The world is a big place that the majority of us should learn to get along well with others if we don’t want conflict or want things to go in our favor. It’s like a fact of life and something we all observe for the longest time. However, our modern world is full of complexities that have made communicating with one another a bit more difficult. It is a must since we trade with the world at large. However, humans are just as complex as the world we live in. Or rather, human relations. The US and China are undeniably the biggest and strongest economies in the world today yet the two haven’t always seen each other eye-to-eye. Their many disparities are the reason why the two are facing another major rift that will likely impact the world at large.

Under President Trump’s leadership, relations between the two countries did not improve but actually worsened over the past year. The world is not new to the US president’s unusual behavior and his way with words as we have witnessed how he led his personal life in the past and even his controversial withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. And quite recently, he made another bold move by imposing higher tariffs on most Chinese goods that have even made the global market shaking from all the tension. The global market plunged and we can only expect worse things to come our way if the two can’t settle their dispute amicably and on good terms.

Global markets have dropped sharply after China retaliated against Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium, fuelling fears of an all-out trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Hours after the US president announced moves to tackle what he believes are unfair trade practices, China signalled it would hit US goods such as pork, apples and steel pipe with higher duties.

China’s commerce ministry urged Washington to negotiate a settlement as soon as possible but set no deadline.

A ministry statement on Friday said the higher US tariffs “seriously undermine” the global trading system.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/23/china-promises-to-hit-us-with-tariffs-as-stocks-plunge-amid-fear-of-trade-war)

While the US may have imposed that higher tariff, China is retaliating by targeting China-made goods and perhaps the beginning of a rather messy trade war between the two countries that are not solely limited to them but more likely the rest of the world. Maybe the US has started it but it looks like China won’t just sit back and accept all the backlash when the US also has a lot to lose in this trading war.

China 'only just beginning to look at means to retaliate'

China showed readiness to retaliate by declaring plans to levy additional duties on up to $4 billion of US imports, including fruit and wine, in response to US import tariffs on steel and aluminium that were due to take effect on Friday.

The state-run Global Times said China was only just beginning to look at means to retaliate, following the announcement of its initial response.

"We believe it is only part of China's countermeasures, and soybeans and other US farm products will be targeted," the widely-read tabloid said in a Saturday editorial.

"It does not look like just a trade war, but rather the US is trying to bully China and the rest of the world in order to make China concede economic resources and development opportunities to the US and make the US forever big and strong."

(Via: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-24/china-says-ready-to-defend-its-interest-in-us-trade-spat/9583438)

This brewing tension has been around for a while since the US president has made several moves in the past indicating it won’t back down its position as a global and economic leader and have conveyed its message to another global powerhouse that is China and essentially to the rest of the world. So it seems this power struggle will go on for quite a while and the entire world will witness drastic fluctuations in the world market and most likely prices will go up, or maybe down, especially if the US keeps on provoking the Chinese government because the battle will be long and hard-fought and it has just started.

Trading With China Gone Amiss was initially published on CHRDNet

Achieving some sort of balance has always been mankind’s goal but it seems it borders next to impossible as the world had always been on some sort of unrest but civilized enough to let society function somehow normal. More often than not, it has always been powerful countries involved as has been the case in human history. The weaker ones get conquered by the stronger nations. Yet despite our modern advancements and most agreed-upon pacts an agreements among one another, conflict may still arise and trigger a modern-day trade war, in this case, between powerhouse nations, the US and China.

President Donald Trump has quite a flamboyant personality and his antics often scream he is up to no good but it is a different story now that he is the highest elected official in the land of Uncle Sam. His words and decisions not only affect American citizens but most likely the rest of the world too as world trade is a crucial concept that makes the world go round and if issues arise, it may have a drastic impact to the economy of various nations across the globe. We’d likely be reminded here that we import and export a lot of raw materials and goods from both countries that a power and economic rift between the two will certainly mean a certain doom to the majority of us.

There are so many reasons why this particular trade war is not good – and that the US warriors’ guns are pointing at quite the wrong targets – that it is easy to imagine many bad outcomes. Trump’s first foray, involving steel and aluminium, provided a marvellous illustration when it became clear from the outrage from Europe, Canada, Japan and South Korea that China was an inconsequential exporter of steel products to the US. Even Taiwan and Vietnam sell more steel to the US than China does – thanks to barriers long in place in the US against Chinese steel.

Many troubling insights arose from the Bloomberg discussion. There was agreement that there is legitimate concern about China’s efforts to cull intellectual property, and about a minefield of local regulations that raise practical barriers for foreign companies wanting to do profitable business inside the increasingly important Chinese domestic consumer market (China’s GDP grew by more than US$770 billion last year – more than the dollar value of economic growth in Europe and the US combined).

