Chinese Spying on US

The Chinese military has been spying and hacking US entities for many years. This is NOTHING new at all. They even brag about it on their CCTV newscasts. I just happened to be there when this story made the news. The Balloons are all that's new nowadays.

I'm certain that the US does the same things however, they just don't get on the news and brag about it like the Chinese do. I've included an article I saved from Chinese news years ago from a time that I spent there. It's a good read, and I recommend you copy and download this article.

There is an updated version of the article below at

https://www.theepochtimes.com/slip-up-in-chinese-military-tv-show-reveals-more-than-intended_1494740.html?ea_src=ai&ea_med=search&

Remembering the day after in 1989

The bravest man in this photo probably died on this day in 1989, but he will never be forgotten He will live forever in the hearts of many

Even after all of these years there is no reliable information about the identity or fate of the unknown protester.

Football Is Coming To China

The Chinese Arena Football League, kicks off Saturday, October 1st at the beginning of their National Holiday, in the nation’s first professional gridiron league in Beijing.

The new league consists of six teams from Beijing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Each team consists of 20 players, half Chinese and half American.

Arena football is high-scoring, and high-action there’s an enormous amount of curiosity among prospective fans...the onlookers wondering what the new football is all about.

China has for the most part been spectators and not the participants. Team sports have never been a priority in China. The Chinese government hopes to change this. Sports in general are becoming more important and more entertaining in China, China’s government has promised to make the sports industry a key economic driver, projecting over 500% growth by eliminating regulations that previously held back the sports industry. This should encourage private investors to build their own facilities, and create their own teams. With all of the related products and services, there is tremendous potential here.

China has a profound passion for basketball and soccer, and American football is only a curiosity at this point. American style football will require a serious commitment to develop a fan base.

The government has finally realized that organized sports are another way to nurture leadership and social skills among young Chinese, and not really a cultural threat. The Chinese government sees American Football as another way to turn Chinese boys into men.

I believe that the Arena style of Football can flourish in China, but the NFL style has no chance. The facilities and space that NFL style football would require is what the Chinese would not sacrifice for merely sporting activities/events.

At present there are an estimated 75 amateur teams that are developing more than 3,000 players.

The new Chinese League CAFL, or Chinese Arena Football League is not at this time affiliated with the American Football League of China.

http://caflfootball.com/

http://aflcfootball.com/

A more thorough, detailed report can be found with the link below. Check it out.

Source: http://time.com/4512741/nfl-cafl-american-football-china-arena-football-sports-peyton-manning/?xid=gonewsedit&google_editors_picks=true

Here's wishing them all success

Cheers!

Kenyan Police Bust Chinese Cyber Spies

Kenyan Police say they have busted a Cyber-Crime ring that consists of 77 Chinese Nationals in the Capital of Nairobi. The Police think that they were involved in hacking and money laundering. The group has been arrested and are in custody while further investigation takes place.

The Foreign Ministry is presently discussing the arrests with Chinese Officials. The Chinese Officials said that they are co-operating with the ongoing investigations. They are checking to determine if the 77 are in fact Chinese and if they are in the country legally.

Apparently the raids and the ensuing arrests were in response to a fire that broke out and caused at least one death. The fire seemed to have been caused by one of the servers that was being operated illegally.

The Kenyan Police discovered that the 77 lived in 'Military-style dormitories' and had possession of communication equipment, telephone headsets, computers, and monitors. Equipment capable of infiltrating the country's communication systems and possibly the banking system.

"The suspects are being interrogated to establish their mission in the country and what they wanted to do with the communication gadgets." - Mr Muhoro

So far the charges against the 77 include - being in the country illegally and operating radio equipment without the required permits. Chinese Officials have expressed their shock over these developments and have promised to send investigators to work with Kenyan authorities.

This story comes at a time when many Chinese companies are investing heavily in Kenya, so they don't want to rock the boat too much. The Kenyan government has many bilateral agreements with China and Chinese nationals have roles in government programs and also in higher education.

