Business Blog – ‘Green’ Buses Take to the Streets

CITYLIFE / Hip & New

‘Green’ Buses Take to the Streets
(Shanghai Daily )
Updated: 2006-08-30 09:34

Ten new environmentally friendly buses were unveiled yesterday by the
Shanghai government.

The buses are powered by 360 ultra-capacitors and are charged at bus
stops with equipment attached to the roof of each vehicle along the No.
11 line, which has 10 stops around Laoximen in Huangpu District.

Each charge takes only 30 seconds and can power the bus for 3 to 8
kilometers.

Experts said the buses don’t have any emissions since they are powered by
electricity and that there is no need for unsightly wires overhead like
other electric trolleys.

This represents the city’s first step to upgrade buses that either cause
air pollution or damage the image of Shanghai.

“The new trolley bus is a win-win solution for new transport,” said Ma
Xingfa, an official of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission.

Working with a municipal fund of 15 million yuan (US$1.87 million) in the
last five years, the science commission has teamed with a total of eight
high-tech and transport companies to develop new buses.

They were produced by Shanghai Sunwin Bus Corporation – a joint venture
between Shanghai Automotive Industry Group and Volvo Investment
Corporation.

Each bus costs about 800,000 yuan, according to the officials.

The 10 buses are operated by Shanghai Bashi Xinxin Automobile Service
Company. The fare is 2 yuan – the same as air-conditioned buses.

Chen Youkou, a senior engineer of the project, said: “The city government
plans to gradually upgrade other buses.”

There are about 20,000 buses, including 424 electric, in the city.
According to Chen, the older, diesel powered buses produce carbon
monoxide and led particles, two major air pollutants.

According to a preliminary plan, the government has decided to upgrade
the No. 13 and No. 20 routes in the next phase, Chen said.

The cost of an upgrade for each bus is about 200,000 yuan.

Chen said the next step is to increase the power of capacitors so that
they can run longer distances without a charge – particularly during rush
hours.

He said the government also plans to gradually remove most overhead wires
and power poles downtown.

Experts said maintenance will be about 80 percent cheaper compared to a
conventional bus, creating strong market potential for transport
operators.

Chen said the environmentally friendly buses have one major drawback. If
it runs at a slow speed for quite some time, it loses power quickly.

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Hero – Computers are evil. Fight back!

CITYLIFE / Odds & Ends

Computers are evil. Fight back!
(Beijing Today)
Updated: 2006-08-15 14:17

Computers, once the darlings of the modern world, now represent the
flickering face of office perjury. Apparently some people even use
computers for recreation, and not just Luddite rockstars throwing laptops
from their thatch roofed highrise hotel rooms. Now some genius has turned
up telling us that computers are evil and dangerous. Like, tell us
something we didn’t know. Fortunately, the said expert then proceeded to
tell us some things we didn’t know. Hope these tips help you regain
friendly relations with your desktop chum.

Reading the screen

Any task that involves staring at a computer screen, no matter how
exciting or interesting, leads to physical fatigue. You may be quite
happy to press on with work, but your body may have other ideas. The most
common physical complaints are eyestrain and problems with vision
(blurring and itching being typical). Headaches are also a product of
prolonged staring at a screen.

1. Adjust the brightness and contrast controls on the screen to suit the
lighting conditions in the room.

2. Make sure the screen surface is clean.

3. In setting up software, choose an option that makes large enough to
read easily on your screen, when you are sitting in a normal, comfortable
working position. Select colors that are easy on the eye (avoid red text
on a blue background, or vice-versa).

4. Individual characters on the screen should be sharply focused and
should not flicker or move. If they do, the VDU may need servicing or
adjustment.

5. Remember to look away from the screen when you don’t need to use it.

Keyboard and mouse

Wrist and hand problems are common when using computers, according to Dr
Han. For example, ‘floating’ your hand over the mouse for long periods
leads to strain on the ligaments in the back of the hand and the wrist.
Over time, health problems may occur as a result of high retition of hand
movements, forceful typing, or having bent wrists whilst using the
keyboard. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful condition that affects the
wrists and hands following pressure to the median nerve. Numbness may
also be experienced in one or both hands and even the simplest of tasks
involving the hands becomes a painful and sometimes impossible activity.

1. Adjust your keyboard to get a good keying position. A space in front
of the keyboard is sometimes helpful for resting the hands and wrists
when not keying.