(Via: http://www.scmp.com/business/global-economy/article/2138814/trumps-trade-war-china-wont-be-so-easy-win)

No matter where you are in the world (unless you live in an uninhabited island isolated from the rest of mankind), you do have a care as to whatever happens here as we trade globally and a dispute between these two nations can prove disastrous to the global economy. This impending trade war can have a big impact to businesses big and small especially that most materials used by different industries can only be found or grown in certain places and it’s common knowledge by now how many of these either come from the US or from China and how many industries can be found on these countries too.

In what he called the "first of many," U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday the U.S. will impose tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports. China says it does not want a trade war, but won't shrink from one either. 

"They've prepared well for this," said Erlend Ek, research manager with Beijing-based China Policy consultancy. "They've done investigations into how to retaliate."

China's commerce ministry said in a statement Thursday that the country "will not sit idly to see its legitimate rights damaged and must take all necessary measures to resolutely defend its legitimate rights." Those measures reportedly include tariffs on American agricultural products like soy and pork, steel pipe and ethanol.

(Via: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/trade-war-china-peter-armstrong-1.4589918)

The bottom line here is that when political leaders and nations are at a rift with each other and pursue policies that will obviously put a strain on global trade and relations, the consumers or the end-users are the ones who will suffer the most once currencies go down and prices of goods go spiraling up. Globalization has gifted us with so many things and made living in the 21st-century world easier and more convenient but when we face major conflicts involving trading and stuff, we can also expect major headaches. It’s too early to tell what will be the outcome of this issue as both countries don’t want to back down from each other, so let’s all wish everybody the best of luck as we weather this economic turmoil that for sure will leave most of us poorer and more stressed out too.

The following blog article On The Verge Of A Major Trade War was first published to chrdnet.org

Wherever you live in the world, we all know the value of education. Just like health, it is the only gift that will last you a lifetime. After all, you are never too old to learn and you need to learn as much in order for you to do well in life and in your chosen career. Getting an education is no longer just an assurance that you can land a great job after college since many also hold a degree now but what counts most is how efficient you are in doing your body and how good you are in doing a lot of things, which is often not solely learned inside the classroom but a mix of in-class and real-world learning and experience. And no other is so hardworking when it comes to studying than the Chinese. China is known for their high regards for education and learning as a whole.

Young students in their country take studying really seriously as their parents have taught them the value of education and how vital it is to their future success. As if studying in school for the entire day is not enough preparation for them, many of these kids also have additional classes after school, usually online English classes, and even during the weekends along with a training for a sport or a hobby or two leaving them little time to rest and relax. They don’t even get to sleep more than 9 hours each day considering their heavy school load that it has now raised warning bells and caught the attention of the authorities. They even beat office workers as to how early they leave for school and how heavy their bags are full of books.

Chinese students are known for their excellent mathematics performance, and also for their huge homework workloads.

"The earliest birds waiting for the buses every day are not office workers, but middle school students. Even as a bystander, I feel they're suffering too much," said a bus driver in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province.

For decades, efforts have been made by authorities at various levels to cut the workload for adolescents, but their bags continue to swell and they sleep less and less.

A study by China Youth and Children Research Center showed in the decade from 2005 to 2015 that 60 percent of primary and middle school students slept less than 9 hours a day, the minimal amount of sleep required according to the Ministry of Education.

(Via: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-03/22/c_137055615.htm)

Not only is their school hours taxing enough but the amount of homework they bring home is bordering beyond disbelief too. Year after year, homework load increases without taking into consideration the student’s health and well-being. Extra-curricular classes pose just as much stress as well. Chinese students are becoming great English communicators, thanks to their dedication to learning the language. The bulk of their classes at home are often English classes, as already mentioned, aimed at honing them to become competitive global workforce that can compete with just about every other citizen in most English-speaking countries.

"It's simple [to achieve that]. We just need to improve efficiency in class and increase interaction between teachers and students so that students can absorb knowledge better," said Yu Ying, the incumbent principal.

"We should teach our educators to instruct in a scientific manner and get rid of monotonous, inefficient teaching methods. This is the only way to reduce workloads," said Zhou Hongyu, professor at the Central China Normal University.

