrival wasn’t as pleasant as we hoped for.

The streets were covered with shattered glass from the windows of several buildings and here and there we saw cars that had been set on fire.
We wondered what happened so went into a bar and asked the bartender if he could tell us something more about the situation.
He told us that the Iran’s opposition Green movement vowed to stage anti-government demonstrations every Tuesday.

But last Tuesday was very fierce. Youthful riot squads formed along Valiasr Street , Tehran’s central thoroughfare , a human barrier and forced pedestrians to run an intimidating gauntlet. Protestors chanting anti-government slogans were attacked.
We thought we hadn’t heard it right so we asked if he really said that children were used from the government to stop these protest.
Unfortunately we heard it right. He explained that Iran’s Islamic regime is now using “child soldiers” to suppress anti-government demonstrations. The youths are recruited from several areas , far from Tehran, and some are as young as 12. After the recruitment they’re being deployed in regular riot police roles. The troops aged between 14 and 16 are armed with batons , clubs and air guns to attack demonstrators who try to gather in Tehran. The children already comprise up to one-third of the total force. That Iran isn’t a political stable country is well-known but we never expected that the situation was so fierce.  
We asked the bartender what the reason was for the fact that they now even use children to stop the protests. In his opinion they’re being used to ensure there’s a good ratio of government forces to protestors and because the average policeman in Tehran could have some kind of family connection to the people they have to beat up. It’s a classic tactic to bring people from outside , because they have no sense of sympathy for city dwellers.
We really became silent after his explanation. But we still wondered how  the soldiers convince the children to take part in these hostilities or if they’re being forced. He told us that he didn’t know the real method but that some witnesses told him that they attract children by the promise of chelo kebab dinners , one of Iran’s national dishes.

We were shocked after all this information. It’s terrible that they ask children to join in the first place but it’s very weak that they take advantage of the hunger and the ignorance of the youths. Also teenage boys are very keen to display violence.
So in our opinion it’s a real violation on the rights of the child to ask them to take part in these hostilities. It’s dangerous and children have to play and be lighthearted instead of beating people up.

We hope the situation soon ends and that the government realizes that this isn’t a good way to solve the problems.
One thing is sure , nobody of use wants to stay in Tehran. Tomorrow we’ll decide what our next stop will be.

Greetings,

Nelson

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/13/iran-child-soldiers-tehran-protests  

Iran 'uncovers Stars espionage virus'

Good evening everyone,

Today I am writing you from Iran. This is our third stop on our trip. We visited Tehran and Tabriz and tonight we’re taking off for Turkey. My luggage is already packed but since I still have some time left, I took my laptop back out to write you guys.

Today I would like to bring to your attention that not only our computers are at risk for viruses. Government computers can have viruses too. And that is exactly what happened in Iran.

Officials say they have recently found a computer virus invented to target the country's government institutions. If the reports are accurate, it would be the second major attack in a year.

It is said that the Stars virus was created to take control of equipment used in Iran's nuclear programme. This has not been confirmed yet. Other sources note that the virus could have been mistaken for executive files of governmental organisations. The virus has been presented to the laboratory but is still being investigated. No definite final conclusions have been disclosed. It is certain though that the software was able to cause minor damage.

Most experts who have reviewed the case agree, given the scale and complexity of Stuxnet, that an overseas state was probably behind the development of the virus. Iranian officials have pointed the finger at the US and Israel before, although no definite proof has been given.

Something like this is completely different from our virus problems. This can actually destroy the relations between countries, in this case between the US and Iran or Israel and Iran. Will we ever find out who was responsible for this attack? Who knows? But I’m sure that this will have some political consequences.

I am going to enjoy my last evening here in Iran and the next time I’ll write you, I will be in Turkey!

Greetings, Laura

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13188351

Iran Blames Western Enemies

Hello sunshinies,

Waking up with the sunshine in your face, isn’t it a perfect day. I’m in a good mood today, hopefully I can cheer Sarina, Nelson and Laura up. The planning today is to go to the market, were you can buy all fancy stuff. But not only for that, we also go to know the latest hot topics. I love rumours! Oo and secretly you also do, don’t you?

Well I’m happy to help you, because the latest rumour is that the pipeline explosion is caused by Western “enemies”. Well, because rumours are always half true or false, I will do some research.

Last Friday, there was an explosion that hit a major gas pipeline near the holy city of Qom, Tehran. Paviz Sorouri, the head of the parliament’s national security committee blamed the Western “terrorist”. Sorouri told the press that the Western intention was to bring insecurity to Iran’s national energy transfer routes. But to be a little bit objective, the Iranian functionaries are still investigating the real origin of the explosion. Luckily no one was hurt in the explosion.

