Going Home.

My mother passed away Monday. I will be heading home for the next week.


Last night I dreamed of heaven and I saw my mother there
Standing with the angels on the golden stair
I thought I heard her whisper 'welcome home my boy'
Last night I dreamed of heaven and it filled my heart with joy

I heard the angels singing songs of peace and rest
And then there was a silence
Each eye looked toward the west
There sat my Saviour on his golden throne
Last night I dreamed of heaven my eternal home sweet home

Last night I dreamed of heaven that land so pure and sweet
And the joy within me made my glad heart weep
I was there with my Saviour free from grief and strife
Last night I dreamed of heaven the land of eternal life

Well… Just one more, before I leave.

As I watched CCTV-9 this afternoon, I came across a report that just screamed for a comment.

It seems that Microsoft has released its new operating system… strangely; it seems to be called “Weesta”… I thought it was going to be called “Vista”, but what do I know about current events, I must rely on those reporters at CCTV-9.


The most interesting thing is, they said there are going to be four versions released in China, ranging from 2,000元 to 3,000元, depending on the customers needs.

COME ON CCTV-9! You know right well, there will be four versions ranging from 2,000元 to 3,000元, and a FIFTH version for about 4元 (This version will be the full version, and the most purchased version in China.)

And, I am sure there will be a page on BaiDu.Com, with a link for download, and detailed instructions for installation.

If the CPC cracked down on IPR violations, the way it cracks down on information concerning TianAnMen or Fal-Gong, the US trade deficit would not be as wide as it is.

Just the other day, BaiDu.Com FORCED EMI to enter into a “joint venture” to offer streaming music. Why do I say “forced”? Well, what other option does EMI (or any music company have, for that matter), when they see their business being freely given away on a DIRECT STATE REGULATED WEB SITE? Look, it’s either lose money or forcibly enter into a “joint venture”, where BaiDu.Com is going to end up making money off of EMI’s products.

Hell, don’t take MY word for it, just go to the site yourself… This is what you will see:

The red arrow I added at the top, shows you where to go to search for and download pretty much any MP3 file you can think of.

The second arrow at the bottom? Why that is the seal for the “Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce”.


BaiDu is China’s answer to Google.Com, it’s traded publicly, and is used quite extensively; it’s not as if the government can’t see this, they just choose to ignore it. Oh sure, BaiDu can “get away with it” because it does not “host” the files, it only gives you links to other web sites. But shouldn’t the government use this as a list for prosecution? You would think…

Ok… I’ll wait for all those defenders of everything Chinese to start in on me… I’d like to see their explanation of this.

Seriously… think about my plan… I’m going to buy a bunch of HaiEr equipment at very cheap Chinese prices, haul them to the US, put my own logo on it, and sell it for twice as much as I bought it for. My logo?


(Look, a KTV in JinZhou just opened a few weeks ago... it's logo? Oh, SURE they are cracking down.)

Test

This is just a test post... There was a problem with my domain host, and I lost everything for the past month. Not only that, but all my ftp accounts, and probably my e-mail accounts... who knows; it takes long enough for me to check them with the net still slow from the earthquake.

Obviously, I have the posts backed up, the only problem is, I did not keep the images... so, for now, the posts will be republished, but the images will be missing until I can replace them at a later time.

And, to make matters worse, the Educational "firewall" seems to have a problem with anything from that domain service. In other words, I can't check it from home, I must go off campus to do it. Ehh...

Politics as usual… From both side of the ocean.

Look… the internet has been pretty much “Toast” when it comes to viewing anything from the “outside world”, since the earthquake in Taiwan. Today, I finally get a nice view of CNN.Com, only to see THIS?





Ok, let’s put aside the whole issue of political party, platform, and general duty to the people, and look at the foundation.

Bill Clinton was the only sitting President to never have owned his own home. Now, there is nothing specifically wrong with that statement, and I do not mean it as a position on the mans character, hell, I have never owned my own home. (But, then again, I was never elected President either.)

But, it goes into laying the foundation…

Here is a person who pretty much sucked off the teat of the taxpayers, for everything he has. But, again, that does not mean he did not have the interests of the people in mind. But, let’s take it a step further.

For the sake of argument, let’s say he did have the interests of the people of Arkansas in mind while he was performing his elected duties. And, for the sake of argument, let’s say he had the interests of the American people in mind when he performed his duties as the elected President.

So… he finishes his term and goes where? Back home to the people of Arkansas? No, why he moves to a state he has never lived. But… why?

1.) A predominantly Democratic state.
2.) The house was purchased, and residency changed, just long enough to cover the Constitutional requirement of residency for running for Congress.
3.) At the time, its Congressional elections were far enough away to prime his wife for a run.
4.) The front runner for the election on the Republican side was a relatively unknown.

