Tuesday, Nov 5, 2013 09:18 AM EST
An 8-year-girl has become China’s youngest lung cancer patient, (click here) according to an official news report, with her illness directly blamed on air pollution. The girl had been living near busy streets in Jiangsu Province, which the New York Times reports is one of the most polluted areas outside of northern China.
The report claims that lung cancer is the leading form of cancer in China, echoing the World Health Organization’s recent declaration that air pollution is a leading cause of cancer worldwide. PM 2.5, the fine particulate matter most harmful to human health, is particularly dense in the rapidly industrializing nation. According to the South China Morning Post, deaths from lung cancer in Beijing — where PM 2.5 levels in January were so high as to warrant a so-called “airpocalypse” — rose by 56 percent from 2001 to 2010. Many lung cancer patients in Jiansu, where the girl lives, are in their 30s and 40s, the report said.
Worldwide, lung cancer is the most common cancer, accounting for 1.3 million deaths per year. But in China, the Times reports, it’s taking a particularly brutal toll:...
This is a moral business model? Really?
Jiangsu Province pollution
15.01.2013 - 05:00
The Ministry of Environmental Protection (click here) says China will intensify supervision over the production, use and elimination of motor vehicles, while at the same time promoting the use of clean energy.
The Ministry has also urged regional cooperation in handling air pollution in key areas.
The Chinese capital continued to suffer from a dense fog this Monday after the city saw probably the "worst on record" air quality over the weekend.
"I have difficulty breathing. Today has actually been better than the weekend. We live on the east side of the city, the smog is worse there. When I opened the window this morning, I couldn't see clearly. The visibility was very low. I am worried about my family, especially those who drive."
"There are so many cars that discharge so much exhaust. Industrial pollution is bad too. The air quality would be better if the government could take measures to control the pollution."
Though weather forecasters say air quality will return to normal this Wednesday following forecasted strong wind, the high pollution in recent days has inevitably prompted further debate on the issue....
China is a country of 1.3 billion people. That is a lot of cheap labor. The growth of China was never done with human rights in mind, it was all profit driven and sold to the leadership as the best thing that could happen in China. The wealthy of China would say that is the case, but, the majority of the population now knows modernization without a conscience has a price.
October 26, 2013
After Goldman Sachs (click here) set aside $23 billion in a bonus pool for its executives
at the height of the recession, the firm set about creating a
“counter-narrative.” Only a year before, Goldman had repaid a $10
billion TARP loan from the federal government, though taxpayers lost $1.4 billion in the transaction according to Forbes.
But that allowed Goldman Sachs to continue making money and raking in
profits from investment banking, characterized by Goldman CEO Lloyd
Blankfein as “doing God’s work.”
A piece of the Goldman counter-narrative involved major charitable donations. This week’s New York Times
has a long “Dealbook” review of Goldman’s plan for “buying redemption.”
Dealbook writer Suzanne Craig’s opening paragraph lays out the success
of its counter-narrative:
“Goldman Sachs is a master at making
money. Lately it has become a master at giving it away. Goldman—for many
a symbol of Wall Street greed and excess—wants the world to know it has
a charitable side. With the same calculation that earned it a
reputation as the savviest trading house on Wall Street, it has staked
out a position as one of the nation’s leading corporate philanthropists,
giving away more than $1.6 billion since 2008.”
Craig reports that the Goldman Sachs
Foundation pays its CEO, Dina Powell, a former advisor to President
George H.W. Bush, $2 million, which puts her in the ranks of America’s
best-paid charity executives, and “has been given more resources at a
time when the bank itself has been cutting back sharply on expenses—and
people—on big trading desks,” creating what she says is “bitterness
among some employees.” In addition, Craig adds that Warren Buffett likes
Goldman’s charitable programs—“the best that I have seen,” Buffett
says—but doesn’t like the notion of corporate philanthropy, because it
takes money out of corporate profits and shareholders’ returns....
Image.
Goldman - Sachs is suppose to appear to be saintlike in generosity. But, they fall short. The investment in China never insured the Chinese people their health to old age or a middle class quality of life.
Investment Banks are removed from the reality of the populous in many instances. They only play with numbers, company profiles and viability. They never ask the tough questions, like, "Will this decision hurt people?"
That was the genius of "#Occupy Wall Street." They camped at Wall Street's front door and said we aren't moving until you bozos get this right.
Image.
Goldman - Sachs is suppose to appear to be saintlike in generosity. But, they fall short. The investment in China never insured the Chinese people their health to old age or a middle class quality of life.
Investment Banks are removed from the reality of the populous in many instances. They only play with numbers, company profiles and viability. They never ask the tough questions, like, "Will this decision hurt people?"
That was the genius of "#Occupy Wall Street." They camped at Wall Street's front door and said we aren't moving until you bozos get this right.
