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Cake day: February 11th, 2026

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  • With fewer than 40 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, broadcast rights for the tournament remain unsold on China’s mainland and time is running out. However, a potential breakthrough may be on the horizon, as senior FIFA officials are reportedly planning a trip to Beijing in the coming weeks.

    According to Shanghai-based sports broadcaster Star Sports, a “secretary-general level executive” from FIFA is expected to visit China soon, sparking renewed hope that the long-stalled negotiations over World Cup broadcasting rights could finally move forward.

    The urgency is mounting. Reuters has described FIFA as being in the midst of a full-blown “broadcast crisis.” Not only China, but also India, has yet to confirm an official broadcaster for the 2026 tournament. The standoff has left football’s global governing body in a far more uncomfortable position than initially anticipated.

    FIFA entered negotiations with an aggressive asking price, but as the countdown to kickoff ticks toward zero, the organization is being forced to recalibrate its expectations, the Red Star News reported today.

    Multiple media reports have revealed that FIFA’s initial asking price for the 2026 World Cup rights in China ranged from US$250-300 million. China Central Television’s budget, by contrast, is estimated to be just US$60-80 million. Even after FIFA reportedly lowered its demand to around US$120–150 million, a significant gap remains.
















  • Since when do the Chinese build stations outside of the city? I can pick from any 4 stations all centrally located in Shanghai, and get off the train after 4 hours in the heart of Beijing and be in my hotel in 15 minutes. The same goes for any city. Chinese build airports outside of the city. If I would do the same trip with flights, I need travel 1 hour to the airport, be there 1 hour before, 2 hour flight, land 1 hour outside of Beijing. That’s 5 hours if all goes smooth. This is why high speed rail is the preferred option to travel. Especially if you can afford business class.



  • More parties is a disaster. The Netherlands is a prime example. Hundreds of parties so no one ever has majority which means they always have to do a coalition. And if course that means hardly anything gets done because there is never consensus. And you can count how many times in the last decade, the Dutch government either resigned or fell. That is why it’s a bit of mess and people have totally lost faith in politics in the Netherlands. The Dutch actually have a real pedophile party - much smaller than the Republican party in the US - but still. There is a pirate party, animal party, party against citizens.

    At least in China, shit gets done. There are 5,10, 15 and 25 year plans and generally the government doesn’t deviate from it. Of course every year they discuss and make adjustments but the main points remain. In China’s case it’s self reliance, green energy, technology, infrastructure and social security and services. Makes it easier for business to better anticipate and innovate as you know what the goals are.

    Dutch voting form the size of a newspaper



  • What the fuck are you talking about? Buick is anything but a status symbol. I lived here for 7 years now and can’t remember the last time I have seen one. They have a joint venture with SAIC, a state owned car company and the cars are often rebranded. Mostly German brands were seen as status symbols but that’s no longer the case either due to arrogance and lack of innovation. Except maybe audi who have some Chinese only EV’s. Now local high end cars, especially EV’s are trending. Nio, Xiaomi, Li, Xpeng, Maextro to name a few. You barely see any American car brand here.

    Oh and I’m a car nut so I know what I’m talking about