5 Months in Jail for Wig Removal...
Warning: don't try to remove a Taiwanese legislators wig, or you could be sentenced to five months in jail.
According to court spokesman Huang Chin-ming, “The judge thought Chiu Yi had the freedom to wear what he wanted, and Chiu felt the wig made him look prettier. The judge thinks that to remove it intentionally was to take away that right.”
See the full story: Man toupee for revealing bald truth
June 04, 2009
June 4...
Today is the 20th anniversary of the crackdown on the Tiananmen protests in the Spring of 1989.
It's an issue not widely discussed in China, and heavily suppressed by the government. Just before the anniversary this year, the government sent dissidents to the countryside, or stopped them from leaving their houses. Foreign journalists were forbidden from filming in Tiananmen square, plainclothes police threatened them in the streets around the square, and any foreign media coverage of the event is blacked out within China. There seems to be a new technique aimed at foreign journalists, which is rather clever. When undercover agents with earpieces see a foreign journalist's camera they walk in front of it and open umbrellas! There's a great video on the BBC (which often gets blocked in China). It's also interesting to read through comments left on stories about the Tiananmen Square massacre (most of the killing didn't actually happen in the Square, but in the streets around the Square). There's one comment that remarks how politely he was treated by the police for doing something that everyone knows is illegal in China (journalism?), and that he would've "being battened and ending up dead" in the UK for the same thing.
Of course some things in China have improved in the past 20 years -general education, the economy, and general access to the outside world. But there is still a lot to be improved, and it's a slow process for a country of 1.3 billion people. And it's slow from a government that has successfully quashed political interest in most of its citizens by promoting economics over other freedoms. Here's an interesting Economist article on the topic of The Party.
Today is the 20th anniversary of the crackdown on the Tiananmen protests in the Spring of 1989.
It's an issue not widely discussed in China, and heavily suppressed by the government. Just before the anniversary this year, the government sent dissidents to the countryside, or stopped them from leaving their houses. Foreign journalists were forbidden from filming in Tiananmen square, plainclothes police threatened them in the streets around the square, and any foreign media coverage of the event is blacked out within China. There seems to be a new technique aimed at foreign journalists, which is rather clever. When undercover agents with earpieces see a foreign journalist's camera they walk in front of it and open umbrellas! There's a great video on the BBC (which often gets blocked in China). It's also interesting to read through comments left on stories about the Tiananmen Square massacre (most of the killing didn't actually happen in the Square, but in the streets around the Square). There's one comment that remarks how politely he was treated by the police for doing something that everyone knows is illegal in China (journalism?), and that he would've "being battened and ending up dead" in the UK for the same thing.
Of course some things in China have improved in the past 20 years -general education, the economy, and general access to the outside world. But there is still a lot to be improved, and it's a slow process for a country of 1.3 billion people. And it's slow from a government that has successfully quashed political interest in most of its citizens by promoting economics over other freedoms. Here's an interesting Economist article on the topic of The Party.
April 26, 2009
Study...
Second year final exams are rolling around. It's hard to concentrate when the summer is more or less here (it's 17 and cloudy today, but tomorrow is supposed to be 30C with sun). Although I've written one exam, I've got two more left before I start work for the summer.
One thing that keeps going through my mind is "You must convince yourself, study study day day up". There's a famous Mao saying in Chinese that goes 好好学习天天向上 (hao3hao3 xue2xi tian1tian1 xiang4shang4), which means "good good study, day day up", or study more and more every day. It's something that my students in China often quoted. And now I'm trying to tell myself that to keep studying through exams.
(Image courtesy of artwork.com.cn, which has a lot of old Communist posters)
Second year final exams are rolling around. It's hard to concentrate when the summer is more or less here (it's 17 and cloudy today, but tomorrow is supposed to be 30C with sun). Although I've written one exam, I've got two more left before I start work for the summer.
One thing that keeps going through my mind is "You must convince yourself, study study day day up". There's a famous Mao saying in Chinese that goes 好好学习天天向上 (hao3hao3 xue2xi tian1tian1 xiang4shang4), which means "good good study, day day up", or study more and more every day. It's something that my students in China often quoted. And now I'm trying to tell myself that to keep studying through exams.(Image courtesy of artwork.com.cn, which has a lot of old Communist posters)
March 06, 2009
Law 2.0...
I came across an interesting article from The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia this week entitled "Lawyers to serve notices on Facebook". Basically, a Canberra judge ruled that legal court documents could be served to defendants on their Facebook page when it was reasonable to believe that the pages belonged to the defendants. The defendants could not be contacted in a normal manner, and their "Facebook profiles showed the defendants' dates of birth, email addresses and friend lists and the co-defendants were friends with one another." With this information, the judge allowed legal notices to be served upon the defendants as an alternate method through their Facebook pages.
It will be interesting to see if this is appealed, and if it will be used in other jurisdictions as well.
Previously, in Australia, text message and email have also been used to serve legal notices.