It's a simple case of getting caught red-handed and the only real shock to the Chinese is that they were caught! As for sending investigators to co-operate and assist the Kenyans you can bet they'll be arriving with lots of cash!

AMA's International Song of the Year - Little Apple - Chopstick Brothers

Little Apple is the Big Surprise

The American Music Awards (AMA's) have picked “Little Apple” as the International Song of the year for 2014. The song came out this past May as a promotional piece for the film 老男孩之猛龙过江, or in English it is called “Old Boys: The Way of The Dragon.” It was an instant hit in mainland China and has grown in popularity worldwide ever since.

The song is composed by Wang Taili and is performed by Xiao Yang and Wang Taili who are known as the “Chopstick Brothers.” Their accompanying video has over 900 million views on Youku. Youku is the YouTube of China. Since its release the song has been covered and parodied thousands of times. No matter where you go in China you're going to hear...'you're my little apple-etc.'

People of all ages do their aerobics and dancersize to the tune of ... ??? you guessed it ... you're my little apple!

This song is an up-tempo catchy dance tune that is easy to follow. It is basic and repetitive with simple lyrics. It nonsense nature and silly video makes it a fun little tune to enjoy. It may not become as big as PSY's “Gangnam Style”, but it is definitely the most played and talked about tune of the year. Check it out for yourself!

AMA Winners & Nominees 2014

Little Apple

小苹果

xiǎo píngguǒ

Putin & China's First Lady Share A Moment - Coat-gate - Shaw-gate

At the opening banquet of the APEC summit in Beijing Vladimir Putin wrapped a shawl around Peng Liyuan, the wife of Xi Jinping.

The gentlemanly gesture that took place while the Chinese President chatted with Barack Obama sparked a flurry of off-color jokes about the real intentions of the divorced Russian President.

The warm gesture towards Peng Liyuan on a chilly evening seemed to make the biggest asshole of the year look chivalrous upstaging an inattentive husband.

The images and video spread quickly through the various social media and that was too much, as it appears, for the staunchly conservative Chinese authorities.

The incident is only significant in an overly sensitive China, the rest of the world does not even give a damn!

Coat-gate or Shaw-gate, whichever you prefer to call it, did catch peoples attention here in China and that's due in large part to the popularity of Xi’s wife, who was once a popular folk singer and is thought to be quite attractive and fashionable, a proper role model for Chinese women.

The scandalous incident was originally broadcast on state TV, that's right, shown on their own Chinese TV!

 

In only a few hours following the broadcast, the images and video began disappearing from the internet in China. It's easily available any and everywhere else outside the mainland.

After only two days, most are unaware of this and that can be credited to the machine like censoring that takes place in China.With this posting, my intentions here are to simply inform my Chinese friends and shine a light on the ridiculous insignificance of an act of kindness compared with a tyrannical paranoia!

Chinese Instructions on How to use Western-style toilet

In China and many other Asian countries, squatting instead of sitting, is how you take care of business!

Yep, these squatters are everywhere for public use. Not so common in private homes. Most of the homes came with squatters installed, but many of the Chinese have since replaced their squatter/style toilet with the more sanitary western/style sit down toilets.

A recent news posting states to the contrary, but the western style toilets are in most Chinese homes. It happened rather quickly like in America with the 'keeping up with the Jones' phenomenon. It's also seen as a sign of being more cultured and more affluent. All of the newer constructed homes have western style toilets. The squatter styled toilets are still in China, but they are most likely to be found outside the home for public use.

Nevertheless, it is rather disturbing to find shoe marks on the toilet seat. So, some places offer visual instructions on how to use these foreign contraptions.

