I Made the Local News!!
Yep, ol' Robs made the news here in Beijing:
Beijing, July 19th, 2008 Today, the mayor of Beijing announced that from August 1st onward, hands-free devices will be required for operators of all types of vehicles when a cellphone is being used. This, of course, is like similar laws enacted in American states such as New York and California, with the major difference being that such laws only applied to conventional motor vehicles. In making the announcement, the Mayor said, "It is well known that the citizens of Beijing make use of many different types of wheeled vehicles in their daily lives... from bicycles to gas and electric three-wheel carts, even gas-powered skateboards. We cannot help to protect the lives of one group of our citizens without endeavoring to save those who are perhaps more at risk since they don't have the strong metal body of a car or truck to protect them".Okay, so they spelled my name wrong. I still made the news."I think it's an okay idea," grumbled American Ex-Pat Robert Schigion, "but if they really wanted to cut down on distractions, they'd ban girls on the backseats of bicycles from talking on the phone... that's the real distraction." Mr. Schigion was then promptly bonked on the back of the head with a cellphone by his back-seat passenger.
hahahaha
Posted by Dave Sohigian on July 19, 2008 at 08:36 AM HKT #
Is this for real? If so the last sentence is hysterical!
Posted by melanie gao on July 19, 2008 at 08:37 AM HKT #
Awesome! I recall last time my name in newspaper maybe 25 years ago :)
Posted by Robin Guo on July 19, 2008 at 09:40 AM HKT #
Alas, no, it's not for real.
That said, I did get *very* close to getting bonked when I once asked a certain back seat passenger to limit her conversations whilst I was trying to navigate through traffic.
Posted by Robs on July 19, 2008 at 10:05 AM HKT #
Robin, why were you in the newspaper?
Posted by Robs on July 19, 2008 at 10:31 AM HKT #
seems you sailed so close to the wind all the way. The scope for being misquoted just in the bits you put up: "but if they really wanted to cut down on distractions, they'd ban girls on the backseats of bicycles" could get you in trouble on so many levels.
Then there is all that bonking...
Posted by Chris Gerhard on July 20, 2008 at 02:52 AM HKT #
Well if the air pollution was as bad as the Beeb have been making out, she wouldnt have been able to see you to bonk you...
Posted by havingmycake on July 21, 2008 at 12:57 AM HKT #
@Chris, I would never want to suggest such a thing. I had the pleasure of having a girl ride on the backseat of my bike during the rain, holding an umbrella over our heads. It was a true feeling of closeness and also of belong, a feeling that I wish could ahve lasted forever... then I miscalculated the angle when we crossed over the railroad tracks, promptly de-biking us both, and bending one of the pedals. Luckily, my bike shop was on the way home, and they fixed the problem in no time.
@havingmycake, there is certainly air pollution, but not as bad as folks are making out (at least, I don't think so). But, also what really gets me is that they don't offer any *historical* context. I mean, there was recently a *news* article comparing the air pollution in Beijing with that in London, but absolutely no mention of the Great Smog of 1952:
http://blogs.sun.com/robsblog/entry/the_great_smog_of_1952
Or, that the UK has been working on cleaning-up their mess for now 56 years, that the economies are different, that the overall weather patters are different, etc.
Posted by robs on July 21, 2008 at 06:05 AM HKT #
very funny, robert. love, mom
Posted by judy Tuwaletstiwa on July 31, 2008 at 12:14 PM HKT #