Victoria Chinatown

An article appears on Sydney Morning Herald reflects on how the western media have been handling the “chubby face, crooked teeth” incident. Hope we can see more of these self-reflections from the western media.

(Related CIV discussion here.)

The title of the story is: Western media shows its ugly face

Here’s an excerpt (full article here):

Chen’s comments strongly imply an unnamed leader considered that Yang’s replacement, nine year-old Lin Miaoke, had a “flawless” image. But the bit about Yang’s alleged ugliness, chubby face or uneven teeth was a Western media description repeated a thousand times across the world - as if it was the verified judgment of the Chinese Government.

Hundreds of foreign journalists, most of whom cannot speak Chinese and had been in China for only a week or so, replicated each other’s stories without bothering or having the time or ability to check the evidence themselves.

The Western media tended to portray Yang as the victim because the communist state deemed her too ugly for a place in the global spotlight. But perhaps if we had the facts straight we might have focused more on her nine-year-old replacement, Lin Miaoke.

Lin may still not know that her voice was not the one heard by billions of television viewers.

“At her house no one has spoken about this,” a relative of Lin Miaoke told the Herald yesterday.

“We have prevented her from looking at the comments that have been posted on her website. There are many people who have attacked her and the family for being ‘fake’ and having no sense of shame.

“I’m worried that she does understand a little of this. My greatest worry is that when she starts school [after the summer holidays] all her school friends will ask about it. And it will break Miaoke’s young heart.

“She is a beautiful singer but her voice is soft. I don’t know exactly what happened.”

The fact that Chen Qigan and the movie director Zhang Yimou helped shape the opening ceremony shows that the Chinese state is making some room for art over politics. The fact both men have given extensive and revealing interviews to the Chinese media hints at the epic, evolving struggle between art and politics in China.

At these Olympics there has been ample evidence of government obfuscation, fabrication and authoritarianism. But the complexity of China’s epic struggle with itself is often lost.

An article appears on Sydney Morning Herald reflects on how the western media have been handling the “chubby face, crooked teeth” incident. Hope we can see more of these self-reflections from the western media.

(Related CIV discussion here.)

The title of the story is: Western media shows its ugly face

Here’s an excerpt (full article here):

Chen’s comments strongly imply an unnamed leader considered that Yang’s replacement, nine year-old Lin Miaoke, had a “flawless” image. But the bit about Yang’s alleged ugliness, chubby face or uneven teeth was a Western media description repeated a thousand times across the world - as if it was the verified judgment of the Chinese Government.

Hundreds of foreign journalists, most of whom cannot speak Chinese and had been in China for only a week or so, replicated each other’s stories without bothering or having the time or ability to check the evidence themselves.

The Western media tended to portray Yang as the victim because the communist state deemed her too ugly for a place in the global spotlight. But perhaps if we had the facts straight we might have focused more on her nine-year-old replacement, Lin Miaoke.

Lin may still not know that her voice was not the one heard by billions of television viewers.

“At her house no one has spoken about this,” a relative of Lin Miaoke told the Herald yesterday.

“We have prevented her from looking at the comments that have been posted on her website. There are many people who have attacked her and the family for being ‘fake’ and having no sense of shame.

“I’m worried that she does understand a little of this. My greatest worry is that when she starts school [after the summer holidays] all her school friends will ask about it. And it will break Miaoke’s young heart.

“She is a beautiful singer but her voice is soft. I don’t know exactly what happened.”

The fact that Chen Qigan and the movie director Zhang Yimou helped shape the opening ceremony shows that the Chinese state is making some room for art over politics. The fact both men have given extensive and revealing interviews to the Chinese media hints at the epic, evolving struggle between art and politics in China.

At these Olympics there has been ample evidence of government obfuscation, fabrication and authoritarianism. But the complexity of China’s epic struggle with itself is often lost.

Where Does The Real Estate Buyers Come From?

Every year we sit down and look at where the buyers for Victoria Real Estate come from. It is also interesting to have a look at who is buying the rest of Vancouver Island. A recent article in the Westcoaster.ca has some interesting facts and figures. It reads:

Just who’s buying real estate on the Island and in the Alberni-Clayoquot?  Other Islanders, retirees and, of course, Albertans, says the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. The board released its 2007 Buyer Profile and some Island-wide statistics Wednesday.

“When added together, approximately 54 percent of buyers originate on Vancouver Island and 44 percent originate from the rest of BC and outside of the province,” said Subhadra Ghose, president of the real estate board, in a press release.