Ahhhh…

Look, I live in a country in which the people here were more duped into believing this “stand by my man” crap, than the good people of the USA. She stuck with him because of his power, that is it. Show me a woman who would stand up to being publicly humiliated and lied to, in the way she was, who would NOT leave... And I will show you someone who has ulterior motives for staying. (Look, at $200,000 a year at the time of divorce, she wasn’t about to rake in any alimony off of him, and her law practice was not about to go anywhere.)

Plain and simple, this woman was preparing for this, back in the days of Monica.

I can promise you, I will never set foot in the USA if this woman is elected. (And, that is not a slur against women... just this one.)


***
Now, on to the other side of the ocean…

China has CONTINUOUSLY spouted off the “Peaceful” and “Harmonious” quotes so often, it has become mind numbing just to hear it.

They have belittled anyone who asks them for military transparency.

They have belittled anyone who points out their military run space program.

And they have reiterated the stance first spoken by JFK, back in Houston, of the “Peaceful use of space”.

Now, what do they do? They perform a test in which they used a missile to shoot down a satellite; and, without notice.

Now, before anyone starts in on the wonderful Chinese defense strategy of it being their “sovereign right”… just ask yourself “Why?”

And, before you start making comparisons, ask yourself two things:

1.) How did you obtain the information from the opposing side, to make your comparison? Was it that the information was readily available?
2.) Are there fundamental differences between the applications of the two?

Secretly shooting down something that poses no direct threat is quite different than… let’s say… the North American missile defense program.

Seriously, just when I start giving Wen JiaBao and Hu JinTao a little “benefit of the doubt”, this type of thing happens, to make me go back to square one, in my terms of thinking in regards to China and its political stance.

It just smacks so much of the old hard line way. Heck, even the DPRK gave some sort of idea that they were about to blow off a nuke.

NASA’s New Horizons space probe is set to take pictures of Jupiter, after traveling half a billion miles in 13 months. And… what is China doing? Blowing up satellites, and unveiling new fighter jets.

Peace? Harmony? Development?

Let’s see it… Please?

Another 'opera' day for me...

I Pagliacci (Ruggiero Leoncavallo) 1892, Italy.
Act 1.
Vesti la giubba (Performed by Mario Lanza)

Recitar! Mentre preso dal delirio! Non so più quel che dico e quel che faccio! Eppur è d'uopo sforzati! Bah! Sei tu forse un uom? Tu sei Pagliaccio! Vesti la giubba Ela faccia infarina. La gente paga e rider vuole qua. E se Arlecchin t'invola Colombina, ridi, Pagliaccio, e ognun applaudirà! Tramuta in lazzi lo spasmo ed il pianto; in una smorfia il singhiozzo e'l dolor! Ah! Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore infranto. Ridi del duol che t'av velena il cor.

To act, with my heart saddened with sorrow. I know not what I'm saying or what I'm doing. Yet I must face it. Courage, my heart! You are not a man; you're but a jester! On with the motley, the paint and the powder. The people pay you and want their laugh, you know. If Harlequin your Columbine has stolen, laugh, Punchinello! The world will cry 'Bravo!' Go hide with laughter your tears and your sorrow, sing and be merry, playing your part. Laugh, Punchinello, for the love that is ended. Laugh for the sorrow that is eating your heart.

I’ve sat here and listened to the “Greats”, and I’ve come to the conclusion that Mario Lanza has the better version of this (If you can get past the MGM orchestration). I’m not saying anything about the others life’s works, but…

Caruso (as Canio/Punchinello)
I’ve listened to Caruso’s (1902, 1904, and 1907) versions. While it is true that they are old recordings with a lot of hiss and pop’s, he does not really seem to have any true feeling in his singing. That being said, I believe his 1904 version is the best. I realize that his 1907 version (which can be downloaded here) is the one that is tossed around quite often, but I believe that is simply because it is the one with less hisses and pops.


Pavarotti (as Canio/Punchinello)
Pavarotti… well… sorry, he just stinks when it comes to this part. It seems as though he is battling back and forth with the orchestration. While he may have a great voice, he simply does not try to convey the emotions of Canio. (*As I said, I listened to the "Greats"... Pavarotti singing with Michael Bolton, well... that sort of takes the "greatness" out of the equation.)

Look, the basic purpose of the opera is to convey a story through acting and song. The characters are people with feelings and emotions. James Earl Jones may have a great voice, but if he does not act the emotions of the part, he is just speaking, not acting. In opera it is the same thing; if you cannot convey the emotions of the part, then you are just singing.

