Salesmanship.

One spectacle that is quite common around here is the celebration on opening a new shop/store/restaurant/anything. It comes standard with fireworks, but can include everything from huge floral arrangements to live bands. It does draw the customers.

The other day, while walking, I noticed the red carpet, spent firecracker casings, and flowers in front of a store. Most of the time I pass right by without noticing, but this one was a nice new clean store that was well lit and inviting.

I looked up to see the sign, and to my amazement, read “Tupperware”. I thought this would be a good time to go in and see if I could find a replacement for my salt shaker that I lost (I have since found it.)

When I walked inside, I honestly was thrown back to the 50’s. I had to almost hold in the laughter that was building to a critical level. Women here can wear the most beautiful dresses, but they ware them for anything. What you would consider overdressing, is the norm here.

There I stood, in a pristine white environment, with that olive green, maroon, and other strange colored plastic ware, surrounded by women dressed to the T, so to say. One of them had on a nice pink pleated fluffy dress that could have had a poodle on it and not have been overdoing it.

They were quite happy to have me come in. They all surrounded me and started asking me about this “new” product from America.

After about an hour of telling them the wonders of Tupperware, I felt like I should have been selling the stuff. I knew more about it than the women who were selling it.

Of course, the first thing that caught my eye was that geometric, blue and red child’s toy that you put the yellow pieces into their corresponding holes. When I told Jay that I used one when I was a child, as well as most of the products that were in the store, she was amazed.

Jay was quite interested in the stuff as well. And, she commented on how expensive it was. This gave me a chance, later on, to explain the pitfalls of the 8.25:1 exchange rate, for the common Chinese person.

Later that evening, I had something happen that has happened about twice since I have been here. I was sitting in the night market, doing some target practice with the little laser gun for toy prizes to give to the kids watching me. At one point, a man came up and really started to bother the heck out of me, breaking my concentration.

He kept holding this bag in my face, pointing to the word “Amway” written across it.

I finally put the gun down for a minute, turned and tried to make him go away. Jay said he told her that his friend was selling it, and he wanted to get my opinion about it, because he was thinking of buying it.

I told him I thought that the products were average, but high priced, he just kept up with his questioning. I realized what he was doing; he wanted to stand around the foreigner, in hopes of having me sing the praises of Amway, so that he could drum up some business.

When I raised my hands up in the shape of a pyramid, he quickly said, in English, “No! No! No!”, to which I replied, “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

It was enough to get him to leave.

(Side note… I know, through legal loopholes, Amway is not technically a pyramid scheme… but in every other sense of the phrase, it is. PERIOD)

Ok, so if I don’t sell it, I’m not going to lose any money because I am buying a product. BS! I’m still buying a mediocre tube of toothpaste for $12, instead of buying Crest for 4.

Tom Cruise is an IDIOT.

Fair warning Gail, don’t read this post.

If this man has done his “research” on psychiatry, as he states, and makes the sort of remarks he has made, then I have done as much research into him, to come to this conclusion.

Psychiatry is a “pseudo-science”? What the heck is L. Ron Hubbard telling these nuts?

One has to wonder, after his recent actions, why is he doing research on psychiatry? All one needs to do is look at his life to figure out why. He needs meds.

Of COURSE meds do nothing but mask symptoms, but it is this masking that allows people to take the step into changing their lives to move forward. I know this, I don’t need to do the research, I’ve lived with the pain and anguish of chemical imbalance for over a decade.

If it is a pseudo-science, why does it work? Placebos? If that is the case, then THAT IS PSYCHIATRY you idiot. For one to find the science of masking something, they must know a little more about it than he thinks. There are some who can recover their lives with the help of meds, and there are some who cannot live meaningful lives without them.

The only thing he said that I agree with, to a point, is that Ridlin is a street drug. They are using this as a substitute for good old-fashioned discipline.

I take Zoloft. I do not hide this fact, and never will. Those who think there is a stigma to it, screw you, I’m happy and functioning now. I’d rather live with your criticisms and be happy, than to live the life I had. I missed out on my 20’s, and I can never get that back.

And believe me; if I can deal with my fathers criticisms of my choices, your attempts are meaningless.

Mask the physical and emotional pain that made me hide myself from public? Mask the pain I would feel getting into a car, walking down the street, going shopping, sleeping over my own sister’s home, driving by myself, working, meetings, life itself… Yes, thank you, I think I will.

Tom Cruise knows as much about psychiatry as he does keeping a relationship/marriage functioning.

Hell, he left Penelope Cruz… a man would have to be out of his mind to do that.

Twice, in as many days.

