A few interesting numbers from the press this week:

21: Number of tertiary institutions in Beijing from which China's air force will recruit pilots. (BJT)

100: Amount, in percent, of Chongqing facilities trading in sex services that must provide condoms under a new public health policy. Public opinion has generally applauded the measure for its awareness of the dangers of STDs, but some people have objected to the program as legitimizing immoral behavior. Compliance is another problem: any venue seen offering free condoms may be targeted by the police, since the sex industry is still illegal.

Rumors have been circulating that the police would go undercover to check if prostitutes were following the new regulations; according to a Yangzi Evening News report, the Chongqing police said that a spokesperson's suggestion that police "may act as johns and make covert inspections" was intended to target the venue owners, and not the prostitutes themselves. (BJT)

300: Amount in RMB which doctors were required to submit to a hospital in Chengdu as part of a program to reduce hongbao, the bribes given to doctors by patients. Department heads were required to submit 500 yuan. The hospital had originally made bribe submission voluntary, but since few doctors handed over any cash, the administration set up these "bribe targets." (SouthCN)

1000: Price in RMB of a pair of glasses produced in Henan province. A Tongzhou man bought the glasses thinking they were imports from the Netherlands, and has lodged a complaint against the shop for false advertising. The shop countered that the problem was merely one of accent - the salesperson's dialect doesn't distinguish between [l] and [n], so "Hénán" became "Hélán." The store gave the customer his money back. (Mirror)

10,000: Approximate number of pieces of mail sold off to paper recycling centers in Tongzhou. The mail was mostly printed material mailed at a common rate that under current postal regulations is completely uninsured - the postal service need pay no compensation for loss or harm to that class of mail. The articles that were recovered were purchased from a white van for 2000 yuan by a recycling station attendant who is currently on the run. (TBN)

30,000: Approximate number of bottles of alcohol confiscated at the Beijing Capital Airport over the last two years that are to be donated to charity organizations for resale. The alcohol, valued at nearly 500,000 yuan, was brought to the airport by passengers unaware that it has been banned on airlines since February 2003. Proceeds from the sale will go to public service projects like charity construction and teacher training. (Mirror)