(Via: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1094631.shtml)

Students learn from other things too, not just from the school lessons. While they are pushed to go beyond their limits and absorb as much information as they can get, they may miss out in learning practical knowledge from real-life experiences they seldom get to experience as they are too immersed in their school work and homework. Maybe some changes in the country’s educational system can bring about this much-needed change for the benefit of the future generation. Balance is what everyone needs to achieve. For the students to learn as much as they can without getting overwhelmed with all the school work is something educators can address once they start acknowledging that the problem is real after all.

The blog post Reducing Students’ Study Load Find more on: The Chinese Human Rights Development Net Blog

Progress did not just solely come from the West. China has long been the cradle of Asian civilization and it is visible in the countless works of art and historic pieces that speaks so highly of the country’s rich history and culture that has spanned centuries. Even today, China is still a force to reckon with in the global arena. Simply just look at where most products are made and you’d see them labeled as “Made in China” and it is easy to see how much influence The Land of the Red Dragon still has over the rest of the world. If that’s the case, it is still possible for Chinese Art to gain international recognition for being classic masterpieces that they are.

Not only is the government determined in preserving their rich culture but even private individuals with a lot of cash to burn take part in the initiative to protect Chinese contemporary art for the generations to come. Philanthropists like Adrian Cheng is surely able to do this impossible feat as he is backed by his multi-billion businesses in jewelry and real estate. He has long set up a foundation that aims to preserve the works of contemporary Chinese artists to better position contemporary Chinese culture for all the world to see. He values the importance of having a solid cultural identity for the burgeoning younger and wealthier Chinese population that is ready to take on the world and keep abreast with other more popular and known art and culture the majority is more familiar with.

K11’s rapid rise to art-world ubiquity illustrates both the ambition of its founder, billionaire Chinese real estate and jewelry scion Adrian Cheng, and the art industry’s definitive pivot to Asia as dealers and institutions seek to engage the region’s rapidly growing number of billionaires and reflect the rising influence of its artists.

The 38-year-old Cheng does not mince words when describing that ambition. His goal is nothing less than “to create a contemporary Chinese culture,” he said when we met last November in a wood-paneled room at the top of a Shanghai tower that holds offices for two of Cheng’s companies (the Hong Kong-based real estate group New World Development, and Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Group, both founded by his grandfather Cheng Yu-tung, are among his largest holdings). The tower sits atop one of Cheng’s K11 “Art Malls,” as his department stores are known, a growing number of which house a K11 Art Foundation exhibition space alongside their retail offerings.

(Via: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-adrian-cheng-building-new-culture-chinese-millennials-one-art-mall-time)

Having an art mall is definitely a great way to reach a wider audience whether or not they can or not afford to purchase expensive art pieces. At a time and age when people are more social than ever, these art malls are such a big hit and will surely fit in with the growing social consciousness among the masses who loves posting a selfie or two now and then and all the IG-worthy photos that are simply to die for. With this, the K11 Art Foundation has likely hit the bull’s eye. There are countless changes going on in the world today and the same thing is happening in China. People appreciate experiences more than just simple retail therapy and taking their mall-time experience to the next level by allowing them to immerse in the arts is something that will stay in their memories forever.

The artist’s work was praised, and Li eventually left China. He became a professor and a U.S. citizen, and later was jailed in China for his pro-democracy stands. He is now a professor of international business and eminent scholar at Old Dominion University.

During the years, Li has collected more than 250 propaganda posters from the 1950s to the ’70s to preserve that era. More than 20 of the posters are being exhibited at the Chrysler Museum of Art in “The Art of Revolution: Chinese Propaganda Posters from the Collection of Shaomin Li.”

The exhibition includes several personal artifacts, such as Li’s sketchbooks and the model books artists had to use. They contained images approved by the government. The show is organized in several themes, including “The Cult of Mao,” “Glorifying the Military” and “Propaganda as Educational Material in China after Mao.”

(Via: https://pilotonline.com/entertainment/arts/exhibits/article_042ddf1c-2b27-11e8-9b27-5f366f439d78.html)

Even propaganda materials like posters that were used during the Chinese Revolutions are now considered as classic art pieces since they signify an important part of China’s history that has shaped the country that we know of today.  Despite the rapid globalization that is spreading throughout the planet, understanding Chinese history through these fragments of its history and culture can help us better understand why Chinese people are more closely guarded than the rest of the world. It is apparent with the way they live, the way their country is governed, and the things the citizens are allowed to do and not. We can truly learn a lot from seeing cultural art pieces as it explains in vivid detail the policies of a country simply by reading between the lines, in this case, painting a picture in your mind.

