WHY THE WORLD IS BECOMING A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN

  With terrorist attacks a daily occurrence, other atrocities no less in evidence and the phantom of the war looming over many parts of the word it may not seem likely that the overall living conditions in the world at large have become anything but better. However, millions of people who have finally become literate or were lifted from poverty in the last two decades will doubtlessly reap the benefits of social progress, which may transform their lives. Certainly, the UN is not solely responsible for these substantial improvements, but as the world’s only genuinely international forum with every country represented there, it deserves significant share of praise for these spectacular achievements. Let’s examine some of the humanity’s biggest successes in the past 28 years.

LITERACY:

The literacy rate among youth aged 15 to 24 has increased globally from 83 per cent to 91 per cent between 1990 and 2015. Number of children out of school has been reduced; 1995-120 million; 2015 56 million.

 

What is the most important the biggest changes occurred in the regions most affected by the low literacy, i.e. Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and South Asia. Despite these changes the world still needs more efforts to achieve the universal literacy, which is defined by the UN as condition when  96 percent of members of a respective population are literate.

POVERTY:

Global number of extreme poor has been significantly reduced from some 1.9 bln in 1990 to less than half that number in 2015 (830 mln).

Source: http://povertydata.worldbank.org/poverty/home/

Two countries accounting for the preponderant share of that stunning uplifting of millions are China and India. In 1990 China had 756 million people living below the poverty line, while India had 338 million. Twenty-five years later China had only 25 million people living below the poverty line, while India 218 million.

Source: http://povertydata.worldbank.org/poverty/home/

Some  other major gains in combating extreme destitution were mostly achieved in other Asian developing countries like Indonesia (change from 100 mln in 1990-25 mln in 2015 ) , Vietnam (39 mln in 1990-3 mln in 2015), Pakistan (62 mln in 1990-12 mln in 2015) or Bangladesh (45 mln in 1990-18 mln in 2015).

Unfortunately, simultaneously the extreme poverty has progressed in some Sub-Saharan African countries: in Nigeria the number of people subsisting below the level of poverty line has skyrocketed from 51 million to 86 million, while in DRC it increased from 24 to 55 million people. This can partly be attributed to the demographic explosion currently taking place in many parts of Africa. For instance, in the time span of the last 26 years Nigeria’s population has increased by 57 million, while that of DR Congo by 46 million. As a rule impoverished people are more likely to have more children as they often constitute the only safeguard for their parents future.

GLOBAL FIGHT WITH HIV/AIDS:

Global fight with HIV/AIDS is one of the fields where results are most tangible. In 1990, close to 3.5 mln people living in developing countries contracted the deadly disease, while in 2015 this number has been significantly reduced to close to 2 mln new infections annually. Unfortunately in the similar period the number of new HIV infections in developed countries has slightly risen from some 170.000 new cases in 1990 to 190.000 new infections in 2015. What is equally important the antiretroviral therapy outreach has been dramatically increased from mere 800.000 in 2003 to almost 14 million people enjoying the treatment by June of 2014.

MALARIA PREVENTION:

The areas highlighted in red still report malaria cases, the ones highlighted in blue have eradicated malaria; Source: http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/10/daily-chart-7?fsrc=scn/fb/te/bl/ed/theshrinkingmalariamap

Similarly to global fight with many other widespread diseases, global fight with malaria is ripe with significant (although often unreported) achievements. Since 2000, the incidence of malaria has been cut in almost half to 90 million new cases per year in 2015. It is partly a result of increased consciousness of the disease and handing over of millions of anti-mosquito nets in Africa that allow members of local populations to enjoy healthy sleep, while contributing to the decreased occurrence of the disease. It is projected by the scientists that malaria can be totally wiped out by 2040. On the other hand, we are witnessing rise of various drug resistant types of malaria, which must be combated in a more efficient manner.

ACCESS TO CLEAN DRINKING WATER :

What deserves attention is the fact of close to 1.9 bln people gaining access to piped drinking water during the recent years and the overall figure of humans enjoying access to clean, piped drinking water presently stands at 4.2 bln. Moreover, 91 percent of people are now using water of better quality.

Alarmingly, if no new actions are to be undertaken, by 2040 the world’s water scarcity may be further enlarged by some 40 percent and the brunt of that will be especially borne by the most vulnerable communities of Western Asia, Northern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.

