User profile: michael2015

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Kunming weather

@alien
This is where I must respectfully disagree - on the alleged academics of climate change. Universities are a business (assumption).

Faculty compete for grants and subsidies - funded by governments (political) and industry (commercial).

Assuming academia is a business AND they compete for grants, publications, and subsidies (in addition to consulting activities), then logically, academia is heavily influenced by both politics and by commercial exploitation - an extrapolative and qualitative deduction (or induction, depending on one's perspective).

Examples from commercial industry show the broad scale and state of industrial corruption and occasionally epic displays of social and governmental/political irresponsibility - nothing new there - across a broad spectrum of markets and market segments - so I believe that academia is highly biased and influenced by both politics and commercial interests and benefactors, in addition to philanthropists - which are more rare and more focused.

Politicians jump on social responsibility bandwagons for a variety of reasons - but mostly to attract free publicity as a good and socially responsible leader - fodder for their next election - however we also know that generally, politicians are rather multi-faced and split-tongued, spouting political rhetoric to fit the occasion, regardless of consistency, actual due diligence research, and the associated honor, integrity, morality issues.

As I believe, based on the above observational assumptions - that academia is tainted - then generally I believe that most science is potentially tainted (high energy particle physics aside).

So, while we may disagree on the integrity of the alleged academics on BOTH sides of the climate change issue - I believe we can both agree that the derived benefits of the issue are invaluable - a great concern and respect for our environmental management.

And - for the record - I'm surprised nobody dragged in the Three Gorges Dam for contributing to climate change - that was a sensational global issue decades ago.

Concrete manufacturing is also an alleged significant polluter, steel industry, coal industry - all of these are core development and employment industries in China and pillars of China's development - so I have absolutely no doubt the US will jump on any bandwagon in an attempt to "contain China". Obama's "pivot to asia" is blatant anti-China hegemony and his eight years in office is a continuation of that oppressive political agenda.

China's scale makes EVERYTHING it does a major impact in global economies, global environment, and global societies.

Instead of academically debating climate change - I would propose we focus on how we can economically limit the effects of man-made pollution through add-on industries - migration from fossil fuel-based vehicles to electrics (powered by renewable energies), responsible water management, responsible agricultural management (soil, water, and food chain pollution and poisoning), ocean management, air pollution management (cars, trucks and buses are the major sources of this pollution - so the migration to electrics will eventually mitigate this issue) and so on ad infinitum.

Finding solutions which profit oriented businesses can accept (usually with government prodding) without driving them into bankruptcy (thank you US EPA) is the holy grail of industry.

Yunnan is a major mining industry - how to add environmental management to those industries while acceptably impacting their profits is a great place to start (and would that require a new thread?).

Kunming's waste-water management is epically poor - mixing rain water run-off with raw sewage - and then piping that to the waste-water treatment plants - the burst in traffic results in raw or poorly processed sewage pouring into DianChi.

Cleaning up Kunming's canals in a sustainable manner as opposed to the occasional band-aids.

Migrating city buses to electrics (that will make BYD VERY happy).

Yunnan has extensive construction (real estate development, road and highway construction, etc) - so doing LEED-like ratings on these projects (great for government work) during construction and the follow-on operations would be a great academic study for government - especially since most Yunnan academia is poorly supported by industry (aka negligible grants, negligible subsidies, negligible consulting opportunities for faculty) - so outright bribery, coercion, and extortion issues aside - that would be a great pilot project for the environmentally interested.

Is anyone interested in a new and separate thread or forum on how the gokm community can participate in constructive debate of this apparently hot topic, leading to economically feasible and sustainable opportunities?

Perhaps we can eventually create our own consulting group and supplement our meager incomes while performing an arguably socially and environmentally invaluable service?

Many of the more senior (seniors and retirees) members of gokm have tremendous depth of professional experience, untapped by this community and society in which we're immersed.

We may all disagree on certain issues, but I believe all are interested in the various social and environmental issues that abound around us - especially if that generated consulting income (assuming we can find buyers).

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Kunming weather

@lemon

lover
Right - and then there were the decades (in the USA) of telling us to eat low-fat or fat free meats - only to discover that our bodies need a certain amount of certain kinds of fats to help digestion.

And of course - need we forget the USA's (aka Bush family's) infamous invasion of Iraq in their alleged search for weapons of mass destruction - which embarrassingly turned up nothing.

So - I'm rather skeptical about politically biased agendas and our alleged scientific bandwagons these days.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Kunming weather

@geezer
I resigned, quit, was "laid off" (reduced) or just outright fired. Worked my way up to getting canned. My dazzlingly abrasive personality doesn't help.

@Alien
If you think it highly unlikely that an entire industry would participate in questionable professional practices, allow me to cite a few gross examples - Enron, Global Crossing, Arthur Andersen, Bernie Madoff, Solyndra (debatable, but highly questionable), and the creme de la creme - the US lead global financial crisis which peaked in 2008 - a repeat but significantly enhanced and scaled version of the US Savings & Loan Crisis 20 years earlier.