Chinese Art In The Modern World See more on: https://chrdnet.org

We’ve heard it time and again that health is wealth. It’s essentially the only thing that will last you a lifetime. You only have one body after all. How you take care of yourself and live a healthy life can likewise determine the quality of your life in your lifetime. However, there is one aspect of human health that is seldom talked about – mental health. A person’s mental well-being is just as important as his/her physical health and we shouldn’t even be arguing about it at this point. When ignored or not cared for properly, a poor mental state can cause various problems in life not only to your health but also your relationships with others.

You’d be surprised to find out that the state of your mind can have a big impact on your body. But it is not surprising to see someone fall ill when they are constantly stressed, losing sleep and worried about a lot of things all the time. You’d notice that you tend to lose weight, get dark circles under your eyes and feel anxious and fidgety all the time when something is bothering your mind. If it persists, it’s not impossible to get sick and exhibit physical symptoms like when you are actually sick with an infection or ailment. Even criminals and offenders are known to have mental health issues, especially that most crimes they do are incomprehensible and only people who have a twisted mind and have no sense of what is right and what is wrong will likely do it.

Between 50 and 70 percent of the young prisoners in state juvenile justice systems have a mental disability, but an analysis of those systems found that only one state — Indiana — requires all teachers in such facilities to have special education certification.

(Via: https://sojo.net/articles/mental-health-disorders-are-pervasive-juvenile-justice-system-here-s-how-one-state)

Criminals are no longer just adults who lost their way but a growing number of juvenile delinquents and prisoners show that even young kids can commit crimes so unspeakable it makes you question their innocence after. But since they are still young, it is possible to correct them early and prevent these young offenders from living a life of sin if only an expert who knows how to deal with their fragile state of mental health can work with them and help them see the error of their ways and address their special needs.

In 2013, Villayat ‘Wolf’ Sunkmanitu launched a series of rolling exhibitions to raise awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and to promote creativity as a coping mechanism for disability.

His poetry raised awareness of what living with PTSD feels like, while his photography demonstrated his escape from the ‘Chains of PTSD’.

His exhibitions allowed him to interact with and listen to other people with disabilities, civilians and veterans alike and he was made aware of similar problems being experienced by others but on a wider scale.

“People were opening up at the exhibitions by either leaving comments in the guestbook, through social media or talking to me direct,” said Villayat.

(Via: http://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/article.cfm?id=119739&headline=Camera%20club%20focuses%20on%20effects%20of%20mental%20health%20disorders&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2018)

Not only criminals but the victims, most especially, have a more vulnerable state of mental health and will likely require professional help to get them back on track. Virtually everyone who has PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder finds it difficult to cope if not for mental health experts who help them overcome whatever traumatic situation they were once in. In this case, photographs proved to be handy in showing the general public that trauma can be any forms of bullying, abuse, accidents, or anything that felt beyond normal where your usual coping skills faltered and left your emotions and mind vulnerable to undue stress and so much more. It is visible in your physical demeanor whether you are okay mentally or not, so don’t just shrug it off and seek help rather than face your inner demons by yourself.

The following post Do Not Disregard Mental Health was originally published to CHRDnet.org

Free speech and democracy have long been enjoyed by the millions of people in the country but it hasn’t always been like that. There was a time when only a handful enjoyed certain privileges while the rest suffered in poverty and slavery. But over time and countless blood, sweat and tears of brave and selfless people, almost equal rights are now enjoyed by all. Take note, almost. While we seem to enjoy most of our human rights nowadays and take for granted the heroic bravery of our forefathers for us to be able to enjoy all these things, there are still a few vulnerable groups in society that don’t get to enjoy all these things like the rest of us.

Students get an education to learn crucial life and professional skills but they also learn about these inequalities and injustices in life. And with their idealistic point of views, it no longer comes as a surprise to see them fighting for various causes and leading up activist groups. The country is quite familiar with student activism and has seen our fair share of peaceful or violent protests in the student’s effort of trying to get their message across. What better cause to fight for than their own access to affordable and quality education. It will take more than just your arm and legs to send your kids to college. The sad thing is that that they’ll be drowning in student loan debt by the time they graduate.

We live in an area where student activism causes change.

The Free Speech Movement began with a yearlong protest at UC Berkeley led by Mario Savio after students were barred from fundraising and distributing political flyers on campus. The university eventually relented, but student-led civil disobedience quickly spread to college campuses throughout the country in the ’60s, coalescing into protests of the Vietnam War.

Tuition for UC and California State University students remained frozen from 2011 to 2016 because Gov. Jerry Brown listened to student protesters.

Merritt College students Huey Newton and Bobby Seale met in 1962 and four years later formed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. As their movement grew, the Panthers’ foot soldiers concentrated on building free breakfast programs.

