In The News Today...

Quote: Evenbob

I was just looking at Wiki. Shopping malls
have been around for hundreds of years.
But fully enclosed malls only since 1957.
In 1960 the law changed and investors
were allowed to form trusts and malls
and fast food chains took off like crazy.

I never heard 'mall' much on TV till the
80's. Then there was always a daughter
on a sitcom who spent all her time at
the 'mall'. I still hear it on Modern Family,
they've had many ep's that were in malls.

The largest enclosed mall is in China,
10 million sq ft. I can't even imagine.

They were around for sure, but the 1980s is when the mall-culture took hold. Money was just there to invest and stores to take the space with people to come when they built it. I saw one of those Chinese malls, one store said he gets about a customer a day. The building in China the past 10 years was like what the USA had in 100 years. Crash there is coming, buckle up.

The billionaire who built the China mall
did no research, he just built it assuming
people would come. They didn't. The US
built it's infrastructure slowly, as the need
arose. China did it ass backwards. They
have the population base, but they're poorer
than people that live in our ghettos. They
can't afford to shop at a mall.

Quote: Evenbob

The billionaire who built the China mall
did no research, he just built it assuming
people would come. They didn't. The US
built it's infrastructure slowly, as the need
arose. China did it ass backwards. They
have the population base, but they're poorer
than people that live in our ghettos. They
can't afford to shop at a mall.

China is Brazil on steroids. Millionaire class and far larger peasant class. China has been building to simply make work. They are planning to merge several of their large cities into one metromess of I forget if it was 100 million people. So much of what they built seems as if it will fall apart in a few years.

Quote: AZDuffman

So much of what they built seems as if it will fall apart in a few years.

They use sub standard building materials,
like the Soviet Union did. They have
thousands of miles of freeways that
will be crumbling in 10 years. They
have huge buildings that will have
non working elevators and unsealed
windows and tons of electrical issues
in 10 years. Whats the point. We built
the skyscapers in NYC, like Empire
State and Chrysler Building, 80 and
85 years ago and they'll still be there
and used 200 years from now. If
you can't do it right, why do it at all.

I love this 50 lane Chinese traffic jam. (wouldn't love to be in it though)

Quote: AZDuffman

They are planning to merge several of their large cities into one metromess of I forget if it was 100 million people.

USA added 5.9 million rural population in the 1970s, and lost 3 million rural population in the 1940's.
USA added 35.3 million urban population in the 1990s, and added only 5.5 million urban population in the 1930's.
Much of the urban population additions came from foreign immigration, and not domestic immigration.

Now compare that with moving hundreds of millions of people from rural areas to urban areas in 10-20 years and you get the impact of what they are going to try and do in China. I don't think the USA had that much social impact in WWII.

Year	rural	urban	comments
2010	+0.4	+26.9
2000	-2.6	+35.3	illegal migration
1990	+2.2	+20.0
1980	+5.9	+17.4	birth rate drops
1970	-0.5	+24.4
1960	-0.4	+28.4
1950	-3.0	+22.1
1940	+3.4	+5.5	great depression
1930	+2.3	+14.9
1920	+1.6	+12.2	southern europe
1910	+4.2	+11.8	southern europe
change	13.5	219.0
1900 millions	46.0	30.2

The five great urban areas of China total 91 million population
28,846,170 Chongqing
23,019,148 Shanghai
19,612,368 Beijing
12,938,224 Tianjin
07,061,200 Hong Kong
91,477,110

Quote: rxwine

I love this 50 lane Chinese traffic jam. (wouldn't love to be in it though)

When you see this remember that actually comparatively few Chinese are able to own cars and half still live in total poverty.

One has to wonder what happens if and when the country gets to western levels of auto ownership. When I was in high school I lived for reading auto mags and one said that there were 10,000 Chinese or so per car, meaning most people had never even been in one. This was the 1980s.

As I find Kayne West generally annoying, this is funny.

Some artist in Australia painted a mural of Kayne kissing Kayne, and reportedly the artist was paid 100k to paint over it by Kayne's reps.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36017582/kanye-west-reps-pay-for-sydney-mural-to-be-destroyed

NBA approves selling ad space on game jerseys starting next year

Lets be clear, I can care less about the NBA. Of the little sports I watch, the NBA I never watch. However, this is interesting. I have heard overseas this is more common. I have seen it on more minor leagues. But this is one of the Big 4 USA sports. Have to wonder if revenue has peaked such that they are doing this.

Quote: AZDuffman

NBA approves selling ad space on game jerseys starting next year

Lets be clear, I can care less about the NBA. Of the little sports I watch, the NBA I never watch. However, this is interesting. I have heard overseas this is more common. I have seen it on more minor leagues. But this is one of the Big 4 USA sports. Have to wonder if revenue has peaked such that they are doing this.

I am waiting for politicians to start advertising their sponsors.