“Vancouver Island continues to be the preferred destination for retirees. Fully 35 per cent of home buyers in 2007 were retirees and that number is likely to increase in the coming years.”

Specifically, the Island numbers show 32 per cent of buyers come from the same area, 16 per cent come from other Island communities, 6.1 per cent come from Victoria and 1.3 per cent come from the Gulf Islands.

When it comes to the rest of BC and outside the province, 14 per cent originated in Alberta, 7.7 per cent from Vancouver, 8.4 per cent from elsewhere in BC, 4.4 per cent from Ontario, 2.6 per cent from the rest of the world, 3.5 percent from the Fraser Valley, 1.6 percent from the rest of Canada, and 2.1 percent from Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The numbers were based on 2,083 surveys completed by buyers in 2007. A total of 9,168 surveys were sent out.

The numbers are a little different in the Alberni-Clayoquot. “For planning purposes, it’s good to know that 28 per cent of our zone buyers are retirees and half are from out of town,” said Lyle Price, VIREB director in the Alberni Valley.

“That percentage may well increase, as markets in 2008 are correcting with lowered sales volumes but retirees are coming anyway,” he says, noting affordability and access to amenities also attracts young families.”  End of Article.

Any thoughts on the above? To Stay on top of the local Victoria Real Estate Market, subscribe to our free on line News Letter.

Cheers,
Bill

Bill Ethier B.Sc - REALTOR®

Properties in Victoria Professionals- Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty

Bill has been a REALTOR® in Victoria since 2006. Originally from the Vancouver area, Bill moved to Victoria to attend the University of Victoria where he received his Bachelor of Science. Not only does Bill have a wealth of real estate knowledge he is also an active member of the community. He is a member of Triple Shot Cycling Club, Island Road Racers and is the Race Director for the Sooke River 10K.

My friend is a foodie and raved about this tiny little restaurant in the Mission area of Kelowna called The Fixx.  Wow!  Small place - as in seating for maybe 40,  amazing service - relaxed, knowledgable and kind of quirky; open kitchen with lots of activity to keep you entertained while you munch away on an insane amount of delicious bread while waiting for your food.   We devoured a duck salad and then shared a HUGE portion of rich, flavourful pasta.  The owner came out and said hello, which is always a nice touch and made me feel like I was one of the locals...which I would imagine make up the majority of the clientele.  Still, if you are in Kelowna, don't miss getting your FIXX. 

 When I think of Williams Lake, I think of the famous annual Williams Lake Stampede which takes place every July long weekend.  Now I can add sore legs and fantastic scenery to the list.  One of the most beautiful trail runs I have done in awhile...ok, one of the only trail runs I have done in awhile...was along the Williams Lake Valley Trail system in the Cariboo Chilcotin region.  Located minutes from the centre of town, this extensive and well-maintained trail system is popular for hiking, mountain biking and running.  As you run alongside the Williams Lake River towards its merge with the Fraser River, you are surrounded by towering cliffs of what looks like golden sand.  The topography was very unusual, kind of eerie but beautiful.  Despite the sore legs, I would definitely recommend the trail system to anyone wanting to escape into some of BC's spectacular wilderness. 

 I never thought I'd get excited about a Visitor's Centre. Certainly, Visitor's Centres here in BC are wonderful things - brimming with brochures, helpful staff, and the best place to get an idea of what to do when you're in town, or heading out on a great adventure. They're a must-stop on any road trip, but I can't say I've really walked away from one thinking "wow, that's pretty cool". But the Tourism Discovery Centre in Williams Lake? An absolutely brilliant place if you're passing through the Cariboo.

This enormous and beautiful log wood structure is not only a stunning-looking building, it houses a multitude of things to, yes, discover inside. On our visit, we were greeted by incredibly friendly volunteers, and impressed by the architecture. Inside was a massive, painted tree that stretched from its preserved, exposed roots in the basement, right to the top of the roof. There were stacks of brochures and flyers neatly arranged, a flat screen TV showing area attractions, a map, a full-service service center desk, a wonderful gift shop and a very welcome cafe serving organic coffees, fresh-baked sweets and food. They've even got free wi-fi and two computers for travellers' use.

The best bit? The log-cabin-within-the-log-cabin. Visitors wishing to get a feel for the history and spirit of the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast can go sit on warm, comfy sofas and chairs inside what feels like a real log cabin's living room (complete with framed photos, lamps, and a fireplace), and watch a clever and interesting 10-minute video about the CCC region. It's more like a multimedia show, actually. And it's a nice place to unwind for a bit after a day of driving, for sure. And speaking of driving, you can't miss the Discovery Centre's car, either. It's parked in the middle of the visitor centre -  heaped high to the rafters with gear for all manner of outdoor activities - giving visitors like me an idea of what sort of adventures I could get up to!