This evening, while coming back in from my daily trip into the city, I squatted on the curbside while Jay bought some “meat on a stick”, as I like to call it. A lady and her son walked in front of me and the boy looked at me cautiously. While slowing down to take a good look at me, he got separated from his mother a little bit.

I just looked over at him, and the following conversation took place… in Chinese:

“Hello, little friend!”
He got a questioning look on his face, pointed to himself as to ask “Me?”, and turned to make sure it was not someone behind him. (The streets were packed.)
“Hello, little friend!”
He kept looking at me, and slowly circled his way around my back. Not wanting to frighten him, I just kept still, but rotated my head to let him know I was talking to him. When he had circled around to the opposite side, he crept up beside me, smiled, and whispered…
“Do you speak English?”
The look of bewilderment on my face must have been classic.
“Yes”, I said, “Do you?”
“Yes.” He replied.

The conversation then went into my standard list of questions for children learning English. While going through the list, his mother came up smiling and gently helping him with his answers.

The mother was quite happy with her son talking to me, and she had him offer me some corn (they sell it roasted on the cob as a snack). I wasn’t hungry, so I politely declined.

Jay came up, and I explained to her and the mother, exactly what the boy had said to me initially. The amount of laughter from the mother was great. She just sat there hugging his head while he smiled proudly.

Like I said before, the simplest things can give children the encouragement they need to keep studying.

I’m having so much fun here.

WHAT?!?!?!

I just read the following from CNN’s webpage:

“The beaches of northwest Florida will be open for swimmers Sunday, despite a deadly shark attack that killed a 14-year-old girl.

The girl was attacked Saturday while swimming about 200 yards off shore, authorities said, in front of a campground on the Florida Panhandle east of Destin, Florida.”

Is it just me, or is that the most geographically perplexing description of a location that can possibly be made?

First, Florida DOES have a northwest corner; it is nicely snuggled into Alabama. If it’s on the Panhandle, how can it be in the "...beaches of northwest Florida..."?

Now… how in the heck can it be in the northwest of Florida, on the Panhandle, and the beach be EAST of a campground?

I know, I am making too much out of it, but it all has to do with word placement. It should have said “The northwest beaches of Florida…”

Now, you may argue with me on that one, but if you want to get technical about it, look at the location and you will see that the beach resides on the north side of a secondary peninsula, yet they didn’t say it was the “…beaches of northern Florida…”, now did they?

Did I mention the term was over, and I don’t have much to do now?

MMmmm my foot tastes good.

Whenever I am out, I make it a point to play with children. This leads to some jokes from the other foreign teachers; but this really does show the difference in culture here. Children are more approachable here, and their parents are quite grateful, to the point of often forcing their children on you when you don’t want it.

I love kids. But one of the main reasons I make it a point to wave, smile, make faces, talk, or whatever, is because I have heard the stories from my own students of their first meeting of foreigners.

For the most part, children will see foreigners, hear them, but never interact with them. I try to make it a point to make their first experience a good one… helping change the culture one step at a time.

Today, I was at a busy intersection in town, when a family approached me. There were a mother, young daughter, aunt, uncle, and grandparents. As they approached, the girl was smiling, most children do when they see a foreigner, and the mother leaned over and said, in English, “A foreigner.”

I went into my routine of asking questions and trying to make the girl laugh. The first question out of my mouth was, “How are you?” To which she replied, “I’m fine.”

As I was getting ready to ask the next question, it struck me that the girls English sounded REALLY good. I asked her, “What is your name?” She said, “My name is Elizabeth.” I started to explain that a member of my family had that name, when she cut me off and said…

“I’m from America; I am visiting here with my grandparents.”

She started laughing as I was apologizing. She’s 10, and her mother has been living in the U.S. for 17 years. It was so refreshing to actually talk to a child without having to annunciate and clearly pronounce every word in a slow manner. (Even though, out of habit I kept slipping into that style of speaking.)

We had a great time talking. Her mother was amazed that MY home was JinZhou, while I was amazed that her home was Queens. I was also quite amazed at myself for how rapidly I was going back and forth between English and Chinese while speaking with them, and their non-English speaking relatives.

The girl asked me if I could tutor her cousin, and she would tutor me in Chinese. I exchanged phone numbers, and we left… but not before drawing a huge crowd of onlookers.

Later, she called me and started a conversation about where I lived, how busy I was, and so forth. I explained to her that I lived on campus, in a converted dorm room. She then told me that her family wanted me to come over for dinner next week. At one point, she said, “My Grandmother has a REALLY BIG house.”

The only thing I could think of is… if this girl from Jackson Heights, Queens is telling me that her grandmother in JinZhou has a “REALLY BIG house”, it must be HUGE.

