I ran across this documentary, which helps to illustrate the positions many people are in, from the wealthy to the not so wealthy. It covers both the United States and the UK. I have only watched the first half so far, but I recommend it highly. The second half follows on the first.
Tuesday 19 December 2017
The Gap
We've been discussing the tax reform that the Republican controlled legislature and President have been pushing. It is a bill that is in reality geared toward the richest in our country. Yes, there are tax cuts for the lower income levels, but they "sunset" or expire after eight years. The tax cuts for the wealthiest do not. This bill will add to our debt, which will either rob our children of their future or force cuts to spending that will hit the neediest in our country. It will exacerbate the growing gap between rich and poor.
I ran across this documentary, which helps to illustrate the positions many people are in, from the wealthy to the not so wealthy. It covers both the United States and the UK. I have only watched the first half so far, but I recommend it highly. The second half follows on the first.
I ran across this documentary, which helps to illustrate the positions many people are in, from the wealthy to the not so wealthy. It covers both the United States and the UK. I have only watched the first half so far, but I recommend it highly. The second half follows on the first.
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I'm not familiar with "DW Documentary". British version of ‛Frontline’ perhaps?
Actually, it's German.
Hmmm...Wiki seems to be hitting people up for donations.
Great, the Germans are beginning to notice.
51-48; not a single Republican Senator dissented in the end.
Lynnette, Lee C., Marcus, and Petes, hello to all of you. It's great to follow your debates, as I do from time to time. I'm still teaching in China, going on the third year now.
A few weeks ago, I went back to Iraqi Bloggers Central and took a spin down the blogroll. Dang. Very sobering. Listen, I knew the Iraqi blogosphere was dying back in 2009 (as I wrote and we discussed in that final series on the history of the Iraqi blogosphere), but I had no idea how quickly the light would go out.
Happy Holidays to everyone! I'm in Zhejiang Province, where churches are now allowed to have crosses on their steeples again. Yay!
If you have any questions, just ask.
Jeffrey No Longer in New York
Hi Jeffrey. Happy holidays to you too.
What I might be the most interested in is your assessment of the youth, that being your students, in China.
Common wisdom says that East Asians are, due to pressure and culture, better at rote learning than are students in the west. But that they lack in innovation and "thinking outside the box".
The going theory is that this will still keep the west on top as "we" will be the ones inventing new stuff, breaking frontiers and so on, and reaping the main benefits; and the Asians will be left as "our" assembly line workers for stuff they copy from us.
Have you any thoughts about that?
Also, a more personal question: how do yu like it where you stay and teach, if compared to your life in the US? And when/if you have extended time off, do you travel back to the US or explore the region? And if so where?
51-48; not a single Republican Senator dissented in the end.
And Paul Ryan looked very smug in the end. *sigh*
I read through some of the provisions and my only thought was how are they going to pay for it? I don't believe in the growing our way to prosperity thing. They will have to cut something in the end, and with the Republicans in power it will be social programs and anything to do with the environment.
Hi Jeffrey! Nice to "see" you again.
Still in China? Have you gotten to know some of the locals well? What is their take on the future of China and its role in the world? Are they as concerned about climate change as some of us are?
Are you teaching according to a plan set up by the school or do you have the freedom to create your own? How does teaching Chinese kids compare to teaching American?
I haven't looked at the Iraqi bloggers for quite a while now. They seem to have scattered so much, although Caesar dropped by a little while back. It was nice to see he was okay. Zeyad kind of dropped off the radar here. I think the last I heard the Kid was here in the States, too. Not sure where though. And, of course, Anarki went to Sweden.
I'm glad to hear you are doing well and I hope to see you again. Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Ah thanks! Great questions. I will respond in a bit. Right now I'm in the classroom and can't write at length. I hope to get back here later today.
"…and with the Republicans in power it will be social programs…"
Smug looking Paul Ryan already announced that ‛entitlements’ are next on his agenda. He made that statement Tuesday when the tax cuts passed the House the first time. But, he's got himself a quandary here, a dilemma with sharp horns. If they're going to attack SNAP (food stamps), Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security; the items on his to-do list, they need to do it now, before their majorities take a hit in the mid-term elections. But, tackling those things now will bring their tax cuts into stark relief all over again, just before the mid-term elections. It's not an easy place to be. He's decided to resolve the dilemma just as they approached the tax cuts--play for their ‛base’ so they don't get taken out from the right, and then just hope for the best in the general elections. (Prayer maybe--I wonder if he prays, and if he prays, if he prays for politics?)
I think he's just driving home the guarantee that they lose the House in 2018, and maybe even the Senate. (May be some real Congressional investigations into Trump happen after that.)
