When you are moving to Beijing, those in the know will tell you, “Don’t worry too much about packing. You can get anything there.” And that’s basically true: whatever your weird little foreign heart desires, somebody in Beijing is selling it. The issue is how far you will need to go– and how much trouble… Continue reading Up close and personal (aka TMI)
Author: dubyruby
Rough month for Heilongjiang
As of yesterday, the “11/27” mining disaster in Heilongjiang Province (far northeast, same province that bore the brunt of the benzene spill) had claimed 162 lives. 73 people still had a chance of survival, and 7 people were still missing. The Beijing newspapers are calling it an “especially serious explosion accident,” and although the investigation… Continue reading Rough month for Heilongjiang
Local bar serves up humble pie
Oh, the shame. Went to the pub quiz at Lush bar this week, which I suppose you could call our corner pub because it is, technically, on the corner. Lush is a bar run and patronized almost entirely by foreigners, with a menu all in English that offers things like tuna melts and cosmopolitans. There… Continue reading Local bar serves up humble pie
Don’t drink the water
No, they really mean it this time. China National Petroleum Corporation has accidentally poured 100 tons of benzene into the Songhua River up in the northeast. Municipal water in China is not potable; you have to boil it before using it, and some super-cautious people don’t even use it to brush their teeth. Well-to-do Chinese… Continue reading Don’t drink the water
Stickin’ it to the chickens
I’ve been thinking we ought to look into doing some volunteering during our time here in China, and I think I’ve found the project. The New York Times reports today that the Chinese government plans to vaccinate– yes, vaccinate— all of its five billion chickens against the bird flu. I reckon they’ll need a few… Continue reading Stickin’ it to the chickens