Clothing Optional

Since I was washing clothes today, I was not the most well dressed person around. I pulled out my teal green pocket t-shirt, the most battered shirt I have now, and threw it on.

Chinese washing machines are what we foreigners call “Knot tying, lint collecting, neck-hole stretching” machines. You literally have to untie your clothes after washing, and lint brush them after they are dry.

As we left the campus, a little girl who is totally in love with me, decided to eat my shirt. People were walking by, laughing at this 4 year old holding my shirt tail in her teeth, while I playfully pulled away from her, screaming for my mother.

Well, this t-shirt has several holes in it, and the neck is so stretched, it could fit around my waist. Jay and I decided it was time to do some “shirt shopping”.

We were looking for t-shirts, but as we walked passed a store, a lady was bringing out a rack of reduced priced button up, short sleeved shirts. I went through and found a nice girls one for Jay, and then found one suitable for me. Each cost 10元, a little over $1. I put mine to use immediately.

As we were walking, Jay looked over at me and said, “That is a nice shirt… You look… You look like a COMPUTER ENGINEER.”

And, I thought 2 years in China would wear off a few of the 16 or so years I worked in the computer field.

I’m still a nerd.

Family

Last night I was out with Jay and Jason, a teacher from Texas. At night, outside the gate takes on almost a carnival atmosphere. We stood in front of a restaurant watching the soccer match of the day, enjoying the crowd and having a nice conversation.

At one point I offered to buy some drinks at one of the little stores. When I came out with them, Jason asked me if I minded him trying my drink (a new carbonated “tea”… really gross, but something you just can’t put down). I said, “Sure, go ahead.” Immediately after he finished taking a drink, Jay reached over, grabbed the bottle, and started drinking. She looked at me and said, “Monkey brother, you will have to go buy a new one, I am going to drink this one.”

Initially, I was stunned by her actions. This is way out of character for Jay. Then, it hit me what she had done.

About a week ago, I had a tea which someone else drank from. I didn’t drink after them, I put it in Jay’s bag to hold for me. A little later, I bought another one. She tried to talk me out of it, explaining I still had half of one in her bag. I whispered to her that I didn’t like to drink after people.

Last night, she saw me give in and allow someone to drink out of my bottle. Being the best little sister, she helped me out of a situation I didn’t like to be in. Like jumping in front of a bullet… This, from the woman who says, “… it’s a shame you are not more handsome, or I would marry you.” She’s the best.

You did WHAT with the money I gave you???

How in the world can Bank of America purchase $3 BILLION (US) of stock in China Construction Bank?

Normally, I have no problem with this… however… China Construction Bank is STATE OWNED. I sorta’ thought it was a “no-no” to invest in a Communist government.

Oh, heck, what am I thinking about, people invested in Clinton’s administration as well.

But, seriously, doesn’t ANYONE see a problem with this? A government run bank??? Of a country who openly manipulates its economy to the detriment of the US economy???

The only thing I can think of is this. Convert your $ to 元, and when they finally do unlock the rates, you can make a quick profit. But, this is a THEORY, we are talking about CHINA, you KNOW they will figure out something before this happens… like issuing new bills and revaluing the domestic Yuan. The only people that will be allowed to profit off of this are Chinese.

But, that is beside the point. We are still talking about the largest bank in America, investing in a Communist run bank in China. Something is really wrong with this.

I know the Chinese economy is growing, but from manipulated reasons. Eventually, it is going to fall flat on its face when the rest of the world really starts to understand the Chinese mentality. When it does, all those who are heavily invested are going to lose their shirts.

Yes, I am invested, but I’m not BANK OF AMERICA… I don’t have $3 billion to throw around on a NOTION that the Chinese economy is going to continue to grow.

Treason

I am sorry, but it truly makes my blood boil to see that Charles Jenkins is headed to the U.S.

I firmly believe he should never be allowed to set foot on U.S. soil again, regardless of his mother’s health.

He should have stayed in North Korea, the land he defended so well over the past 40 years. If it was so great, let him stay there.

I’d rather sit down to dinner with 1,000 draft-dodgers who went to Canada to escape the Vietnam War, than to even consider being in the same vicinity as this man.

I have mixed emotions about this whole situation… I’d love to be there to give him a piece of my mind, using every foul word I could muster. But, at the same time, I am glad I am not in the same country as that piece of trash.

I think the U.S. government has gone too lightly on him. I don’t care what worries he had about losing his wife, children, or whatever. He should have figured out how things were in N. Korea when he realized his wife was a kidnapped Japanese woman.

I don’t care about his health. Let him stay in one of the finer N. Korean hospitals.

I don’t care that his mother is ill. Let him use his wealth (sarcasm) to fly her there. Isn’t it nice enough to invite your mother there?