Just to clarify one point…
"…play for their ‛base’ so they don't get taken out from the right…"
The danger from ‛the right’ is in the Republican primaries. They're trying to protect the current Republican legislators from losing a contested Republican primary to a further right challenger. This makes them vulnerable in the general elections, but they've obviously decided to work the first danger first, and worry about the second danger (the general elections) if and after they escape the first danger.
Think on these things: The Republican tax cuts are currently very unpopular (except among the Republican ‛base’ who're desperate to hear news that their guys can get something, anything, whatever it is, just get something done so we don't all look Keystone Kops here). The Republicans intend to spend the next six to nine months trying to preach that the tax cuts for the rich are a good thing. Simultaneously, they're going to try talk up the need to cut food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid, and Social Security. Red state citizens use those government programs at an even higher rate than do people in blue states.
Not gonna be pretty. The voters in the red states are gonna be able to put those two things together in their minds; tax cuts=program cuts, cuts impacting older white folks who depend on those programs. Not gonna be pretty.
Hah. I was sure someone here accused me of making up stories of Antifa's role in the Charlottesville violence, and even of posting pictures from a different venue. Guess what Getty pictures just posted as one of their pictures of they year, with the caption: "Right-wing Americans clash with counter-protestors at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. In a very dangerous situation, in which baseball bats are being swung and some people are wearing protective gear, Chip Somodevilla is very close to the action and putting himself in great personal danger to capture this photo". That wouldn't be black clad Antifa types in the protective gear by any chance? ;-)
[Jeffrey]: "Happy Holidays to everyone! I'm in Zhejiang Province, where churches are now allowed to have crosses on their steeples again. Yay!"
Didn't know you cared about that sort of thing. Do the Commies still have their own state-controlled "official Catholic Church"? A young Chinese family in our parish here who are seeking to become Catholics told me how they didn't trust the church back home. Indeed, I'm kinda surprised they have any interest in it.
That's not the same photograph as the fake one you put up. I still have the link to the one you put up, and the link still works. AND I still have the link to the place where you first posted the link to your fake. AND I happen to know where your fake actually came from orignally. Lies upon lies from you now. You should have quit while you were ahead.
Actually, I guess that would have been quit while you were behind so's to not get even further behind as you've done here.
The BBC weather presenter just announced that today is the Winter Solstice and posted up the times of sunset in various parts of the British Isle. I presume the meteorologists can't be ignorant of the fact that sunset has already been getting later for a week and a half, due to the ellipticity of Earth's orbit. Can't fault the weather they're bringing us though. Usually we have either sunny and cold or wet and mild at this time of year. But it's been sunny, calm and mild all week, temps 10-12°C, and almost the same overnight. Grass is growing, trees look ready to bud, and I've even seen some insects swarming. Traditional Spring is barely a month away.
Pete: "The BBC weather presenter just announced that today is the Winter Solstice and posted up the times of sunset in various parts of the British Isle."
At this time of year I almost question why people even live up here, it's so dark. Here in the south of Sweden we at least have a chance to see the sun but further north it's gone now for 'bout two months or so.
Jeffrey, I'm learning more and more about Asia (have friends living there) and one thing I just learned was not to gift perfume when I come to visit. I did that yesteryear, bought an expencive perfume for my pals' whife. Apparently that signals you don't like their smell - even if that was far from my intention - I thought ALL girls like a nice set of perfumes as a gift. Next time I'll bring a handbag instead, because I have come to believe all girls like handbags, even asians. I could be wrong again. I try my best though.
Lee
You said a while ago that my beef with increased rapes and other crime in Sweden (might have) had nothing to do with immigration. Show me the stats for murders you said. OK: fatal shootings are more than doubled:
http://www.friatider.se/d-dsskjutningar-har-mer-n-f-rdubblats
That's in Swedish but you gan Google-translate to get the jist of it, and there's a link to official police figures in there.
So there!
(But of course you already knew blacks and brown migrants will breed violence, you just took the cowards way out of schreeching: "QUOTES". Well, now you have them) So there!
UN votes to condemn Trump's decision on Jerusalem.
"That is what the American people want us to do and it is the right thing to do," Haley said. "This vote will make a difference in how Americans look at the UN," she said. "And this vote will be remembered."
I really wish that the people who inhabit the Trump administration would realize that they do not have a mandate from the American people on anything, let alone this decision on Jerusalem. This just seems like another example of overreach by Trump. And his reaction in threatening to cut off funding is bullying, nothing more.
But it's been sunny, calm and mild all week, temps 10-12°C, and almost the same overnight. Grass is growing, trees look ready to bud, and I've even seen some insects swarming. Traditional Spring is barely a month away.
We just dodged a bullet with a major snowstorm that fizzled. We are, however, looking at sinking into the deep freeze on Christmas. I finally managed to remove all of the ice from my driveway, only to get tire marks and footprints adhering to it after the snow we had yesterday. *shrug* Oh, well.
