I really hope AirBnB takes the IPO money and use the extra resources to fix the problems with AirBnB. I've used AirBnB 3 times and have a really good positive experience. But I've read stories about AirBnB hosts (players) that are really horrible. I feel sorry for the guests (probably a small percent) but now AirBnB can and should spend more resource to really fix it as much as possible.
I think there's a real shortage in software industry driving what you see. H1Bs come from mainly two sources - OPT students and oversea outsourcing company bringing in contractors. The US companies have incentives to hire contractors, mainly for shitty IT projects that no Americans like to do, at low labour costs no Americans willing to take. The OPT students is a result of both aggressive revenue generation for the US education industry, as well as the "American dream" ideal - which I think is a result of US culture influence (mostly movies and drama shows) rather than reality. I now realized that US is far more backwards than I thought. The US justice system, medical system and general racial discrimination. Digressions aside, US general population should far more outnumber the H1Bs but it baffles me that when we get qualified resumes, usually it's as much as 80% to 90% foreigners. (for junior positions. For seniors, many of these people already got green cards) There seems to be just huge shortage from US local people to study Computer Science.
I'd say it's good enough. The average speed on a town road is like 30 to 35kph (or 18mph), much "safer" than an ebike/bike which is the primary peer traffic in these kind of places. On faster roads, these guys drive "on the shoulder" so to speak, due to their speed they cannot stay in the main road.
I don't get why the part where Liu Zhijun had to be in jail. Fast trains are intrinsically a great thing for China. People don't just "realize" it's great because of Liu or anybody else. Your "then" logic is misleading. Liu got into jail because embezzlement and favors from project contractors, at least that was part of the story, aside political factions.
Maybe I should explain better. I think with a project receiving so much opposition both from the government and citizens, I imagine Liu would have to use extraordinary methods to push it forward, which will hurt the power players hard (especially those who created the opposing voice).
The embezzlement and favours are usually just an excuse. Most people with power (at least in China) get away with it even if everyone knows about it. It only become important when someone who don't like you gets more power.
Because Liu is basically a railway enthusiast but in power. In order to push projects ASAP he bribed everyone thoroughly.
Each time a new HSR line is open he is the first passenger, and once on Chinese New Year eve he traveled to distant small rail stations and fire drunk station masters on premise.
Kind of unfortunate too -- move away, and leave the problem behind. Of course there's no problem with getting out of the polluted area, but there's a problem with just giving up and moving elsewhere, forgetting the pollution exists and not trying to solve it from abroad.
There's a big "movement" by CCP to control this thing. It's mentioned in major party conferences. I heard there's going to be 10 Billion RMB poured into this, and pollution would be considered as evaluation parameter for "party leaders".
However I seriously doubt most of the money will end up in vein or simply stolen.
So "enforcement" is to happen but I have little trust in them.
