180,000 stranded in southern China as cold weather returns: report

AFP ^ | Feb 18th 2008 | BEIJING (AFP)

[justa-hairyape]

China's Cold and Snow Problems Continue.

[justa-hairyape]

Southern China Hit by Snow, 20,000 Vehicles Stranded

Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Snow and freezing weather in China's southwestern province of Yunnan stranded 20,000 vehicles on highways, almost two weeks after the worst storms in 50 years cut power supplies and transport links to millions of people.

Authorities in Yunnan sent food and water to drivers and passengers and transferred some to government shelters or the homes of people who live along the highways, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The province, like others in the south, was starting to recover after the worst snowstorms since 1954 cut power and water supplies and paralyzed transport links. Parts of southern China may have more snow and sleet over the next three days, the China Meteorological Administration said today on its Web site.

Homes Destroyed

More than 354,000 homes collapsed and 1.4 million were damaged during three weeks of snowstorms in China's southern provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou and Jiangxi, where sub- zero temperatures are rare.

[pogo101]

Bush’s fault.

[justa-hairyape]

China mobilizes 729,000 troops to combat snow disasters

BEIJING, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China had deployed 729,000 soldiers by 6:00 p.m. Thursday to combat the month-long winter storms in the southern parts of the country, a military source said.

About 1.96 million militia and army reservists were participating in the disaster relief effort, the PLA's emergency response group told Xinhua. The PLA currently has 2.3 million troops.

Unusual tactics, including shooting power lines with submachine guns to shatter the ice, and using tanks to crush ice on roads, were often used by soldiers.

(Xinhua Photo)

[Uncle Ike]

Deja vu all over again ping....

[justa-hairyape]

Deja vu all over again ping....

Robin Trower - A Bridge of Sighs.

Warning, classic hard rock at above link. Song lyrics below.

The sun don't shine
The moon don't move the tides,
to wash me clean
Sun don't shine
The moon don't move the tides,
to wash me clean
Why so unforgiving and why so cold
Been a long time crossing Bridge of Sighs

Cold wind blows
The Gods look down in anger,
on this poor child
Cold wind blows
And Gods look down in anger,
on this poor child
Why so unforgiving and why so cold
Been a long time crossing Bridge of Sighs

[TigerLikesRooster]

China's infrastructure may have exceeded its carrying capacity. One unexpected trouble like this causes the country to plunge into a chaos.

China's ambition is its worst enemy, coupled with the fact that Chinese leadership shows age-old disregard for its people as cheap expendable resources.

[justa-hairyape]

You got to wonder about the wisdom behind modernizing a navy while the civilian infrastructure within China appears to be held together with chicken wire. They left themselves wide open to the weather gods, while possessing the oldest weather records on the planet.

[Salamander]

Great album to listen to on a dark, deserted and foggy backroad while riding a Harley.

[TigerLikesRooster]

That is pretty much sums up the situation in China. Folks in power over there are obsessed with truly gargantuan grandstanding on the world stage.

China displayed this kind of megalomaniac streak from time to time. There have been cases where they pushed it too far and invited ugly implosion.

[steelyourfaith]

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[Uncle Ike]

” Folks in power over there are obsessed with truly gargantuan grandstanding on the world stage. [....] pushed it too far and invited ugly implosion. “

Question:

What happens to our country (economically/socially) if/when our essentially sole-source of consumer goods implodes?

Schadenfreude is all well-and-good, but toppling giants cause big ripples.... ;~)

[Global2010]

Was he like before J.Geils came along?

My adult sons Dad was/is a Rock n Roll ole boy so I only new of the music that was significant to him back then.

But Robin Trower sounds like a rocker he may have listened to.

[TigerLikesRooster]

The problem is:

(1) Trying to bail out China would cost huge amount of money and resource,

(2) China won’t be all that grateful for consideration U.S. has showed. It will go back to the quest of undisputed lone superpower as soon as it has recovered. The fact that Chinese regime’s origin as totalitarian communist country would exacerbate this problem.