The Republican tax cuts are currently very unpopular (except among the Republican ‛base’ who're desperate to hear news that their guys can get something, anything, whatever it is, just get something done so we don't all look Keystone Kops here).
Too late! I don't think anything will help with that now. It just keeps getting worse and worse.
"OK: fatal shootings are more than doubled:"
We already did this one. Your gangbangers are killing one another; used to they'd use lesser degrees of force, but they're escalating their behavior.
First of all, you were originally telling us about violence to Swedes, native blond type Caucasian Swedes from ungrateful immigrants. The immigrants killing each other is outside of the parameters of our original discussion.
Second thing. Ya'll ain't integrating your immigrants from out of the south. You fail to integrate them into Swedish society and you're gonna create a batch of gangbangers that you have to deal with. It's gonna happen; it happened to us (with blacks who were refused integration that they actively sought); it'll happen to you. It is happening to you now. We learned better and have done a better job with more recent immigrant communities. You've yet to learn.
"…they do not have a mandate from the American people…"
Trump's not worried about any mandate from ‘the American people’. He's giving tokens to the Trumpkins, who value tokens highly.
Trump's not worried about any mandate from ‘the American people’.
Yes, that is understood. And, perhaps, I really shouldn't care, because ignoring that fact will hopefully come back to haunt him.
Marcus,
What I might be the most interested in is your assessment of the youth, that being your students, in China.
I'm teaching in an international program in a public high school. My small groups of students study abroad, mostly US, Canada, and Australia. Their parents have enough money to send them to this program, which is expensive by Chinese standards (140,000 yuan for three years). All of the other students at this school are in the gaokao-track. The gaokao is the college-entrance exam and students begin to study for this already back in middle school. These students are in class from seven in the morning to nine-fifteen at night. All of it is memorization.
Common wisdom says that East Asians are, due to pressure and culture, better at rote learning than are students in the west. But that they lack in innovation and "thinking outside the box".
There is no tradition of critical thinking here. I was really shocked by it when I first started teaching. It's part of Chinese culture and it's reinforced by the Communist Party. They don't like critical thinking because critical thinkers could end up focusing on the Party. They don't want that.
The going theory is that this will still keep the west on top as "we" will be the ones inventing new stuff, breaking frontiers and so on, and reaping the main benefits; and the Asians will be left as "our" assembly line workers for stuff they copy from us.
I agree with this completely. As I said, the contrast between the way we are raised in the West to question everything and the way the Chinese are raised not to question anything produces that situation.
Also, a more personal question: how do yu like it where you stay and teach, if compared to your life in the US? And when/if you have extended time off, do you travel back to the US or explore the region? And if so where?
Teaching and living in China is a huge challenge. It's not easy at all, but on most days I like it because I learn both about China and about the West and the US (contrasts abound). But there are also many days when the daily problems seem too hard. Here at the school, I've had many arguments and struggles with administration. The goals of education here, as you can imagine, are not the same as in the West.
In a couple months, I'll be flying to Australia to visit a friend in Melbourne. I'll be here in China for another year or two. After that, I may to return to Buenos Aires. The city is dysfunctional, but it's very laid-back and great for biking.
Lynnette,
Still in China? Have you gotten to know some of the locals well?
Yes, I've made some very good Chinese friends. I've learned a lot about their culture from them.
What is their take on the future of China and its role in the world?
Chinese see themselves as the center of the world. At some point, they probably want to fight the Americans.
Are they as concerned about climate change as some of us are?
No.
Are you teaching according to a plan set up by the school or do you have the freedom to create your own? How does teaching Chinese kids compare to teaching American?
I brought in my own program. It's an intensive writing and research course called Critical Writing and Response. Four periods every morning for two semesters. The students write close to forty essays during that time. Each semester we read a novel. As I type this, they are taking their exam on Steinbeck's The Pearl. Open-book, open-notes, but it's a hard test.Next semester, we read Golding's Lord of the Flies.
As I said to Marcus, the biggest difference is that Chinese students have absolutely no critical thinking skills.
I've had some good students. This is my third year and many of my former students are succeeding at good universities abroad. But when I first starting teaching them, they didn't know the difference between a direct quote and a paraphrase. I had to start from scratch with them.
Petes,
Didn't know you cared about that sort of thing. Do the Commies still have their own state-controlled "official Catholic Church"? A young Chinese family in our parish here who are seeking to become Catholics told me how they didn't trust the church back home. Indeed, I'm kinda surprised they have any interest in it.