EQUAL  ACCESS TO EDUCATION FOR WOMEN:

Although equal access to education for girls is still a distant dream in many parts of the world (mostly least developed countries), however the situation has improved dramatically over the past years and now 64 percent of developing countries have achieved parity of boys and girls at the level of primary schools. The prospects of reaching equality at the level of secondary education are still relatively dim (only 3 percent of the countries managed to achieve it).  

One of the biggest success stories in improving equal access to education took place in South Asia where in 1990 primary school enrolment ratio for women was close to 74 (for 100 boys), in 2015 reaching ratio of 103 girls for 100 boys.

What is interesting, in 2015 women in many regions have not only achieved equal access to education, but in some parts of the globe number of female students has by far exceeded that of males; for instance Eastern Asia, Latin America, Northern Africa, South-Eastern Asia all have more female than male students at a university level. It has tipped the scales in imbalance yet again with boys now being severely underrepresented at the university level (close to 120 women for 100 men), especially in Northern Africa and Latin America.

SOME OF LARGELY UNRESOLVED WORLD-WIDE ISSUES INCLUDE:

• International Terrorism, the rise of international terrorism is mostly visible in Western Europe, but in fact countries mostly affected by it lie in Africa and South Asia
• Refugees related problems, including both external refugees and internally displaced persons (Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan, DRC, CAR, Somalia,Ukraine), due to numerous ongoing conflicts the number of refugees has decidedly risen in the past 5 years to the levels not witnessed since the times of WW2. Contrary to common belief the bulk of the refugees reside in Northern Africa.
• Climate Change- a question which threatens the very existence of human race  
• Gender equality-women earn on average 25 percent less than their male counterparts doing the same work and their promotion prospects are often limited
• Lack of sustainable development model in many countries- this includes lack of access to electricity in many parts of Africa, reliance on fossil fuels in the production of electricity,  or lack of commitment to combat the negative effects of climate change from many developing and developed countries alike

CONCLUSION

Appreciating numerous successes witnessed by the last quarter of a century doesn’t necessarily indicate that the world as we know it today has been miraculously transformed into the Garden of Eden. Seemingly never ending conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Palestine, South Sudan, people dying on an almost daily basis in terrorist attacks, refugees desperately trying to save their lives and to search for opportunities of a dignified life elsewhere, this is also the present reality. But in the boundless ocean of human misery and sorrow the UN is still one of the brightest beacons of hope and light in these tumultuous times we happen to live in.

SOURCES/FURTHER READING; unless stated otherwise all the numerical data in this articles is based on the below sources:

