To Your Heart's Content

Thursday, December 29, 2005

And thus it begins: Impeachment

Well, it's about time that the truth come out. As the Spaniards say: Truth and oil always come to the surface. The most compelling reasons why Bush can be impeached, according to an articleby The Nation..



*Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean argued in his aptly-named book Worse than Watergate that Bush's false statements about WMDs in Iraq-used to drum up support for an invasion-deceived the American people and Congress. This constituted "an impeachable offense," Dean told PBS' Bill Moyers in 2004. "I think the case is overwhelming that these people presented false information to the Congress and to the American people." Bush's actions were actually far worse than Watergate, Dean contends, because "no one died for Nixon's so-called Watergate abuses."
Lending credence to Dean's arguments, the Downing Street Memo revealed that Britain's MI-6 Director Richard Dearlove had told Tony Blair that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" by the Bush Administration. John Bonifaz, a Boston-based attorney and constitutional law expert, said that Bush seemingly "concealed important intelligence which he ought to have communicated," and "must certainly be punished for giving false information to the Senate." Bush deceived "the American people as to the basis for taking the nation into war against Iraq," Bonifaz argued-an impeachable offense.

*Rep. John Conyers argued as well that the president committed impeachable offenses" because he and senior administration officials "countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in Iraq" at Abu Ghraib, and elsewhere, including Guantanamo Bay and the now-notorious "black sites" around the world.


*The most compelling evidence of Bush's high crimes and misdemeanors is the revelation that he repeatedly authorized NSA spying on US citizens without obtaining the required warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court. Constitutional experts, politicians and ex-intelligence experts agree that Bush "committed a federal crime by wiretapping Americans." Rep. John Lewis-"the first major House figure to suggest impeaching Bush," said the AP-argued that the president "deliberately, systematically violated the law" in authorizing the wiretapping. Lewis added: "He is not King, he is president."

Law School Books!

We all know that any book for any class in Grad School usually runs around $90 to $150, right? It just so happens that certain publishing houses in America have brokered a deal (yes, this is legal) with publishers in China to publish law books! Yep, and let me tell you, the price difference is staggering! A book that costs $100 dollars (Amazon) costs $4 in China! Brand new, quality not as good but certainly not bad. And yes, in English! So far I have found the following: West Nutshell Series; Palgrove MacMillan Law Masters; Emanuel outlines; Aspen L&B; and Law Press: Criminal Law by Jefferson. I can't believe how fortuitous this is! That means, combined with the marvels of the internet, I can actually preview 1L materials and prepare for my first year law school! It also fills you in on the abuse of book prices in the States. Students already suffer enough with other costs, especially in overpriced California. So any of you other future 1Ls want more info, just let me know.

Quote of the Week #2

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." -GB Shaw


The moral: if not now, when? We put things off in life for so long that they soon become what we could have done rather than what we did in fact do. Why live in that area of fantasy where purpose is based on the potential of what you could do/have done and instead just go and do it....Of course, much easier said than done for many of us, right? And knowing when and where to draw the line is all-important.

Also, we as Americans/Westerners are quite privileged when it comes to quotes and beliefs like this. In China, this is next to impossible, not just for filial reasons and not making your parents lose face, but also because of opportunity, or rather, a lack of it. You can't just work in a restaurant for a few months and safe enough money to travel the world. Also, the mindset in China is to focus on a specific subject of study and therefore career, pursue it assiduously, incessantly, and arduously, graduate as early as possible, and begin your career, have your child, and save money for that child. There is very little flexibility within the societal structure. And even if there was, I am not sure the Chinese would appreciate, value, or accrue the benefits that we associate with new experiences and making mistakes. Or a better way to put it, now that I recollect a conversation with a Chinese acquaintance: The Chinese are more interested in stability, convention, adhering to strict rules, and following certain, direct paths. Americans, on the other hand, seek adventure, news ways of viewing the world, new experiences, and are constantly trying to outdo the other. We all strive to be different, to be unique, to be unlike the other. Not so here in China. Anyhow, in closing, I asked a Chinese acquaintance about a recent topic re: pollution in China. Her response: "I don't know, it's not my major."

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Hashish and Assassins, who woulda thought...