I'm Roman Catholic, born and raised in an all-Catholic town in Iowa (half German-Catholics and half Irish-Catholics). Growing up, I thought everyone was Catholic. It was only in high school that I met a Methodist. He told me that going to church on Sunday was optional for them. I wondered, "Dang, what kind of religion is that?"
Indeed. Your friends are right. Chinese Christians have to register with the government. A few years ago, they removed all the crosses from churches, but now it seems they're allowing on top again. But that could change tomorrow.
The Communist Party is the ultimate group of paranoid control freaks.
"…ignoring that fact will hopefully come back to haunt him."
Perhaps haunt him, and, more importantly, it may haunt them.
I've been trying to figure this one out. Why are the Republicans pinning their future on a hugely unpopular piece of tax cuts? It's hard enough to make tax cuts unpopular; that's a feat in and of itself, but they went that extra mile; why?
Ezra Klein at Vox has theories. Most of the elements he addresses I've already hit upon, at somewhat less length, on these pages.
There is one thing I think he's missed though. He came close to it at the end of his essay, but he never quite connected that last dot.
"…they’re larding it full of provisions to make their donors happy,
because then at least then they’ll have Super PACs ready to help
them campaign…"
As Senator Lindsey Graham (among other Republican stalwarts) has reminded us, absent tax cuts for the rich…
"The party fractures…the financial contributions will stop…"
The donor class would abandon them if they couldn't deliver on the tax cuts. That's just how it was gonna be. And, if the donors abandoned them, that would be the end of the modern Republican Party.
Now that they've delivered on the tax cuts the donor class will stick with them at least a little longer, and they stand a fairly decent chance of concoting some further faerie tale that'll satisfy their ‘base’, at least for awhile longer. And then they stand a chance of keeping the Republican Party from coming completely apart. Or, at least they think so. Clearly Lindsey Graham thinks so. (I think he's wrong; they're wrong; too little too late. I think they're probably already well out over the tipping point--ain't gonna save it now. They now have to try to make rhetorical support for their tax cuts for the rich at the same time as they try to cut social programs their voters rely on. I think that's an impossible lift, even acknowledging that their ‛base’ desperately wants to be lied to.)
So, my answer for why are they pursuing such an apparently foolish policy as is this set of tax cuts? Well, that's because their current primary imperative is to try to head off the crackup of the Party that's been stalking them since they first elected Ronald Reagan. And this at least puts that off a little longer, at least until they get blown out in 2018.
(Yes, I do think the roots of the death of the modern Republican Party trace back to the victory of Ronald Reagan over George H.W. Bush (Bush Senior) in the Republican primary of 1980. That's how long they've been sliding down this path ‛til they got to here. The blessed Saint Ronald of the Tax Cuts turns out to be the proximate cause of the death of the modern Republican Party.)
"Chinese see themselves as the center of the world."
They believe they are the heirs to what they call ‛The Middle Kingdom’, some 3,000 years old or near‘bouts that. By their lights they've been the center of the world since the first dawn of recorded history.
[Marcus]: The going theory is that this will still keep the west on top as "we" will be the ones inventing new stuff, breaking frontiers and so on, and reaping the main benefits; and the Asians will be left as "our" assembly line workers for stuff they copy from us.
[Jeffrey]: I agree with this completely. As I said, the contrast between the way we are raised in the West to question everything and the way the Chinese are raised not to question anything produces that situation.
The easy way around this for the Chinese is to steal the technology, or whatever, from the West. It makes cyber security ever more important for the West.
[Jeffrey]: But there are also many days when the daily problems seem too hard. Here at the school, I've had many arguments and struggles with administration. The goals of education here, as you can imagine, are not the same as in the West.
I can imagine you are a bit like Robin William's character in the movie Dead Poets Society. lol!
[Jeffrey]: Chinese see themselves as the center of the world. At some point, they probably want to fight the Americans.
I think they probably already are, just not militarily. Economic development
can prove to be a strong incentive for people.
[Lynnette]: Are they as concerned about climate change as some of us are?
[Jeffrey]: No.
Their mistake. But I can understand that at the moment they have other immediate concerns. Pollution, and its effect on health, is probably more on their radar.
[Jeffrey]: As I said to Marcus, the biggest difference is that Chinese students have absolutely no critical thinking skills.
I believe there are some Americans out there like that too.
Jeffrey,
Do you have any thoughts on the situation in the States with Trump as President and the GOP's control of Congress? Do the Chinese you interact with ever question what is going on here?
One other question I thought of, how do you like the food? Any favorite dishes?
Why are the Republicans pinning their future on a hugely unpopular piece of tax cuts?
Because they think people are stupid enough to fall for the "bait" of tax cuts in the beginning, giving them a little bit more in their paychecks? Enough so anyway that they won't think about the "switch" of the sunset provision? And, maybe there are actually those who believe that this trickle down economics will actually stimulate the economy enough to grow our way out of some of the increased debt? Of course, this last calls for some stretch of the imagination.