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2015

http://datatopics.worldbank.org/sdgatlas/SDG-01-no-poverty.html

http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

Other sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-27921938 

The fascinating world of Chinese movies

Despite the universal popularity of referring to the 21st century as the century of China, the Middle Kingdom' s cinematography is still often associated by an average foreigner merely with names such as those of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan while simultaneously the ordinary Westerner can hardly name out one or two China-made movies. This lack of recognition is rather startling and hardly deserved in the face of multitude and diversity presented by the PRC' s cinematography. Why Chinese movies?  First of all, because more often than not they are utterly unpredictable. Watching Western movies after getting acquainted with  the very first scene, the viewer can quite often foresee the usually joyous ending. That' s how a bulk of contemporary Western blockbusters are constructed, while in Chinese movies, the storyline is not only jaw - dropping, but also follows own traits distinctive to the Far East making it original. Contrary to the common belief, although, deeply imbued with Chinese concepts, the movies coming from this great country are not so difficult to understand in terms of culture and as some elementary knowledge about China won' t do harm, it is not necessary. In a place imbued with such a long history, culture and population as China it is close to impossible to minutely present the multitude of home - grown cinematography. Under the heaven of heterogenous styles and genres, there exists a genre of Hong - Kong set unending triad-police encounters movies, that despite the passage of time still invariably arrest the interest of the spectators. Historical motion pictures are also held in high esteem, often mixed under another genre known as wuxia ( martial arts/history ). As per my own experience with Chinese movies, up to date, I still haven’t seen a single Chinese film that left me dissatisfied . In the subsequent lines, I will aim at making you acquainted with some of the most influential Chinese filmmakers, all mature enough to know the joys and sorrows of life, all creating the pure art, the art genuinely deserving to get its share of global recognition. Wong Kar  Wai - the grandmaster of improvisation                                         Wong Kar Wai ( 王家卫 ) is my favorite Chinese film director.  Interestingly enough this mastermind of creativity is not a graduate of a movie academy, but owing to spending the bulk of his childhood in numerous Hong Kong cinemas, juggling with different styles comes to him naturally.  Based in Hong Kong, Kar Wai' s movies have a deep touch of surrealism, are profoundly oneiric and employ a magnificent play of colors as befits a graphic design course graduate. The plot itself is often a second tier affair while personal encounters   (often centered around man - female relations) are in the limelight. While following the unraveling plot, it' s easy to lose your track of the storyline, but this dynamism rather skillfully portrays Hong Kong with its fiercely independent, diverse and at the same time free of any templates pace of life. As it happens, Wong is not afraid of experimenting and improvisation has always played a prominent part in his movie career. To the extent that one of his best-known movies Chongqing Express was, as he later himself confessed directed without any precise plan in mind, in line with his expressed convictions: Each production has certain circumstances that will bring you to a certain way of making it. It is not intentional, it is not an artistic decision, the way we make films, it is the way we address to our problems. Wong' s movies are often set in the city where blurred neon - lit night streets appear somehow unearthly and altogether unrealistic. The style employed in his films is profoundly elusive and filled with both positive emotions and feelings of nostalgia and anxiousness, often beset by a creeping  shadow of  loneliness. It' s impossible to tell the illusion from the fact, or maybe it is rather an apotheosis of life that follows on a pace as swift as a flicker of lights? As is the pattern with many other Chinese directors Wong Kar Wai also has some favorite actors, with Tony Leung Chiu - wai ( 梁朝偉 ) being the most prominent. Zhang Yimou - the master of imposing forms  Movies of Zhang Yimou ( 张艺谋 ) are altogether different in character from those of aforementioned Wong Kar Wai. China presented in them is majestic and splendid, often fictional, but at the same time tied to its both glorious and dismal history. His motion pictures portray personal dramas of characters, deeply placed within the historical context. Above all, Yimou' s movies depict the sublime beauty of Chinese culture and, although mainstream as they are, the director doesn' t refrain in them from asking difficult questions. Director' s favorite muse Gong Li ( 巩俐 ), featured in a plethora of roles is most noted for the portrayal of strong female characters confronted with almost hopelessly swift and tumultuous currents of events. There is not much place in Zhang' s movies left for frivolous and light - hearted dialogues since for the most part the main protagonists very survival is put at stake or rather at a point of a sword. Bending before the crude logic of events and Fate even emperors can' t be sure of tomorrow. As a rule, his films are enriched by a state of art music of Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi.               I genuinely encourage you to search for it in Baidu Music for instance.   China of Yimou' s movies is often rich with colors, full of grandeur and imperial splendor, but at the same time ripe in dramatic turns of action and, by and large, unexpected endings, that will tear your heart to pieces, to invoke House of Flying Daggers as an example, one of the very few movies that left me (positively) speechless. As it happens, splendor even when seemingly fictional, requires real money, so Zhang' s movies employ monstrous size budgets. One of his films, The flowers of war is the third most expensive non - English feature film ever made, with a budget close to 94 million USD, however, it seems that his anticipated movie The Great Wall (2016) with a budget close to 140 million USD will skyrocket the bar even higher. What is more, mind - boggling special effects employed in his films are characterized by a great degree subtlety. Chen Kaige - the master storyteller    Chen Kaige( 陈凯歌) is another name of his own standing in Chinese movie industry. The most notable of his early works - Yellow Earth is regarded as a trendsetter in Chinese movie industry,  but I decided to put him on the list, because of his notable work Farewell My Concubine, which is a must see for every foreigner interested in Chinese culture. The movie met with an astounding reception at the Cannes Festival of 1993 receiving the main prize there. Kaige' s characters are often confronted with a merciless hand of history that in blind fervor not only aims at sweeping them away but steals what is the dearest in their lives - as behooves the merciless power of destiny, often leaving them in the positions of passive spectators. What truly distinguishes Kaige is the fact that he often engages himself in the preparation of scripts of his films. The scripts that are no less important than effects adorning his movies and contribute to the overall finesse of his pictures. Apart from Gong Li who also often starred in Kaige' s movies the other actor truly valued by the director was Leslie Cheung ( 张国荣 ), whose own life story somehow followed in the footsteps of  Farewell My Concubine' s scenario and ended to a great outcry of his fans by a suicide. What is interesting, Kaige' s The Promise (2014) briefly enjoyed the status of the most expensive Chinese movie ever made, with a gross budget close to 40 million USD. Where to search for the movies?  The answer to this question unsurprisingly depends on your fluency in Mandarin. Most of the Chinese movies screened in mainland China' s cinemas have both Chinese and English subtitles, so there is no barrier stopping you from giving them a try. Moreover, you can easily find some Chinese movies with English subtitles at https://www.youku.com or           (especially if you know Chinese) at https://www.iqiyi.com. Will Chinese movies ever become globally distinguished?  As for now (February 2017), only one Chinese director Ang Lee (nota bene living in the West) managed to win an Academy Award for the best director, who and when will follow in his footsteps?  With every passing year, Chinese movies are becoming increasingly expensive, at the same time bagging increasing amounts of money, but will they soon become truly global? It' s a question that  only passing time can answer. Luckily our splendid times leave us free handed. Whether you want to draw some water from the ancient, but still surprisingly fresh spring of Chinese stories in order to quench your thirst for the unknown or not, the choice is yours.