I don’t care if he didn’t want to go to VietNam… He didn’t have to make propaganda films for the enemy.

This man is lower than the putrid crap I wipe off of my shoes every night before I walk into my room. And, believe me… there is some pretty putrid stuff on the streets of China.

He’s not worthy of Leavenworth. He should sit in N. Korea and take his lumps.

Life is hard. Deal with it you wimp.

Ummm... Ummmm... WHAT?!?!

You HAVE to read this...

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/12/fataldog.mauling.ap/index.html

This woman should not have been allowed to keep CHILDREN, let alone a dog.

Is it just me, or were her priorities COMPLETELY misplaced?

Someone should take this woman, remove her uterus, so she can't BREED, tie her down and let a pit bull maul her HALF to death... so she will have to live with that memory.

One of the reasons I don't have children, other than not being blessed with a woman who would want my children, is the idea that raising children is a hard thing.

I'm sorry, but it does not take a genius to figure you should have locked the DOG in the basement, or taken the kid with you. What was she doing, out buying CRACK from her pimp boyfriend?

Well Stated.

"Here you have a guy who was on his way to kill 5,000 Americans, and we have people complaining because he had a dog bark at him in Guantanamo."

Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee

Trying to carry a note in a bucket...

In case you were wondering, THIS SONG, has a significance for me.

Ages ago, before I came to China, I made friends with a wonderful girl from Taiwan. She was learning English and we became friends. I would often send her songs, with lyrics, for her to study as English lessons. We had fun with it.

One day, as a joke, I noticed some Chinese writing in the names of one of the songs listed in my search for downloading MP3’s (ok, illegal copies… I know). Anyway… I downloaded it and sent it to her as an English song. She got a kick out of it.

Flash forward 6 years, and picture me standing in front of a classroom full of Chinese primary school aged children. Inevitably, during their first “question/answer” session, one of them will ask me to sing a song. Normally, they want to hear an English one, but on this specific day, one of the little girls asked me if I could sing a Chinese song.

I walked over, sat beside her, put my arm around her and started to sing this song. The laughs from the parents were enough to have me feeling good all day. I was singing of how she “loved me 1,000 times”, but I love her “10,000” times. Of course, that particular girl never asked me to sing to her again.

It has become “known” that this is the only Chinese song I know the lyrics to. I had a heck of a time finding it again. It’s not particularly NEW, as you can guess.

That is not to say I do not know other Chinese songs. They play them over and over so much here, that you can’t help but know them. I usually memorize the parts that might be in English, because they catch my ear. But I often memorize parts that are in Chinese, if I happen to know the meaning.

爱你一万倍

你爱我一千倍,
我爱你一万倍,
失去你的爱,
失去你的爱,
才知道爱的珍贵.
有谁知我心碎,
有谁给我安慰,
我只有黯然神伤独自在流泪，
伤心的人为你流泪,
我爱你一万倍.

你爱我一千倍,
我爱你一万倍,
失去你的爱,
失去你的爱,
才知道爱的珍贵.
有谁知我心碎,
有谁给我安慰,
我只有黯然神伤独自在流泪,
伤心的人为你流泪,
我爱你一万倍.

Ài Nǐ Yī Wàn Bèi

nǐ ài wǒ yī qiān bèi,
wǒ ài nǐ yī wàn bèi,
shī qù nǐ dí ài,
shī qù nǐ dí ài,
cái zhī dào ài dí zhēn guì.
yǒu shéi zhī wǒ xīn suì,
yǒu shuí gěi wǒ ān wèi,
wǒ zhī yòu àn rán shén shāng dú zì zài liú lèi,
shāng xīn dí rén wéi nǐ liú lèi,
wǒ ài nǐ yī wàn bèi.

nǐ ài wǒ yī qiān bèi,
wǒ ài nǐ yī wàn bèi,
shī qù nǐ dí ài,
shī qù nǐ dí ài,
cái zhī dào ài dí zhēn guì.
yǒu shéi zhī wǒ xīn suì,
yǒu shuí gěi wǒ ān wèi,
wǒ zhī yòu àn rán shén shāng dú zì zài liú lèi,
shāng xīn dí rén wéi nǐ liú lèi,
wǒ ài nǐ yī wàn bèi.

I am not an animal!!!

It is not a practice that is solely Chinese; I have seen this within different races even in America... Men being jealous and angered at seeing one of “their” women with someone “not of their kind”. But, it seems to be more pronounced, and ill placed here in China.

As I have said before, racism is a worldwide phenomenon, but being a minority, and feeling it directed at you, makes it that much worse.

Last night, Jay called me. She was a little upset, and wanted my advice.