It is probably only when they start cutting entitlements that their base may actually notice.
"… giving them a little bit more in their paychecks?"
They seem to have forgotten that most of the people they're conning don't actually do their own taxes. H & R Block was ubiquitous and cheap, and I believe they're free now for the simpler tax returns. Their ‛base’ voters only real interaction with the tax laws is writing the check to pay those taxes (or getting a refund). The tax cuts they've allocated to the middle class are actually less than the tax cuts the Obama administration gave to the middle class. Most middle class taxpayers are unaware that Obama gave them any tax cuts. So…
"It is probably only when they start cutting entitlements that their
base may actually notice."
Yeah, that they will notice.
"Because…"
Well, I still think it's because their primary imperative is to try to prevent the complete meltdown of their party structure. First thing is to keep their dark money donors from abandoning them. That's done now. Next they try to figure out a con that'll work on their populist voters. I don't think they got that part down yet.
Post Script:
The thing they're not factoring into the ‛prevent the meltdown’ strategy is that it's not their Republican Party anymore. It's Trumpkins'. But, they're desperate, so they'll have to discover that mistake on their own. Can't nobody tell ‛em and expect ‛em to listen.
Great responces Jeffrey. Not cause they validated by previous beliefs but that they were so detailed.
Another question then, and a "confrontive" one to ask: what's the Chineese take on race? Do they see an african and a white caucasian as the same? Are they just all "gaijin" as the Japs would have it or do they rank outsiders?
Lee:
"Second thing. Ya'll ain't integrating your immigrants from out of the south. You fail to integrate them into Swedish society and you're gonna create a batch of gangbangers that you have to deal with."
Oh, so it's OUR fault now. I was told they were coming here to pay my pension and whantnot. But now tat they chimp out it's MY fault.
What, pray tell, should I have done different?
Lee: "It's gonna happen; it happened to us (with blacks who were refused integration that they actively sought); it'll happen to you. It is happening to you now. We learned better and have done a better job with more recent immigrant communities. You've yet to learn."
Oh because you have such a solid and excellent record of race relations in the USA? Why then is every third male nigger incarcerated in his lifetime in the USA?
Hey, Jeffrey, I'm gonna be in Bangkok a few days in late January (26-29) and prolly a few days mid February 14-18 or so. Have you an opportunity thence we might could catch up.
"What, pray tell, should I have done different?"
No particular point in going over what you should have done different. What's done is done, and you don't wanna hear it anyway. You should concentrate on what you should do different. You should be focused on integrating the immigrants who're going to stay into Swedish society.
"Oh because you have such a solid and excellent record of race
relations in the USA?"
I thought I acknowledged that we'd royally screwed up integrating the black folks. It hadn't come up yet, but we weren't doing a much better job with the Mexicans, until here recently when it's improved somewhat. And we're doing better, even with integrating the black folks. You remember Obama, do you not? President, no less. As for the Arabs, well, we managed to get them classified as white folks--saved a lot of trouble with the Old South.
Lynnette,
Do you have any thoughts on the situation in the States with Trump as President and the GOP's control of Congress? Do the Chinese you interact with ever question what is going on here?
You might recall from IBC that I prefer not to follow politics. To me, it is mostly about group-out group signaling, tapping into our hard-wired capacities for hatred and intolerance.
At IBC, I was forced to discuss political issues, but I always preferred, for example, the personal-diary bloggers like Shaggy and Chikitita while admiring the guys at ITM. In fact, I started IBC because I was mostly interested in what average Iraqis would say about their daily lives once they had the freedom to speak their minds. The politics, not so much.
So, short answer, I don't follow American politics at all. More interesting is the current number of men being accused of sexual assault, from Al Franken to Garrison Keillor to Danny Masterson. I just glance at those headlines, read a bit inside the pieces, and wonder what is going on back home.
Chinese don't follow their own politics. They don't know anything about American politics and they would never spend time trying to learn about it. In over two years here, no one has ever asked me anything about American politics. Again, as I've said before, they are raised not to ask questions about anything. And this applies doubly to anything outside of the Middle Kingdom.
CORRECTION: To me, it is mostly about in-group/out-group signaling, tapping into our hard-wired capacities for hatred and intolerance.
Marcus,
Thanks. Living in a new country, it takes a while for the details around you to start falling into patterns and themes. I think I'm starting to get to that point after two years here.
Another question then, and a "confrontive" one to ask: what's the Chineese take on race? Do they see an african and a white caucasian as the same? Are they just all "gaijin" as the Japs would have it or do they rank outsiders?