Came across an interesting fact the other day...Mohammed promised those (males?) who obey his will the enjoyments of Paradise—a place where every sensual gratification could be found. Well, as told in “The Travels of Marco Polo”, the Old Man of the Mountains (a chief around Northern Persia [today’s Syria], early 13th century) desired that his followers understand that he was a Prophet, and thus did so by demonstrating his power of granting Paradise to those he should deign to favor. His planned worked well in training assassins, which he did by administering a healthy dose of opium to some youths and while in stupor, transporting them to rooms in the palace. Once awakened, they found themselves in the midst of the most delightful objects that could be procured at the time: lovely damsels singing, playing, caressing…; delectable foods, exquisite wines; and an excess of rivulets of milk…assuredly in Paradise, unwilling to ever leave…Similarly transported out, they admitted they were indeed in Paradise. The Old Man thus spoke: he who defends me shall inherit Paradise. The youths thereby were forward to die in his service and, as the story goes, they formed a fearless lot of disciplined assassins who were ready to die under his orders.

The original Old Man of the Mountains, according to “The Travels of Marco Polo”, was one Sheik-al-Jabal, of the first sect of Assassins in 1090. Interestingly, the word for assassin comes from the drug Hashish [Hashishin] , which was used to intoxicate the young men who would soon become assassins. The last Old Man of the Mountain was slain in 1255 when 1,200 Assassins were also massacred. Small bodies of this tribe lingered about the mountains of Syria and are believed to still exist there...

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

More on Biao Yu...


Photo courtesy The New York Times
"Now, a stilted calm prevails, a cover-up so carefully planned that the small town looks like a relic from the Cultural Revolution, as if the government had decided to re-educate the entire population. Banners hang everywhere, with slogans in big red characters proclaiming things like, "Stability is paramount" and "Don't trust instigators."

I found this interesting article in the New York Times that perfectly demonstrates the idea behind the Biao Yus (a previous post). For those of you who have (or haven't) been following the the police crackdown on a Dongzhou demonstration on Dec. 6, where more than a dozen people have so far been reportedly killed, so far the most violent crackdown in China since T square, you can read the article here
It's quite a shocking article and one wonders if it was just a freak occurrence or if the gov'ts policy re: protests is seriously tightening. I've indirectly asked around quite a bit and NOBODY knows about this incident here in the political and cultural capital. Nothing is reported about on TV, in the papers, or on the radio. Everything on the internet is silenced/censored.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Quote of the Week #1


I've decided to add a quote of the week. I am a big fan of quotes and for those of you out there who are too, these are for you! Please feel free to recommend any...



"The doorway to the heart is well-guarded by the butterflies of the stomach."

Some New Additions and a Sidenote

I invite you all to check out the new link in the sidebar under miscellaneous entitled "miniature earth" by Italian Alysson Lucca. As a friend put it recently in an e-mail, it gives us two minutes to reflect on the immense diversity of people we share this beautiful planet with. So enjoy! It is a wonderful video.

Also, for those of you who may have tried the "Crazy Cyclists!" link without success, I have now redirected it through http://www.anonymouse.org , thanks to Chris''s recommendation. These cyclists are riding from Beijing all the way, get this, to England!!, in order to raise funds for those struggling to fight against diabetes. They are now in Iran. I particularly recommend the pics from Uzbekistan. Talk about crazy adventurists!

As a sidenote, please bear with me here as I try to rearrange some of the functions on the site. Some of the Read More! at the bottom of entries actually do not link you any more text. It should be obvious which ones do and don't based on what I've written...But I am in the process of fixing this now...

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Read More!

As I am getting more and more familiar with blogging, you will see some new additions. One recent one is the "Read More!" link at the bottom of the post, which links you to the rest of what I've written.

