July 2007


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Wow, I can actually access without resorting to a proxy service. On top of that, I can even access , at least through a search engine or any address other than the home page, direct access to which still appears to be blocked, and results in the typical “check your network settings” error. (Yeah, I’d love to check those network settings.) I’m quite used to access being given then taken away again, so I’ll take this in stride and enjoy it while I can.

[tags] Great Firewall of China, China, Beijing, internet, censorship [/tags]

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Ron Paul
Libertarian CongressmanRon Paul is by far my favorite candidate thus far in the 2008 US presidential election. Though he is a quintessential Libertarian, he has been given the endorsement of the Republican party, and while considered a long shot, has raised over $2.4 million for his campaign in the second quarter. He has more cash on hand than John McCain. I’d really like to see a Libertarian in office, and this seems like the first realistic possibility, remote though it may be - he currently only enjoys about 2% support.

Here is a brief overview of Ron Paul’s voting record in Congress from his website:

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.

He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.

He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.

Fellow Texan George W. Bush may not be too happy with his not voting the Republican party line on many key issues - he voted against both the Iraqi war and the Patriot Act. I applaud him for it.

[tags] ron paul, presidential election, politics, libertarian party [/tags]

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Some new regulations regarding the environment, among others, have gone into effect in China this month.

A regulation issued by the Ministry of Construction will fine individuals up to 200 yuan (26 U.S. dollars) for dumping trash illegally.

Work units that dump their daily garbage in unauthorized areas face fines from 5,000 to 50,000 yuan (6,579 U.S. dollars), according to the new regulation.

It requires both work units and individuals in urban areas to promptly pay garbage collection fees, which are set by local governments.

Another regulation effective on July 1 will levy a new “car and ship” tax policy in China, which will double the tax rate on the usage of automobiles and ships.

China, which had 148 million automobiles by the end of March, has been plagued by increasing pollution from exhaust emissions.

Taxes on bicycles have been scrapped, an effort by the government to lessen the financial burden on China’s hundreds of millions of bicyclists, according to the new regulation.

As usual, we’ll have to wait and see how well the new regulations are enforced, but it looks like a step in the right direction. Easy for me to say, though, because I have no desire to own a car in Beijing.

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