It seems that a boy is giving her an ultimatum to stop “playing” with me. He told her that the only reason I play with her is because I am lonely. He told her I am a bad man, but he could not explain what he meant.

It never fails, when I am in public with female students or friends, some Chinese moron is going to say something. And, anybody who knows me knows I respond in full to these idiots. Most often, they say things, thinking I do not understand. When they realize I do, and that I have just called them on it, they always leave with their tail between their legs.

This boy is not one of my students, and he does not know me. But, he seemed to be ok with Jay being friends with another Chinese boy he does not know.

As I stated in my “Read This First” page, foreigners are treated like rock stars or shit, there is no in-between. Nobody will ever think of you or treat you as a “person”.

Even Jay, having called me and told me that this incident has “confused her”, shows that she is actually leaning toward his views. I was a little hurt.

I told her that, by saying I only wanted to be her friend, because I was lonely, that boy was simply stating that I was an animal, not capable of having Chinese friends. And, that he was saying I was like a monkey, I would be friends with her because there were no other monkeys to play with.

I also let her know that I was a little dismayed at the fact that she didn’t defend me and tell the boy to just, “kiss her ass”.

Then, she said something that has really put me into a predicament of sorts; she said that, while trying to persuade her to stop being my friend, he grabbed her arm, raised his arm in the air, and she “had to use a chair to defend herself”.

For the first time in over 20 years, I am going to have to kick some kid’s ass.

I know, I know, every fiber of my body says “no”, but turning the other cheek was not implied when it comes to defending a friend from wrongdoing. Men beating women is as common as rice, in China. I see the results constantly.

Even my close friend Mr. Chen has said not to interfere, because in Chinese culture, it is considered a private matter. But I let him know that in my culture, seeing it done in the open is an “ass whupin’ offence”, and that is exactly what I would/will do when I see it.

The only times I have ever raised my hand in anger, have been in defense of family or friends. I don’t pay attention too much to what people say about me. I think about it, I get angry at their stupidity, but other than that, it rolls off my back.

I think, maybe, I will give the Chinese one more chance to redeem themselves. I will go to the boys leaders, tell them what has happened, and see what the result is. Jay has already promised me that she would let me know if he hits her.

If he does, the rulebook will be thrown out and the midget will be eating through his a-hole.

Too big to pass up…

Sometimes, a news story makes my point so precisely, that I cannot let it go without mention.

China Aviation Oil, a state owned company, listed on foreign markets, is in a heap of trouble now. Five officials, including its president, have been charged with fraud and dishonesty, in Singapore. The charges include, forgery, cheating, insider trading, making misleading statements, failure to report losses, and others.

Click Here For CNN/Reuters Coverage

I think the quote from the lawyer in this report sums up what I have been saying all along…

"… this sends a signal to Chinese firms that it's not going to be different rules for different people."

Remember, this is a state owned company. I see this sort of thing on a daily basis here.

Can you blame the company officials for keeping stock values artificially low? The Chinese government is their best teacher, just look at the Yuan.

Of course, being here for just about two years, the one thing I have learned is… this would be the best time to invest in this company. They are trying to rebuild it, and knowing the face issue in China, the government will not do anything to allow it to fail again.

But, another lesson and thing to watch is what the company will do while they are trying to bring new life into it. Trade in its stock was suspended back in 2004. Do you think that they will compensate those current shareholders?

Trading was stopped at a low point. The company will reimburse them for the last closing value, in an attempt to buy back as many shares as they can.

The state wouldn’t dare allow someone else to cut into their profits, which will have to be reported fully for them to keep face. So, they will report everything correctly, but the new shareholders will more than likely be government players.

Why do I write about these things? I feel like the heckler in the back of a magic show, pointing out what the magician is doing… I just want China to come up with some new tricks, the old ones are getting boring.

Back to LIFE

Ok, I know, I promised I would not go political… guess I messed up on that promise. So, without further adieu… Back to life.

It is that time of year again… summer is right around the corner and the end of the term is coming up. Pretty soon, students will be leaving in mass numbers, headed home to do their favorite pastimes… Sleeping, Eating, and Watching TV. (Seriously)

Now, it is the rainy season here in JinZhou. We have been spared, for the most part, of the daily heavy downpours… They are a nighttime occurrence now. It has been pretty hard on the southern provinces, with many dead and missing.

I will be signing another contract for the next term, starting in September. This will put me at the two year mark.

The fall term is always my favorite. This is when you see masses of fresh faces, which have either never seen or spoken to a foreigner. I love those freshmen classes.

But, prior to that, is the summer holiday. Last summer, as with most other holidays, I stayed in JinZhou. Being in China is still an adventure for me; there is no need to go spend my money if I am still having the time of my life here in JinZhou.