Beijing subway: how to manage public transportation system in an efficient way?

According to the official survey, Beijing has the world's second longest (after Shanghai) subway track line and simultaneously the planet's highest daily ridership subway system, allowing almost 9 million people daily to enjoy the blessings of the technological progress!  What is equally important, not too many of the world's greatest metropolitan areas stand any chance in comparison with Chinese cities when it comes to the scale and scope of infrastructural projects. What in even most developed countries took sometimes a century in Beijing was largely accomplished within 20 year period, when the two up to date existing lines were significantly extended and new connections added.   As the city sprawls through a seemingly never ending, ever expanding area, while residing in Beijing you need to get used to occasionally spending as much as 2 hours in subway when traveling one way. I can't even imagine how the life in Beijing looked like before the advent of a subway, as even despite the increasingly strict traffic limitation the city is marred by the phantom of traffic jams and air pollution. What is more, the city administration considers toughening existing (generally speaking already strict ) regulations, introducing policies further restricting the use of private cars resembling policies adopted in many of the world's biggest cities (for instance London). As a matter of fact, it seems that the further development of the urban transportation system is to a large extent dependent upon the improvement of suburban and urban railway and bus systems. EVOLUTION OF BEIJING SUBWAY SYSTEM: The extent of Beijing subway system 1971-2002 The extent of Beijing subway system February 2017   After protracted analysis of even more ambitious plans for the future, one can certainly say "China is the new US" when it comes to the scope of its infrastructural projects and doubtlessly the world's best work market if you are an engineer. In the next decade or so, every provincial level city in China is about to get a way more extensive subway system than most of the European capitals or the vast majority of the other developed countries major cities. Not to mention that already extensive subway system in Beijing will get a few hundred kilometers more of tracks. In the face of that, it's hardly sensible to say that China is challenging the old way in which the issue of transportation was perceived, but rather it's ahead of the times, therefore, putting an altogether new lens through which the question of the public transportation is perceived.   These problems are easily noticeable and painfully felt in everyday life. Sometimes travel by subway  resembles a journey through the very heart of all the seven hells of Dante's. I have never in my life experienced anything comparable to travelling by metro in Beijing around 6 p.m., as sometimes there is hardly any more space on the train! To add to the daily struggles, unfortunately, Beijing subway is also often characterized by a challenge to get off, typical for many Asian countries as people waiting at the platform are often too impatient to let the other passengers leave the train, which often literally leaves you no other choice, but to fight your way out!   Despite at times grim scenes accompanying travelling by the means of public transportation in Beijing, there are many positive sides of the city's subway system. One of the brighter aspects of them are children. "Mom, mom, foreigner", sometimes whispered, at other times almost shouted in astonishment can brighten up even the gloomiest day. Especially, if the occasion is favorable for a conversation. Once, I've had a chance to overhear a conversation in Chinese between a boy, most likely around 8 years old and his mother: "Mom there is a foreigner there. I would like to talk to him". Noticing the smile on my face, his mother encouraged him to actually speak to me. However, exhibiting shyness common to some children of his age, he seemed to be a bit reluctant. Finally, I've decided to make the first step and I definitely don't regret that. We've only had some basic conversation, but you can't imagine how happy it made the boy.   Another peculiarity of Beijing's subway system is its simplicity. I clearly remember how on my first subway ride in Beijing I had absolutely no problems whatsoever with finding the way to get to the Tiananmen Square, even though I was totally unfamiliar with Chinese language at that time and I had to transfer some three times. Moreover, many of the stations, exhibit very interesting motifs directly representing the rich cultural heritage of China with themes ranging from the Peking opera to politics.   To sum up, impressive as the development of the subway system in Beijing has been, the process brings into the forefront some essential problems, as it seems that no matter how enhanced or improved, the public transportation system will always be deemed insufficient in a city of Beijing's size, but does there exist any truly efficient way to satisfy the needs of the city's urban communication requirements? Double decked subways? Twice as long carriages, or 40 more subway lines? Whichever the solution (if any), undoubtedly the future of Beijing's public transportation will influence the way people view and deal with this issue globally.