Hong Kong Protests - Occupy Central Movements - Fail! - Oct. 8th 2014

Hong Kong Protests - Occupy Central Movements - Fail! - Oct. 8^th 2014


In elaborating on the HK Protests and Occupy Central movements Lord Charles Powell had this to say about the present situation.
“Hong Kong has always been part of China." It is his opinion that the protesters are also “unrealistic” further stating...

“People have a right to peaceful protest and by and large the protests have been peaceful but, they are also unrealistic.”
He went on to add that the protesters should...“focus on making the most of the very wide degree of freedom and autonomy” that they already have.

“It is a pity that there is perhaps this small black cloud there but that is life. It has been there a long time I don’t believe it is going to change.”

“I’m not saying they shouldn't demonstrate – of course they are free to demonstrate and to express their views. I’m talking about the realism of what is a likely outcome.”
“Demonstrating is a right, but it is better to demonstrate when you've got an achievable objective.”

Lord Charles Powell - Margaret Thatcher’s Foreign Policy Adviser

Lord Charles Powell, advised Margaret Thatcher during the 1980's



The movement was doomed to failure from the very start. It should also be recognized just how this happened. The protests began with enthusiasm and seemed to get a publicity boost when police used tear-gas. After this, the authorities in Hong Kong took the opposite approach and that was the 'hands off approach' and took to social media pointing out all the weaknesses of the protesters. They focused the news coverage in ways that sympathized with local businesses and featured prominent persons who went out of their way to discredit the protesters and Occupy Central movements.


In a very short amount of time, protesters realized they were fighting a 'no cause' situation rather than a 'lost cause' situation.


Imagine yourself in a similar situation and then what would you do and what would you think if your neighbors and even your parents did not support your ideals? The protesters found that they had no outside support and even began to question themselves and what they were trying to do and what they were hoping to accomplish and why.


The effective and speedy dissemination of information and disinformation turned the protests into a cloud of doubt.
The failure of the movements is similar to the failed Occupy Protests in America. One has to wonder if there is any real future in protesting or whether some new form will evolve. I think a lot can be learned from these Hong Kong protests, here was a situation where social media was used to discredit and diffuse the outburst of protests and everyone can clearly see how effective it was.
With an eye towards the future one has to wonder what's next?

Update: The Occupy Central movement delegates and Hong Kong Gov't. representatives have agreed to hold talks to discuss the future developments of Democratic processes in Hong Kong.

Most of the protesters have gone and the city is returning to normal.

Please Help Hong Kong - Oct. 1st 2014

Please Help Hong Kong

Time and time again Beijing has reneged on their promises and have persistently interfered in the affairs of Hong Kong and have done everything underhanded that they could get away with.

Democracy in Hong Kong was to evolve to universal suffrage and Beijing's plans are quite the opposite. They intend to eliminate electing Hong Kong's highest official and put forth propped up hand picked puppets of Beijing's choosing.

The Protests taking place today are a result of Beijing's interference. No one knows how far this will go, we can only hope that it does not escalate into the same violent crackdown that occurred in Tienanmen Square in 1989.

The Hong Kong Protesters ask for your help. The best way everyone can help their cause is to re-post the videos and retweet any news links from the news coverage of the ongoing protests.

The world is watching.

Hong Kong Protests : Live -Updates

Hong Kong Protesters Set Wednesday Deadline

China’s Crackdown in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Is Ready For Democracy, But China Isn’t Ready for a Free Hong Kong

Hong Kong Protests Swell on Eve of China National Day

Why Taiwan is watching Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong Protests Are a Threat to Xi and His 'Chinese Dream'

Hong Kong Protests' – 100,000 Strong - "Umbrella Revolution" – Bring It On! - October 1st 2014

Hong Kong Protests' – 100,000 Strong - "Umbrella Revolution" – Bring It On!