As you've probably heard, Chinese are unrepentant racists. This is true. We needed another teacher this fall and I had a teacher friend here in Jinhua from Uganda. Perfectly fluent in English. University degree, fluent in Chinese, years of experience here. My school really needed a teacher fast, but they wouldn't hire him. I was furious. They told me that they needed to hire an American teacher, but the reality is that he was from Africa and they feared that the parents of the students in our program -- with some justification, I imagine -- would have pulled their sons and daughters from our program.
And yes, they rank "waiguoren," outside-country-people. My friend from Uganda was near or at the bottom, in their eyes.
Lee C.,
They believe they are the heirs to what they call ‛The Middle Kingdom’, some 3,000 years old or near‘bouts that. By their lights they've been the center of the world since the first dawn of recorded history.
Yep, that is correct. The number I've heard the most is 5,000. Certainly in Asia, they are Greek and Roman civilizations rolled together and projecting its massive influence over the rest of the region. Their entire history is one of other countries kowtowing to them and bringing tribute to them.
By now, I've read several stacks of books on China. One of them that gets into this aspect of how the Chinese see themselves and their history is Howard W. French's Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China's Push to Global Power.
"The number I've heard the most is 5,000."
Well, now you're into the origination fables about the mother-goddess Nüwa, who was wife to her brother, and made the Chinese people out of blood from her bitten finger and mud from the Yellow River. (Also chickens and dogs, both of which are edible in Chinese tradition.) The actual Middle Kingdom doesn't go back that far. (Although they may tell the tale otherwise.)
Slight correction is warranted (bad editing)"
"The actual, original Middle Kingdom doesn't go back that far."
Marcus,
Hey, Jeffrey, I'm gonna be in Bangkok a few days in late January (26-29) and prolly a few days mid February 14-18 or so. Have you an opportunity thence we might could catch up.
Okay, got it. I'll probably be in Australia then, but we'll see.
Hey, while living in Bangkok, I learned about medical tourism. I had never really thought about it before. I have a pinched nerve in my left shoulder from weightlifting and while I was there I decided to make sure it was just the pinched nerve acting up and nothing else.
One morning, I walked into Bumrungrad International Hospital. In fifteen minutes, I had a hospital card with my photo. I requested the complete cardiac assessment package. They sent me to an upper floor and in two hours I was finished with all the testing, which included a treadmill stress test, and I was sitting with the doctor. Everything was fine and I went downstairs to pay the bill on my credit card. It came to around $250 to $300.
Back at my sister's in New Jersey, I showed the paperwork to my doctor brother-in-law and he just laughed. What I had gotten would have cost at least $5000 in the US, maybe more.
And the quality of the service at Bumrungrad was amazing. Top-level machines and lots of staff to take care of you at each step of the procedures. They even had a Starbucks on one of the floors.
So some of those tourists you see might be, in fact, medical tourists.
Lee C.,
The actual Middle Kingdom doesn't go back that far.
Agreed. But 5,000 sounds more impressive to them. As you say, they prefer to say otherwise.
A little mentioned piece of the recent Republican tax cuts allows employers at restaurants (and similar venues where tips are common) to seize the tips given to their employees, ostensibly ‘for redistribution’, as they please, and most importantly if they please. Let's make sure ya'll clear on that. The employers may seize their serving employees tips and reallocate those tips to other employees (like corporate CEOs for instance) or, the employers can simply keep the tips if they'd rather do that. LATimes
You might recall from IBC that I prefer not to follow politics. To me, it is mostly about group-out group signaling, tapping into our hard-wired capacities for hatred and intolerance.
Interesting concept, and possibly true in some cases. In others I'd say taking an interest is akin to being in survival mode.
More interesting is the current number of men being accused of sexual assault, from Al Franken to Garrison Keillor to Danny Masterson. I just glance at those headlines, read a bit inside the pieces, and wonder what is going on back home.
I agree with you there. While I didn't vote for Franken the first time out, I did the second, and am very disappointed that this was the ending to his time in office. I had actually come to respect his work there. As for Garrison Keillor, unlike so many in my state, I was never much of a fan of his.
In any case, I am very disappointed that sexual misconduct seems so prevalent in our society. Maybe, like the racial issues, it's time to talk about this more openly. Although I hold out little hope that things will change overnight. It will take more than people being "outed" for behavior to change. As the line from South Pacific goes, you have to be carefully taught to hate. Same goes for the lack of respect for women, or anyone who could be viewed as "prey".
By now, I've read several stacks of books on China.
Thanks for the book recommendation. As you may have noticed I am an avid reader when I get the chance.
I have two books on China, which I haven't yet read, but hope to. *sigh*
Oracle Bones, by Peter Hessler
Mao, by Jung Chang & Jon Halliday
I will be sure to look up the book you mentioned.