This summer, I do plan on taking a trip with Jay, my monkey sister. I have not decided yet, but after the last trip to BeiJing, and all of the dental work I have had done, a trip to the U.S. is pretty much out of my financial ability.

We will probably hop a train and take off to destinations unknown. I like to travel like this; it’s more of an adventure.

The summer holiday is quite a long break, so it will be filled with all sorts of fun. I think I will try my hand at fishing again here. Maybe climb the mountains around the city. But mainly I will be getting OUT of the room and AWAY from campus for a while.

Defense

I recently had someone question the motives for my views on the trade issue and general economic points between the U.S. and China.

Let me state this for the record… =)

At this moment in time, the largest part of my finances is invested in Chinese companies. If the Yuan is freed from its locked state, I am 100% sure that would cut into any future profits of the companies I am invested in. However, I am not completely stupid; I have made long term investments that would show a profit either way.

I’ve invested in the Chinese automotive industry. Soon, they will be marketing and selling in Europe and the US. The profit margins will be huge. However, taking a look at any SEC filings, I am sure you would understand my wariness of the honesty of Chinese business reporting.

The Chinese automotive industry is going to grow whether or not it exports to the EU or U.S. Chinese people are quickly moving from the bicycle to cars.

Secondly, my father deals heavily with the cotton trade with China. He is a small business owner, trying to get by. The current issues with Chinese textiles are cutting into his business.

You see, even with all of my opinions, the results I would like to see would have a negative effect personally.

The reason for my opinions? Well, some of us still hold truth and fair play above personal gain. I guess this is where western societies put stock into the whole issue of “Face”. Again, if you never do anything wrong, you never lose face.

Weeding

Sometimes you have to weed through their words to get to the truth.

Zhou Xiaochuan (China’s Central Bank) has stated that “high expectations and outside pressure were working against an early shift” in the rate of the Yuan.

Can you be more blatant in showing how political the reasoning is, in not switching to a true market economy?

If, as they say, it is one more of those “sovereign rights”, in which China must be guided with its own stability in mind, why would high expectations and outside pressure have a negative effect, other than wanting to save face from a perceived “bullying”?

Keeping things artificial in an attempt to secure your own stability in a world market, at the detriment of another nation’s economy, is purely evil.

CNN Reported on Long Guoqiang (China’s State Council Development Research Center), stating:

“…rather than addressing the value of the currency, Long suggested ways for China to reduce its trade surplus by importing more oil and other strategic raw materials.”

So, help reduce the trade surplus by more imports, but keep an uneven playing field when it comes to exports. That’s like trying to hold back the ocean with your hands. Not only that, but it does nothing to solve the continuing unfair advantage that Chinese products will have on the market.

As I said before, when China speaks of the Yuan reform, it is an internal matter; when the U.S. speaks of a true problem, such as the 1000% increase in textile imports having a negative affect on its economy, it is viewed as “bad” and “protectionism” by the Chinese.

Look, if the U.S. were stating their reservations against the increase in Chinese textiles, when the U.S. is the world’s largest exporter of cotton, don’t you think they might be serious? They are talking about cutting out these exports at the expense of their own cotton market. There has to be a reason for this, other than “we don’t like China”. Give me a break.

You know, sometimes, you just CAN’T have your cake and eat it too.

A world market is what it is, not a “world market, and a separate Chinese market”.

Wake up, grow up, and stop acting up.

Bad America... Bad... Sit!

I know… I know… many times I am critical of the Chinese government, and its people. However, my criticisms are constructive in nature. I say the things I do as being a member of Chinese society. This is, as a matter of fact, where I live.

Today, however, I want to be a little more critical of my birth country… the U.S.A.

Often times, I read reports coming OUT of China, by “western” sources, that are nothing more than cold war propaganda. Either that or they are the soapbox that some radicals can use for spreading grand rumors for their cause.

Although I disagree with many of the practices of the Chinese government, it is not the hard-lined Communist government that I read about on a seemingly constant basis in western news.

More often than not, I believe these reports coming out of China are from those who come here with preconceived notions that have been planted by years of cold war propaganda. Yes, there are often ulterior motives behind many of the government actions; however, this is not the case for every event and action that occurs here.

For example, I have read several times in the past few months about the government closing down Tiananmen for the specific reason of avoiding a repeat of the events of June 4th, 1989. This, I have to say, is utter hogwash.

During the national holiday here, I happened to BE in BeiJing, I happened to WALK in Tiananmen. Yes, it was closed in the very early hours of the 4th, but that was for allowing an event for Children. Of COURSE it was an event of national pride… the same things occur in the U.S. on July the 4th. But it was opened as usual after this event.