Pavarotti does more singing than acting. I feel that Caruso, while having a great voice, was “over-acting”, making it seem too fake; he seems to forget the feelings throughout the piece, preparing for the over-emotional ending. Therefore, I feel Lanza has the better version, and I don’t say that just because he is an American.

I could understand over-acting or omitting emotions during portions of this opera which were the “play within the opera”, but this piece is the feelings of Canio, not Punchinello (the character he was playing). Lanza shows the subtle changes of emotions, from veiled anger and frustration, to self pity, to sadness.

Lanza (as Canio/Punchinello)

Opera’s were written for people to actually see and comprehend. Today, opera has been twisted into an unintelligible singing competition for a rich audience. Lanza was one who tried to break that stereotype by actually bringing opera to the people through genuine acting on film. I think he realized that nobody was going to sit there through a movie, just to listen to his voice… they needed more. He realized, more than most, that both acting and singing were required if anyone were to take interest in his movies.

(Obviously, there are others who have played this part, but they are not really "known" for this role.)

Corelli reminds me of that man in the church choir who thinks he can sing, simply if he lowers his voice. Sorry, I just don’t understand his “greatness” in this part.

Domingo, well… to me, he is great, but he’s gone off more into the “pop” side of singing. In this part, he does very well, it really isn’t something he is known for either.

...

Anyway... The point of this post? Well, I'm feeling the same way as Canio, if you know the opera, you know how I feel.

Dinner with friends.

Tonight I had one of the most enjoyable evenings; sad to say, it was the first of its kind in my 3+ years at BoHai University.

I was asked, by the university, to help some teachers brush up on English, in preparation for a trip to Australia.

Right now, there are two teachers from the computer department and one from the math department (all men).

Since they are going to Australia for a three month course, and since there are only three of them, I decided to concentrate on helping them with their listening skills. Since the class is so small, it is hard to do any type of activities other than just having conversations with them. Obviously, I try to have conversations with them that will help them with listening to their teachers in Australia, but often times, the conversations can stray into many different topics. (Yes, I do also hand out papers and we go over many things in class; but for the most part, it is conversations.)

We have quickly become friends. It is not really a classroom, just a place where friends meet and talk. Last week, one of the teachers brought me something his grandfather prepared for me. It was a piece of paper with three old Chinese coins on it, and information about each (the oldest from about 400AD). You know how I like my coins.

Tonight, I decided to take them out to dinner at a western restaurant. I did this for two reasons; the first was… I wanted a steak, the second was, to help cover any problems that might come up with differences in the “culture of eating” (believe me, there are differences).

But, after a few weeks of class, and several conversations, the evening just turned into a nice meal with friends.

When I returned, I walked with one of the teachers and explained to him that I was a little upset that the usual process of “keeping the foreigners away”, has polarized the Chinese and foreign teachers.

It is a shame that the only way I can get introduced to the Chinese teachers at BoHai University is when they become my students, or we meet by chance.

I sat there thinking of all the missed friendships that have happened, simply because BoHai University wishes to keep us separated.

Well… there is one saving grace to this practice… the school was PAYING me for talking to my new friends. If they would just accept us more as human beings, at BoHai, this class would not have been necessary (Don’t you think I would have befriended COMPUTER teachers?).

But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao…

Last night, the foreign teachers and some friends, went to a “going away” dinner for one of the teachers. While we were there, the discussions around the table varied widely; my favorite being of the “Tiger Park” in HaErBin (or Harbin).

The park was exactly what it said, a park with tigers. However, the interesting thing was that you could purchase live animals and feed the tigers yourself. The animals ranged from chickens to a whole, living, cow for 1,500元. I know it sounds morbid, but I just could not stop giggling about it.

They said that they would hand you a stick with your chicken (or other animal) tied to the end, and you would lift it over the side of the fence and “feed” the tigers. I just had to say it…

“I’d like to see the stick they have that cow tied to.” The image was just too much for me.

At one point, a couple of “the guys” were discussing the show “Big Brother” (The British version), and they brought up how there were many new celebrity names being tossed around as to who would be on the new seasons show.

One of the names was Leo Sayer. When I heard the name, I chuckled again, and said:

“You mean… Leo Sayer… like… You make me feel like dancin’ Leo Sayer? ”

It was the same. I KNOW he had more, and better tunes, but he still is something of a “bygone days” celebrity.

Then he said that one of the other names were either David Soul or Paul Michael Glaser. Starskey? Hutch? Again, bygone celebrities.

One of the guys said that he lived close to where Leo Sayer lived in England. He told us of a story that his friend told him, that Leo Sayer has a large portrait of himself on his living room wall. The quote that got me was…

“What kind of a$$hole would have a portrait of himself hanging up like that?”