(Via: https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Oakland-students-walkout-in-keeping-with-Bay-12760481.php)

Student protesters are no longer limited to college campuses as even high-schoolers raise their voices to be heard regarding the rapid rise of gun violence happening schools all over the country. You can’t blame these young minds if they were awakened to the sad reality of life at such a young age because violence is all around them, even in the very place they consider as their second home. Now when you look at it, student activism is now tackling more diverse issues that aren’t solely related to education and children welfare.

Last week's huge, nationwide participation in the student walkouts to protest gun violence in schools should provide a boost of energy for the turnout of young people for this week's March for Our Lives in Washington and at more than 700 satellite marches against gun violence and school shootings, experts say.

The main March 24 event is on Pennsylvania Avenue between the U.S. Capitol and the White House, where organizers have estimated that 500,000 students and others will attend.

"I think there is going to be a lot of energy and a lot of carryover from the walkouts" lifting participation in the marches, said Jeremy Pressman, an associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut and a leading expert on counting the size of protests.

(Via: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/03/21/student-activists-and-celebrity-donors-whos-behind.html)

Now, these student protests even have celebrity donors supporting their causes that in turn attracts even more people to attend their events. It has become a nationwide campaign where students from various states can also participate in somehow that is likewise backed by lots of private funding from high-profile celebrities who believe what they are fighting for. A perfect example is the “March for our Lives” protest that fights for better gun control and has been basically a nationwide event, which is fitting for their cause as various shooting incidents have erupted in different states over the past few years and claimed countless innocent lives. In this essence, it’s no longer just the students’ fight but that of the entire community since the cause is very timely and important for every American in the land.

The blog article Students Lead Social Changes Read more on: https://chrdnet.org/

Businesses are booming on a global scale. Even with traditional business, you can sell your goods or offer your services to virtually everyone on the World Wide Web. The growing capitalist economy did an excellent job in conditioning the minds of the people to desire more material things in their lives, which drives the economy even further. While traditional economic principles explain the law of supply and demand, the new breed of entrepreneurs totally changed the landscape by creating demand for things and services that used to be not a necessity in people’s lives.

So, you get big markets for almost everything under the sun: towels and bedding, furniture and appliances, heck, even water pipes and bongs. Meanwhile, the advent of technology brings about a wave of tech gadgets for your every need. The most recent favorite are smart gadgets that not only look sleek and fancy but can do multiple things all at once using just one gadget. They also serve as portals to the web. You no longer need bulky computers or laptops to access the World Wide Web. And with this newfound freedom comes a new set of needs and wants. And for a country with the highest population on the planet today, an opportunity just opened up for China – cheap Chinese labor to meet the market’s demand. The Chinese workforce has been riddled by controversies for quite some time now as the Western World learns more about dire working conditions in most Chinese factories all over Mainland China.

I recently had Mr. Yang, a coal miner from Hunan, the province where the former Chinese leader Mao Zedong was born, on my Radio Free Asia program. He told me that in 2013, the local government closed down the state-owned coal mine where he worked for 12 years. A total of 268 workers were dismissed without any compensation. Mr. Yang, one of the 10 elected worker representatives, said many of his colleagues had lung diseases and an array of crippling injuries ― none of which were work-related, according to their former employer. They were denied compensation and medical care.

Also a few weeks ago, in the northeastern city of Changchun, thousands of Volkswagen contract workers walked off the assembly lines in protest. Their demand: equal pay for equal work. Their claim: they were getting paid as little as half the salary of a full Volkswagen employee.

When the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping initiated China’s economic reforms in 1979 ― under the slogan “let some people get rich first” ― it was implied that the rest of China would follow suit, improving their livelihoods. It’s been almost four decades and still only a few have benefited. In fact, inequality has risen to such levels that an embarrassingly small segment of the population, including Communist Party cadres, is picking the fruits of economic development.

The party has taken note. During the recent National People’s Congress annual meeting, Premier Li Keqiang prioritized in his report the increase of domestic consumption through higher wages, under “complex and challenging circumstances in China and abroad.”

What are these “challenging circumstances”? The party faces a severe loyalty deficit in its ranks, after years of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign that, though popular among supporters, makes government officials at all levels uneasy about their bookkeeping. Xi may need to rely more on public support instead, but time is not on his side.

(Via: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/china-labor-unrest_us_58cadc80e4b0ec9d29d9f778)

What a twisted principle, that is. “Let some people get rich first and the rest of China will follow suit.” It seems that this principle really worked well for some while the majority of the Chinese population are still living in poverty considering how powerful and rich China’s economy is. Most popular brands nowadays have factories in China, because duh, cheap Chinese labor. For them, the end justifies the means. These companies enjoy bigger profits without sacrificing production by getting things done in China than in their own countries.