(This is not my picture, it is an API or UP image of that event. If you look closely, the large picture of the man in the center happens to be the founder of the KMT, Dr. Sun Yat-sen , the “sworn enemy” of the Communist Party. That would be like going to D.C. and having a respectful image of Jeff Davis on the lawn of the Mall… only with far worse implications. And, he’s facing the big picture of Mao on the Forbidden City.)

The simple fact that this picture exists is proof that the place was not locked down like NORAD. It was simply the literal square itself. The only way this picture could have been taken is if the person was standing on the balcony of the Forbidden City.

You must remember, children DO live here, and they DO love their country, just as children of any country. It was not some “staged” communist indoctrination, it was simply what it was, a group of youngsters showing their pride.

To me, it would be like stating that the Mall in D.C. is closed off during Memorial Day celebrations. Well… yes, and no. Yes, I can’t go walking on stage while the events are going on, but it’s not CLOSED.

If you want to know the true feelings and happenings in Tiananmen, all you have to do is take a look at this example:

This picture is enough to strike fear into those of us who were brought up on our diet of propaganda. Chinese soldiers standing in front of the big picture of Mao at the Forbidden City… Ohhhhhhh I’m scared (sarcasm).

The fear that I was taught, has now been replaced by more of a calm than anything else. I’ve only been here about 2 years, but I feel more at ease with this, than I do with those who are sworn to “protect and serve” in the U.S.

During my last trip to BeiJing, we were in the general vicinity of where this picture was taken. We decided to come back in the morning to tour the Forbidden City, but we needed to find out when it opened and how much it cost.

Jay skipped off and asked one of these soldiers, and the conversation went something like this:

Jay: What time does it open?
Soldier: (without breaking attention or moving his head) (whisper) “10:00”
Jay: How much does it cost?
Soldier: (without breaking attention or moving his head) (whisper) “Nothing”
Jay: Why are you so impersonal? You are supposed to represent China. You should be happy to help people. (This went into a steady stream of criticism of his lack of enthusiasm.)

In typical “Jay” style, she skipped off, but stopped about halfway back to me. In her attempt at castigating the soldier, she had forgotten what time he said it would open.

She skipped back to the soldier and, with an embarrassed smile looked at him and said, “What time did you say it opened?”

This time, the soldier smiled from ear to ear and said, “10:00”.

Yes, events occurred on June 4th, 1989. They were horrible and tragic. And, obviously, the government does not want a repeat of those events. Of course they are going to avoid setting the stage for this to happen again… Just as the U.S. government moved to avoid further repeats of Kent State. I know some people are gasping right now at my perceived comparison of the two events. For those of you who would say they are entirely different, I say, simply… bullshit.

Often times I see my government criticizing China. Many times their criticisms have a true foundation (trade and economics, for example). However, often times I see criticisms that are so baseless it makes me think that they are totally out of touch with reality.

Another classic example… forced labor.

Let’s just look at some stereotypes from the U.S.:

Who makes license plates?
Who cleans trash from the side of the highways?
What is a “chain gang”?

If the U.S. Marine Corp needs to build something, do they always call on civilian contractors? No, they have the workforce to do it.

If a prison needs a new sidewalk, do they call on a local construction company? No, they have the workforce.

The only reason more prisoners are not used in the U.S. is because civilian contractors pitched a fit at it cutting into their profits.

Today, in China, if a government run university needs a new building, wiring, ditch, or whatever, they use the workforce they have that will cost them the least, and save the taxpayers money.

I grew up in the south, where it is still common to see a prison work detail outside of the confines of the prison, working. There is no difference.

Yes, in the past, prisoners were used in factories of state run companies. The only true criticism I have of this practice is that it was selfish. But to scream about it as being harsh treatment of prisoners is hypocritical.

Dolls

Today, while walking with Jay, I talked about family and how things are truly different in America now, compared to when I was young.

We got on the subject of my second eldest sister and I “adventuring” around our small home town. It was then that I explained that this was one of the reasons I liked Jay so much. She reminds me a little of both of my sisters, but a lot more so of my second eldest.

Jay has often mentioned something in jest, but I sometimes get worried she might truly feel bad about it… She says I treat her like a man. I don’t, believe me. We joke about this all the time… I am her wife, and my growing belly is our baby.

Anyway…

I tried to explain that my sister was never a “Ms. Prissy” type of girl when she was young. She was not a butch tomboy, but she never shied away from punching a guy in the nose if it was required.

I was trying to get my point across to her, without making her think I did not view her as a woman. I finally thought of something; I thought, knowing her the way I do, she would not have been the “doll” type, so I asked her, “When you were young, did you have any baby dolls?”