Rumors traveled through crowds of protesters, that the police were preparing to crackdown and move in to clear out the protests. Undeterred, many remained, especially because it's the eve of the Communist Party’s Anniversary - The foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

“We are not scared. We will stay here tonight. Tonight is the most important,” 

    - Protester

The protesters, mostly students, are demanding Full Democracy and have called on the city’s Leader, Leung Chun-ying, to resign after Beijing a month earlier, ruled out free elections for Hong Kong’s leader, known as the Chief Executive, in 2017.

China rules Hong Kong under a “one country, two systems” formula that gives the former British colony some autonomy and freedoms that Mainland China does not have.

Protesters massed in four of Hong Kong’s busiest areas in all approximately 80,000 on the streets...with the idea in their mind that they are fighting for their future.

In what has become a civil movement, protesters set up supply stations with water bottles, fruit, crackers, disposable raincoats, towels, goggles, face masks and tents, indicating they were in for the long haul.

China's Communist Leaders take a hard line against any threat to their monopoly on power, cracking down on dissidents is just the order of the day. But, how far will it go? Will it escalate into another Tienanmen Square Incident?

China just recently blocked Instagram to stop young people on the mainland from seeing photographs of the demonstrations in Hong Kong and CCTV was asked by Censors to not show video footage. But the masses have discovered and are all using FireChat and it's use is spreading to the mainland.

Thousands of postings have been purged from the internet; images, video and anything new with searchable phrases or words such as, 'Occupy Central' - the slogan of demonstrators - and 'Hong Kong Protest' have been blocked.

Updates:

1. China on Monday signaled it won't tolerate "disrupters" and "mischief-mongers".

2. Officials in Beijing said they would not tolerate agitators and that a strong reaction was being planned.

3. Reports from Hong Kong suggested the police have been instructed to use force only if protesters resort to vandalism.

4. Demonstrators are demanding that the city’s leader - the Chief Executive: Leung Chun-ying resign.

5. Demonstrators are asking for full freedom and free elections.

6. All of the protesters' demands have been refused.

7. Police say 87 rounds of tear gas were used on Sunday when protesters began pushing through cordons and barricades. They also said that 41 people were injured, including 12 police officers.



“Police cordon lines were heavily charged, by some violent protesters. So the police had to use the minimum force in order to separate the distance at that moment between the protesters and also the police,” - Cheung Tak-keung - Assistant Police Commissioner of Operations.

The whole situation was instigated by Beijing’s Communist Party and now they face a difficult dilemma. Cracking down too hard might shake confidence in this market-driven Hong Kong and not reacting strongly enough, may encourage dissidents on the mainland.

http://www.reuters.com/article/slideshow/idUSKCN0HN03Q20140930#a=1

New Chinese Desktop OS - October 2014

China, growing and ever confident believes that they can smoothly transition from their foreign dependence with Operating System software. Trying to separate themselves from the widely popular and solidly entrenched favorites, they have banned Apple and Microsoft from government use.

While some will say there is concern that Windows 8 PCs might be vulnerable to US surveillance and may even suggest the same about iOS, the truth is that the Chinese want to stand on their own. Use their own domestic produced products and break the costly, nagging dependence that they have for years endured.

In typical Chinese fashion, when Microsoft ended support for Windows XP and left millions of users in China vulnerable. They responded by banning Microsoft from all Government use.

The Chinese Academy of Engineering has disclosed plans to release a new operating system for PCs as early as October. The new OS should not be confused with COS. In January 2014, COS was debuted. The COS Core operating system is based on the Linux kernel. It also supports HTML5 based applications and Java based applications, but it's hardly ready for prime time and not exactly much of a competitive threat and this OS is strictly intended for mobile use. In its earliest form it still is not as safe as the offerings from the major software developers and will not inspire many to switch over voluntarily.

Ni Guangnan, from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told the Xinhua news agency that a Chinese-backed operating system should be ready to launch in October of this year. It will be a Linux-ubuntu based variant and the OS will also have an app store. This OS is more specifically designed for desktop use.

