Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

[FondoFinder]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

Perhaps the Chinese need to come to Canada and play choo choo with us for a while before its too late.

[thriftyandboringinohio]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

from caixin


Faster, further and failing – how the effects of endemic corruption are beginning to surface in wider segments of public services

By Li Yong

Today, I posted a microblog entry: “At first, the middle class did not bother to worry about Corruption Terrorism. They did not have to work in an underground mine or on an assembly line, so they did not have to worry about mine collapses or industrial malfunctions. But Corruption Terrorism has evolved beyond its early stages, and now it affects nearly everyone. Everyone who takes a train or a subway, everyone who drives a car on a bridge, lives in a house, goes to buy food in a supermarket – these all have risks now, they all involve hazarding one’s safety. In this next stage of Corruption Terrorism, not even the privileged can escape from danger.” Corruption Terrorism is a term I first saw used on Weibo by microblogger Huashan2009.

This post has been forwarded and reposted more than any other I have ever written. I think the public’s reaction to the post stems not only from the high-speed rail crash’s heavy casualties, but also from the panic and anxiety induced by such a man-made disaster. A decade ago, most news of disasters seemed to be from mine collapses, workshop explosions, or accidents in illegal coal mines; these things all seemed very distant from cities and white-collar lifestyles, all of which still felt safe. But in recent years, it seems that the disasters are moving in next door, creeping ever closer to the middle-class, the white-collar world. We often hear of disasters in the media – a building collapses or is set alight, a car falls into a sinkhole, a bridge collapses carrying an overloaded truck, a packed subway escalator malfunctions, another food safety issue is reported. The list goes on.

etc
http://blog.english.caing.com/article/365/

Most excellent point, jk. This theme can be found in so many problems we discuss here. In our modern world, many things need to be done perfectly or big trouble results. Unfortunately, perfect work is slow and deliberate and costly and often brings things to a complete stop.

The concept of "corruption terrorism" captures it well, especially how easily we all accept and tolerate it when it only affects other people far away from us and much different than us. Inevitably, corruption terrorism spreads to affect me and mine.

[GRG55]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

Most excellent point, jk. This theme can be found in so many problems we discuss here. In our modern world, many things need to be done perfectly or big trouble results. Unfortunately, perfect work is slow and deliberate and costly and often brings things to a complete stop.

The concept of "corruption terrorism" captures it well, especially how easily we all accept and tolerate it when it only affects other people far away from us and much different than us. Inevitably, corruption terrorism spreads to affect me and mine.

China has not only done a wonderful job lowering costs and inflation rates around the world, it has also lowered standards. In my extended construction of the bunker I keep coming across Chinese components that have proved sub-standard and not sufficiently durable to make the cut. I spend considerable effort to avoid anything made there to the highest degree possible. The latest example are brass shut-off valves for my plumbing fixtures. The local building supply store I was dealing with used to carry Canadian made valves. A short time ago I purchased several more and discovered that the packaging is exactly the same, but the valves are now made in China and look identical to the previous versions. But all one has to do is operate the valve a few times and you can feel the difference immediately. I have found a new source for Canadian made valves. The incremental cost of the valves in a house project is minor compared to the cost of a plumbing valve failure in a completed residence...

[GRG55]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

This old post from metalman shows concern about the effects of corruption are not new for the Chinese...
http://www.itulip.com/forums/showthr...15633#poststop

40% urban Chinese in survey show fear of house collapse

BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- About 40 percent of urban Chinese said in a recent survey that an apartment building collapse might occur in their own cities, the China Youth Daily reported Tuesday.

The online survey conducted by the newspaper had polled 2,870 netizens. Only 17.6 percent of the respondents didn't have such fear while the rest said they were "not sure."

A 13-story apartment building under construction collapsed on June 27 in, killing one worker in the building.

[Spartacus]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

slightly old but relevant - download the audio and fast forward to the interview with Gareth Hayes, an Australian consultant working in China. He had a lot to say about the western press reports versus China's internal workings.

http://www.theskepticsguide.org/arch...x?mid=1&pid=96

Hayes was roundly criticized on the SGU forums but the general and cultural observations were later confirmed in another interview with Yau-Man Chan

http://www.theskepticsguide.org/arch...?mid=1&pid=142

[lektrode]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

As long as your HO is made by Lionel, and not the Golden Happiness Lucky Dragon toy company...

i dont think lionel did HO? nears i know they were strictly O scale (with HO being 'half O')
mine were tyco's mostly, some bachman and dont remember now where they were made

[lektrode]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

Perhaps the Chinese need to come to Canada and play choo choo with us for a while before its too late.

now _there's_ an HO kinda guy:

[IMG]http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/648*400/GMH21564430_high.jpg[/IMG] Enlarge Image
President of the Montreal Model Railway Club Pierre Lalanne makes an adjustment to a segment of the model at the club in Montreal, Wednesday, June 1, 2011

and look! again, FIRE even strikes against the hobby industry:

"....And it's about to be destroyed.
The reason for the imminent dismantling is not without irony: the make-believe trains are about to be forced away by a real train company, dealing with real-life issues like rising property costs.
....
......
After 38 years, CN said it had little choice.
"CN had a long-standing relationship with them, it was a good relationship. But basically we had to re-evaluate the lease and come to a decision," said Julie Senecal, a spokeswoman for CN.
...
When the project began, decades ago, the Griffintown district just west of Old Montreal was gritty and industrial and home to the railroad.
Today, it's filled increasingly with high-end lofts and condos...."

