8/18/12

Because China: New McMansion Penthouses!

Because China: New McMansion Penthouses!

Via Architizer August 15, 2012

In the bustling city of Zhuzhou, Hunan province, China, there are many factories and textile mills. The recent explosive economic growth and desire for housing located near the working place has inspired some residents to build their dream homes on the top of a city building in an effort to help preserve and protect the outlying countryside. Mmmmkkkaaaayyy... At this time there are only four houses atop a five-story shopping center.

This new trend may or may not become more popular in China. But why don't they just build the houses on the ground?

Because China.

See also:

Because China "HFC Hitler Fried Citizens"

Because China: Telephone Pole Repair Work

Because China: Getting Off With Your Lover

8/17/12

Japan's "Brain Disco" Kicks Out Boring DJs

Japan's Brain Disco Kicks Out Boring DJs

Did you ever go to a club and leave soon because the DJ's music sucks? Well, you don't have to run away anymore. The same company that brought us the very popular magical thinking cap known as "Necomimi" Japanese Cats Ears For "Communication", neurowear has teamed up with Qosmo for an all new wacky brainwave scanning device known as the Brain Disco! What is a "Brain Disco"? Well, perhaps it is best understood in the manufacturer's own words:
neurowear, teamed up with Qosmo (http://qosmo.jp/), developed "Brain Disco", where DJ must maintain audiences' "attention", measured with brainwave sensors, in order to keep DJing. If the average attention value remains less than a given threshold, DJ gets kicked out. The first Brain Disco experiment has been held at Gallery KATA Ebisu in July 26. (Video by grkt Inc. http://grkt.jp/)

Below is a short promo video for this new useless contraption high-tech mind reader:



See also:

Japan's New WTF "Face Slimmer" Plus Alpha

Japan's New Communication w/ Yourself Invention

8/16/12

North Korean Concentration Camp Drawings

North Korean Concentration Camp Drawings
North Korean Concentration Camp Drawings

The above drawings were done by North Korean refugees who were helped to escape from the DPRK by the Life Funds For North Korean Refugees non-government organization. These NSFW illustrations depict torture, human rights violations and the daily despair of living in Camp 12 Chongo-ri Kyo Hwa So. The Chongori reeducation center is located in the North Hamgyong Province and has a very high death rate. The following description of this camp is from the Chosunilbo:
One defector who had a hair's breadth escape from Chongori, has said, "Chongori is a living hell. Yoduk (the notorious prison camp) is a much better place."

At Chongori, inmates are doomed to die of malnutrition. Forced to work for 14 hours a day, they are given only two whole potatoes and a handful of cornmeal a day. Few inmates stick it out for more than three months, no matter how healthy they are, because beatings are a daily routine there, he said.

Located in Tokyo, Japan Life Funds For North Korean Refugees helps North Korean refugees escape to Japan and other countries and start new lives. Among other things, this NGO also provides food shipments via balloon deliveries and through its own local networks from South Korea to North Korea. Find out more information at their official Japanese website and please donate to help this organization.

See also:

North Korean Poet's Rhymes of Murder, Despair

Rimjin-gang's Underground North Korea News Update

Canadian DPRK Documentary "The Defector"

8/14/12

Taiwan's First Buddhist Same-Sex Marriage

Taiwan's First Buddhist Same-Sex Marriage

Via CNN August 13, 2012

TAOYUAN--Long-term lesbian couple Huang Mei-yu and You Ya-ting were married in Taiwan's first same-sex Buddhist wedding ceremony on August 11, 2012 in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan. Some 300 Buddhists chanted Sutras to bless the couple who are both 30 years old. The couple wore traditional white wedding gowns and exchanged prayer beads instead of rings in a Buddhist monastery. The couple's parents initially agreed to attend the ceremony, but because of the international media exposure they were absent. The couples' marriage is not legally recognized, but Taiwan is one of the most liberal cultures in Asia and many gay and lesbian rights groups are petitioning the government to legalize same-sex marriage. Below is the ITN news video on this historic event:



See also:

Buy Your Chinese Bride on Ebay Now!

A Modern Day Japanese Wedding