2. Try to keep your wrists straight. Keep a soft touch on the keys and
don’t overstretch you fingers. Good keyboard technique is mportant.

3. Position the mouse within easy reach, so it can be used with the wrist
straight. Sit upright and close to the desk, so you don’t have to work
with your mouse arm stretched. Move the keyboard out of the way f it is
not being used.

4. Support your forearm on the desk, and don’t grip the mouse too
tightly.5. Rest your fingers lightly on the buttons and do not press them
hard.

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Korea – Happy Father’s Day

ENTERTAINMENT / Special Coverage

Happy Father’s Day

Updated: 2006-06-17 17:26

Brad Pitt and Jolie’s adopted daughter Zahara in Namibia

Tomorrow is Father’s Day!
On 18th June 2006, the world will celebrate the relationship of a father
and a child. After all, Father’s Day is all about conveying your love and
letting him know how special he is. Here are a few of our favorite
celebrity dads with their loved ones, let’s share happiness with them!

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7 28 29

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wooden puzzle, one-piece toilet, RC hovercraft, photo album, prom dress,
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Talk About – World Scene: United States

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/ Page 9

World Scene: United States

Updated: 2007-09-24 07:06

NASA spots caves on Mars

An orbiting spacecraft has found evidence of what look like seven caves
on the slopes of a Martian volcano, the space agency NASA said on Friday.

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft has sent back images of very dark, nearly
circular features that appear to be openings to underground spaces.

“They are cooler than the surrounding surface in the day and warmer at
night,” said Glen Cushing of the US Geological Survey’s Astrogeology Team
and Northern Arizona University. “Their thermal behavior is consistent
with these being deep holes in the ground.”

McDonald’s surprise comeback

It wasn’t so long ago that the McDonald’s fast-food empire looked stale.

Sales were decreasing, new products weren’t catching on and McDonald’s
was vilified by consumer activists, nutritionists and others as Americans
got fatter and fatter.

Now, thanks to a combination of improved menus, better marketing and deft
management, business is cooking like never before.

The comeback may not be news to anyone who has queued up at a McDonald’s
drive-through recently. But the fact that the sales resurgence not only
continues to sizzle is a surprise to experts who had expected the burger
chain to sink without a trace.

(China Daily 09/24/2007 page9)

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China Daily PDF Edition
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8 – Jennifer Garner graces October’s Marie Claire cover

? ?

ENTERTAINMENT / Movies/TV

Jennifer Garner graces October’s Marie Claire cover

Updated: 2007-09-19 11:18

Jennifer Garner graces October’s Marie Claire cover

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Hero – Maguire, Gyllenhaal in talks to star in ‘Brothers’

? ?

ENTERTAINMENT / Movies

Maguire, Gyllenhaal in talks to star in ‘Brothers’

(ANI)
Updated: 2007-09-18 15:28

Tobey Maguire

‘Spiderman’ star Tobey Maguire, and ‘Brokeback Mountain’ star Jake
Gyllenhaal are in negotiations to star in “Brothers”.

Jake Gyllenhaal

The movie is a remake of Susanne Bier’s Danish-language war drama, and
revolves around a man, to be played by Maguire, who is sent to fight in
Afghanistan while his black-sheep brother, to be played by Gyllenhaal,
cares for his wife and child.

The Relativity Media movie is to be helmed by Jim Sheridan, and was first
released in released in 2004, starring Connie Nielsen, Ulrich Thomsen and
Nikolaj Lie Kaas.

The script of the remake is to be penned by David Benioff, with the movie
scheduled to being filming in early November this year.

Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh is producing alongside Michael De Luca and
Joni Sighvatsson.

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3 – The spot exactly

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CITYLIFE / Bars & Cafes

The spot exactly

(smartshanghai.com)
Updated: 2007-09-14 10:17

Anyone who was at The Spot’s One Year Anniversary Celebration last
Thursday already had a pretty good idea of why the restaurant/bar has
made it through the crucial “make-or-break” first year of operation.
Their success seems to come from doing a number of little things right,
resulting in a following of loyal regulars from an international mix
Shanghai’s populace. The ubiquitous Judy and her diverse team (Canadian
general manager, Indian bar manager, Filipina marketing manager, German
chef/co-owner) have managed to create an atmosphere where it’s hard not
to have a good time, and that went double for Thursday’s anniversary
celebration.