And now the world has the POTUS Trump, who appears quite similar to the North Korean great leader in his bold brash leadership. Big pharma invaded and infected the medical practice with its prolific and pervasive panacea of customized drugs for usurious prices. China recently ordered public hospitals to divest themselves of their outpatient pharmacies (I'm not clear on the details) for painfully obvious reasons, as healthcare is now a business with prolific and pervasive up-selling, as opposed to a public service.

However, that's just my jaded pessimistic opinion - I'm a seriously depressing, if not insane person to be around, as I see conspiracies everywhere.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Kunming weather

Dilbert is popular (at least, in the USA) because many have actually experienced that kind of oppressive, insane, abusive management.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Kunming weather

@janjal
Think ludicrously classified compartmentalized weapons systems R&D. That kind of secretive, compartmentalized environment will naturally be abused by those with a proclivity and penchant for fraud, waste, and abuse.

You're also presuming government officials are responsible, ethical, and moral people and always tell the truth. That's a career crushing behavior - we call those paragons "whistle-blowers".

As with the general topic of climate change - there are many professionals supporting climate change and many professional detractors.

I have no opinion either way - however I do appreciate the attention and focus it gave on more responsible co-existence with and management of our environment.

While Dilbert is not by any means techno science - it does point out perceived fallacies:

dilbert.com/strip/2017-05-14

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Nice - just popped over to the site - and also logged in with my gokm userid - so that was nice (not having to re-register).

The summary of scenic sites in gallery format is a nice touch. Vivid.

And the Do's and Don'ts section was nice to read as a reminder, but I expected more information on how to be a desirable tourist from the local perspective (aside from buying lots of souvenirs and pictures etc).

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The FTZ video was interesting, but most important is the new website - investinyunnan.com - as all of the economic development zones in yunnan are in chinese language only.

So let's see how well the investinyunnan.com site and the new emerging process for bringing in foreign direct investment, matching partners, government support etc works..

I'm sure there's be hiccups - but as long as everyone's committed to the success process - things should work out.

Reviews

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Took the family here to stroll around and there's a LOT of walking. Many of the stores appear closed, but the bar street nestled inside seems quite well populated.

We chose the Japanese restaurant near the entrance (there are many entrances). The food and service was quite acceptable - from the fruit salad, tuna salad, curry pork cutlet, and the ubiquitous California Sush Rolls (you can buy the small size or the large size).

It rained a little while we were there, which helped drench the heat and humidity. When the sun came out - it was HOT.

If you're lucky, you'll occasionally see people (usually women) wearing minority clothing being photographed by professional photographers. There's also a small photographer's store where you can rent various ethnic clothing and have professional pictures taken (maybe the two are related...now that I think about it).

There's also the ubiquitous game centers (shooting galleries etc) for the kids and unaccompanied teenagers.

It seems the most popular venues were the prolific food courts - but that's probably related to it being lunchtime when we visited. The place is clean and plenty of antiqued door fronts (the wood panels) for those photo shoots.

Capping off the visit, one must of course take pictures on the bridges crossing the lily ponds and the landmark temple spire. We didn't make it to the surrounding temples. Maybe next time.

Transportation is everywhere - but make sure you have your mobile phone ride share app working, just in case you hit rush hour.

Again - for now - it seems many vendors were closed - but I'm positive that'll change again as the economy begins to rebound.

Excellent way to spend a half day as opposed to the kids faces glued to their mobile devices...fresh air, good food, plenty of people watching, and walking...walking...walking...

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Took the family here a few days ago. Wonderful place to go walking with lots of snack & drink kiosks (along with chairs and tables) to rest frequently. This zoo is similar to most other large open air zoos with reasonably spacious enclosures. This place is HUGE so be prepared for a LOT of walking. Consider wearing sensible hiking or walking shoes. Your feet will be grateful.

Entrance fees when we went still cny100 for adults and kids cny70. Feeding the animals at the managed venues - cny30 per site...per child. Monkeys can be fed by tossing carrots and sliced apples into their enclosure - which is good. Monkeys famous for flash mobbing. Can be terrifying for kids (and adults). Even in the enclosures, you can clearly see they're territorial and aggressive. Bullying is displayed frequently enough for teaching moments for the kids (cuz there are monkeys in all schools everywhere in the world).

MOST people bring their own food and drink, as the kiosks are quite expensive. Example a cny5 drink outside is cny10 in the zoo, so expect most everything to be twice as expensive. I had a bbq chick drumstick (leg?) for cny25...ouch.

Bring carrots. LOTS of carrots. The zoo has several managed (paid) and unmanaged petting areas for most semi-domesticated animals, such as the Alpacas (seriously cute), deer, giraffes (ok...you can feed the giraffes on an elevated platform, but probably difficult to "pat" the animals. It's kind of spectacular to actually see giraffes face to face - these animals are simply vertigo inducing huge and tall.

The seal show was nice - typical of seal shows everywhere. Seals are kind of like the dogs of the sea. Friendly and ravenous appetites so easily trainable.

Lots of cheap touristy souvenirs to buy the for the kiddies (and relatives kids).