This week I visited Williams Lake to meet with Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism. Steve from the office was kind enough to take me on one of the many trails around Williams Lake. My first time doing any serious mountain biking... it was great fun.

Chen's comments strongly imply an unnamed leader considered that Yang's replacement, nine year-old Lin Miaoke, had a "flawless" image. But the bit about Yang's alleged ugliness, chubby face or uneven teeth was a Western media description repeated a thousand times across the world - as if it was the verified judgment of the Chinese Government.

Hundreds of foreign journalists, most of whom cannot speak Chinese and had been in China for only a week or so, replicated each other's stories without bothering or having the time or ability to check the evidence themselves.

The Western media tended to portray Yang as the victim because the communist state deemed her too ugly for a place in the global spotlight. But perhaps if we had the facts straight we might have focused more on her nine-year-old replacement, Lin Miaoke.

Lin may still not know that her voice was not the one heard by billions of television viewers.

"At her house no one has spoken about this," a relative of Lin Miaoke told the Herald yesterday.

"We have prevented her from looking at the comments that have been posted on her website. There are many people who have attacked her and the family for being 'fake' and having no sense of shame.

"I'm worried that she does understand a little of this. My greatest worry is that when she starts school [after the summer holidays] all her school friends will ask about it. And it will break Miaoke's young heart.

"She is a beautiful singer but her voice is soft. I don't know exactly what happened."

The fact that Chen Qigan and the movie director Zhang Yimou helped shape the opening ceremony shows that the Chinese state is making some room for art over politics. The fact both men have given extensive and revealing interviews to the Chinese media hints at the epic, evolving struggle between art and politics in China.

At these Olympics there has been ample evidence of government obfuscation, fabrication and authoritarianism. But the complexity of China's epic struggle with itself is often lost.

While Beijing might have used one girl to mime another to sing on the Olympic opening ceremony, Sydney used an entire orchestra to mime for another on stage during the 2000 Olympic’s opening show.

Australia’s newspaper The Age uncovered this shocking news, and yet, the musicians asked to sign “confidentiality agreement” weren’t allowed to speak. At the very least, Beijing didn’t put up a gag order upon its musical director Chen Qigang, singer/performer Yang Peiyi and Lin Miaoke. You tell me, who is greater cheater?

When The Age names this the “great Olympic musical deceptions of our time”, let’s observe how the western media drum up on this one. We then can all have a good sense of whether the western media are biased or not.

BTW, The Age’s report was out two days ago on Aug 24, 2008, so far I have heard/seen/read nothing about the Australian embarrassment in any Canadian media yet.

(Thanks Taikor for the great discovery.)

Great Olympic musical deceptions of our time

The Age - SYDNEY has its Opera House - but has it got a real orchestra? Within days of NSW Premier Morris Iemma making unwise cracks about Melbourne being left off the World Monopoly board, The Sunday Age can reveal that the Sydney Symphony Orchestra mimed key parts of its performance at the opening of the Sydney Games in 2000.

And it gets better - it was, in fact, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra whose brilliant playing was heard by millions around the world at the Sydney Olympic opening ceremony.

The MSO’s superior sounds (pre-recorded just for the ceremony) were played as the orchestra went through the motions - the showbiz short cut of using “backing tapes”, usually done to carry ageing or incompetent performers. Remember Milli Vanilli?

So, when everyone was tut-tutting about seven-year-old singer Yang Peiyi being replaced by the “prettier” Lin Miaoke for the Beijing Games opening two weeks ago, there must have been much squirming at the SSO’s Pitt Street headquarters.

For eight years it has been one of the best-kept secrets in Sin City.

Please read the full article from The Age.

Well commented by the Sydney Morning Herald:

Madonna has done it, so have Milli Vanilli and the “flawless” Chinese singer Lin Miaoke. But miming isn’t a technique associated with the world’s great orchestras.

P.S. As of Aug 26, 2008 11:37 a.m. ET, a Google search for “Sydney Olympic” (tried to make the search as broad as possible) only gave me ONE return on the Sydney miming fiasco that was reported by non-Australian media. This was done by the New York Times with a headline so unprovocative that I almost missed it: “Sydney Comes Clean on Olympic Miming”.