YeinJee's Asian Journal » General World News

2-year-old Chinese girl weighed 41.5kg

Yein Jee — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:25:45 +0000

Having a ‘fat little baby’ is a good thing from Chinese perspective, but a family in China’s Shanxi Province is having serious problem with their overweight baby girl.

The overweight 2-year-old girl [image from Xinhuanet][Cn]

The two-year-old is weighed at 41.5 kg, which is three to four times heavier than average baby her age. She doesn’t look THAT heavy from the photo; but she’s obviously huge, and there’s worrying signs on her twisted feet.

The reason for her obesity is unknown yet, but there’s probably some health issue (hormone etc.) involved. Hope she’ll get normal soon with proper help.

[Archive] Check out a 2007 story of another super obese Chinese baby.

2-year-old Chinese girl weighed 41.5kg from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Winter Olympic Gold for Kim Yuna

Yein Jee — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:14:31 +0000

Korean figure skater Kim Yuna has won the gold medal of women’s figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver [official results here].

Kim scored 150.06 points in the free program on Thursday night (local time) with a new world record total of 228.56 points to earn South Korea its first ever Olympic gold medal in figure skating.

Japan’s Mao Asada and Canada’s Joannie Rochette retained their position from the short program to win the silver and bronze.

The term Grand Slam is not often used in figure skating, but it’s worth mentioning that Kim has became the first lady to hold the title of 4CC, World Championships, Grand Prix Final, and Winter Olympics at the same time.

Time to claim my free beer from the Korean guys lol. [Image from Chosun][Kr]

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Winter Olympic Gold for Kim Yuna from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Korean ice queen Kim Yuna leads in Vancouver

Yein Jee — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:39:44 +0000

Korean athletes have been doing quite well at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but all eyes were on 19-year-old world figure skating champion Kim Yuna’s record breaking performance in the short program on Tuesday.

Kim Yuna at the short program in Vancouver [image by Xinhuanet][Cn]

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Korean ice queen Kim Yuna leads in Vancouver from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Uzbek photographer guilty for ‘negative’ images

Yein Jee — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:24:25 +0000

Umida Akhmedova, a prominent photographer and film-maker in Uzbekistan has been found guilty of slandering the nation through her work which portrays people in Uzbekistan as backward and poor [more on BBC].

Akhmedova could face up to three years in prison, but the judge said she would automatically be pardoned under an amnesty. Below are some of her photography works in question…

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Uzbek photographer guilty for ‘negative’ images from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Burj Khalifa’s observation deck closed

Yein Jee — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:08:48 +0000

The observation deck at Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, has been shut down on Sunday after just a month from its grand opening.

Officially… the deck has been temporarily closed due to unexpected high traffic, and that it’s needing maintenance with some power supply issues [via Reuters].

Unofficially… 15 passengers were left stranded for 45 minutes after a lift broke (probably because of the power supply problem), which sounded like a small explosion as described by a visitor [via Timesonline].

Candid… the power issue was caused by the finger [image by Shaunjones].

Burj Khalifa’s observation deck closed from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Norman Borlaug (1914-2009)

Yein Jee — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:25:18 +0000

Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug, often credited as the man who saved a billion lives, died on Saturday (Sept 12) at age of 95. Rest in peace.

The American agricultural scientist won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering the Green Revolution and developing high-yielding crops that helped to prevent hundreds of millions of people from dying through famine.

Read more about Norman Borlaug at Timesonline & Wiki

Scientists are often unsung heroes. We should sometimes reflect on what we are enjoying these days and thanks those folks that make things happen for us.

Norman Borlaug (1914-2009) from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Taiwan badly hit by Typhoon Morakot

Yein Jee — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:16:10 +0000

Taiwan suffered their worst flood in 50 years after being struck by Typhoon Morakot last week; at least 65 are confirmed dead, with hundreds still missing.

Kaohsiung County was the worst hit area; a deadly mudslide buried Hsiaolin village and nearby neighbourhood, with over 600 villagers feared dead.

Philippines and China were also affected by the typhoon; while Japan hit by tropical storm Etau at the same period. Death toll includes 23 in the Philippines, 13 in Japan and six in China [according to Guardian]

Morakot hit Taiwan late night on August 7 and caused 14+ hours of havoc before leaving for China; but heavy rain continued to pour, which caused massive flood (and landslide, mudflow etc.) particularly in southern Taiwan.