HIGHLY recommend taking the bus tour - they basically zoom around picking up and dropping off customers (they check your e-ticket at every pickup site) at entrances and exits to walking enclosures. They'll drop you off at roughly 15 minute walking sites. NO need to rush and you can grab ANY bus upon emerging from the walking enclosure sites.

Of course, the ultimate attraction always the lion and tiger exhibits at the top of the mountain.

Bring a fan. It gets hot. We were fortunate as the sky was mostly overcast so the temperature was generally cool, but heated up almost instantly whenever the sun peeked out of the clouds.

Bring LOTS of water. Most veteran tourists have their own liter bottles of water. Bring your own umbrella. When the sun comes out - it's HOT. Bring a wide brimmed hat if you're into comfort over vanity. SUNTAN LOTION never goes astray.

Aside from that - typical Chinese group site with everyone rushing the buses and ticket counters. Not so much rushing for the food venues, so seems the elevated prices keep that comfortably in check.

All in all - GREAT place to take the kiddies (or a date if you both know you're into each other - cuz you'll be spending an entire day together). The Outdoor Zoo seems exceptionally well designed with plenty of both managed and unmanaged (eg walking deer along the roadside and the stroll through the peacock "garden").

Easy cab or shared ride out and back. Taxis aplenty when you're ready to leave (just walk past the parking lot gate - they'll be waiting for you). You should consider dining out or delivery at the end of the day.

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Took the kiddies here again.

1. It's FREE.
2. NO knives, lighters, sharp objects, etc. There's a place in front to check bags, luggage (if you're traveling), etc - but the exit is in the rear of the monolithic building, so it's a bit of a hike to walk back around to the checked storage area (it's also FREE).

THIRD FLOOR
We went straight to the third floor - History and artifacts of Yunnan (mostly). Rich history - lots of original sculptures etc removed from grottoes and displayed in the museum. Lots of English language titles and occasionally some explanatory text in English.

SECOND FLOOR
This is the evolution floor with lots of petrified artifacts - sea life mostly, lots of recreations of animals and environments from pre-man times.

There are coffee shops and dining areas on the first floor and drink vending machines on the second and third floors. The place is HUGE so a great place to take the kiddies and walk around until they're tired. They'll probably enjoy the dinosaur exhibit on the second floor the most. Wait a few minutes and the dinosaurs will roar and move their heads and maybe pretend to chew (open and close their maws).

PLENTY of parking and unfortunately NOT close to any subway station, so you'll have to grab a cab or rideshare but seems taxis and transportation are aplenty in the city and surrounding environs.

And...it's FREE for now. Museum closes at 5pm so make sure you leave by 430-445 so you can hike back to the storage area if you checked anything in as they also close at 5pm.

Enjoy!

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This is a great place to walk around and generally kill time while shopping for nothing in particular. Nearby is the Paulaner Brewhouse for super fantastic food, coffee and drinks, outdoor patio dining or just hanging and people watching.

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DATE
2022.01.17

SUMMARY
Just popped in for the annual to biennial visa health check. Cost was CNY 487 - don't forget to bring at least THREE (3) visa pictures and your mask.

As usual, there are TWO health codes to display - the usual kunming/yunnan green QR code and the green "Arrow" code.

ARRIVAL
I went late in the morning, but still managed to shuttle through all the departments and get out before lunch.

I used didi to get there and the map now correctly shows the rear parking entrance as the destination drop-off point. You can also take the subway to a nearby station, and walk walk walk walk walk - it's actually not too far but it will elevate your blood pressure and pulse (BPP) - so make sure to rest 5-10 minutes to allow your BPP to drop back to resting state.

Upon arrival at the main gate, you'll do the usual check-in procedure - mask, sign-in, green QR code, temperature check.

Once inside - Present your passport, green QR code, and green (hopefully) arrow code. Scan the QR codes on your left as you walk in if you don't have these prepared already. The staff will then pass you an application form. Walk over to the wall of stand-up desks to your right, fill out the forms, then stroll over to the clerks to present the form. They'll print out a sheet of bar coded labels for your tests, take your digital picture, attach everything together with a paper clip, then direct you to the cashier to pay CNY 487 (WeChat, alipay, bank card, etc) Don't know if they still accept cash.

HEALTH CHECKS
Hike up the the 2nd or 3rd floor to start the battery of tests:

3rd floor

Chest X-ray

Physical (height, weight, BMI/body mass index)

2nd floor

ECG

Sonogram

Urine test

Blood Test

Eye test (color blindness and eye chart)

Dental

Heart (pulse, blood pressure)

I may have missed a few like the OB GYN...

It seems they also have a COVID/NAT (nucleic acid test) center in a shipping container lab outside the health center - but I didn't bother jogging over to check if it was still operational. In retrospect, should've checked, as the hospitals are jam packed with Chinese New Year travelers.

RESULTS PICKUP
The test results are ready the afternoon of the second day. The facility seems sparsely busy even though they service both foreigners and nationals. There were rarely lines or noticeable waits beyond a few minutes, with at most 1-2 people ahead of you.

Staff are always nice, polite, professional and tirelessly patient for those of us with limited to no communications abilities.