Could you guess what my whispered, yet laughed reply was?

How I saved JinZhou from the Great Fire of 2006... er… 2007

On New Years Eve, I was in the city, hoping to catch a glimpse of the fireworks.

Anyone who does not live in China… you just have no idea what the celebrations are like, living in the land that created gunpowder. It really does turn the night to day. Anything you may have seen, I promise, pales in comparison.

Anything that is “new”, in the area of fireworks, is seen here far before it is seen anywhere else. And, you don’t need to go to some appointed area at some appointed time… it just happens everywhere, all the time.

Well, New Years was no exception. Not being the Lunar New Year, the celebrations are smaller than one would expect for a normal New Year celebration, but it was still nice.

I was on the main road of the city, when I realized that one only need to follow the lights/sounds to find the next fireworks display.

When I reached the most expensive hotel in town, I thought I had found a great display. (The more money a place makes, the better the display.) But, I soon realized that the Agricultural Bank of China must make a lot more money… haha.

I sat there; stunned at the amount of light and sound that was coming from so close to me. It was one of the most beautiful displays I have seen in a long time. About halfway through it, I realized that I was seeing some lights in an area I should not be seeing them…

The fireworks had caught the roof of the tall bank on fire.

Now, it just so happens that most buildings here in JinZhou, are poured cement/concrete buildings. This being the case, I was curious as to how this one section of roof had caught fire, and, eventually, why it burned for so long.

I quickly ran into the nearest place that was open (another hotel), and informed them that it was on fire. The doorman came out to make sure I was not just some drunk foreigner playing a practical joke, and he called the fire station.

The reaction time was not what I expected, seeing as it was a tall building. It took the fire trucks over 20 minutes to get there. It also took them over 20 minutes to put the fire out.

The fact that it took so long to put out, just added to my curiosity as to WHAT was exactly on fire. I told one friend… “It must be 白菜.” (A type of cabbage.)

During the winter, they take cabbage and line it up outside almost every place imaginable. It is used to keep it cool and as best preserved as it can be, for winter consumption. I tend to dislike the flavor during the winter, it always seems to be spoiled.

Anyway, they really DO line it up everywhere. Even outside of the building I live in.

I have another friend who works for a company that sells ferrous material, and she has a routine at the office to help carry the cabbage inside and outside whenever the office opens/closes.

I could just picture a mess of cabbage lined up on the roof of the bank, burning like mad.

To the one who loves internet censorship so much…

Well, lets take a few things individually first.

You cannot teach English in China without a degree. Your perceptions are wrong.
二奶 is a Chinese term, not one I made up. Your perceptions are wrong.
Try feeding panda to a Chinese person. Your perceptions are wrong.
You said that one day Communism would return again to China. (Where to begin on that statement… *sigh*) You are lacking comprehension.

You are right… I do write some posts that people might consider complaints. However, if you start reading them as if I were 本地人 instead of 外国人, you might have a better understanding of where I am coming from.

I have lived in this city longer than 99.999% of my students, but you will never see me telling them to “Go back home” or calling them “Complaining Jew’s” (where that came from is beyond me) when they complain about JinZhou or BoHai University.

You asked if there was anything sadder than a single man staying in China… Yes, there is… The moron who’s social life consists of getting drunk and spending his time trying to bash someone he does not know, online.

You claim not to be either English (Not sure of what you meant exactly; if you meant that you were not from the UK, or that English was not your first language) or Chinese. Yet you wish to teach me something about Chinese culture. I am curious as to how you acquired this knowledge and comprehension of Chinese culture. Is it that you once worked/lived in China? If so, should you start looking in the mirror first?

And… if you are not Chinese, and/or English is not your native language… then SHUT UP FOREIGNER!

It is also ironic that, with the amount of censorship in China, the only open complaints that the people often have, are with other cultures and nations. You should not be bashing me, but praising me as a foreigner who has taken on some of those… how do they say it… oh, that’s right… “Chinese characteristics”.

You stated that my page was the only thing that would come up in your “Search”, and referred to the “Asian” web site issues. Funny, but it will take me about an hour to post this post, and took me 30 minutes just to read your comments. My page is not based in Asia, so anyone trying to access it from Asia, is going to have a problem get to it. (And, this is also the reason “they” have no control over my page, other than possibly filtering it.)

Since you are located somewhere in Asia, I cannot really accept the picture you are painting of being bored and my page just being the only thing you can get to. (I have some comprehension of IP addressing and computers… seeing as how I have a degree in Computer technology, and spent 17 years working in the computer field.)

Since you are such a proponent of internet censorship, I hope you can see the irony in my gesture of removing your comments.