Blogger has some excellent tutorials for those of you interested. And they make it quite understandable for those of us who are webpage-challenged. So don't be intimidated to start your own page! Blogger makes it as easy as possible and has simple tutorials for every kind of problem you may encounter.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Chinese Culture 101A

Let me tell you about one aspect of Chinese culture that is entirely different than that of the Mongolian. The idea of saving face in China seems simple to understand at first, but the longer you live here and the more you get to know the language and people, the more you realize that it is rather a complicated idea and way of thinking. Just as well, it is so ingrained in the psyche of the Chinese that it really is second nature; it's simply endemic in, part and parcel of the culture...
Well, one aspect of the idea of saving face is the politics of repaying favors. I came to a slight epiphany that synthesized pieces of one of many puzzles just recently after watching a Chinese movie called "Sunflower", about a father raising his son in such a way as to control every decision in his life (even to such an extent as to decide the abortion of his girlfriend, forcing her, without telling his son). In any case, at one point the father's best friend becomes indebted to him. Though they even lived together until his friend's death, the father never afforded his friend the opportunity to repay this debt, though his friend tried many times. For example, even when his friend wanted to give the father and his wife his government-granted apartment (which they were just denied), he would not accept it. He persisted in keeping his friend in perennial debt. It is like winning a game of chess. And the politics of favors unfolds in close to all relationships.

"What does this have to do with favors?" you might ask. I have learned that in China it is almost impossible to do something for somebody or accept anything without some sort of reciprocity expected in return. So the next time you are invited out to dinner, or to a spa, etc, just make sure you understand what may be happening in the mind of a Chinese, that the next time they ask you for something you must do it or lose face (that is, if it matters to you). Another perfect example just happened today in fact. An extended family member is here from the north, staying with us. We ran into each other as I was coming home and she invited me out to lunch at the school cafeteria (I live on a campus). Great, I thought, she has shown interest in America (to the point mostly of critiquing it) so maybe we can exchange some views. Low and behold, not one minute into walking and she wanted me to teach her some English, which is fine, but her lack of finesse was a bit caustic. For I asked her what use is it to her since she is retired and she replied, "what do you think I invited you out to lunch for?" I was dumbstruck at her bluntness. Most Chinese, in my experience, are never this direct.

Further, if you are a foreigner in China and you've ever gone out to dinner with some Chinese, you know that it is useless trying to pay! It can almost come to blows for christ's sake! Really! And this even occurs amongst Chinese because Chinese don't like to feel indebted. Okay, you might say, but you are the guest. Well, I've been in China long enough to not be considered a guest and this still plays out. Thus, I've come to the conclusion that it is extremely difficult to just offer an act of kindness without any expectation from either party of reciprocity. Disclaimer: of course the above is not always the case, but from my experience it is predominant.

Mongolians, on the other hand, are entirely different. They will do favors without expecting reciprocity, etc and vice versa. Of course, this, then, makes it a lot easier for them to ask for favors, etc. There are trade-offs I suppose.

ShenNongJia

I took one of the most adventurous hiking and camping trips of my life in May of this year with some good friends Erika, Igor, and Maxim here in China. We went to ShenNongJia in western Hubei province--considered the last wild and rugged frontier of China. That is, old-growth forests, waterfalls galore, the purest water in China, and the only place in Asia infamous for sitings of the Yeti/Sasquatch! At one point I felt like Gordie in "Stand By Me" due to the amount of leaches we encountered in some uncool places on our last day before we made it to the village. Below is an excerpt of what I wrote about the trip. Here's a link to some highlight pics http://flickr.com/photos/71953688@N00/sets/1590819/

"The following day would lead us on an unforgettable trip, full of adventure, pain, laughs, extremes, wild scenery, pure mountain water, waterfalls, and our favorite: the unknown....

"The following day, after having rendered the policeman and ourselves quite belligerent, we parted at about 10am (originally it was supposed to be six to avoid the police but these were plans made while drinking which inevitably are never realized). Funny, we ventured out without any definite plans and with one of the worst maps any of us had ever used! We couldn't find one decent map for this place. Well, we had a general idea of our location, where the rivers were as well as the villages and we knew that we did not want to follow the paved road. So off we left down the road, amongst cars, horns, and "hello!"s. Igor and I especially were going insane and about after an hour we saw a very small, almost hidden trail that led down into a deep, dark, green valley with a river. We made sure that it was indeed a trail and while doing so the police came, stopped us and asked to see our tickets to the park. Then they asked us where we were going and we told them to the next village down the road. They left, and we got the hell out of there, practically running down the trail before they came back. Well, the trail came to an end, just disappeared, but we continued anyways, believing that if we follow the river at the bottom we will eventually come to a village. The next three hours were spent descending into this steep valley, slipping, sliding, battling trees and plants, and sometimes stopping to rest. We were now fully in nature, without any final destination, with no plans for the evening, or even the next six days. We had enough supplies to live for at least a week and enough stamina to stay forever. Freedom. After this we wouldn't see even one other person for four days. "

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

China Stats, etc.