[flintlock]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

China has not only done a wonderful job lowering costs and inflation rates around the world, it has also lowered standards. In my extended construction of the bunker I keep coming across Chinese components that have proved sub-standard and not sufficiently durable to make the cut. I spend considerable effort to avoid anything made there to the highest degree possible. The latest example are brass shut-off valves for my plumbing fixtures. The local building supply store I was dealing with used to carry Canadian made valves. A short time ago I purchased several more and discovered that the packaging is exactly the same, but the valves are now made in China and look identical to the previous versions. But all one has to do is operate the valve a few times and you can feel the difference immediately. I have found a new source for Canadian made valves. The incremental cost of the valves in a house project is minor compared to the cost of a plumbing valve failure in a completed residence...

Applause! I see this every day. Copies of tried and true designs that are close but not exactly the same. Only upon close inspection or use are the differences apparent. I've seen fake screws cast into parts to look like the originals that were screwed together. Now try and explain this to the average homeowner. You end up sounding crazy.

[flintlock]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

This belongs to a friend of mine. A 94 year old WWII vet.

[Southernguy]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

maybe Fukushima plant was made by GE with Chinese parts?
Or TMI nuclear plant?
Or.....or....
I´m well aware of chinese crap, buy I think they have a manufacturing that´s rapidly growing in quality and dependability.
Of course underdeveloped or developing countries get the worst stuff.
Many Chinese products are much worse here in Latin America than the ones that access to the US market.
But wait 20 years and you´ll see they have catched up, just as Japanese, Koreans and Taiwanese did.

[jk]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

maybe Fukushima plant was made by GE with Chinese parts?
Or TMI nuclear plant?
Or.....or....
I´m well aware of chinese crap, buy I think they have a manufacturing that´s rapidly growing in quality and dependability.
Of course underdeveloped or developing countries get the worst stuff.
Many Chinese products are much worse here in Latin America than the ones that access to the US market.
But wait 20 years and you´ll see they have catched up, just as Japanese, Koreans and Taiwanese did.

i remember when "made in japan" meant junk.

[Milton Kuo]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

i remember when "made in japan" meant junk.

The thing that's most irritating about many products from China is that--unlike products made by Japan, Taiwan, and Korea when they were developing--it ofttimes appears that no effort is made to even try to turn out a quality product. I've even seen slipshod restoration work in the Forbidden City.

[GRG55]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

i remember when "made in japan" meant junk.

I am old enough to remember that as well. But during that time I don't recall Japan having a reputation for exporting off-gassing drywall, melamine-laced milk, fertilizer that isn't fertilizer or mine processing equipment that doesn't work. Nor do I recall Japanese companies having a reputation with international investors for rampant fraud [although I will confess this last item may be because I was too young to care about such things at the time :-)]

Japan instead had companies like Seiko that beat the Swiss Centre Electronique Horloger to introduce the first quartz watch to the market, and Sony that built an entire multinational company on the back of portable transistor radios. I don't sense anything of the sort coming out of China at the moment...

[EJ]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

I am old enough to remember that as well. But during that time I don't recall Japan having a reputation for exporting off-gassing drywall, melamine-laced milk, fertilizer that isn't fertilizer or mine processing equipment that doesn't work. Nor do I recall Japanese companies having a reputation with international investors for rampant fraud [although I will confess this last item may be because I was too young to care about such things at the time :-)]

Japan instead had companies like Seiko that beat the Swiss Centre Electronique Horloger to introduce the first quartz watch to the market, and Sony that built an entire multinational company on the back of portable transistor radios. I don't sense anything of the sort coming out of China at the moment...

A friend of 20 years is the top general partner in arguably one of the most successful VC funds in the world. He is encouraging me to write a book about China.

The working title is "Theft and Subsidy: China's Economic Mirage" that describes the main drivers of China's economic success.

As you have said, Japan is about "The Best Way" while China is about "Get it Done and Move on to the Next Thing."

My key worry is what China's leadership does when, after 30 years, there is no "Next Thing" that satisfies the west or its citizens.

[aaron]

Re: Train wreck is no surprise to me, trains wreck all the time, but what happens next is really nuts.

I went to China last month for 8 days. 4 days in Beijing and 4 days in Shanghai. I took the new bullet train to Shanghai. It was an awful experience buying the tickets. It took 2 hours! But, it looks like it could have been a lot worse.