The Spot’s DJ-in-residency, DJ Clint (aka Clintessential), chose an
impressively diverse selection of tracks on Thursday. On the system were
hip-hop, 80’s music, and both classic and modern rock tracks that
complemented rather than clashed with each other (I heard everything from
Prince to Jerry Lee Lewis). And since the theme of the night was
“Hawaiian Luau”, there was plenty of reggae and beach music (from Dawn
Penn to The Beach Boys) which could have sounded corny or obligatory if
they had been played by a less competent DJ. It takes talent to spin
Snoop Dogg and Elvis Presley in the same set and keep people dancing
nonstop throughout.

The live entertainment kept the momentum of the night going. The hula
girls were hot (of course), and the live tribal drums that accompanied
their dancing added to the showmanship. The highlight for me, however,
was the guy who came on stage and began pulling yards and yards of ribbon
out of his mouth while prancing around in a tuxedo, to the sound of
techno music. It was like a cross between a magic show for children and
“A Night At The Roxbury,” so in that sense and it was hard to take my
eyes off it. According to manager Paul Gray, live entertainment is
usually reserved for special occasions because of space constraints, but
in my opinion that’s just one of several reasons to stop by.

Paul warns that the menu will be scaled down in the near future, although
the favorites (such as the Lebanese Shish Taouk) will remain. This should
address one of the big concerns I had on a recent visit, which was that
the menu was about the size of an airplane wing. Head Chef and co-owner
Mark has worked at 5-star hotels and Michelin-ranked restaurants in both
Europe and Asia, and the dishes he’s chosen reflect the influence of both
East and West (one item on the menu is a wrap of chicken marinated in
Chinese ginger and Coca-Cola, of all things). There is also a separate
menu reserved exclusively for dishes from his birthplace (Germany), with
about 10 Schnitzel dishes and 14 main course dishes on this menu alone.

The Tuscany bruschetta, topped with chicken liver mousse and gravy (in
place of the usual plum tomatoes, garlic and olive oil), sounded exotic,
and the portion of mousse on each sliver of bread was generous. The
“Ital-Thai Joint Venture” entrée was the weak link in an otherwise great
meal. Rigatoni and a seafood medley with a spicy Thai cream sauce sounded
delicious on the menu, as I was expecting the cream in the sauce to
balance out the spiciness of the Thai seasoning. But the consistency of
the sauce was more watery than creamy, making the dish much spicier
overall than I expected it to be. Last but not least, the Kaiserschmarrn
Austrian Emperor’s Pan Cake was a memorable way to end the meal. Thick,
flaky pastry crust pieces topped with powdered sugar were complemented
with almond slivers and raisins, and served alongside a ramekin of
applesauce. The dish had a granulated (almost sugary) texture to it,
which was subtle enough to add to the dish, rather than detract from it.
On my next visit, I plan to order exclusively from the German menu (if
it’s still in place), since that seems to be the chef’s strongest suit.

The range of prices on the menu didn’t deviate substantially from what
you’d expect at an eatery of this genre. Mains started at 50ish rmb and
go up from there, and booze was in the 40-50rmb range for beer and
cocktails.

Other highlights: The Spot has weekly Texas Hold’ Em nights on Monday and
Tuesday, as well as televised Major League Baseball and Premiership
Football when in season. Daily happy hour with 2-for-1 drinks from
17:00-20:00.

The Spot
Address: 331 Tongren Lu, next door to Mint, near Beijing Lu
Tel: 021-62473579

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Eating out: Simply Dali-cious
Bars&Cafes: For barfly
Weekend&Holiday: Is it changing too fast?
Shopping: Ice up your world
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Eating out: An institution in the making
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Shopping: Chinese made delicacy
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……….

5 – “Bourne” returns to No. 1 at foreign box office

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ENTERTAINMENT / Movies

“Bourne” returns to No. 1 at foreign box office

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-09-10 15:11

LOS ANGELES – Handily outdrawing an eclectic mix of fading holdovers and
early fall newcomers, “The Bourne Ultimatum” reclaimed the top spot at
the weekend foreign box office with an estimated $16.5 million from 37
markets.

The Matt Damon espionage thriller hiked its overseas gross to $98.8
million; the film’s worldwide tally stands at $308.9 million.

“Bourne,” which topped the overseas charts during the last two weekends
in August, opened at No. 1 in Germany ($5 million), Austria ($850,000)
and Mexico ($1.5 million). It easily outpaced the comparable gross
figures in these territories recorded by the first two series titles,
“The Bourne Identity” and “The Bourne Supremacy.”

