Rants

Dead babies don’t get A.D.D.

i just finished reading this MSNBC article: “Vaccine-wary parents spark public health worry” and I’ve gotta say, man are we eager to be ignorant. Essentially the article talks about how pockets of populations in the US have had large increases in the number of parents that are getting immunization exemptions. Their argument is that there …

August 23, 2008
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Air travel just doesn’t fly anymore

Aside from family car trips, my first real travels started on a train. I was 11 years old and heading to Montreal from Niagara with just my best friend. We were going to visit his grandmother and meet up with his father, who would then drive us out to New Brunswick on Canada’s East Coast. …

August 10, 2008
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Sweatin’ it out in Suzhou

Despite the repressive heat and complete lack of rain (it’s only drizzled once or twice since I posted about it), the title is pointing more towards a different climate – the Olympic/visa climate. I’ve been intentionally quiet lately because, to be honest, my stay in China has been resting on a bed of nails. My …

July 25, 2008
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The True North Strong in Fee

For all the noise I’ve made about the recent visa situation here in China, or bureaucracy here in general, I tend to forget that this isn’t a China-exclusive thing. Before I can get my visa renewed next month, I need first to renew my passport. No big deal really, a couple of photos, an application …

June 18, 2008
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Bill Moyers on Media Reform

I first learned of Bill Moyers while I was in school for journalism back in Canada. A classmate of mine lent me the book version of his rather famous interview series with Joseph Campbell entitled “The Power of Myth”. In the years since I’ve watched a handful of his numerous interviews and I have to …

June 9, 2008
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Our Apartment in Suzhou SIP (video/photos)

As I mentioned a couple weeks back, we’re moving to a new apartment at the end of the month. As it is fully furnished (I’ve yet to rent an apartment here that isn’t – though some call into question the definition of “fully”), yesterday we had to head over to the new place and meet …

June 8, 2008
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Quality of Life vs. Standard of Living

An e-mail to a friend this morning got me thinking about what it’s like to live in China. By “live”, I don’t mean in the common temporary sense, as a short-term contract teacher or business person might, but rather as someone who has no firm plans on the if and when of their eventual departure. …

June 4, 2008
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Technologically Superior Inferior

You ever have days when technology treats you as the weak new fish in a bad prison movie? I bought a new computer last week from Dell, and am absolutely loving it. I’ve had the same computer, a Chinese-made Hasee laptop, since trading in my savings to move to Australia for it back in ’05. …

May 7, 2008
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Carrefour-3-2-1 – Protest!

So, the fateful day has arrived – the day when Carrefour unleashes its anti-China, pride-taking, I-fart-in-your-general-direction May Holiday sale on the masses of Chinese willing to sell out their nation in order to save a few jiao. The sale, of course, is backed by French members of the Eight-Nation Alliance, who were frozen more than …

May 1, 2008
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Humanaughtahaironmyhead

So, spring is in the air in lovely Suzhou. Yes – our two weeks of paradise have arrived, and just in time for the droves of tourists looking to capture a picture of the city’s tranquil gardens (which are overflowing with tourists looking to capture a picture of the city’s tranquil gardens). Spring always stirs …

April 30, 2008
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<3 Grace Wang

Alright, normally I would tackle Chinese current events commentary over at Lost Laowai, but as I just wrote a post there on the stupidity of the Carrefour boycott, I figured I’d spread the as it were. It seems I’ve had nothing to say lately but for commenting on the waves of stupidity surging higher and …

April 18, 2008
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Why jocks shouldn’t write politics or culture

Alright, I’ve shared my criticisms of Beijing getting the Olympics and how they have grossly failed to meet the standards to which they agreed upon when first winning the bid, but holy fuck, please tell me America that this this Bible-dribbling, fact-passing, jock-itch of a moron isn’t speaking for the rest of you. From his …

April 9, 2008
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