Her reply shocked me and made me rethink my views…

She said, “Yes.”

This threw me for a loop, because my perfect example was lost. That was, until she finished her sentence.

“… but I put it in the toilet.”

Nobody could ever replace my sisters; I’m just glad that I am lucky enough to find my third sister, here in China.

Deep Throat

Well, I guess it’s about time. Finally, after all this time, we finally find the true identity of the man who was instrumental in bringing down a US Presidency.

I have some mixed emotions about this.

Yes, those actions are the actions of someone I would call a true patriot. However, those are just some of the actions of the former “G-Man”. Let us not forget that, in 1980, W. Mark Felt was convicted of many of the same things that Nixon was involved in: Illegal wiretaps, ordered break-ins, and unwarranted searches. To praise the man as a hero is questionable.

I feel the same way regarding Nixon, yet in the opposite way. Yes, Nixon did some bad things, just as many presidents have. But many people forget the good he also did.

I can recall on the day he died, I went into work at my job with the South Carolina government, and noticed the flags were not at half-mast. I quickly let them know, that no matter what their feelings about the man were, we still elected him to office twice.

Nixon was instrumental in opening up China. He finally did end the war in VietNam and the peacetime draft (Yes, I know I will catch flack with that statement, but… it is true.) It was Nixon who established the Space Shuttle program. During his terms, he also started the DEA, NOAA, EPA, and SALT I.

Nixon screwed up, but then again, so did Clinton. The only difference, in my view, boils down to this… which one would you rather explain to your children? At least Nixon had the balls to resign, can’t say the same for Clinton… and he did end up being impeached.

**********

And, a comment on my Emmett Till post:

Today I read the following headline: “Wachovia apologizes for slavery ties”

I wonder if their question of, “… why now?” is appropriate here?

Headlines: “Dutch reject EU constitution”

Mr. Chirac… Are you beginning to understand what it feels like when you lose support for something you believe in and know would, in the larger scheme of things, be the right choice? I bet you are thinking that the people using their vote, simply to strong-arm their agenda for other issues, seems childish and wrong… right?

Emmett Till

Many of you may have heard recently, of the newfound interest in the Emmett Till murder case. There is a very good possibility that the case may be reopened after far too many years.

But, in light of these new happenings, the true face of some racial agenda’s can be seen. I am referring to the Emmett Till Foundation, run by Till family members.

The new interest in the case comes from newfound information that could possibly bring out the names of living accomplices to his abduction and murder. But, for some reason, the foundation is shying away from opening the case, going as far as getting Jessie Jackson involved in their cause.

Why would a family, in this day and age, want to keep the case closed? Why would they not want to find and punish those who were involved in a family member’s murder?

Simple… the “cause”.

Two people were charged in his murder, in 1955. Those men were acquitted by an all white jury. They have since died.

This tragic event brought racial injustice into the spotlight. It was quite a defining moment in the Civil Rights struggle. It was horrible, it was brutal, and it was typical of the times.

Now, decades later, things HAVE changed. The justice system has slowly worked to correct mistakes made years ago. Byron De la Beckwith died in prison for the murder of Medgar Evers. Bobby Frank Cherry died in prison for the Alabama church bombings of 1963, and Thomas E. Blanton Jr. remains there to this day. Edgar Ray Killen is awaiting trial for the murders of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney.

Bertha Thomas is the president of the foundation now, and a distant cousin of Till. She recently stated, "They had over 40 years to do this, and my major question to the FBI, the Department of Justice and anybody else involved, is why now?" My question to her and the rest is… Why not?

Jessie Jackson also stated "Emmett Till is a great symbol, but he should not be a trophy…" To this statement, my reply is this… Then why are you treating him like one?

Instead of finding the truth and bringing murderers to justice, they seem to want to hang on to his memory as that of martyrdom. This is sad.

The death of Emmett Till was a defining moment in the Civil Rights cause. It showed how cruel, inhumane, uncaring, and useless the justice system was in those days, in the south. However, the Civil Rights movements’ main point was to change those things, and it has. I am not saying there is no need for civil rights activists, there will always be a need for them; but to hang on to what WAS, as a definition of what IS, is just plain wrong.

Instead of impeding justice in his murder, you should be using this as an example of his memory and the changes his murder caused. Yes, they were slow changes, but they have occurred. And, yes, there are still problems; but by doing what the foundation is doing, it is promoting the stagnation of justice and change, and the return of the problems that Emmett Till’s murder put into the spotlight decades ago.

It is neither grandstanding nor atonement for previous sins, it is simply justice. Do not impede it, simply to serve your needs. Embrace it as it should be and help promote more.