To get a little bit suspicious, this was the second blow up in two month. The first one was 60 miles from the blast on Friday.

Another gossip is that Iran is playing a role in the continuing unrest in Bahrain. That’s why Iran is under increasing pressure from Persian Gulf States. That’s not all Iran is also charged off having a nuclear program. The plant is situated 80 miles from Tehran.

The last rumour, to learn it off. Kuwaiti accuses Iranians  of spying on United States military bases. You can see that all gossips aren’t good and have dramatic consequences when you believe it all. I hope next time, you will think first before you gossip.

Greetings

Céline

Source:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/world/middleeast/12iran.html

China: Ai Weiwei held for ‘economic crimes’

Hi everyone,

Today I am writing you from China. When you think of China, the first facts that appear in your head are probably a large country with over 1.3 billion people, the largest population in the world;  Beijing;  Great Wall of China  and one-child policy. But there is one other fact that is notorious for China: that human rights and freedom of speech aren’t always respected.

A recent example of that last fact is that artist Ai Weiwei has been taken in custody. The government says he is being investigated for “economic crimes”.

Ai Weiwei is a respected Chinese conceptual artist whose work is exhibited around the world. He is also an activist who investigates government corruption.

Thursday 7^th April, the Chinese government confirmed that Ai has been arrested Sunday at Beijing’s airport. Along with this message, the government warned other countries not to interfere in the case because it has nothing to do with human rights or freedom of speech.

Since the revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa began rattling the regimes, China’s communist leaders have become worried about the unrest spreading to China.

The authorities have responded with dual approach: promises to address the criticism of ordinary Chinese on the one hand; and a heavy-handed security clampdown on the other hand. Ai is the most well-known figure arrested so far but dozens of others, mostly human rights lawyers, activists, writers and bloggers were detained too.

The U.S. State Department, the European Union and various human rights groups have called for the release of Ai and all the detainees. Human rights campaigners note that the authorities seem to be aiming opinion-makers who expressed personal views on the Internet and on micro blogging sites like Twitter.

The recent round of arrests, especially involving the bloggers like Ai Weiwei, is particularly alarming. The Chinese government won’t stop till they have disarmed all criticizers and troublemakers. And what are we going to do? Are we just going to stand aside? I hope something will change soon and that the human rights and freedom of speech will be truly respected in China.

Greetings, Laura

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/china-ai-held-for-economic-crimes---then-spokesmans-words-disappear/2011/04/07/AFBKBcuC_story.html

As China grows , so does its appetite for American-made products

Hello Blogfans!

Here I am with a new story about our latest stop and almost last country namely China! We expected that it would be crowded , China is known for his overpopulation , but to really experience it is another case. You really feel like an ant in the crowd.

But China has also good features. China is a really wealthy country and above all it’s one of the BRIC-countries namely the fastest emerging and developing economies. Like no other country China succeeds in producing products at low costs. The working costs are much lower than in other countries and that’s why many companies move their production firms to China to improve their competitiveness.

I hear you guys think: “That’s good for the companies.. but what about the power of the economies where all the companies leave?”
Well this is indeed a problem. For example ,  America’s huge trade deficit with China has raised concerns about the American competitiveness and jobs moving overseas. But there’s a glimmer of hope for America because China still has one weakness , they want to be strong in technology products but they still lack the knowledge. And now let that be the specialty of the Americans!

While United States exports to the rest of the world have grown 55% over the past decade , American exports to China have jumped with 468%!
Most of those exports concerned huge quantities of microchips , computer components and aircraft.
The combination of a weakening American Dollar and China’s growing economic clout  bode well for American exports.
But other countries that produce grain , chemicals and transportation equipment have also benefited. And China is hungry for other resources as well , like recyclable metals and paper.

In my opinion China will be the new economic world power. It’s an economy that’s developing very fast and I think the change is very big that in a few years China will drive America away from the throne. But countries have to watch out for an exodus of their own national companies. For example in our own country , Belgium , almost all the big companies have left to countries where their production can be done at lower cost. So I think we should think about this problem and should try to make the Belgian market a lot more attractive to other companies so we can guard the power of our economy.

But now it’s time to explore this special and powerful country!
See you soon!

Greetings

Nelson

Source: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/as-china-grows-so-does-its-appetite-for-american-made-products/?ref=china

China bans luxury advertising in Beijing

Hello everyone,

I feel really happy today because we’re in China and I could write a whole book about our visit.
But we’re here for only a few days and perhaps it’s a bit too short to see and experience every aspect of this country.