In response to Daily Mirror‘s article that claimed adidas factory workers in China were paid a monthly wage of £147 ($184 USD), the German brand has responded.

Specifically, the original report also tied in Kanye West, claiming his YEEZY sneakers “are made by workers who slave for 10 hours a day, six days a week. They are expected to arrive 15 minutes early every day to sing the company song and attend production meetings, meaning they do an hour and a half unpaid time every week.”

The accusatory post went on to include images of the factory, the machines the workers use, and photos of their accommodations, ultimately presenting adidas unfavorably. Adding merit to the claims, the Daily Mirror also cites U.S.-based China Labor Watch as a partner. The New York-based NGO works aims to defend workers’ rights in China, and the information was supposedly uncovered during investigation into labor practices at a factory named Apache Footwear in Guangdong, China.

(Via: http://www.highsnobiety.com/2017/04/14/adidas-yeezy-factory-response/)

For a country that takes pride in their fast rising economy, military, and technological advancements, it is disheartening to hear about stories like this where the people are exploited by their own people or even by the government itself. Most Chinese are forced to endure these unacceptable working conditions in filthy and possibly dangerous factory environments only to earn a few dollars each day because most of them are contractual workers – meaning no work, no pay.

The rest of the world do not seem to mind, especially the big companies and corporations that have offshore offices and factories in China – because they got to do what they go to do to grow their business and make sure everyone profits even at the expense of that poor and starving Chinese laborers who’ll forever remain without names. As these stories reach social media and more liberal news outfits, will these conditions change or will this be just a case of minding your own business?

Cheap Chinese Labor, Anyone? See more on: chrdnet.org

We all know how it feels when we are lacking in sleep. It resembles the feeling when you are hungry, which makes you hangry = hungry + angry. You’re not just easily annoyed but feel really upset too because you do not function at your best when you are sleep deprived. It is already an issue when you are still single and don’t sleep with anyone yet but it takes on a different meaning once you have a partner or are already married.

Sleep is crucial to married couples as much as their sex life and finances are. And since there is someone else sleeping beside you at night, another person will notice all your little quirks and habits and it’s even worse if you are snoring. Snoring is a symptom of a deadly condition known as sleep apnea in itself knowing that there are countless breathing pauses in your sleep but imagine if you are the unfortunate person to sleep beside a snoring individual. While you worry about your spouse or partner’s health and well-being, you can’t help but think about yours too. The snoring sound lingers in your ear and drifting off the sleep seems like an impossible task each night and you dread going to bed once nighttime falls.

Sleep deprivation can put a major strain on your relationship that may cause you to have hostile fights with your significant other. On top of that, lack of sleep—the goal is seven to nine hours a night for adults—can cause depleted alertness, impaired memory, moodiness, and a poor quality of life, as well as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, obesity, depression, premature wrinkling, and a lower sex drive, says the Cleveland Clinic. Seems like a solid list of reasons to keep anything, let alone a snoring bunkmate, stand between you and ample beauty rest, right?

Because snorers tend to sleep just fine despite the sounds they’re making, they don’t necessarily experience the health effects their REM-deprived partners do, which is why the dozing musicians might not see it as a problem at first. But whether you’re the snorer or the one rocking earplugs, there are some things that can be done to help with the problem.

(Via: https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/snoring-harmful-to-relationships/)

It’s not just a complaint voiced out by partners of snorers but studies have proven how disastrous relationships have ended because of this annoying sound. Life has been such a drag so far with wars here and there, natural calamities hitting different places in the globe with such a force, rising commodity prices, etc., the last thing a person wants to do is stay up all night tossing and turning because they can’t ignore the snoring sound their partner makes. Some who can’t take it anymore leads to break ups and separations while some try unconventional sleeping arrangements like sleeping in different rooms just to stay sane and not hate their partner just as much without losing their precious sleep.

Snoring, overactive sleepers, different temperature preferences or opposite sleep/wake times can ruin a partner’s rest, Phyllis Zee, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, told The Huffington Post.

And while bed sharing does help build emotional comfort and closeness that benefits relationships, sleeping side-by-side is not the only way to achieve that, Zee said. (Couples who sleep apart can try a morning or nighttime routine for cuddling and sex, she added.) 

“Getting good quality sleep is important for relationships ― bed-sharing or not,” she said. “It’s a personal decision, not necessarily a sign of marital problems.”

