After a trip to China to meet with senior Chinese government officials, Illinois 10th District Congressman Mark Kirk took time to discuss his meeting at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC think-tank. "We heard across the board - in private - substantial, continuing and rising concern," Kirk said. "It's clear that China would like to diversify from its dollar investments." His trip included discussions with Chinese Central Bank cheif central bank chief Dr Zhou Xiaochuan. That statement differed from what Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said after meeting with Chinese officials on a separate visit. Geithner indicated that Chinese leaders expressed "justifiable confidence" in the U.S. economy. with some 700 billion dollars invested in Treasury bonds, China is the largest holder of U.S. debt. Earlier this year Dr Zhou proposed eliminating the U.S. dollar as the global financial benchmark.
Results tagged “china”
Movies! Aside from preparing for and then recovering from your T-Day food coma, what else ya gonna do?
The Trib's Kevin Pang and LA Times's Bill Plaschke decide the best way to bridge cultural divides between America and China is to eat some penis.
R Kelly's defense called private investigator Jack Palladino today, who said one of the prosecution's star witnesses once attempted to extort Kelly. [Trib]
By now, you've heard about the problems and protests the Olympic Torch has been having, including right here in Chicago. Yesterday, 100 protesters marched down Michigan Ave on the Near North Side to protest the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the upcoming Beijing-hosted Olympics and to coincide with the torch's super secret route through the streets of San Francisco. It's the fifth Tibet-related protest in the last month in Chicago.
"'China is totally not the right country, not the right place, because Olympics is not just about a game, it's about free spirit.'" [ABC 7]
Chicagland native Evan Lysacek grew up idolizing Chris Chelios. Now he's the U.S. figure skating champion, and boy is runner-up Jonny Weir not happy about it. [NYT]
Sumei Hu, the woman who disappeared from O'Hare on Feb 26, still hasn't been seen or heard from, but her husband Steven Frash went on Greta Van Susteren's show last night to explain--or, not really explain--what happened.
A Wisconsin woman disappeared at O'Hare last week somewhere between customs and the waiting area. Sumei Hu, 38, had been visiting her family in China since September and was returning to the US via Tokyo on February 26. She definitely got off her flight at O'Hare and went through customs, according to surveillance footage. But her husband was waiting for her in the stand-around zone, and she never came out.
href="http://londonist.com/2008/02/air_bound.php"> remove one man from Gatwick.
The Spice Girls are in town tonight at the United Center for the Chicago stop of their reunion tour. Originally Chicago tour dates were scheduled for both the February 15 and the 16, but management moved Saturday’s show over to Detroit. Tickets are still available for tonight’s show.
href="http://londonist.com/2008/01/6_years_on_amne.php">Amnesty International bringing Guantanamo Bay to the American embassy to raise the profile of the continuing campaign to close the detention center.
Photo Credit: Malingering
But if you're not, maybe these tasty tidbits will help:
This shopping holiday season, we’re committed to buying our kid’s presents from local small businesses. Our new crush is Timeless Toys in Lincoln Square.
Many of the parents we’ve talked to told us that they will go “China-free” this Christmas, refusing to purchase toys constructed in China. This, in large part, is due to the massive number of Chinese-made recalled toys this year (like those beads that turn into GHB when ingested). Toxic toys and poor oversight is a company issue and not necessarily a country-specific one, but patronizing local small businesses, regardless of impetus, should be applauded. For the next couple of weeks, we’ll be posting about some of our favorite places to buy kid gifts this season.
Don't settle for another Wednesday of and Girl Scout cookies that have been in the freezer for months (not ... that ... we do that ...). There's a shitton of stuff going on tonight!
Blago and Mrs. Blago raked in $267,490 last year — $19,000 less than the year before. Still, that's about six times the median household income for Illinois. Todd Stroger told the Trib he'd "make the hard decisions," when it comes to his insane budget. Hard decisions like trying to raise the sales tax in Chicago to 11 percent. Speaking of people who want more of your money, ComEd wants to raise prices, too. And...
The U.S. Women's National Team for soccer is in town this weekend for a World Cup tune-up match with New Zealand on Sunday at Soldier Field. The United States comes in to Sunday's match on a 45-game unbeaten streak; this will be their second to last friendly before they travel to China for the 2007 World Cup. Chicagoist sat down with former national team representative and two-time World Cup Champion Brandi Chastain to talk soccer...
Both Kraft and McDonald's have been busy recently with business moves. Tuesday Crain's reported that Kraft placed a $7.2 billion bid for French snack food giant Danone. Danone, makers of Dannon and Stonyfield yogurts, and Evian bottled water, is the world volume leader in bottled water, fresh dairy, and biscuit (cookies) and cereal products. If the deal goes through, it would give Kraft a foot in the door of emerging snack food markets in Russia and China.
All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! Gothamist headed into the Memorial Day weekend with a number of tasks accomplished. They worried about Long Islanders giving New Yorkers a bad name. They tried...
OK, you got us here: Ricci & Company really isn’t a market per se. Unless you’re a squirrel and this small River North spot specializing in hand-roasted nuts has everything you need for your daily intake and then some. But just because Ricci doesn’t stock edibles from all the food groups — who can keep up with that ever-changing list anyways? — that doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of a mention here. First off, there’s...
The United States Women's National Soccer Team has scheduled a series of international friendlies this year to help them prepare for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup that will be held in China this fall. At noon on August 12, the U.S. Women's team will take on New Zealand at Soldier Field, a game that will also be broadcast live on ESPN2. Soccer fans can start buying tickets as of today. The U.S. squad is...
There are a lot of rules at Viet Hoa Plaza, which really isn’t a plaza but an Oriental market on Argyle. The signs posted throughout the store inform shoppers that since there are no refunds, returns or exchanges — exceptions are made for defective rice cookers, and thermo and hot pots — they should inspect all items before leaving. Just in case you didn’t get that, rule No. 4 states that “All sales final.” Are we clear on that? And don’t even think about writing a check — rule No. 5 — but these days we don’t know anyone who does.
"Palm Terrace" via kookybites.
Del Monte, which Chicagoist has always associated with fruit cups, has announced they're own "voluntary" recall of certain pet food brands. Wheat gluten supplied from a particular manufacturing plant in China was found to include melamine — one of the components of our kitchen counters and much of our cheap IKEA furniture. Thankfully, the FDA is watching out for Fido, Fluffy and Chicagoist as they have not approved melamine for use in food. It's good...
As if the gorgeous weather wasn't enough reason to call out sick for the week, Columbia College give you another with its 11th annual Story Week: Cities of Words. Sunday kicked off the week of words with an alumni reading, and Monday's reading by Anchee Min about Maoist China was tender, raw and funny. With fifteen events over five days, you can't go to everything, but here's where Chicagoist will be: Tuesday: the Graduate Student...
With the sun out, the temperatures high, one can only think of one thing-- what's going on in the World of the -ist's? Bostonist dug deep to uncover Barack Obama's unpaid parking tickets, their Governor's latest ethical lapse, and a plagarizing sports writer. Chicagoist had everything in twos: two views on having the Olympics, losing two members of their Super Bowl team, and two music festivals. DCist put their noses in legal books as...
Don't tell Pamela Anderson — the Humane Society of America has uncovered a fashion conspiracy involving dog fur peddled as faux fur.
"Clouds as beacon" by kudzuplanet.