FURTHER READ: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/29/beijing-subway-expansion_n_6389002.html https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2014/sep/10/-sp-history-metro-pictures-london-underground-new-york-beijing-seoul http://en.trackingchina.com/metro/beijing/ http://www.chinanews.com/cj/2016/05-01/7854979.shtml

WHERE BUDDHA SIDES WITH MAO

  Among thousands of sites particularly interesting to foreigners that Beijing has to offer, one definitely deserves attention and is mainly popular among single day or “weekend tourists”, when at the same time many expats permanently residing here are not even aware of its existence. The place I want to briefly introduce in today’s post is the Panjiayuan Antique Market located in the vicinity of Beijing Subway Line 10’s Panjiayuan station.

  According to some of the banners proudly stretched at the site it is supposedly the biggest antique market in the whole of China. From rather humble and spontaneous beginnings in the 80’s the place has grown to impressive size and presently houses about 10 thousand sellers of various antiquities. All in all, Panjiayuan is also reminiscent of the exceptionally troubled history of China, where after many an ideological battle has been fought, nowadays statues of Buddha and Confucius literally side with the ones representing Chairman Mao. Judging from the expressions artfully carved on the faces of the aforementioned statues, they seem not to hold any hard feelings against each other. In fact, the mysterious smile hiding at the corners of their mouths indicates their absolute ignorance of the utterly earthly and therefore petty affairs of the past. Not less surprisingly, at some of the market’s countless stalls, Chinese version of the Bible can be seen lying peacefully in the vicinity of the Red Book, both preaching their own truths and both still meeting with considerable appeal and reverence.  

  Impressive as the marketplace is, don’t get yourself fooled, for apart from some telephones, gramophones, statuettes of Mao, and books, all seemingly belonging to the bygone ages you are not likely to find many ancient things here. Most of the so called “antiques” sold are, so to speak, “factory” new and for the most part, local peddlers don’t even try to pretend that it’s otherwise. Even with this in mind, the place is still extraordinary and showcases an exceptional variety of goods resembling almost a mythical richness of Chinese material culture. To shed some light on it, try to imagine 50 stalls situated next to each other, selling exactly the same product, while none of them faces difficulty finding customers!!! That’s precisely how it works with majority of the “antiques” being sold at Panjiayuan.

  Examples of some interesting things to buy and see include: traditional Chinese calligraphy and paintings (they are by no means old, but no less interesting because of that), jewelry, pottery, old food coupons and tickets, incense sticks, gramophones, statues and statuettes of Mao, Buddha and various characters related to rich Chinese mythology, ancient style furniture and lamps, and anything else that you may need if you want to give your place a slightly more oriental touch.

Apart from visiting the main hall it’s really worth to devote some of your time to the task of discovering numerous back alleys, as rather hidden from the spotlight there also exists some old school outdoors place full of makeshift stalls offering staunchly communist propaganda posters and books, where enjoying the sounds of the accordion played by a man who quite likely experienced the times of Chairman Mao himself, you can observe new and old China influencing each other for instance in the form of posters of Mao and Xi Jinping which are often displayed next to each other – some of the booths actually putting the latter in the most exposed place. Symbolical triumph of the future over the troubled past?

  Don’t be surprised if some of the sellers try to cheat you, initially offering their goods at exorbitant prices. That’s how it generally works with tourists in Asia. If despite your wearisome attempts the seller isn’t in the least willing to substantially reduce the price, you can always proceed to the next stand, as there is an incredible abundance of them offering most often highly similar products, so it shouldn’t take too many efforts to save some of your hard won RMBs. Prices generally vary depending on what you intend to buy, but as a rule I can safely say that you can get most of the goods for 30% of the price initially disclosed to you.  

  The only real downside to the place is the fact that there is no on site way to examine the authenticity of the goods displayed, no certification system or services of experts in the field.