According to Ni Guangnan, it's possible that all "foreign" operating systems—for lack of a better way to phrase it—could be eliminated in China. Chinese Officials have expressed concerns over their "serious ... dependence" on Android in the country.

"Creating an environment that allows us to compete with Google, Apple and Microsoft, that is our key to success," - Ni Guangnan

So far to date, little else of the details are known. It may be a continuation, further developed version of their Kylin or it may be another project. October is at hand and, to date, it remains to be seen.

It's no secret that Chinese Officials HATE everything Google and has and will use that hatred as motivation to develop alternatives for themselves and when they achieve their desired goals, they'll simply ban and block Android and anything else that they can.

So, Andy the Android's days are numbered in China!

Slip-Up in Chinese Military TV Show Reveals More Than Intended

Slip-Up in Chinese Military TV Show Reveals More Than Intended

Piece shows cyber warfare against US entities - August 28th 2011

Slip-Up in Chinese Military TV Show Reveals More Than Intended

Here's a particularly interesting and well written piece on Cyber-Hacking by the Chinese Military that's targeting the US. It's an article that was first published on the site Epoch Times >http://www.theepochtimes.com/ but, it has since been taken down.

Considering all of the unflattering news that exposes US Cyber-Espionage, it should be remembered that the US is not the only Country with Intelligence gathering taking place. Every government is involved in the practice of intelligence gathering(spying). The Chinese are different than everyone else in that, they outright boast about it and then outright deny it.

This is just one of those stories that you just ... never forget!

The Big Ban Theory – China Bans US TV Shows

The Ban Happy Chinese Government of Xi Jinping have been tightening their control over the Internet. The Administration of has already sanitized most of their popular social-media platforms and tightened their control over online media organizations and now they are going after foreign film content.

The Big Bang Theory, The Practice, The Good Wife and NCIS have all been banned. However, not long after this announcement CCTV did announce they would air an edited version of The Big Bang Theory in their prime-time. Then came more news that internet video providers such as Youku can only provide 30% of foreign content. It's just an obvious move designed to steer their public towards more domestic programming.

The State Administration of the Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) have stated that all American and British TV shows aired in China will need to receive government approval requiring them to pass the approval of China Censors.

The youth of China have been deserting their own government-controlled TV programs for years. Their programs are considered white-washed propaganda. They are simply too hard to watch, being so mindlessly boring and outrageously unrealistic. Their depictions of the Communist Revolution or the War against the Japanese are of no historical value. They are untrue depictions that everyone already knows about and suffer even more because of lame super-sanitized dialogue and the no budget quality in their overall productions.

The official line of reasoning behind the new policy, claims they are protecting the physical and mental health of their youth and are focused on promoting their vision of what wholesome Chinese social harmony is.

The truth is something very different. Their iron-fist-ed policies are aimed at protecting their pathetic domestic film industry. They simply hate the fact that most Chinese would prefer to watch anything foreign instead of anything produced in China.

They have specifically targeted some of the most popular shows being viewed in China with downloads surpassing the billion mark. Do not for one minute believe anything they say about the content of these programs. They have made many claims that the programs are explicit or immoral or violent and pose a threat to their scheme of social harmony, but you should see how violent many of their cartoons for children are. The fact is they really hate the popularity of these shows.

Censorship in China is nothing new. What they censor is always criticized and perceived to be ridiculous.

It is widely believed that censorship kills creative thinking and one only has to see Chinese TV programming to understand this to be true. If it doesn't outright kill creativity, it prohibits the exploration of character development for sure.

These small minded campaigns of anti-corruption and anti-internet and anti-whatever raging on under Xi Jinping reflect an immaturity that westerners find amusing. Maybe he's just trying to make his mark, make himself significant in modern Chinese history. Trying to make sense of their rationale would be an exercise in futility. None of the actions of Xi Jinping or the Chinese Communist One Party Government will succeed, their efforts are in vain and will in the end have the opposite effect.