Taiwanese are no strangers to typhoon; but rescue effort appeared to be short-handed because of the unexpected scale of devastation. Hope that more survivors could be rescued, God bless.

Taiwan badly hit by Typhoon Morakot from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Yubari City – No Money But Love

Yein Jee — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:18:51 +0000

Story of the revival of the bankrupting Yubari City in Japan with its No Money But Love campaign. Yubari is famous for its melons which made international headlines in the past few years for its record breaking price; but the city also has an unpleasant tag for being one of the poorest places in the nation…

[video via markettara@Youtube]

Yubari City – No Money But Love from YeinJee's Asian Blog

North-South Korea qualified for 2010 World Cup

Yein Jee — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:08:36 +0000

Both North Korea and South Korea have qualified from the Asian groupings to play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

It will be the first time in history that both nations are participating in the same tournament.

North Korea will be making only their 2nd appearance; their first was a fairy tale journey in 1966 in which they defeated European giant Italy en route to the quarter finals, a result that stunned the footballing world.

South Korea on the other hand is the most successful Asian team in World Cup history and will be making their 8th appearance in 2010. Their best result was 4th place in 2002 when they were joint host (with Japan) for the event.

The Koreans met in the qualifying stage in which the southern counterpart has the upper hand with a win and a draw. The northern boys are unlikely to get their revenge in 2010 though, as chances are pretty slim for them to meet each other.

North-South Korea qualified for 2010 World Cup from YeinJee's Asian Blog

A Saudi’s princess Paris diary

Yein Jee — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:08:21 +0000

The diary of a Saudi princess…

Staying at George V Hotel in Paris – £2,500 a night

Shopping at O Caprices De Lili for expensive lingeries – £60,000

Shopping at Key Largo for casual wear – £130,000

Shopping at other 30 fashion boutiques – NA… too many zeros to count

Dry cleaning my wardrobe collection – £30,000 a week

Total unpaid bills – £15 million

Solution… claims diplomatic immunity; no need to pay a single cent

Life is good for a Saudi princess.

A Saudi’s princess Paris diary from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Dhaka’s polluted Buriganga River

Yein Jee — Sun, 24 May 2009 09:44:36 +0000

The polluted Buriganga River in Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh which is often rated as one of the world’s worst cities to live in…

My heart wrenched when I watched the kids swimming in the river like a fun-filled swimming pool; it’s saddening, yet reminded me of how blessed I am.

Dhaka’s polluted Buriganga River from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Former S. Korean President dies in suspected suicide

Yein Jee — Sat, 23 May 2009 07:00:22 +0000

Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun died after falling from a mountainside on Saturday morning.

Roh left a suicide note on his computer that he was going through hard times, apparently referring to the recent bribery probe surrounding him and his family [more on Yonhap]

Roh, 62, was South Korea’s President in 2003-2008. He moved to Bongha Village, near his birthplace, after leaving the office in March 2008.

Reports have suggested that investigation on Roh and his family is likely to be ended following his death; and it might be what Roh was hoping for.

His death still sounds fishy though… leaving a suicide note on PC instead of a hand written one? And amusingly discovered by his aides in hours? Who would bother to check his PC shortly after his death? It’s just a bit too convenient imo.

Former S. Korean President dies in suspected suicide from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Polar bear attacks woman at Berlin Zoo

Yein Jee — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:58:03 +0000

A woman was attacked by a polar bear at Berlin Zoo on Saturday after jumping into the enclosure area; she was rescued and survived with a few (probably really huge) bite marks. Video below, view at your own discretion…

It’s unsure why she jumped (certainly not accidental); it’s beyond stupidity. She’s lucky though, that the bears have lost some predator instinct after years in enclosure.

Polar bear attacks woman at Berlin Zoo from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Japanese planted 60,000 peace tree in Nanjing

Yein Jee — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:38:58 +0000

Delegates from a Japanese association has made their 24th annual visit (on Mar 31) to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall for their tree planting project as an apologetic gesture for the Nanking Massacre.

The Chinese claims that 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers were brutally killed by the Imperial Japanese Army during the confrontation in 1937.

The association started planting trees around the memorial in 1986; and over 1000 delegates (including some ex-soldiers) have visited the place since then, with some 60,000 trees being planted in the area [image from NJ1937 (Cn)]

Besides being apologetic, the association also hopes to spread their anti-war message and to teach younger Japanese generations about the part of war history that are often neglected (sometime twisted) in Japanese text book.