“Ratatouille” came in second for the weekend with $8.5 million from 34
markets, bringing its international total to $200.9 million. Its global
gross is $403 million.

The Pixar cartoon continued gangbusters in France, where the film is set.
It was No. 1 in the market for the sixth consecutive weekend, grossing
$1.5 million. The market total is $52.6 million, just $900,000 shy of the
year’s top title, “Spider-Man 3.”

“Shrek the Third,” the previous weekend’s champion, wound up at No. 3
overall with $8 million from 63 markets, hoisting its overseas total to
$451 million.

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry,” co-starring Adam Sandler and Kevin
James, spread its wings internationally, taking the No. 4 slot with $5.4
million from 22 markets. It opened at No. 1 in Russia ($1.2 million) and
No. 2 in Italy ($1 million, behind “Shrek,” $4.3 million). Its overseas
total stands at $15.4 million.

“Die Hard 4″ finished at No. 5 with $4.4 million, most of it coming from
a No. 1 bow in Spain with $3.7 million; the overseas total for the Bruce
Willis action vehicle stands at $227.8 million.

Grossing an estimated $4.1 million each were “Knocked Up” and “The
Simpsons Movie.” The former has earned $44.5 million, and the latter,
$309.4 million.

Other foreign totals: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” $635
million; “Ocean’s Thirteen,” $190.3 million; and “Fantastic Four: Rise of
the Silver Surfer,” $142.8 million.

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Russia – Jennifer Lopez gets back to her hip-hop roots with a sexy new video

? ?

ENTERTAINMENT / Photo

Jennifer Lopez gets back to her hip-hop roots with a sexy new video

(Daily Mail)
Updated: 2007-09-05 16:24

Getting on down to some hip-hop beats in these colourful revealing
outfits, Jennifer Lopez signals a return to pop with a hot new video.

Ever since Hollywood’s richest Hispanic singer and actress married her
Latino husband Marc Anthony she has shown a willingness to leave the
world of urban music behind and embrace her Spanish roots.

She recorded an album in Spanish and planned a tour with her husband,
showing off a more glamorous, old Hollywood image.

But her loyal fans will be pleased to hear her new album, to be released
in October, signals a return to form. Her sixth studio album, Brave, is
in the bag and these pictures show her shooting the video for its first
single, Do It Well.

The video was directed by David LaChapelle over two days in August, and
sees the star in a series of stunning outfits including this tight black
ra-ra number and canary yellow mini-dress.

Talking about the album, Jennifer Lopez told MTV: “I’m really excited
about it. The first single will be out this summer. And, you know, it’s
very different from my Spanish album.

“My Spanish album was kind of an opportunity to get away from what I do
on my English albums, to kind of express a different side of myself.

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To be continued

2 – Terfel cancels Royal Opera ‘Ring’ cycle

? ?

ENTERTAINMENT / Theater & Arts

Terfel cancels Royal Opera ‘Ring’ cycle

(AP)
Updated: 2007-09-04 08:08

Bass-baritone Bryn Terfel poses in this undated publicity photo provided
by Bravo.? [AP]

LONDON – Bryn Terfel has pulled out of his highly anticipated appearance
in the Royal Opera’s production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle, citing “a
particularly stressful family situation” involving one of his children.

The Welsh bass-baritone was to have sung Wotan/The Wanderer in the
performances scheduled for next month. It was supposed to have been his
first performance in a complete Ring Cycle.

“I have had a particularly stressful family situation involving one of my
children this summer which has affected the time I had put aside to
prepare for this challenging role,” Terfel said in a statement carried by
the Opera’s Web site. “Having begun rehearsals it is clear to me that I
would not be able to perform at the standard I would wish to.”

The nature of the problem was not disclosed.

The Times of London newspaper reported that the performance had been sold
out for more than a year, with some tickets for the entire four-opera
cycle going for as much as $1,610.

“The Royal Opera expressed shock and surprise at Bryn Terfel’s
cancellation, acknowledging the disappointment it will bring to audiences
who were looking forward to seeing him perform in a complete Ring Cycle
for the first time,” the company said on its Web site.

The company said Terfel would be replaced by award-winning singer Sir
John Tomlinson, with whom Terfel had been due to share the role.

Terfel sang Wotan for the first time in “Das Rheingold” and “Die
Walkuere” during the 2004-5 season in the Royal Opera’s production by
Keith Warner.

He also is slated to sing Wotan in the Metropolitan Opera’s performance
of the Ring cycle, scheduled for 2012.

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