Chicken without sexual life

That name didn't make it, so you'll have to order
steamed pullet at the Beijing Olympics.

China is pulling out all of the stops, and that includes an official English translation of restaurant items. With some resistance. According to Reuters:

I don't like this new naming method, it's abandoning Chinese tradition," one Internet comment declared. "There are many stories in the names of these dishes."

I can understand the concern. Who wouldn't want to know the tale behind "husband and wife's lung slice" and "Bean curd made by a pock-marked woman"?

I went to the tourism bureau website to see if there were more gems, but my Chinese is a little rusty. The link for 'English' helpfully redirected me to the Beijing Tourism Administration. Good stuff, but not what I was looking for.

I've heard about 'undesirables' being relocated temporarily, about polluting businesses being suspended. Now they're taking steps against doping: a good thing since that's another market in which China has forged ahead. Reuters again:

Wu (Zhen, deputy commissioner of the State Food and Drug Administration) said investigations, both open and covert, carried out over the last year had discovered 151 enterprises producing or distributing anabolic steroids, Erythropotein (EPO) or human growth hormone (HGH).

They had been punished, Wu said, some having their licenses to trade stopped.

Strong action indeed, and they're hiring 40,000 smoking inspectors to prowl public places. Here's the out-of-context scoop from Sun Xianli of the Patriotic Health Campaign Committee: "The idea is that the inspectors should provide a good example by not smoking in their own venue."

"Inspectors don't have the authority to issue fines, but can report venues where smoking is allowed," he added.

The toilet signs are a great idea, especially in some of Saipan's karaoke bars. I want the job since I thought of it first.

Fighting Bird flu

What if they took your rooster?

I’ve been pondering that ever since I read the bulletin board outside of the CHC x-ray room while waiting for my son. I’ll read anything when I’m bored.

There was a memorandum about the Avian Influenza plan. As usual, I immediately thought of roosters. I know what to do when you find bird flu: first we kill all of the chickens*. Slaughter them for miles around. Burn or bury them. That doesn’t leave much room for error on an island the size of Saipan.

The memo didn’t say this, but that seems to be standard practice. Can you imagine the reaction to that reaction? Cockfighters have a lot of time and money tied up in their birds. They’re hard to replace, given that the sport is illegal in the U.S. except for the Marianas. (Somebody might have to correct me about Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa.)

We’re probably on borrowed time. I thought of this again because I saw some feathered friends today who seem to be migrants. Because of our location, they’re probably Asian tourists.

Let’s just hope sick birds get reported. I’m a little worried that someone might just get rid of the carcass to protect the rest of his roosters. We might not learn about it until there’s a human case, and the mortality is high. At least the hospital would catch it quickly. They’ve got a plan.


*Apologies to Shakespeare, and lawyers.