(Via: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sleeping-apart-relationships_us_583358a1e4b030997bc0c643)

It may be a novel concept for couples but it has worked for some and saved many relationships as well. After all, it is better to sacrifice the cuddling and embrace of your special someone at night than leaving them for good. Give it a try if you have a partner that snores. Of course, it is important to get him/her checked but it may be helpful as well to consider this tip rather than let the snoring become a problem in your relationship. Remember that we are human beings with needs that must be met. We get sick if we don’t get cranky first if these needs aren't met such as sleeping and eating. So, spare your relationship all the troubles and either get that snoring checked or move out to the spare room in your house right now.

No Sleep Can Break A Relationship Read more on: CHRDNet

China is a global behemoth in the modern world. It is one of the biggest nations in the world with the highest population and one of the strongest economies today. Their military force is one of the strongest as well, with numerous skilled soldiers equipped with the most advanced equipment and munitions. It seems that China has it all. And perhaps it does. The nation is also blessed with a rich history, culture, and the arts along with some breathtaking scenery both natural and man-made.

However, they may be just smokescreens to more pressing yet seldom talked about issues regarding real life in China. Chinese citizens do not enjoy many rights and they have no choice but to obey everything the government says or risk persecution. Life isn’t easy for the ordinary Chinese who not only has to deal with constant human right abuses from people in authority but likewise live in poverty in densely populated and polluted cities. But while their conditions are poor and human right abuses are the norm, they seldom complain because that’s just their way of life. After all, they know so little about life outside the great walls of their nation because the government imposes extreme Internet censorship and its citizens have little use of the World Wide Web so far.

Everyone knows that China has some of the most sophisticated censorship tools in the world, but the details of how they actually work — what they censor and when — are often not fully understood. A new report by Citizen Lab, a research group studying the web, human rights, and global security, sheds some light on one particularly fruitful target for Chinese censorship: mobile messaging.

Citizen Lab looked at how the Chinese government censors discussion on WeChat, a popular messaging app. WeChat is the fourth biggest messaging service in the world, with more than 768 million active users, but is also deeply embedded in Chinese society, where it’s used not only for chatting, but for tasks like banking, paying bills, booking holidays, calling cabs, and much more.

The cornerstone of WeChat censorship is keyword filtering, which blocks messages that contain terms like “human rights,” “mass arrest,” and “spiritual freedom.” However, Citizen Lab found that the censors don’t just block messages containing any one specific phrase, but instead look for combinations of different terms. So you can send a message with the words “human rights lawyer” in it, but if you combine that with the name of a specific lawyer — Jiang Tianyong, who was recently “disappeared” by the government — the message is blocked.

When a message is censored, users are not notified of this fact. They see it as sent in their own app, but it just never reaches its intended recipient. The system works by examining every message that is sent when it passes through WeChat’s servers. The list of filtered keywords is also reactive, and changes in relation to the news; and only to WeChat accounts using mobile phone numbers registered in the Chinese mainland. Citizen Lab says much of the censorship on WeChat is currently focused around the “709 Crackdown” — a series of arrests against civil dissenters that began on the 9th of July 2015 (hence the name).

(Via: https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/18/15337660/chinese-web-censorship-wechat-messages)

If you live in a free country anywhere in the world, learning about these things can shock you. You’d probably wonder how people live with such restrictions in this modern day and age. But that is just the way it is in China. The people don’t even know what they are missing out on because the government is very good in limiting their access to the web and are prompt in addressing potentially problematic issues in their infancy. No wonder that Facebook and Twitter are not welcome in the Red Dragon of Asia. These social networks are notorious for controversial social and political remarks, discussions and arguments that may likely mess the internal equilibrium there is in China.

The mobile internet, accessed via smartphone, is capturing a growing share of daily time that adults in China spend on major media, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast.

In 2017, adults in China will spend an average of 1 hour 38 minutes with their smartphones. eMarketer has raised its previous estimates for time spent with smartphones by 7.4 minutes per day. This is largely due to the availability of cheaper smartphones with capabilities similar to flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy and the iPhone, which in turn has led to increased smartphone adoption and deeper engagement with the devices.

“As attention continues to migrate from offline to online formats and from desktop to mobile devices, advertising dollars, too, will shift,” said Shellen Shum, senior forecasting analyst at eMarketer. “Coupled with improvements in targeting and measurability, digital and mobile ad formats will continue to fare better than their counterparts in traditional media.”

Adults in China still spend less time on smartphones than they do with TV—but that gap is closing. eMarketer estimates that by 2019, adults will spend an average of 2 hours 9 minutes with their smartphones per day, just 25 minutes less than the average amount of time spent watching TV.