Lynnette,
In any case, I am very disappointed that sexual misconduct seems so prevalent in our society.
I really wonder whether there is more sexual misconduct these days. From a distance, it seems like very hasty judgments are being made. You only need to point a finger and you can ruin the career of someone. Media loves it, of course. They can sell more advertising, but is the kind of society we want to live in?
It also seems like it plays right into the very worrisome trend of everyone now being a victim in the US. We even have millionaire football players acting like victims, right? Personally, I'm suspicious.
I'd like to hear from you and the guys. Have you ever been, Lynnette, inappropriately touched by men? And for the guys, have your sisters or your wife?
Again, from a distance and coming from a family with five very headstrong and successful sisters, I don't see the lack of respect for women in the US. Looking at the US from other countries, I see the opposite. I see a country where women are powerful.
Are so-called victims now leading the witch-hunts in the US?
Hey, this could be the start of a debate, my first with you guys in a long time.
[Jeffrey]: "The Communist Party is the ultimate group of paranoid control freaks."
Are you allowed to say that? Isn't some Great Firewall operative supposed to come and cart you off now for re-education? ;-)
[Marcus]: "At this time of year I almost question why people even live up here, it's so dark. Here in the south of Sweden we at least have a chance to see the sun but further north it's gone now for 'bout two months or so."
Malmö's not exactly land of the midnight sun though, is it? I think you're only two degrees north of us, and today is 28 minutes shorter than here at a bit over seven hours. Stockholm looks a bit more extreme at just over 6 hours. The furthest north I've ever been is Sundsvall -- they get four hours fifty-nine minutes of sun today. I'll admit that's heading into depression territory :-)
Don't know about you, but I wouldn't trade our Gulf Stream influence for more sunlight. Lynnette's getting nine hours of daylight and freezing her whatnots off. We're having another glorious sunny day with 13 degrees Celsius. In Ireland that's two degrees off tee-shirt weather :) :) :)
[Petes]: Are you allowed to say that? Isn't some Great Firewall operative supposed to come and cart you off now for re-education? ;-)
No, I am not allowed to say that. But I'm using a VPN, so GFW operatives can't find me. By the way, at this school there are two local firewalls we have to pass through, one for the school itself and one for the educational district. I bought a mini-router that hooks up directly with China Mobile that allows me to sit at my desk and avoid the two firewalls altogether.
It would be hard to overemphasize how important walls are to Chinese. Walls -- both physical and mental -- are everywhere here.
And yes, I've adopted your use of square brackets for attribution. It looks nice.
Ah. Square brackets and italics, but you forgot the quotes. Not that I wouldn't bow to your greater expertise if you told me they were superfluous ;-)
Petes,
I did note your quotation marks, but I figured that the italicization was enough (for me).
I hope the others will tolerate that slight stylistic discrepancy.
Jeffrey: "Okay, got it. I'll probably be in Australia then, but we'll see."
It was a longshot but I remember you being in Bangkok previously so I tossed it out there.
My plan is a few days in Bangers, then down to Koh Yao Noi, a small island off the coast of Phuket where one of my best friends run a high end resort.
There I'll scuba dive and just relax. Spend time w my friend and his falimy I'll bring books. The place got everything I need except pork, or in my case bacon. They are supposedly muslims down there you see, and while beer, wine and booze are OK they draw the line at pork. So scrambled eggs with chicken-sausage for breakfast - can you believe that?
They seriously take the most tasty animal of all animals and demand it off menu. How insane is that? Moslems, huh?
Jeffrey,
I really wonder whether there is more sexual misconduct these days. From a distance, it seems like very hasty judgments are being made.
I would tend to agree with you. I believe there are people out there who are jumping on the bandwagon for other reasons then the alleged incident itself. In all honesty, despite the crude photo of Franken, I feel his case fits that bill. I was never a fan of his SNL work, which was one of the reasons I did not vote for him the first time. But I felt that his work in the Senate had made up for my first poor impression, so voted for him the second time around. I don't think that we are all "black or white". We make mistakes or act poorly at times. Lives should not be ruined for actions if they are not of an egregious nature.
Have you ever been, Lynnette, inappropriately touched by men?
I would say that there were a couple instances, an unwanted kiss and touch. But they were not of a nature that I would make a big deal out of them. I wrote them off as simply poorly thought out behavior. But then these guys never bothered me again and the incidents weren't worth even mentioning. The women who are talking about serious things, such as rape or pressure from those in a position of authority over them, are of far more concern. One of the reasons I questioned the accusations against Franken was that so many of his women staffers have come out in support of him, saying he was always respectful towards them.
Looking at the US from other countries, I see the opposite. I see a country where women are powerful.
Interesting observation. Possibly one of our strengths. Through history women have contributed a lot to advance a culture.