(3) Unscrupulous dealing with China raised the stake of weaning out of dependence on China. However, things will get worse if we try to do it later.

(4) On the other hand, Chinese economy is bound to crash when U.S. goes down. No deliberate action is required. The economic reality will take care of it. This is what I suspected could happen about a decade(or longer?) ago. I did not want the dependence to last that long. However, that is what would be happening in all likelihood.

Both China and U.S. will pay for their misguided policies in last 15 years. Elites in each country mutually enabled and abetted each other. Now we are reaping the "well-earned" reward.

No pain, no gain.

[justa-hairyape]

Bridge of Sighs was from 1974. Just heard it on a classic rock station a couple of days ago and the lyrics and mood seemed to resonate well with Global Cooling. I guess Robin Trower is mostly a blues musician. I know I am feeling the winter blues. The people in China that are living in that city of a million where 80 % of them have been without power for a month, are sure feeling the blues and probbaly also wishing that the tides would wash them clean again.

[listenhillary]

Older article - City of 4.6 million without power for weeks. Scary situation.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/01/content_7547456.htm

Winter storms leave Chinese dark, cold, hungry in “dead cities”

www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-01 23:56:11 Print

CHANGSHA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) — With heavy snow snarling much of China for the past three weeks, cutting power and disrupting transportation, people in many areas have been living in what they call “dead cities”.

“Without water to cook and electricity for heat, life has become really inconvenient,” said one freshman from Changsha University of Science and Technology, who had just returned to his home in Chenzhou, in southern Hunan. With the Spring Festival approaching, the student said, he didn’t sense any holiday atmosphere.

In Hunan’s capital city of Changsha, many shops, including several large supermarkets, were closed because of electricity shortages. Conditions in the city were similar to those elsewhere in weather-stricken areas. For example, at night, the city – with a population of 4.6 million — was largely dark, except for lights in a few hotels. Those hotels were full of families who had brought electric heaters.

[ByteMercenary]

Robin Trower is an ‘acquired taste’, at least from my POV. His albums have one or two really good cuts mixed in with some ‘really hard to listen to’ stuff. There is no argument that he is an excellant guitarist and a decent songwriter, just not universally appealing.

[Uncle Ike]

” (1) Trying to bail out China would cost huge amount of money and resource, “

I wasn’t suggesting this — I’m not sure we could afford it if we wanted to... (Although the current de-facto US Govt policy of borrowing money to give away - ie the inaptly called tax ‘rebate’ and the newly announced increased ‘aid’ to African dictatorships - may not preclude an attempt....)

I agree completely with your points (3), (4), and summary sentence — we (the world) have painted ourselves into a corner, and I doubt that we have the time to wait for the paint to dry.....

[justa-hairyape]

Both China and U.S. will pay for their misguided policies in last 15 years. Elites in each country mutually enabled and abetted each other. Now we are reaping the "well-earned" reward.

Cannot believe that new number which states that 354,000 Chinese homes have collapsed from the snow. That has to be a global world record for natural disaster destruction. Does any other natural disaster even come close to that in shear numbers ? Over a million homes damaged.

The US has been led by half wits for a couple of decades now. The price we will pay for challenging Russia over Serbia alone could be catastrophic. Now we also might have to deal with a failing and collapsing China that has a brand new Navy. I actually feel somewhat sorry for the next Rino/Dino Globalist US Leader that is going to have to deal with this mess, especially considering that current Globalist Policies will only exasperate these problems.

[SauronOfMordor]

What happens to our country (economically/socially) if/when our essentially sole-source of consumer goods implodes?

Personally, I have a sufficient supply of cheap Chinese made junk to last me for a while.

Unlike oil or food, where a supply interruption is instantly felt, an implosion in China will not be badly felt before other suppliers have had a chance to ramp up