American culture | American culture
Jun.30.2010
Selling imaginary things is the quickest way to becoming rich. If you are not sure ask Bernie Madoff, Lehman Brothers and the airline industry. All of them, especially the airline industry , were simply exercising their god given constitutional right to make a profit. As the unofficial self...
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Jun.15.2010
What's life for, again? I always told my son that if anybody knew the answer to that question it would be all over the news, and as anybody with ears and eyes--no brain necessary--can attest, it is not all over the news. In fact, it's not even near the news. The Meaning of Life is not discussed...
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Apr.09.2010
Of all the classes I teach, teaching writing is my favorite. This probably is not a surprise to anyone. There are two moments that never cease to bring a smile to my face. I have learned as much from my students during these moments as I hope they have learned from me.
The first moment occurs...
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Feb.20.2010
I did not notice the shiny bulb race into the air. It was the bang that got my attention. Then the red and blue and greens appeared in a circle in the distance. I did not smile. The rain and three hour delay in leaving to visit my Chinese sister had all but killed any feeling of festivity that...
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Feb.18.2010
It is an incredible feeling when you feel all alone in a country of one billion people. It explains why Chinese people, more than other people, seek safety in numbers. It is overwhelming and contradictory. You see the people, you sense they are there, but you still have this crushing awareness of...
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Feb.06.2010
One of the very nice benefits of being an English teacher abroad is that during the breaks between semesters I get to travel. This particular vacation I am going to London. One of the benefits of traveling to London this particular time is that I get a five hour layover in Moscow. This leads to...
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Jan.31.2010
Shuffle,Shuffle,Slip,Pause,shuffle,rinse, repeat as necessary. This is how I made my way from the hotel down the alley way. It was only the third day of the year and there had already been a fairly decent snowfall. Snow, apparently , was never taught manners as a child. Of course if I hadn't been...
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Jan.29.2010
This is the kind of story that would make Disney proud. It would be a feel good movie that would star some Brat Pack 2.0 actor and bring more money into Disney in one holiday weekend than some countries bring pull in all year. It is a story about a disgruntled yet lovable unofficial spokesman...
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Jan.28.2010
I have really run out of excuses not to write. You would imagine, fancying myself a writer and critic, that I would find any opportunity to write. But when there is something I love, I truly love, I find reasons to not do it, or preferably ignore it altogether.
I have another reason, although this...
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Jan.03.2010
I know the sound the desert makes in those slow motion films they show in high school. You know the ones, the movies where they show a desert finally getting some moisture after a long dry season, the rain falling and the ground sucking up the moisture like some ravenous steroid filled sponge. Yes...
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