But I'm using a VPN, so GFW operatives can't find me.
That it explains it then. I was kind of wondering the same thing. I have heard so much about the blocking the Chinese do when it comes to internet access.
And yes, I've adopted your use of square brackets for attribution. It looks nice.
It does look nice. I am afraid I have gotten lazy and am usually in a hurry, so don't always take the time for the flourishes.
Now, off to fight the crowds for last minute shopping. *sigh*
Pete: "Malmö's not exactly land of the midnight sun though, is it?"
It's dark enough for sure. Now if daytime was sunny and there was snow in the fields that'd be one thing. But it isn't! It's just rain and grey skies and then dark again. Depressing!
Question: which whiskey is the original for an Irish whiskey coffe? I say Jameson but some say Tullamore Dew.
"And for the guys…"
My sister can throw a right cross that can put the average man on the ground, and she can bring it as a surprise.
I don't see any reason to discuss the ex-.
Lynnette: "
I would tend to agree with you. I believe there are people out there who are jumping on the bandwagon for other reasons then the alleged incident itself. In all honesty, despite the crude photo of Franken, I feel his case fits that bill. I was never a fan of his SNL work, which was one of the reasons I did not vote for him the first time. But I felt that his work in the Senate had made up for my first poor impression, so voted for him the second time around. I don't think that we are all "black or white". We make mistakes or act poorly at times. Lives should not be ruined for actions if they are not of an egregious nature. "
Well blahdiblah. Cause you side with him in politics he can grope all he likes. A conservative you would have held to different standards for sure.
BUT it's starting do dawn on ya'll that almost all the #metoo pervs are liberals, leftists and jews.
Because right wing white men have principles and do not engage in this sort of debauchery.
Starting to see that now, ain't ya?
Lee: "You should concentrate on what you should do different. You should be focused on integrating the immigrants who're going to stay into Swedish society."
Nope. I will not do that at all. I will focus on them returning home to whence they belong. That'll be MY focus.
Historically, General Kelly has lost influence over Trump's tweeting when Trump goes to Mar-a-Lago. There was some chatter among the pundits and talking heads that between Kelly and Mattis they expected to be able to dissuade him from self-satisfying tweets over the holidays this time. (They intended to keep his mind busy with praise for the tax cuts and hopefully keep the TVs turned off at the golf clubhouse, or, at least keep them tuned to Christmas specials instead of FoxNews.) Didn't work. Trumptweets
We currently have people quitting both the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency in what can probably be described as ‘droves’.
Now the Republicans have managed to hound the Deputy Director of the FBI into the decision to retire as soon as his pension benefits are fully vested in early March. He's got about 90 days to go, or there‛bouts, and some of that is accrued vacation and holiday time--he doesn't even have to come to work to get his day's credit. This is a career civil servant, not a political appointee, and he's had enough and is walking away from it. MSN.com
I hope this is not a harbinger of things to come, of career employees of the FBI (and perhaps other federal intelligence and security agencies) looking for the exits rather than serving in a chaotic Trumpkin environment.
Cause you side with him in politics he can grope all he likes.
Nope, I just cited his case because the women in his life were too busy contradicting each other and his record in the Senate for championing women's issues seemed at odds with a serial sexual predator.
BUT it's starting do dawn on ya'll that almost all the #metoo pervs are liberals, leftists and jews.
Because right wing white men have principles and do not engage in this sort of debauchery.
Now who is generalizing by political bias? Not to mention it has never been proven that such a bias has any correlation with rates of sexual misconduct.
Virginia candidate was not a “Trumper,” and he lost.
What? Did they have the coin toss and I missed it?
I hope this is not a harbinger of things to come, of career employees of the FBI (and perhaps other federal intelligence and security agencies) looking for the exits rather than serving in a chaotic Trumpkin environment.
It's going to take a lot to fix the mess Trump & Co. have made if this is the case.
Vikings beat the Packers 16 to zip. One more game to go, against the Bears.
Even for Oirland, this has got to be the balmiest Christmas week I've ever seen. I hung washing out to line-dry yesterday. My pessimistic self worries that January could be a shock to the system since Christmas feels like Spring.
Actually, up until now the weather here hasn't been that bad either. Not spring like, no, but nicer than usual for Minnesota. We are set to go into the deep freeze (below zero) on Christmas Day, but we haven't had the amounts of snow they have had out east or even down south. I even tested the snowblower to make sure it would start last week in anticipation of the major snowstorm they predicted, only to have it fizzle. Of course, like you, I don't expect this reprieve to last. But I'm hoping for a few quiet days to relax and enjoy the holidays.
This is nuts. Fourteen degrees at 11pm, Christmas Eve. Happy Christmas folks.
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