Because I’m a marketing student I want to tell you something about advertising in the capital of China namely Beijing.Beijing has moved to ban billboards promoting a luxurious lifestyle over concerns that the endless advertisements are reminding people of the wealth gap.
As everybody knows China has a become very wealthy. However, the Beijing government appears to have decided that the outdoor advertisements are too ostentatious and a painful reminder to the city's more downtrodden residents of the growing gap between rich and poor.

The Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce has now given companies until April 15 to remove words such as "luxury", "royal", "supreme" and "high class" from billboards, or face a 30,000 yuan (£2,800) fine.

And Chinese billboards cannot encourage foreign lifestyle. Many rich Chinese openly flaunt Italian designer clothes, drive German luxury cars and drink French wine and Chinese companies have caught on to the value of creating a "foreign-sounding" brand.

As a conclusion I can say that it is amazing how fast the Chinese economy has grown, but it’s still a long way to the top. They have to fight the gap between rich and poor.  And they have to face the fact that the world is bigger than China. I don’t think they know what globalization really means.

I will hear you soon!!

Greetings

Sarina

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8398097/China-bans-luxury-advertising-in-Beijing.html

China’s internet

Hi,

Today me and my friends had the day off and we decided to go once to a cybercafé to know the latest news. Remarkable was that we couldn’t see everything we wanted, some news was inaccessible or the trailers for dramatic movies was deleted. Then I asked myself the question, why is some information on the World Wide Web forbidden and how can they manipulate all the information in China.

I popped into a site saying that there was a new central agency, the State Internet Information Office, who controls everything of the vast Internet community. This agency can manipulate information with software “online content management”.  For instance they control every online game, video and publication. The agency promotes the major news Websites and infiltrates on every site governments propaganda. It’s like the new agency wants to brainwash the community by false and manipulated information.

But that’s not all the new agency wants to have the authority to investigate other firms or online providers and punish them, if they break any content rules. Then China would control a huge part of the telecommunications companies in their country. The general managers of the central agency would be two former officials and executives from two central ministries.

The government agencies have seen a chance to gain more money and authority, as a regulatory turf, due to the very quickly development of China’s Internet business. Minimum 14 government ministries from culture and technology control all the films and books uploaded and what appears on China’s Internet.

To stop all the gossip and the prejudices the government announced that the new office wouldn’t work with government units to regulate the Internet. But with this statement some experts weren’t convinced, they still think it will be units of the government.

I think the battle between companies and the government is still on, because Internet is a lucrative business, something that you don’t give up that easily.  Don’t you think so?

Friendly regards

Céline

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/asia/05china.html?ref=china

Thailand & the fight against malaria

Good morning everyone,

Today I am writing you from Thailand, the second stop on our trip.

Thailand is a beautiful country to visit but before you jump on a plane, you have to do some research. When we were planning our trip, they told us we didn’t have to get vaccinated against malaria because the risk isn’t that high. But that wasn’t always the case. And today, malaria still isn’t completely beaten. If malaria is discovered late and it cannot be treated, people will die. That used to be often the case but today, that’s much less likely to happen, with 800 malaria posts and clinics and universal free treatment.

But not everybody goes to the clinic. Some people buy medication on the black market if they think they have malaria and others just go home. The others come and go unobserved, taking the parasites with them. Luckily, there are some bosses who take his workers to the clinic when they are sick, but that's not the case everywhere.

If Thailand is going to contain or eliminate malaria, they must have more Global Fund money. The problem is the whole world's problem. The world has to help; they cannot do it by themselves. But the world has a doubtful disease elimination record. Of seven attempted eradication programmes, only one, smallpox, has ever succeeded.

A map can help the decision-makers decide what is happening. The university's Biophics department developed this system with the help of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant. If the map is getting redder, they know they should do something.

An important factor in the fight against malaria is to make people aware of the dangers this disease.

All the soldiers used to have malaria, but now, few soldiers get malaria, an improvement thanks to more clinics and better education. However, at the checkpoint where fruit farm labourers and hundreds of others come to renew their border passes each week, Cambodian migrant workers may not be as knowledgeable and could be at risk. It's very important for the border guards to play a role in containment. It can be very difficult to get the workers tested, partly due to the language barrier, but if they come to a checkpoint with soldiers they are afraid that they will not get a visa, so then they generally agree.

Thailand still has a long way to go; I will certainly support a charity that fights against malaria.

Greetings, Laura

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/journalismcompetition/drive-to-beat-malaria-thailand?INTCMP=SRCH