Was incommunicado there for a lil’ bit but am now back on. Don’t worry, no injuries on the bike, no avian influenza, no pneumonia or cough. Just happened to go on a tangent for a while, which was a wonderful thing. Funny though, I live with a Chinese family and I am sure they were just shocked at how fast my lifestyle and its rhythms can change. Of course, this happens to be a pattern in my life which I’ve gotten used to; that is, stability, quotidian routine, set schedule that rarely changes….and then all of a sudden, boom! Everything is thrown into a very fragile yet ordered chaos! Gotta love the vagaries of life, the only constant ever known to history and to human beings: change!

Otherwise, Beijing is getting a hell of a lot colder, that is, snot-freezing cold, and did so within a matter of two days. Literally, the temp went in two days from about 55 to 30 to 10 (Celsius: 12 to 0 to -12)! That is from two layers to three layers to four layers of clothing. Good news is, the weather is clearing up and we are actually getting blue skies and relatively clear air almost everyday.

Found some interesting stats on China. Most of the following information I got from Encarta. Especially eye-opening is the population growth…

--More than one-fifth of the world’s population—1.3 billion people—live in China. More than 90 percent of these are ethnic Han Chinese, but China also recognizes 55 national minorities (as opposed to Indonesia's over 1500), including Tibetans, Mongols, Uighurs, Zhuang, Miao, Yi, etc.
--Forests now cover only 17 percent of the country's total area, compared with 25 percent in the United States and 46 percent in Canada. Programs to convert open land into forests have increased the extent of forestland from about 8 percent of the total area in 1949 to 17.1 percent in 2000! China can certainly get things done!
--In 1850, China’s population had surpassed 400 million. In 1953, China’s population was an estimated 582,600,000. By 2005: 1.3 billion. Projected population (under one-child policy est. in 1979, 0.59% growth) 2050: 1,417,630,630. Interestingly however, the Philippines population density is greater than that of China’s.
--Religious affiliations: Officially atheist, but traditionally eclectic. Nonreligious 42 percent; Buddhist 8 percent; Atheist 8 percent; Christian 7 percent; Muslim 1 percent; Other 34 percent
--The Chinese written language has existed for more than 3,000 years and has been standardized for more than 2,000 years.
--It is estimated that as late as 1949 only 20 percent of China’s population was literate. To the Chinese Communists, this widespread illiteracy was a stumbling block in the promotion of their political programs. By 2004 China’s literacy rate had reached 87 percent
--University education remains difficult to attain; as many as 2 million students compete each year through entrance examinations for 500,000 university openings--now that's competition!
--China invented paper, compass, gunpowder, tofu…
--China will soon (2009) have the largest dam (Three Gorges Dam, soon to be the largest electricity-generating facility in the world, damming world’s third largest river, the Yangtse, second to Nile and Amazon). It also has the largest bowling alley, mall, and will soon have the highest train ascent (to Tibet).
--China is the third country to send an astronaut to space, after Russia and America.
--unofficial estimates place the number of executions by capital punishment from 10,000 to 50,000 per year.
--According to the Economist, there were 74,000 protests in China in 2004, involving more than 3.7m people; up from 10,000 in 1994 and 58,000 in 2003. This amounted to between 120 and 250 protests (involving more than 100) daily in urban areas, and 90 to 160 in villages. These numbers are likely to be conservative. There was one recently in the news where protesting farmers were shot and killed by paramilitary (see sidebar link: China)
--In 2002 China’s gross domestic product (GDP) was $1,266.1 billion. The size of the country’s economy is comparable to that of Canada($714 billion) yet in 2002 China’s per capita GDP was just $990, compared to $22,780 in Canada
--China's total catch of fish, shellfish, and mollusks in the 1990s was more than that of any other nation.
--In 1996 China produced 101 million metric tons of steel, ranking first in the world.--The Chinese textile industry is the largest in the world.


 



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