China Job Fair Photos

My friend Dennis sent me some eye-popping photos of throngs of students looking for employment at a job fair in Shenzhen, China. I wasn't able to locate the original web site hosting these photos, so I uploaded them into my web album for your viewing:

From China Job Fai...

From China Job Fai...

Although I couldn't find the original web source, I found this China news story that commented on the extreme overcrowding situations at these China job fairs:

http://www.iwaiyu.com/html/guowaixinwen/shehsh/20070414/2805.html

In the 2nd photo, the escalator's handrails were completely bent out of shape!!!

According to the article, China releases 4.8 million university/college graduates into the job market EVERY YEAR! That is more than the population of Singapore! But there isn't enough jobs for all these graduates. No wonder many of its people have landed in Singapore looking for employment.

For instance, I was struck by this recent Straits Times article which mentions a Ms Wu Ye Li who has been working for the past 2 years at the dessert stall in the Koufu Foodcourt in Toa Payoh. Ms Wu Ye Li works 12 hours a day, gets only 2 days off every month (ie. she works 28 days a month), and is only paid a monthly salary of S$1000:

http://business.asiaone.com/Business/Office/Ask/Story/A1Story20071209-40266.html

(do a text search for "wu ye li" if you don't want to read the whole article.)

So, if you are complaining about your job or your pay, hope this puts things into perspective ...

Merry Christmas!

NJ

BBC News video: Chimps beat humans in memory test

This is an eye-popping news feature from BBC News. This video is definitely a MUST watch!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7120000/newsid_7126100/7126174.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm

The chimpanzees are absolutely amazing. Chimpanzees are of course, the closest animal relative to human beings on the evolutionary tree. I know chimps are extremely intelligent creatures as evident from many a Hollywood movie and from science documentaries. Chimps know how to use tools, can be taught Sign Language, and are known to exhibit many human characteristics (like altruism).

However, this is the first time we know that chimps actually have an EXCELLENT (photographic?) memory. This memory faculty far surpasses our own.

I have always thought humans are superior to all other animals when it comes to brain (cognitive) functions. This has now been proven completely wrong! Watching the chimps' stunning performances is truly humbling :-)

The accompanying text article is here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7124156.stm