I came across an interesting article from The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia this week entitled "Lawyers to serve notices on Facebook". Basically, a Canberra judge ruled that legal court documents could be served to defendants on their Facebook page when it was reasonable to believe that the pages belonged to the defendants. The defendants could not be contacted in a normal manner, and their "Facebook profiles showed the defendants' dates of birth, email addresses and friend lists and the co-defendants were friends with one another." With this information, the judge allowed legal notices to be served upon the defendants as an alternate method through their Facebook pages.
It will be interesting to see if this is appealed, and if it will be used in other jurisdictions as well.
Previously, in Australia, text message and email have also been used to serve legal notices.
December 17, 2008
Winter Treats...
There are, from time to time, things that I miss about China. One of them is the winter treats that are found everywhere, called "tang2 hu2lu2" (糖葫芦).
These are little crab apple type things, that are usually stuffed with some sort of bean paste (red, green, or black), then covered with melted sugar. They're crunchy and chewy, sweet and a bit bitter. Plus they cost only a yuan or two ($0.15 to $0.30) for a whole stick of them.
Thanks to "A Modern Lei Feng" for the photo, since I can't seem to find my China photos at the moment.
There are, from time to time, things that I miss about China. One of them is the winter treats that are found everywhere, called "tang2 hu2lu2" (糖葫芦).
These are little crab apple type things, that are usually stuffed with some sort of bean paste (red, green, or black), then covered with melted sugar. They're crunchy and chewy, sweet and a bit bitter. Plus they cost only a yuan or two ($0.15 to $0.30) for a whole stick of them.
Thanks to "A Modern Lei Feng" for the photo, since I can't seem to find my China photos at the moment.
December 16, 2008
October 28, 2008
Try the Great Chinese FireWall at Home Now!
I found this on the China Law Blog and Sinosplice. There's a new Firefox add-on that allows users to experience what it's like to surf the web in China. I haven't tried it myself, having lived in China a year and experienced the frustration first hand.
Apparently the web situation is better now (apart from spying on Skype users, etc.) and it's possible to access parts of Wikipedia and more blogs from within China than it was a few years ago.
From the add-on description:
I found this on the China Law Blog and Sinosplice. There's a new Firefox add-on that allows users to experience what it's like to surf the web in China. I haven't tried it myself, having lived in China a year and experienced the frustration first hand.Apparently the web situation is better now (apart from spying on Skype users, etc.) and it's possible to access parts of Wikipedia and more blogs from within China than it was a few years ago.
From the add-on description:
The Firefox add-on China Channel offers internet users outside of China the ability to surf the web as if they were inside mainland China. Take an unforgetable virtual trip to China and experience the technical expertise of the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry (supported by western companies). It's open source, free and easy.
September 26, 2008
"Religious Freedom"...
China likes to tell people that they promote religious freedom within their country. For example, it was thought that putting Bibles into Beijing hotel rooms during the Olympics would help promote the idea that China is tolerant of religion (China Daily: Hotels told to stock Bibles for Olympic visitors).
It's currently the month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world fast as an expression of their faith and religion. Except in China, where Uyghur Muslims in government buildings are being offered free lunches during the month of Ramadan, restaurants are being forced to stay open, Uyghur government officials forced to sign "letters of responsibility" to not fast or pray, and special groups to "educate" Muslims against fasting have been set up.
China likes to tell people that they promote religious freedom within their country. For example, it was thought that putting Bibles into Beijing hotel rooms during the Olympics would help promote the idea that China is tolerant of religion (China Daily: Hotels told to stock Bibles for Olympic visitors).
It's currently the month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world fast as an expression of their faith and religion. Except in China, where Uyghur Muslims in government buildings are being offered free lunches during the month of Ramadan, restaurants are being forced to stay open, Uyghur government officials forced to sign "letters of responsibility" to not fast or pray, and special groups to "educate" Muslims against fasting have been set up.
September 24, 2008
August 18, 2008
Devon (England)...
After Sweden, I headed to Devon the Southwest of England (of Devon cream tea and clotted cream fame). It's a really beautiful part of England, with lots of green fields, and huge hedges that grow so tall you can't see anything while driving the one lane roads in the countryside. Got to spend a bit of time too seeing some other villages, and the seaside resort town of Dawlish before heading to London to visit another friend from China and fly back to Canada.
I was there visiting my friend Kim who taught in the same city as me in China. So, of course, one of the things we had to do was make 'jiaozi' (Chinese dumplings) with pork and green onion. Surprisingly, or not, they actually turned out really well and tasted like the ones we had in China!
After Sweden, I headed to Devon the Southwest of England (of Devon cream tea and clotted cream fame). It's a really beautiful part of England, with lots of green fields, and huge hedges that grow so tall you can't see anything while driving the one lane roads in the countryside. Got to spend a bit of time too seeing some other villages, and the seaside resort town of Dawlish before heading to London to visit another friend from China and fly back to Canada.
I was there visiting my friend Kim who taught in the same city as me in China. So, of course, one of the things we had to do was make 'jiaozi' (Chinese dumplings) with pork and green onion. Surprisingly, or not, they actually turned out really well and tasted like the ones we had in China!
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