(Via: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/China-Time-Spent-on-Mobile-Internet-Continues-Grow/1015693)

But it seems that the Chinese government should work even harder as the threat of technology and everything that comes along with it is now reaching even rural areas in Mainland China. Freedom of speech, information and of the press is a popular concept that is heavily influenced by modern western democratic culture and societies. They are something that Chinese leaders don’t want their people to openly enjoy as it might trigger an uprising against the government. Chinese traditional media acts as puppets, only showing what the government wants the people to see and know of.

While the advent of the Internet posed a new and bigger challenge to the Chinese government, they managed to find a way to address this through the vast centralized censorship program. But if you look at it, what they are doing is even in clear violation of the Chinese Constitution itself that supports freedom of speech, publication, assembly, association, procession, and demonstration. But leave it to the Chinese to find a way to do whatever they want. The whole world remains as distant onlookers who will keep on guessing what is really going on in this powerful Asian nation.

The following article Internet Censorship In China is republished from CHRDNet Blog

The world is getting smaller and smaller as the days go by. This is all due to technology and the power of the Internet. You’d often see photos and videos of various to-die-for places on social media and some even have corresponding budget travel packages for people who’d rather take the journey and make more happy memories in life than watch people live their lives to the fullest on the sidelines. And with the help of the web, ordinary tourists can make their way on various travels without ever needing professional help from travel agents.

And if there is a country worthy of being on anyone’s travel list, it has to be China. With a vast land area and numerous attractions to visit, you’ll never run out of ideas when traveling there. The Chinese economy is flourishing and it’s not just about making money on traditional industries, a lot of the money pouring into China also comes from tourism, both local and foreign tourists.

Airbnb may have stumbled slightly last week when it rolled out its new strategy for conquering the Chinese market – which included a doubling of its investment there and a flashy new name: Aibiying. This is where the problem lies. The name isn’t easy to say for Mandarin speakers, and many Chinese netizens have reacted negatively.

As one Weibo user put it: “Airbnb has given itself a stupid Chinese name, and even shot an MV (music video) for it. It is just like a foreigner trying to speak poor Chinese.” However, despite the name issue, Airbnb may actually be better positioned than other US tech companies that have tried (and failed) to crack China – most notably Uber.

First and foremost, there’s the sheer size – and growth potential – of the Chinese travel market. Tourist spending totalled $500bn in 2015 and is expected to more than double to $1.2tn by 2020, according to a China National Tourism Administration report.

Most of this travel is happening domestically, too. According to the report, the number of trips taken inside China reached a remarkable 4.1bn in 2015, an average annual growth of 10.2%.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/mar/31/why-airbnb-well-placed-to-crack-china-holiday-rental-market-aibiying)

Although we are all aware how difficult it is to dominate the Chinese market because of strict government policies and censorship, Airbnb was able to overcome these challenges and position itself in the market not far away from local counterparts. What a feat, indeed. And there is more to gain for them as Chinese tourism is also on the rise with many infamous attractions you ought to visit in your lifetime.

Like a writhing dragon’s tail, the Great Wall of China snakes its way across China’s northern border. As its name suggests, the Great Wall is an imposing architectural marvel, and it’s often hailed as one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world.

The Great Wall of China’s history stretches back more than 2,000 years, to a time before China was even a unified country.

But the Great Wall of China isn’t really a single great wall. “The first thing to note,” travel expert Stan Godwyn told Travel + Leisure, “is that it’s actually a series of walls and fortifications.”

Godwyn typically arranges for clients to visit one of four main sections — Badaling (the most well-known and accessible for travelers of varying mobility), Mutianyu (well-restored but much less crowded), Simatai (a crumbling, rugged stretch of wall), and Jinshanling (for serious hikers).

Despite its cultural and historic importance, it wasn’t until 1987 that the Great Wall of China was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

(Via: http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/the-great-wall-of-china#president-obama)

And no other Chinese attraction can beat the popularity of the Great Wall of China. Just seeing this sight alone is reason enough for many travelers to cross borders and travel to China at least once in their lives. After all, it is a sight to behold and the only manmade structure visible from space. Aside from the great wall, many other attractions and the chance to eat authentic Chinese food is worth a trip to the home of the Chinese and to plainly immerse in the culture as unique as theirs. And now is the perfect time to travel to this emerging travel hub in Asia with affordable flights and accommodation to help you afford the travel of your dreams.

China: Emerging Travel Hub In Asia was originally published on CHRDnet.org