Nanking Massacre will always be a pain for the Chinese; I am not suggesting that they should forget or forgive the Japanese for what they did, it’s out of my business. I hope that the Chinese could be reminded though, that there are at least some Japanese people that are working to amend the damages from their past.

Japanese planted 60,000 peace tree in Nanjing from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Yuna Kim raised the bar again

Yein Jee — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:11:41 +0000

After a sensational performance in February’s 4CC, Korean figure skater Kim Yuna has set another new record in the ISU World Figure Skating Championships over the weekend at Los Angeles and won the competition by a huge margin.

Kim broke her own record in the women’s short program with 76.12 points in the short program (video), and took the gold medal with a total of a record 207.71 points. She is the first woman to surpass 200 mark since the new ISU scoring system was adapted in 2005. [Video via Sos4429@Youtube]

[Update] Kim broke the records yet again en-route to winning the gold medal at Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

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Yuna Kim raised the bar again from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Japan and Korea’s ice rink rivalry heated up

Yein Jee — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:08:42 +0000

Japanese and Korean netizens are on war of words following allegations that Japanese figure skaters had repeatedly impeded Korean figure skater Kim Yuna’s warm ups before competitions.

The debate started on March 14th following a SBS (Korean TV) report which indicated that Kim was obstructed by Japanese skaters during 4CC in February. [Update] Video is removed from Youtube.

To be frank the interview was ambiguous… we can’t be sure if Kim was implicating anything; and it was SBS that directly linked the Japanese skaters into the saga.

Regardless, damage has already been done; Japanese media has picked up on the news and retaliated on the matter… followed by battle of words between netizens from both nations.

Kim and Japan’s Mao Asada are hot favourites to win the gold at Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics; the duo are set to compete for the 2009 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles next week.

[Update] Kim Yuna sets new record and wins gold at World Championship.

Japan and Korea’s ice rink rivalry heated up from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Japanese minister drunk (or drugged?) at G7 conference

Yein Jee — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:24:45 +0000

Shoichi Nakagawa resigned on Tuesday (Feb 17) as Japan’s Finance Minister following his embarrassing behaviour at a news conference during the G7 meeting in Rome…

Nakagawa was slurring his words and appeared to be out of focus; he later apologised for his behaviour, but denied he was drunk and attributed the situation to overdosed of cold medicine instead (which is later revealed as a possible combo of both)… obviously the apology and explanation were not enough to save his job.

Japanese minister drunk (or drugged?) at G7 conference from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Beijing’s CCTV Headquarters on fire

Yein Jee — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:47:43 +0000

Beijing police have detained twelve people over Monday night’s (Feb 11) massive fire at the unfinished headquarters of China Central Television (CCTV) which resulted in the death of a firefighter and seven other injuries.

The building is part of the iconic CCTV tower complex and is to house CCTV’s cultural centre and the then nearly completed Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Initial investigations suggested that the fire was caused by illegal fireworks by CCTV. Fireworks are generally allowed at the traditional Lantern Festival, the last day of Chinese New Year; but the fireworks that caught the fire was dangerous and needed approval (which CCTV didn’t get) before being allowed in downtown Beijing.

Beijing’s CCTV Headquarters on fire from YeinJee's Asian Blog

General roundup (February 10, 2009)

Yein Jee — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:18:28 +0000

General news and info from various sources…

Australia – Australian wildfire death toll past 170 [Youtube]

Indonesia – Traditional dance becomes victim of pornography law [Jakartapost]

Iran launched its first domestically made satellite [BBC]

Italy faces constitutional crisis over coma woman [Guardian]

Pakistan – Polish man beheaded in Pakistani militant video [Guardian]

Nature – Trees migrating north due to warming [Natgeo]

Sweden aims to lift nuclear ban [BBC]

UK – 8-year-old girl starved to death after dental operation [Timesonline]

General roundup (February 10, 2009) from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Kim Yuna sets figure skating world record

Yein Jee — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 10:01:14 +0000

Korean figure skating star Kim Yuna has set a new world record for the ladies’ short program en-route to winning the women’s single title at the 08/09 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships (4CC) in Vancouver, Canada…

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Kim Yuna sets figure skating world record from YeinJee's Asian Blog